Winning Hearts & Minds Documentary Film Project

This is not a reality TV, not an action flick, this is as real as it gets. Less than a dozen of US soldiers, in unknown land, tested as never before. They are trying to rebuild a country against all odds. This is their story...

Most Americans today are barely aware of US Army Civil Affairs units, whose mission is to bring order to devastated lands while winning the hearts and minds of people they live amongst. Today, these unheralded Civil Affairs soldiers are working in the streets and villages of Afghanistan – where the future of the nation could depend on whether or not they succeed. They are racing against time in one of the most dangerous countries on earth, right on the doorstep of Osama bin Laden, in the hotbed of war against Al-Qaeda.

“Winning Hearts and Minds” chronicles the inspirational story of these part-time citizen soldiers. They are risking their lives every day, building a future for the Afghan people … who are forgotten by the rest of the world.

US ARMY CIVIL AFFAIRS

Civil affairs units help military commanders by working with civil authorities and civilian populations in the commander’s area of operations to lessen the impact of military operations on them during peace, contingency operations and declared war. Civil Affairs forces support activities of both conventional and special operations forces, and are capable of assisting and supporting the civil administration in the area of operations.

Civil affairs specialists can quickly and systematically identify critical requirements needed by local citizens in war or disaster situations. They can also locate civil resources to support military operations, help minimize civilian interference with operations, support national assistance activities, plan and execute non-combatant evacuation, support counter-drug operations, and establish and maintain liaison or dialogue with civilian aid agencies and civilian commercial and private organizations.

In support of special operations, these culturally-oriented, linguistically-capable soldiers may also be tasked to provide functional expertise for foreign internal defense operations, unconventional warfare operations and direct action missions. The functional structure of civil affairs forces and their expertise, training, and orientation provide a capability for emergency coordination and administration where political-economic structures have been incapacitated. They can help plan U.S. government inter-agency procedures for national or regional emergencies. They can assist civil-military planning and military support operations for theater commanders in chief. Additionally, they can coordinate military resources to support government operations, emergency actions and humanitarian assistance from natural, man-made, or war-related causes.

The 96th Civil Affairs Battalion (Airborne), with four percent of the civil affairs forces, is the only active Army civil affairs unit. The unit is readily available to deploy and provides primarily tactical support. The remaining 96 percent of the Army’s civil affairs forces are found in four Civil Affairs Commands, subordinate brigades and battalions in the Army Reserve. They provide a prime source of nation-building skills. These reserve-component civil affairs units include soldiers with training and experience in public administration, public safety, public health, legal systems, labor management, public welfare, public finance, public education, civil defense, public works and utilities,
public communications, public transportation, logistics, food and agricultural services, economics, property control, cultural affairs, civil information, and managing dislocated persons.

CA deployments have provided tactical support to military commanders during Operation Just Cause in Panama, Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm in Southwest Asia, support to the restoration of the Panamanian government infrastructure during Operation Promote Liberty, management of Haitian refugee camps at Guantanamo Bay, natural disaster assistance in the aftermath of Hurricanes Andrew and Iniki and, assisting humanitarian efforts in Somalia.

Civil affairs experts were also called on to help rebuild the Haitian civilian infrastructure during Operation Uphold Democracy. Active and Reserve CA Units have also participated in the ongoing NATO peacekeeping operations in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Kosovo, as well as other operations and exercises around the world. (The following text (above) was borrowed from USACAPOC website.)

The U.S. Army Civil Affairs Corps has a unique role within the modern military: These elite, highly trained soldiers are sent to combat zones after the primary fighting has ceased, to help rebuild war-ravaged regions. Working among the local population in seven-member teams, unprotected by other U.S. forces, they work to restore power grids and sewer lines, get hospitals and schools up and running, and bring order to devastated lands while winning the hearts and minds of a conquered people. Today, these unheralded Civil Affairs soldiers are being tested as never before in the streets and villages of Afghanistan – where the future of the nation could depend on whether they succeed. Nevertheless, most Americans today are barely aware of Civil Affairs.

It is the U.S. military’s great untold story waiting to be told.


US ARMY CIVIL AFFAIRS LINKS:

United States Army Civil Affairs and Psychological Operations Command (Airborne), official website:

http://www.usacapoc.army.mil/




Civil Affairs, Wikipedia article:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil_affairs


Civil Affairs projects help to rebuild Afghan District (US Army Central Command website):

http://www.arcent.army.mil/news/archive/2008/june/jun27_01.asp

Bamian/Bamian Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT): "Kiwi Base", article on GlobalSecurity.org:

http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/afghanistan/bamian.htm


Civil Affairs: Soldiers Become Governors (Special Studies on US Army in World War II), by Harry L. Coles and Albert K. Weinberg:

http://www.army.mil/cmh-pg/books/wwii/civaff/index.htm


Soldiers Bring Aid to Dislocated People, article by By U.S. Army Spc. Marie Schult / Combined Joint Task Force -180 Public Affairs Office:

http://www.defendamerica.mil/articles/jan2003/a012803a.html


US Department of Defense News About the War on Terrorism, Defend America, Humanitarian Aid Archive:

http://www.defendamerica.mil/humanitarian/humanitarian0303.html


Civil Affairs Teams Work for Afghanistan’s Future by Spc. Chris Stump US Army, Special to American Forces Archive,
US Dept. of Defense site:

http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Dec2004/n12162004_2004121604.html


The Spark of Democracy by Arthur Chrenkoff, Opinion Journal from The Wall Street Journal Editorial Page:

http://www.opinionjournal.com/extra/?id=110005895


US forges new approach on aid to Afghans (500 US civil-affairs soldiers blur the role of fighter and humanitarian…)
by Scott Baldauf for The Christian Science Monitor:

http://www.csmonitor.com/2003/0326/p09s01-woiq.html


Rebuilding Afghanistan, One Bridge at a Time by Rob Schultheis for TIME:

http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,395238,00.html


Jalalabad Provincial Reconstruction Team, US Army 321st Civil Affairs Brigade's SGT Steven Kling’s online blog:

http://www.fortunateson.org/2005/05/article-what-is-civil-affairs.html


Farah Civil Affairs Team web-page:

http://www.geocities.com/farahcateam/