Army Major Scott Schroder meets his Boy Scout pen pals from Libertyville
A pen pal who was stationed in Afghanistan for the past year brought news about the situation in Iraq and Afghanistan to Boy Scouts from Troop 72 in Libertyville.
Major Scott Schroeder, U.S. Army Special Forces, met his long-distance friends for the first time during a Scout meeting last month at the United Methodist Church.
“What we’re really trying to do is give the Afghan people a better future,” Schroeder said.
Altogether, Schroeder has spent the last two years in the Middle East, serving three tours of duty in Iraq and finishing with the deployment to Afghanistan.
A little over a year ago, the Troop 72 Scouts had written notes to Schroeder asking about his experiences and to express appreciation for the servicemen stationed overseas. A response came, with a promise to visit once he returned.
Dressed in Army fatigues with a black patch on his left shoulder that reads “Special Forces,” Schroeder, 39, a Libertyville High School graduate, explained to the audience of 75 Boy Scouts, Cub Scouts and their parents the differences between the missions in Iraq and Afghanistan.
“Iraq is in a strategic location because of its neighbors,” Schroeder said.
For the past five years, the democratically elected government has fostered civil rights and is a credible entity because it of its competent police and security forces. Newfound freedoms enjoyed by the people of Iraq are creating a ripple effect among neighboring countries like Saudi Arabia, Iran and Syria.
“We’ve already seen it taking effect with local elections in Saudi Arabia,” Schroeder said. “It isn’t the same for Afghanistan.”
Afghanistan is made up of tribes that are loosely held together by a political border. The Taliban terrorist organization has found a stronghold in the impassable mountainous terrain. Their influence is strong among the uneducated tribes, who are easily bullied into adopting Taliban ways.
“The strategy we’ve employed is populace engagement,” Schroeder said.
By that he means that face-to-face meetings have offered opportunities for U.S. Troops to dispel rumors and lies and build trust with the Afghan people.
Slides showed Schroeder and other Army officers meeting with local townspeople, whose mud-brick homes are built on the high desert landscape that borders Pakistan. One slide pictured Taliban representatives attempting to blend in with the townspeople who are obviously uncomfortable with the intruders.
Although the conflict has gone on for 10 years, the Afghan security forces are just now beginning to train. Along the border, Schroeder’s unit visited Afghan soldiers stationed within view of Pakistan. They were operating with little ammunition, no shelter and little food.
“I have a tremendous respect for them,” he said.
Questions ranged from the type of guns used for enforcement, the kinds of weapons that are confiscated and the day-to-day life of a U.S. soldier.
Schroeder answered, “When you have downtime, you improve your positions.”
For nearly an hour the audience was still, all the way down to the 10-year-old Cub Scouts. Shots of weapons caches, Cougar vehicles, Chinook helicopters, Iraq and Afghan security forces and a tiny white dog held the audience at attention.
“There are lots of dogs in Afghanistan,” Schroeder said, “This one was very friendly.”
When the talk ended it only took seconds for the usual clamor and din of a Scout meeting to return as the boys all rushed to be photographed with Schroeder.
Jason Voelker, 14, of Libertyville, summed up what was on the boys’ minds.
“He’s cool.”