Council Accepts Flag Flown in Afghanistan, Another Honoring 9/11 Victims

Mayor Keith Killion and Deputy Mayor Tom Riche folded a crisp American flag to military regulation, one that not too long ago had been blowing through the winds of one of the world's most dangerous countries, held in the air by a Ridgewood man.

At the Wednesday night village council work session, American Legion Commander Bob Paoli presented the council with the flag flown in the region of Kandahar, Afghanistan by National Guard Lt. Ian Duke.

Duke, a resident with a young family, served as a cultural advisor to the military in Afghanistan during his one-year tour in Kandahar. He returned to the village this past summer.

The lieutenant made a presentation at the library earlier in the month, telling an audience of about 50 villagers young and old alike, that there are no real experts on Afhanistan due to the incredible complexities of a melting pot of cultures.

Still, he attempted to explain some of what Westerners may consider eccentricities, and offered interesting insight into customs, intra-tribal divisions, the dangers of being stuck with the wrong translator, health care conditions for Afghans (poor, particularly with dentistry), hotspots for improvised explosive devices, the explosion of cell phone usage in the poor country, soldier attitudes toward Afghans (mostly positive, though not uniformly so).

He also drew connections to uprisings in Egypt, discussed the range of treatment toward women depending on geographic bounds, the lives of children in Afghanistan, and the phenomenon of a cultural welfare-mentality for some men, in which a few men in a family work and the others loaf.

In many cases, children are worked to the bone while parents do not work, he said. There are also vast supplies of both opium and marijuana, both of which are frequently abused, he added.

"I hope you leave with more questions than answers," Duke said to the library audience after a question-and-answer session.

Paoli also presented another flag to the council, one which honors those who lost their lives in the 9/11 attacks that fateful Wednesday morning. The names of the dead, Paoli told the audience, are lined throughout the large flag.

"It's a flag of honor," the commander said. "This flag is created from the names of those who perished in the terrorist attacks of 9/11. Now and forever it represents their immortality. We will never forget them," he told the audience, which responded with applauds. Twelve villagers lost their lives on 9/11–plaques at Memorial Park at Van Neste Square and pay tribute to their lives.