Band-e-Amir lakes national park in Afghanistan

Staff Sgt. Matthew Groppi has a day job. He works for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. As he trains to be a conservation officer, he brings with him some experiences that none of his fellow trainees has. He has stood on the shores of the Band-e Amir lakes, high in the Afghan mountains.

The Band-e Amir lakes make up the first national park that Afghanistan has ever had. Groppi was there for the opening and had the chance to experience the natural beauty of these high mountain lakes. At nine thousand feet in elevation, the giant sandstone cliffs and the intense blue of the lakes were framed in the background by the snow capped peaks of the fabled Hindu Kush.

There is a small hotel on site, the Silk Road Hotel.

Groppi was in Afghanistan as military police, assigned to a unit on Baghram Air Base. His duties included policing the on-base Afghan bazaar and customs clearances for U.S. troops returning to the States.

The bazaar allows the locals the opportunity to sell to NATO troops. Unfortunately, some of the items made locally use skins from endangered species such as the snow leopard. Groppi and his men would have to send those Afghans off base.

The military works very hard to ensure that customs clearances are conducted properly. Outgoing troops have an area to leave prohibited items without penalty, then they proceed through customs. After that, they are segregated in a cleared zone until their plane departs.

In a recent interview, Groppi told me that among the prohibited items are things that our fathers or grandfathers would have called souvenirs. Enemy flags, literature and pieces of expended munitions are all prohibited from being brought back to the United States.

Groppi’s experience in Afghanistan is illustrated in a Flickr slideshow.

Matt found the Afghanis to be friendly and welcoming. He told me that “there is more to the country than fighting and deserts”. From his experiences, he believes that Afghanistan has the scenery to draw tourists.

The greatest conservation related issue he saw was the pollution, especially the air pollution of the cities. Many cities are built in basins where the air can pocket and stagnate, and open burning is common.

Groppi also deployed to Iraq in 2004. In June, while the unit was at the Police Academy in Mosul, a suicide bomber attacked the academy with a VBIED. Two of the Soldiers were killed and six Soldiers, including Groppi, were wounded in the incident. Groppi returned home a month later to undergo surgery for his injuries and was awarded the Purple Heart. He still has some slight residual symptoms from the traumatic brain injury and the damage to both eardrums.

If you’re hunting out of season in Wisconsin, and run across Matt Groppi, well… don’t be surprised if he finds everything you’ve hidden. And if you’re messing with endangered species, he will know. Matt Groppi has been to the top of the world and back.

Many people were on hand as Bamyan Governor Habbiba Sarobi hosted the grand opening for the first national park in Afghanistan, Band-e Amir lakes, June 18.

Guests and dignitaries from the U.S. Embassy, as well as government officials from throughout Afghanistan, gathered at the Band-e-Amir lakes natural dam to cut the ribbon symbolizing the opening of Afghanistan’s first national park and reserve.

“This inauguration symbolizes a turning point in our history and future,” Sarobi said. “We should recognize this moment as a realization of not only the natural beauty, but of the significance of its promise for the future of our area.”

Among those in attendance were U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan, Karl Eikenberry, who was making his first trip to Bamyan, and CJTF-82 deputy commanding general of support, Army Brig. Gen. William Mayville, who mentioned the area’s natural beauty and tranquillity.

“This place is so serene, and truly a marvel to look at,” Mayville said.

The lakes form a unique attraction in the mountainous Bamyan region. Formed by glacier water nearly 400 feet in depth, they give the appearance of being cut from the stone that forms the mountains around them.

After a presentation from the officials at the ceremony, guests of the inauguration were treated to rides on paddle boats and a meal prepared on site.

“This has been a day that I will long remember, as a look toward the future of our country,” said Second Vice President of Afghanistan, Kareem Khalili.” The air, the pure water and the true peace of this place is something that everyone should be able to enjoy,” he said.

Governor Sarobi spoke optimistically about the future of the national park and how new roads built by the New Zealand Provincial Reconstruction Team and Task Force Warrior will provide access to the natural park and its many resources.

“Everyone should be able to experience this, and I hope that the roads are completed soon so that we can share this wonderful sight with all the citizens of Afghanistan,” Sarobi said.

CJTF-82
Written by Army Sgt. Sean C. Finch
Task Force Warrior Public Affairs Office