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p>I served in Afghanistan on Bagram Air Base in 2006. When I was there, it was exactly as described in “Bagram Air Base isn’t so bad” (letter, Feb. 22). However, it has been at least three years since I last stepped foot in Afghanistan or Bagram itself.

That said, the letter writer’s assertion that servicemembers on Bagram are only concerned about “getting their Green Beans as opposed to what’s going on around the country” is preposterous. I was very concerned about what was going on in Afghanistan; that was part of my job.

Did I indulge in Green Beans? Why yes, I did. However, not at the expense of knowing what was going on in Afghanistan and [I did it] on my time off. The same can be said for those with whom I worked.

It’s safe to say that the writer of “Don’t cut AAFES services” (letter, Feb. 17) takes her job seriously and puts it above Green Beans, as well.

One important topic that has not been dealt with is, what about the jobs these places provide for Afghan citizens? If these services are scaled back, a lot of Afghan citizens who are trying to make an honest living are going to lose their source of income. Places such as Green Beans, Pizza Hut, etc. employed a lot of the local citizenry, at least when I was there. I know there were people from other countries, such as Uzbekistan, employed at some places, but the fact cannot be ignored that the Army and Air Force Exchange Service provided jobs to many Afghan citizens.

Sarah BroderickLos Angeles

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