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THURSDAY OCTOBER 3, 2019
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LAMP S E R V I N G T H E C O M M U N I T Y O F F O RT L E AV E N W O RT H , K A N SA S , F O R M O R E T H A N 4 5 Y E A R S
CONTACT US | Phone: 684-5267 | E-mail: editor@ftleavenworthlamp.com | On the Web: www.ftleavenworthlamp.com
Harry Sarles/Army University Public Affairs
Command and General Staff College students Maj. Nathaniel Waka of Liberia, Maj. Carlos Vazquez of Spain, Maj. M.D. Sajibul Islam of Bangladesh and Maj. Daniel Atobrah Bondah of Ghana, with moderator Mike Wood of the U.N. Assocation, talk about their international peacekeeping experiences with members and guests of the Greater Kansas City Chapter of the United Nations Association Sept. 24 at the National World War I Museum and Memorial in Kansas City, Mo.
International students share U.N. experiences Harry Sarles | Army University Public Affairs
Four Command and General Staff College international students spent an hour sharing their international peacekeeping experiences with members and guests of the Greater Kansas City Chapter of the United Nations Association Sept. 24 at the National World War I Museum and Memorial in Kansas City, Mo. The international officers from Bangladesh, Ghana, Liberia and Spain demonstrated not only their knowledge and expertise in peacekeeping, but also the high quality of international students attending CGSC. Mike Wood, of the United Nations Association, moderated the Peacekeeping Missions and Operations Panel. Wood said there are 124 current U.N. peacekeeping operations involving more than 100,000 military personnel worldwide. He then introduced the panel members Maj. M.D. Sajibul Islam of Bangladesh, Maj. Daniel Atobrah Bondah of Ghana, Maj. Nathaniel Waka of Liberia and Maj. Carlos Vazquez of Spain. Islam was the first to speak, telling the audience about his experiences in peacekeeping in Ivory Coast in 2014 and 2015. He said the mission he was on came late in the U.N. involvement in Ivory Coast. The dividing line that had once separate competing forces had already been dissolved and the nation was on its way to recovery. “The U.N. mission in Ivory Coast can be considered one of the most successful U.N. missions in African countries,” he said. “Like many African countries, the conflicts are po-
litical and at the same time they’re linked to various tribes striving for supremacy.” Bondah told the group that he was in Liberia in 2004, 2007 and 2014. “If you have been in a peaceful atmosphere all your life you would not appreciate what peace is until you see a country devastated to the point it was when we entered Liberia. There wasn’t a single house, a single structure that did not have a bullet hole in it,” he said. He said humanitarian activities could not be conducted because the situation was so volatile. “We had to secure the area before the humanitarian assistance could reach the civilians who we are supposed to protect,” he said. Very quickly the situation took on ethnic — Mandinka versus indigenous populations — and religious — Christian versus Muslim — dimensions. The situation went from peacekeeping to near war, Bondah said. In the 10 years between his first and last missions to Liberia, the country improved greatly, he said. “Liberia is one of the success stories of the United Nations,” Bondah said. “Liberia would not get to where it was today if it was not for the United Nations.” Bondah said when he first entered Liberia there were no schools, hospitals, or markets. Everything was broken down and destroyed. Within 10 years, improvement could be seen coming to all these sectors, he said. Waka said he lost siblings in the fighting in Liberia when he was a boy. He and his mother were rescued by peacekeepers in
Liberia in 1990. He said that is one reason he later joined the Army and a big reason he volunteered for the nation’s first peacekeeping mission since 1960. “Our commander-inchief, President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, said after 15 years of peace it was time for us to pay it back,” he said. Waka was a platoon commander for Liberian troops that deployed to Mali in 2013 and worked under the command of the Nigerian battalion. Coincidently, it was Nigerian troops who rescued his family in Liberia. “Mali is one of the most dangerous U.N. missions,” Waka said. As director of peacekeeping missions for Liberia, Waka said he continues to monitor the mission and visited Liberian troops there last year. Vazquez was the final panelist to speak. The Spanish helicopter pilot said he first deployed to the U.N. mission in Lebanon in 2008 and returned in 2018 as the coordinator of military-civilian cooperation projects. He said over 10 years he could see improvement in security, government and development. “The situation is improving,” Vazquez said. “It’s difficult to foresee an end to the mission.” The difficulty arises because of the complexity of Lebanon, he said. “Lebanon is small, but it has 18 religions, several diverse groups and somehow it reflects all of the issues on the Middle East,” he said. Still, he noted, the U.N. mandate is to confirm the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Lebanon, establish security in the
Prudence Siebert
MacArthur Elementary School Principal Tyler Fowler adorned plain white shoes with his MacArthur-inspired artwork to create “celebration shoes,” which he wears to celebrate students’ accomplishments.
