Oklahoma Soldiers Train In Bee Keeping, Basket Weaving

[The Straight Story]

Oklahoma Soldiers Train In Bee Keeping, Basket Weaving


ESPANOLA, N.M. -- Fourteen members of an Army National Guard unit training in northern New Mexico have met stringent fitness requirements and are learning rifle marksmanship and land navigation, but they're also learning about beekeeping, basket weaving and slaughtering goats.

It's all to prepare for the 2-45th ADT unit of the Oklahoma Army National Guard's upcoming deployment to Afghanistan.

On Wednesday, that meant a visit to the Espanola Valley Fiber Arts Center.

Dressed in fatigues and tan combat boots, the soldiers stood out at the center as they got a crash course in natural yarn dying and hands-on lessons on the loom.

Lessons like these are designed to prepare the team for their duty to help communities become self-sustaining. The troops are scheduled to deploy to the eastern Afghani province of Paktia.

http://www.newson6.com/global/story.asp?s=12602518

[murray hill farm]

1. Well....

sounds good! When will they begin teach this to communities in the US? We also need to learn to become self-sustaining...and may need that abiliity sooner than we ever thought.

[tabasco]

2. Good point.

I'd like the Army to come in and help me get my wood shop up and running.

[RKP5637]

5. You live in the wrong country, others get priority while the US falls apart. Just pay

your taxes to keep these wars going and the MIC well funded. Talk about ass-backward priorities, this country rates #1 in that IMO.

[The Straight Story]

3. I talked to my son today (finally)

He is in CA and has been in training for his Iraq Deployment in September.

Prior to heading to CA (and he was on a cell phone blackout until Sat morning) he talked to me a bit about the training he was doing.

A lot of 'relations' training. Learning about the various cultures there, what to do and say (and what not to).

If it helps the soldiers and the locals, I am all for it (because, face it, the situation is not changing all that much).

[Duer 157099]

4. Perhaps next they'll learn how to make Igloos to teach to Eskimos?

:shrug:

Like what, tribal people in Afghanistan don't know how to weave baskets or use a loom or keep bees or to kill goats?

WTF? Have we so fucked up that country that they've completely lost all their knowledge and skills?

[RKP5637]

6. But they are just so much better because of us!

:sarcasm:

[Mari333]

7. another waste of tax dollars.

[ClayZ]

8. They should train in Keyhole Gardens!

They can change the world!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XjcjCCx3BWY