TO THE EMERGENCY ROOM AND THAT
IS WHERE THEY REALLY, INNOCENCE,
SENSE, SAVE MY LIFE.
>> Martha: TONIGHT
GENERAL KEANE SHARES HIS OWN
UNTOLD STORY.
HE MADE SOME VERY CLOSE FOR
PERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS UP THERE
WITH THE PEOPLE THAT WE WERE
FIGHTING FOR.
THERE IS ONE PARTICULAR STORY
THAT IS SO POWERFUL FOR HIM THAT
HE HAS NOT TRADED PUBLICLY UNTIL
NOW.
>> I HAD TO DO AN ASSESSMENT FOR
GENERAL PETRAEUS FOR TWO YEARS
DURING THE IRAQI SURGE AND HE
ASKED ME TO DO MUCH THE SAME IN
AFGHANISTAN WHEN HE WAS ASSIGNED
THERE.
WHAT I REALLY WANTED TO FOCUS ON
DURING THE BEGINNING OF THE
VISIT WAS TO UNITS THAT WERE
INVOLVED IN THE HEAVIEST
FIGHTING WE HAD EVER UNDERTAKEN
IN AFGHANISTAN SINCE THE
BEGINNING OF THE WAR.
THE MISSION OF THE PATROL WAS TO
TAKE ME AND LINK UP WITH THREE
TRIBAL CHIEFS, WHO HAD BEEN
HELPING THE AMERICANS EVER SINCE
WE ARRIVED IN THE VALLEY.
AT SOME RISK TO THEMSELVES.
SO THEY PUT ME IN THE MIDDLE OF
PATROL, TOOK THE DOUBLE FILE
WALKING DOWN EACH SIDE OF THE
ROAD, A DIRT ROAD.
AND HE SAYS SIR, MAKE SURE YOU
PUT YOUR FOOT IN THE FOOTPRINT
OF THE SOLDIER IN FRONT OF YOU
BECAUSE JUST LAST WEEK WE LOST A
COUPLE OF SOLDIERS ON THIS VERY
ROAD DUE TO IED MINES.
SO OFF WE GO, A COUPLE OF MILES
AND WE HOOK UP WITH THE TRIBAL
CHIEFS IN THE MUD HUT WHICH IS
USED TO STORE HARVESTED GRAPES.
THIS IS A VALLEY FULL OF GRAPES
AND VINEYARDS.
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WITH AK-47s AND THEY HAD PUT A
RUG DOWN.
I STARTED BY ASKING HIM, WHY?
WHY ARE YOU WILLING TO HELP THE
AMERICANS AND PUT YOURSELF SO
MUCH AT RISK TO DO SO?
ONE CHIEF SPOKE AND HE SPOKE
THROUGHOUT THE SESSION.
HE SAID IT, SIR, IT'S ABOUT THE
FUTURE, ABOUT CHILDREN, AND THE
OTHERS NODDED.
HE SAID WE HAVE NO LIFE HERE
UNDER THE TALIBAN.
THE TALIBAN AND TELL US HOW TO
DRESS, HOW TO EAT, THEY TELL US
WHAT TO DO, THEY TELL US HOW TO
DO IT.
THEY BEAT US, THEY BEAT OUR
WOMEN, AND WE GET BLOWN UP BY
THE IEDs.
HE SAID, AMERICANS CAN HELP US
GET A FUTURE LIFE.
I TOOK ALL OF THAT IN AND I SAID
IT, CHIEFS, THE RISK IS REALLY
SIGNIFICANT.
TO ALL OF YOU.
AND HE CAME BACK AND HE SAID,
THEY ARE WATCHING US RIGHT NOW.
AND HE SAYS, WE KNOW WHAT THAT
RISK IS BUT IT'S OUR CHILDREN'S
FUTURE THAT WE CARE ABOUT.
AND THAT'S WHY WE ARE DOING IT.
SO I SAID I JUST WANT TO
THANK YOU ON BEHALF OF THE
TROOPS THAT ARE HERE, ON BEHALF
OF GENERAL PRETORIUS, FOR THE
SACRIFICE THAT YOU ARE MAKING.
AND I SAID IT, IS THERE ANYTHING
THAT WE CAN DO TO HELP YOU?
