When you look into his eyes you see a history of unspoken tales; a face lined with years of commitment to dreams that are rooted in the struggles of Afghanistan. Now Vice Chief of Staff, Lieutenant General Noori of the Afghan National Army, accompanied by Major General Durbin of the US Army- Afghanistan, stood in the headquarters compound of Joint Task Force Phoenix V, here at Camp Shelby, giving his only interview during his brief tour of the United States.

Lt. Gen. Noori was born in a province some 80 kilometers from the Afghanistan capital. He started his military service at a young age, spending the better part of 14 years fighting against the Soviet occupation. He later fought in the bitter civil war that followed, as the Taliban took control of the country. Now, as Afghanistan moves towards a period of greater stability, Lt. Gen. Noori has taken his position as one of leaders in the country to help guide it towards lasting stability and security.

As Maj. Gen. Durbin said to a gathering of NCO's and Officers, "Lt. Gen. Noori [has] spent more time in active combat than [many] of you have in the service."

Maj. Gen. Durbin is currently the Commander of the Office of Security and Cooperation, Afghanistan. He is a graduate of West Point and has been in the Afghan theatre since January. The purpose of his tour to the United States with Lt. Gen. Noori was to provide a behind the scenes look at the efforts being made to maintain the United States' commitment of establishing a secure and stable Afghanistan.

As Maj. Gen. Durbin stated, "General Noori being here in the United States, and having gone to and seen the training regiment that we do from an institutional perspective at Fort Benning, and coming here to see the operational training that we do [here at Camp Shelby], gives him a perspective of the level of effort that the United States has put into our commitment to assist in developing our partner who will be self-sufficient within the next five to ten years."

Lt. Gen. Noori is 55 years old. He speaks through a translator who remains at his side nearly every moment he is visible. Though speaking in his native tongue of Dari, he still commands the place of General and a leader that is experienced, direct, and proud. In Maj. Gen. Durbin's words, he compared him to General Cody. "For those of you that haven't served with General Cody, General Noori has a very similar personality. You have to watch what you do or say around him because he'll hold you to it."

Maj. General Durbin functions as a senior mentor to Lt. Gen. Noori. It is a role that has proved to be one of the most challenging in Maj. Gen. Durbin's career. Yet it is one that he is committed to and believes in, "We have ownership in the development of the Afghan National Army at every level, from the Minister of Defense down to the individual soldier." He continues, "The leadership of the Afghan National Army has great potential. I believe in them and they're believing in themselves."

The importance of the role of Joint Task Force Phoenix V was underlined by the visit of these two Generals. As Brigadier General Pritt, Task Force Commander, stated, "It is unprecedented that both of these distinguished gentlemen would take the opportunity to come all of the way from Afghanistan to address us. But that demonstrates to you the importance of the Task Force Phoenix mission."

These words were echoed by Lt. Gen. Noori as he spoke to an early morning gathering of Officers and NCO's, "The security and stability of Afghanistan involves you, distinguished soldiers and officers. The people of Afghanistan are looking to you to for your assistance. There has been a great deal of progress, however, there will be challenges and there will be some problems. It is the challenges that bring you there, and it is these challenges that the people of Afghanistan look to you for guidance and assistance to help solve."

Maj. Gen. Durbin offered additional insight, "The Afghan National Army has come to a point where it is an effective and functional organization; it's a fighting force that is ready to take the lead and start to conduct independent operations with minimal international support." His words underscored the importance of mentoring and leadership, setting the standards that would allow the Afghan National Army to stand on its own.

As the morning gathering was coming to a close, a question was directed to Lt. Gen. Noori. Stirring up images of Iraq, and the constant wave of pictures of discontent that fill our media, Lt. Gen. Noori was asked how these soldiers would be received. Making a point to gain eye contact with the soldier, Lt. Gen. Noori made his message clear, "The people of Afghanistan are looking forward to the assistance from the US Army."

Time will tell.

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Copyright, Scott Kesterson- 2006

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