Ambassador E. Anthony Wayne Remarks for Opening of Gardez Lincoln Center

October 8, 2009

Governor Hamdard, Deputy Governor Mangal, Director of the Hajj Ghafoor, members of the press, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen.  It is a great honor, as well as a pleasure, for me to be here in Gardez for the Grand Opening of our newest Lincoln Learning Center.  It is also a delight to visit one of Afghanistan’s most historical cities.

This is the eighth Lincoln Center we have established here in Afghanistan since 2005.  The other seven are in Bamyan, Heart, Kabul, Khost, Kunduz, Mazar-e-Sharif, and Jalalabad.  Each of these Centers play a unique role in their communities by providing Afghans with a place to meet, hold discussions, practice their English, read books, watch movies, access the internet, and obtain information on the United States.

Gardez will join its sister Lincoln Centers in building bridges between the people of Afghanistan and the United States by providing a window into American history, life, culture, and up-to-date information about political and economic trends in the United States.  We hope that this new Center and its members will see the ties between our two peoples grow and flourish.

An important aspect of the Lincoln Center is partnership.  With that in mind, I would like to take a moment at this point in the ceremony to honor two extraordinarily dedicated members of the Gardez team – Ajmal Sultani and Rahim Gull Wafadar.  These two men were here, unloading the furniture and books for this Lincoln Center, on July 20th, the day the Governor’s Compound was attached.  These two brave men made sure the equipment was unloaded and the building secured before getting themselves out of harms way.  Their actions that day proved just how important this resources is – not just to the U.S. Embassy, but more importantly, to the people of Gardez.  I am therefore honored to present an Extra Mile Award to PRT employee Ajamal Sultani and a Certificate of Appreciation from the Embassy to Lincoln Center Coordinator Rahim Gull Wafadar.

I want to go on by acknowledging that without the support of the Governor, Deputy Governor, and Director of the Hajj, this wonderful center in Gardez would not be possible.

In closing, let me say that a book is a present you can open again and again.  I hope that this Lincoln Center will be a place that the people of Gardez will visit again and again.

Thank you for joining me here today to share this memorable event.