First Lt. Mike Kuiper, trained as an infantry officer, is teaching Afghan boys some rudimentary English. A small group appears at the gate of Cherokee each afternoon, shouting, "Mike, Mike!" Boxes of school supplies have been sent by two groups in the U.S.: the Spirit of America and Friends of Afghan School Children in Rockville, Md. "Even if we pull out, and things go to hell," Kuiper said, "they'll remember this interaction the rest of their lives, that the Americans loved us and taught us and tried to make this country better."
At his meeting with the Marines, Khan was assured that not only the Marines but the American people want to see Afghanistan defeat the Taliban and improve its standard of living.
