PICTURE THE WAY IT WAS

“Photos from Afghanistan” by David Rodbourne

Apr 12 2024

I served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Afghanistan from December 1971 through early 1974. After training, my initial assignment didn’t materialize. In Fall 1972 I served with famine relief team in Ghor province. In Kabul I assisted the karakul sheep pelt export office with the English language correspondence. In 1974 after trekking with Peace Corps friends in Nepal, I took a distinctly not-Peace Corps summer job managing the pool at the USAID recreation compound in Kabul. After returning to the U.S. I worked as a recruiter for ACTION/Peace Corps/VISTA in Rochester, New York. A recent 2023 inspiring highlight of my life was the reunion in Denver for Peace Corps Afghanistan Volunteers.

“Photos from Afghanistan” by Bonnie Thie Cowart

Mar 31 2024

Picture the way it was — My husband, Randy Cowart, and I taught English in Faizabad, Badakshan province for two years, 1972–1973. In 1974, we extended for a third year to teach English to employees of Ariana Afghan Airlines in Kabul. It was difficult to select only 8 photos, but we wanted to share the special beauty of Faizabad and the surrounding area, as well as hint at a few adventures.

“Photos from Afghanistan” from Juris Zagarins

Mar 09 2024

Picture the way it was — My wife Robin Varnum showed me your article suggesting that she send you eight photos to share. Since I am the family photographer, I am sending you eight photos chosen by me and Robin, also a recent head-shot of myself. I worked for two years with Afghan “counterparts” in the Ghazni office of the National Science Center 1972-1973, visiting all the secondary schools in Ghazni province to help improve science instruction. Then I extended my tour for a third year, 1974, teaching physics and such at Kabul University Faculty of Engineering, as did my friend Guy Toby Marion. I took many, many photos, so it was very hard to pick eight. Robin and I decided mostly on images of individual Afghans. • • • • • •

Mar 03 2024

After seeing the photos Guy Marion (Afghanistan 1971–75) shared at “Photos from Afghanistan” that showed what it was like for Guy in-country, I thought “that’s what we need!” John agreed! So if you would like to share what it looked like where you were and what you were doing, send me — a maximum of 8 in-country photos with a caption for each — your work, your living quarters, your town, etc, a recent head-shot of yourself and a paragraph about what you did, and when it was. Marian marian@haleybeil.com

“Photos from Afghanistan” from Toby Marion

Feb 23 2024

Picture the way it was — At the end of 1971 at age 22, Toby Marion went to Afghanistan to serve as a Peace Corps Volunteer, where he worked as a high school science teacher trainer in Kapisa Province for two school years, followed by teaching at the faculty of engineering of Kabul University for three semesters. His recently published book published by Peace Corps Writers “Afghanistan: Crossroads and Kingdoms: My 1970s Peace Corps Service and Recent Afghan History,” is available on Amazon. Toby gives talks about his work in the ’70s and the difficult past fifty years of history in Afghanistan. In Kabul, he lived through the 1973 coup d’etat against Afghan King Zaher, the Soviet invasion in 1979, the mujaheddin resistance of the 1980’s which defeated the Soviets, the 1990’s civil war, the American and NATO nation building from 2001 after 911, and the ultimate victory of the . . .