Once known as Decoration Day, Memorial Day is a day of remembrance for those who have died in our nation’s service. Memorial Day was officially proclaimed on May 5, 1868 by Gen. John Logan, national commander of the Grand Army of the Republic.

According to the Memorial Day History website, “Traditional observance of Memorial Day has diminished over the years. Many Americans nowadays have forgotten the meaning and traditions of Memorial Day. At many cemeteries, the graves of the fallen are increasingly ignored, neglected. Most people no longer remember the proper flag etiquette for the day. While there are towns and cities that still hold Memorial Day parades, many have not held a parade in decades. Some people think the day is for honoring any and all dead, and not just those fallen in service to our country.”

So, first let me honor those men and woman who have made the ultimate sacrifice in service to our nation; and, second, let me honor those who are sacrificing now so that fewer lives will be lost.

Today, there are about 100,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan. President Obama has indicated he will start reducing that number beginning this summer, and Republicans in Congress are calling for an even more accelerated withdrawal. Yet, in our haste to end the 9-year-old conflict, we run the risk of repeating the mistake that created the current situation in the first place.

After the CIA helped the Afghans drive out the occupying Russian army, we turned our back on Afghanistan. This let Muslim extremists take over the nation and ultimately led to the terrorist attack on 9-11. For the past two years, the U.S. military has been engaged in an operation that will rebuild the war-ravaged nation and build the bridge of friendship and trust between the U.S. and Afghanistan. Agricultural Development Teams (ADT) from the National Guard are on the ground in rural provinces of Afghanistan where they are teaching farming to a people who have lost the knowledge to grow their own food.

These teams are comprised of men and women from U.S. farms and land grant colleges who have practical farming experience. They are leaving their jobs and families behind to spend 10 months helping to rebuild the agricultural economy of Afghanistan.

I recently spent an evening with members of the Illinois National Guard who were about to be deployed. I have also had the chance to visit with members of an Indiana ADT who are now in Afghanistan. I was impressed with their passion for agriculture and their strong desire to bring farming skills to the Afghan people.

Afghanistan was once a thriving agricultural nation. It was a major exporter of food products to other nations in the Middle East. Decades of war, however, have destroyed its farming system, and the loss of an entire generation of young men has meant the knowledge typically passed on from father to son has also been lost. Growing the raw materials for the drug trade replaced food production on many Afghan farms. Today, these ADT members are teaching local farmers some basic techniques, and by teaching them to teach others, replicating the U.S. Extension Service.

In addition, an FFA (Future Farmers of Afghanistan) has been started to bring young people back into farming. The Indiana National Guard’s 3-19th ADT has several FFA initiatives underway or planned at six Khost Province high schools. U.S. Army Lt. Col. Jeff Webb, the ADT’s agricultural officer-in-charge and a native of Fishers, Ind., said Afghan farming challenges include the quality of soil, irrigation, storage, distribution and composting.

Army Col. Chris Toner, commander of the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Task Force, said, “The progress that has been made here to rebuild the agricultural knowledge-base for current and future farmers over the past several years is impressive.”

Afghan Gov. Abdul Jabbar Naeemi, after visiting one of the FFA programs, stated, “Every time we come here we find hope.”

U.S. and Afghan leaders understand that the future of the nation depends on rebuilding its agricultural economy. A strong ag economy will provide a reliable source of food and economic activity for rural areas. By rebuilding its natural resources and infrastructure, this nation - once a training ground for terrorists - may become a major food supplier and exporter.

People who are well fed and have money are not likely to become terrorists no matter what their ideology. While the U.S. State Department has been slow to see agriculture as a tool of diplomacy, this experiment in Afghanistan serves as a good case study as to what can happen when you teach people to farm. I salute the men and women of the ADTs and the work they are doing in Afghanistan.

Because of them, there may be fewer soldiers to remember on Memorial Days in the future.

The views and opinions expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of Farm World. Readers with questions or comments for Gary Truitt may write to him in care of this publication.