By Steve Huffman
shuffman@salisburypost.com
CLEVELAND ó His audience consisted of elementary school children, but Jonathan Guffey didn’t pull any punches when describing life in Afghanistan.
“See this uniform?” he asked, pointing to the camouflaged fatigues he was wearing. “Imagine wearing this same uniform for three weeks without showering. That’s what we have to do.”
Guffey didn’t stop there, telling about the 30 pounds of body armor he must wear almost constantly while he’s in Afghanistan.
That’s part of the 90 pounds of equipment he lugs every time he’s on patrol, often trekking for miles when the temperature is pushing 130 degrees.
“There are times I just want to give up,” Guffey admitted. “Sometimes, when I struggle, I think about my wife and daughter and just pick myself up and go on.”
Guffey, 23, spoke to children earlier this week at Advantage Children’s Center in Cleveland. His mother, Wendy, is a teacher at the center.
Guffey is a specialist with the Army’s 101st Airborne Division, serving in the 506th infantry regiment. He graduated from West Rowan High School in 2004 and has served tours of duty in both Iraq and Afghanistan.
Guffey was home this week for a break of a few days, in the process celebrating the first birthday of his daughter, Cheyenne. Guffey’s wife is Heather. She and Cheyenne are living with Guffey’s parents ó his father is Terry ó until his tour of duty in Iraq is complete.
Guffey was leaving Friday to return to Afghanistan. His mother said that with any luck, her son will return to the United States next March.
Guffey’s stop at Advantage Children’s Center was at the request of his mother. He spoke to children ranging from kindergartners to fifth-graders.
Those students and their families have donated items that Wendy Guffey has forwarded to her son and others in his company. Collection boxes assembled there at the day-care center include everything from beef jerky to peanut butter ó non-perishables that will continue to be mailed to the soldiers.
At the children’s center, Jonathan Guffey fielded questions from students who seemed infatuated by all things squeamish ó snakes and such, especially.
“Yeah, they’ve got sidewinders and pit vipers,” Guffey said when asked if Afghanistan included snakes.
He showed pictures of the terrain of Afghanistan, photographs where the land was lush and beautiful.
“See how green the fields are?” Guffey said. “It doesn’t look like Afghanistan, does it?”
He said other parts of the country were of the opposite extreme.
“I’ve been to parts where there were just mountains of sand,” Guffey said.
He also showed pictures of goat herders directing their charges.
“We don’t know exactly what they do,” Guffey admitted of those goat herders. “They just walk from one end to the other.”
Guffey told students of the number of caves in Afghanistan, and how they must be searched. He said he and his comrades found $100,000 in $100 bills in one of the caves.
Also in the cave, Guffey said, were guns, hand-grenades and materials used to make bombs. It all illustrates, he said, the dangers of the land.
“Do you like it there?” one of the students asked.
“No, I don’t,” Guffey replied immediately.
Jonathan Guffey isn’t the only member of his family serving in the military. His older brother, Brandon, is an Army recruiter.
Advantage Children’s Center is owned by Kimberly Chastain. The facility serves children between the ages of 1 and 12.