Principal’s shoes celebrate at MacA Katie Peterson | Staff Writer
When the principal walks into a classroom, it isn’t usually something the students are excited to see, but, for the students at MacArthur Elementary School, seeing Principal Tyler Fowler is the highlight of the day, especially when he is wearing his celebration shoes. “I spend a lot of my summer reading and trying to improve as a leader and one of the things I always read about is making sure you’re celebrating at your school. That is something I know I could get better at is recognizing and celebrating,” Fowler said. “We don’t always just have to celebrate the big things. Even if it is a small victory, it is still a victory. “This year, we are introducing WIGs — Wildly Important Goals,” he said. “My original idea is that if a staff member, class or student reached their goal, I would wear the shoes to celebrate … and it has become a fun way to celebrate all of the great successes, large or small, that we have at Mac.” Fowler came up with the idea for the shoes when his son, Carson Fowler, designed a similar pair of shoes that represented Brown University in Providence, R.I., where he is currently a student. “I watched him do it and thought, ‘I could do that,’” Fowler said. Over the summer break, Fowler said he ordered a pair of all white shoes, and then used permanent markers to decorate them in MacArthur Mustang designs. The shoes include a mustang on the vamp of the left shoe; the words “Learn. Lead. Achieve” on the vamp of the right shoe as well as the collar bindings to represent the school’s new mission statement; the words “All In” on the heels of the shoes to represent the catchphrase “Mustangs Are All In;” five stars on the outside quarters of the shoes to represent the five stars on the
MacArthur Elementary School Principal Tyler Fowler, wearing his celebration shoes, prepares to surprise Tammy Irminger’s fourth-grade class to reward their good behavior in their specials classes, which include art, library, music and physical education, Sept. 26 at the school. Fowler wears the special shoes to celebrate students’ accomplishments.
MacArthur shield and the school namesake Gen. of the Army Douglas MacArthur; and “MacArthur Mustangs” on the inside quarters. “It is all free hand, so it took a while,” Fowler said. Gretchen Martens, MacArthur art teacher, said Fowler has always had a creative side. “He is very artistic,” she said. “When he was a classroom teacher, he had works of art that he had done on display in his room. … We are lucky to have such a creative principal, always looking for new ways to motivate our staff and students.” Since the beginning of the schoolyear, several students, staff and SEE CELEBRATION SHOES | A2
SEE U.N. MISSIONS | A2
AT A GLANCE ■ The Fort Leavenworth Spouses Club luncheon COSTUME PARTY AND CONTEST is 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Oct. 9 at the Frontier Conference Center. For more information or to RSVP, e-mail reservationsflsc@gmail.com.
■ The next INTERAGENCY BROWN-BAG SERIES: “THE CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY” is 12:30-1:30 p.m. Oct. 10 in the Lewis and Clark Center’s Arnold Conference Room. The guest speaker is Kevin Rousseau, U.S. Army Command and General
Staff College Distinguished Chair for National Intelligence Studies and member of the Central Intelligence Agency. The free event is open to the public. Attendees are welcome to bring their own lunches. For more information, call (913) 651-0624.