Why?

It was raining.  Normally, this would be of little note, but this was Kabul.  It never rains in Kabul.  The rain fell as if symbolizing the sorrow that permeated her very existence.  She stood there, oblivious to the rain and wind – a solitary figure on the hill.  The lush, green landscape fell down the hill, away from her and into a city of dirt and grime.  Behind her lay the jagged brown peaks of the mighty Hindu Kush.  She was equidistant from each of these imposing figures – the city and the mountain.  But she was what you noticed.  Out there, alone, almost regal she stood.

As the summer sun fought with the storm clouds, rays of light danced about her.  The sparkling of the light across her had the look of glitter – flittering about her like camera flashes trying to catch her beauty.  And, from this distance, she did look beautiful.  As I drew closer, however, I saw that the years had faded her beauty.  I could still see it though – a beauty that once was.  If you looked past the years, you could still see her, as she was then – a queen standing among her people.   

But now it was different.  She had scars – scars borne of a battle by two men.  Whether it was jealously, pride, or power, the men fought for her.  It was not enough simply to possess her, however, the fight was to deny the other her beauty.  At this they were both successful for the fighting had wounded her.  It had aged her beyond her years, irreparably damaging her, the only true beauty, save nature, in the area.  She was the symbol of what was and what could be and they destroyed her.  She stood there now, empty and devoid of life – a broken shell of once was.

As I walked through the Queen’s Palace, I could indeed see the beauty that once was.  This massive structure stood, watching over the city, as a symbol of Afghanistan under the monarchy, when it had a modicum of success and a promising future.  That was destroyed now, ground into the rubble of the selfish dreams of man.  This beautiful structure was not destroyed by the Soviet or even the American invasion.  Afghans – Afghans so selfish they were blinded to the true and utter destruction that fell in their wake, destroyed it.  As the Soviets left and the Communist government fell, Afghanistan had a chance, a chance at success.  But Afghanistan needed men who would stand for it rather than for themselves.  They got warlords instead. 

As I walked the lonely halls, listening to the winds echo along the bare walls, I could not help but ponder war’s destructiveness.  This building, a Queen’s Palace, was once fit to stand among the world’s finest palaces, but now it was a trash heap.  Graffiti painted the walls, tumbleweeds camped in the corners, and feces stained the floors of some rooms used as bathrooms.  It didn’t have to be this way though.

Some visitors, seeing the same damage, must have thought as I did on seeing it.  What a waste.  What a tragic waste.  But perhaps a lesson can still be learned.  As I walked through a doorway and turned to look up, I saw the only real color in the building.  It was a bright mural, a tribute to Christmas 1988.  St. Nick was there, standing beside a Christmas tree.  Russian words indicated that a Soviet Special Forces unit had spent their Christmas there, dreaming of home and peace. 

Throughout many of the other halls, the most ubiquitous drawing was of the dove.  Sometimes it stood alone; other times it clutched a twig from an olive branch or a love letter.  In these drawing we see the one similarity among military members.  The Soviets fought the Mujahedeen; when the Soviets left, they fought each other.  Now, some of them fight Americans.  But the desire for peace filled them all.  The Soviets wished for peace at Christmas.  The Mujahedeen asked for peace by using the dove.  As we Americans walked through the destruction, we wondered aloud what the purpose was.  We had a moment to contemplate the destruction, the death.

After returning to my office, I checked my email and found the casualty report waiting.  One Department of Defense civilian, two Marines, and six Soldiers just died.  Why?