I had not heard the term prior to arriving in Afghanistan. It was Colonel Petrucci, the new commander for the Kandahar area, 205th RCAG, that stated it first, "We'll go out, and hopefully, we'll see the elephant." Ironically, the Colonel's words were more appropriate than he may have realized at the time. The term "seeing the Elephant," is a term used to describe the experience of war, and one that historians believe may have originated quite near this area.

From a guard post on the eastern side of this forward operating base (FOB), one can sit and look onto the ruins of the castle that was built under the rule of Alexander the Great in 355 BC. The walls and battlements are slowly falling to centuries of war and the hand of nature. It is a place that currently houses one of the Afghan National Army units as well as an embedded training team (ETT) detachment from the United States Army National Guard. Over this last year, for months at at time, hundreds of truck loads of old ammunition and explosives were removed from the castle, and destroyed. These were the remnants of the caches stock piled under the Taliban regime, and a solemn reminder of this countries legacy of conflict.

During the 3rd Century B.C., Alexander the Great's Macedonian warriors defeated the elephant-mounted army of King Porus in the Indus valley. The stories of these battles between his men and these strange beasts were carried with them as they returned home. These were remarkable tales of victory shared by the soldiers who had returned from its long distance travels and exploits in exotic places. It has thus been suggested that "seeing the elephant" became synonymous with journeys and experiences in strange and far-off places.

More than a 1,000 years after Alexander, Holy Roman Emperor Charlemagne heard stories of an enormous animal that could uproot living trees. After African traders assured the emperor that elephants could clear paths throughout the heavily forested empire, he became obsessed with the idea of acquiring one. Through the efforts of an exiled Arab lord and a merchant named Isaac, an elephant was obtained in Baghdad and laboriously brought by land and sea to the emperor's seat at Aix. The animal, named Abul Abbas, created a tremendous stir in the Frankish world. Word of the monster that had pulled down its own stone stable and yet would gently eat from its royal master's hand spread throughout the empire. When the beast was paraded during festivals and celebrations, peasants, who had seldom if ever left their homes before, traveled miles to "see the elephant." (Reference: "Seeing the Elephant" by Gerald Conti.)

Afghanistan is still a country at war. Though we talk of rebuilding and reconstruction, of helping this nation, and of standing a new government and an army on its feet, stability from chaos at this juncture is assured by the presence of the international community, and most notably, the efforts of the United States. Statistically, there is more violence in California than there is in Afghanistan and Iraq combined. However, in spite of our own social ills, we somehow seem to remain cohesive as a country, avoiding the demons of civil war and civic collapse. Though one could argue well that with the recent examples of New Orleans and Katrina, that the line between stability and failure are thin, our social infrastructure is well enough developed that thus far we have been able to remain in tact as a country. The same cannot be said for Afghanistan.

This is a country lacking the foundations of organization that we take for granted, be it roads, electrical or communications systems, sewer and water systems, medical facilities, or education. Relying still on the traditions of tribal law and government, the steps that this country is taking to bring unity through a common representative government are enormous, if not courageous. It is a process that cannot occur suddenly, nor without times of misfortune. Yet, there seems to be a willingness to succeed, albeit slow at times, but nonetheless committed.

A war zone isn't a place to tread lightly. My draw to this place is a passion that stirs within every cell my body and within the marrow of my bones. War seems to be part of our existence, and therefore worth the risk of documenting... not just for its tragedy, but also its emotion, and its human face. It is the story that I seek, with its pallet of emotions and experiences that make-up a canvas that speaks to our greater selves. With each day and each step, I find myself walking deeper into the story, more unattached yet more committed to the images of this life.

Over this past week, I have "seen the elephant," and with it found a greater place in myself.

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Copyright, Scott Kesterson- 2006

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