Michigan National Guard Help Afghans

WXYZ-TV - Helping the local Afghans as best they can, Michigan soldiers can now also claim to be shepherds.

Members of the 1-125th from the Michigan Army National Guard are in Afghanistan as part of the Operation Enduring Freedom. One of the tasks they performed recently was to help in the inoculation of more than 20,000 sheep!

It was a 2 day operation in an area just north of the city of Kunduz. The sheep belonged to the Kuchi tribe, a nomadic tribe in Afghanistan.

This project was a joint effort with the Afghan Director of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock, the Afghan National Civil Order Police (ANCOP), the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the Kuchi Peace Ambassador.

Captain Jennifer Pacurari, who played a large role in getting everyone together, said, "At no point during the operation did I feel my safety was in jeopardy." She adds, "Besides, many of the Afghans attending the meeting had never been to our FOB (Forward Operating Base) so it was an opportunity to extend hospitality to our Afghan friends."

While thousands of vaccinations were being administered, it was ANCOP and the International Security Assistance Force that kept the security.