Eliel Pimentel: Making a difference

All he wanted to do is serve his country and make a difference wherever he had an opportunity. 1st Lt. Eliel Pimentel, a lifelong Disciple and U.S. infantry officer with the 25th Infantry Division, stationed in Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, got his wish. Not only is he serving his country, he's also serving the children of Afghanistan.

Following graduation from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, Pimentel eventually found himself in war-ravaged Afghanistan. Once there, he witnessed the poverty caused by years of war. He said it began as a small idea, "bringing items to the children at our local [Afghan] bazaar." Then Pimentel discovered another soldier, Indiana native Chaplain Todd Schmidt, had a similar idea, which already had evolved into a non-profit organization, Operation Dream Seed. Pimentel decided to join Schmidt's efforts.

"I simply contacted as many people as I could and asked them to contribute, knowing that the items sent would find their way to very needy hands," said the 24-year-old in an e-mail message. And the contributions arrived: enough to put together 2,500 backpacks of school supplies, useful items in a country where illiteracy tops out at 90 percent in some areas, and few people have radios or televisions.

And so far the project has been successful. At an event held in December, soldiers distributed backpacks to 2,000 students (500 of whom were girls!) from all over Kandahar.

"I am still in Afghanistan," said Pimentel, who while serving the U.S. Army, has found a way to make a difference in the lives of some Afghan children.

(Pimentel, a native of Puerto Rico, is the son of Discples volunteers, Rev. Huberto and Arlene Pimentel. Huberto is a past moderator of the Hispanic Caucus, and Disciples Seminary Foundation staff, and Arlene is vice president of the Intenational Christian Women's Fellowship.)