AND HE SAID, WELL, YES.
WE NEED SCHOOLTEACHERS.
AND HE SAID, WE NEED A DIRT ROAD
TO GET TO THE PERIMETER ROAD TO
MAKE IT EASIER TO GET OUR GRAPES
OUT AND THEREFORE IT WILL HELP
US PRESERVE THEM.
I LOOKED AT THE BATTALION
COMMANDER AND THE BATTALION
COMMANDER HAD AN INTERPRETER AND
HE SAID, WHAT ABOUT IT?
AND HE SAID, IT'S IN THE SYSTEM.
I SAID CALL ME WHEREVER I AM.
I CAME BACK A FEW MONTHS LATER
BECAUSE I WANTED TO SEE WHAT THE
RESULTS WERE.
NOW NO FOOT PATROL, I'M DRIVING
ALONG THE ROWS OF THE VALLEY AND
THE TALIBAN I HAVE BEEN TOLD HAD
BEEN CLEARED OUT ENTIRELY.
ALONG THE ROADS THERE WERE
PEOPLE WALKING UP AND DOWN THE
STREETS, THERE WERE KIDS, I
STOPPED THE VEHICLE AND GOT OUT
OF THE VEHICLE AND I WAS TALKING
TO THE KIDS.
I HAD SEEN NO CHILDREN BEFORE,
NO VILLAGERS.
AND THEY ARE WAVING AT US,
BECAUSE THESE ARE THE AMERICAN
TROOPS COMING BY.
WE GET UP TO THE VILLAGE, AND
THE BATTALION COMMANDER MEETS ME
AND HE SAYS, OKAY JOHN, I HAVE
TO PREPARE YOU FOR SOMETHING.
THE CHIEF THAT YOU ARE TALKING
TO, HE WAS KILLED ABOUT A WEEK
OR SO AFTER YOU LEFT, HE WAS
ASSASSINATED.
HE SAID ONE OF THE OTHER CHIEFS
WAS BLOWN UP, AND HE LOST PART
OF HIS LEG.
HE WILL BE AT THE MEETING.
HE'S GOING TO DO THE TALKING.
SO I SAT DOWN ON THE RUG, NOW
THIS TIME IN THE VILLAGE, WITH
PEOPLE ALL AROUND, AND WE
ACKNOWLEDGED THE PASSING OF THE
CHIEF AND PRAISED HIM FOR HIS
BRAVERY, HIS COURAGE AND HIS
DETERMINATION TO BUILD A BETTER
LIFE FOR HIS PEOPLE.
AND, YOU KNOW, WE TALKED ABOUT
THE TALIBAN AND THEY SAID, YOU
KNOW, SIR, TODAY IS A BIG DAY.
SO I HAVE A LITTLE BIT OF AN EGO
AND I THOUGHT IT WAS BECAUSE I
WAS THERE.
AND I SAID, WHAT IS HAPPENING?
AND HE SAID SIR, THE TEACHER IS
COMING TODAY.
AND I SAID, OH, MY GOD, THAT'S
AMAZING.
HE SAID THAT WAS REAL PROGRESS.
SO I SAID, WHAT ABOUT THE ROAD?
DID YOU GET YOUR ROAD?
AND HE HELD UP TWO FINGERS.
I LOOKED AT THE BATTALION
COMMANDER AND HE SAID, WE OPENED
UP TO ROADS.
BUT I TELL THE STORY BECAUSE
IT'S A WINDOW INTO WHAT IS
REALLY GOING ON IN AFGHANISTAN.
THE TALIBAN ARE FANATICAL
TYRANTS WHO ARE PRESSING THEIR
FELLOW AFGHAN HE IS.
AND WHAT THE AMERICANS AND THE
AFGHAN STATE IS, THEY CAME IN
THERE.
AMERICANS WILLING TO SACRIFICE
EVERYTHING THAT THEY CARE ABOUT
IN LIFE, AND I COULDN'T BE MORE
PROUD OF THEM.
>> WHY IS THIS FIGHT SO
IMPORTANT TO YOU?
>> FROM THERE, THE AL QAEDA
PLOTTED AND KILLED AMERICANS,
3,000 PLUS.