Greg Mortenson is still a hero
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Greg Mortenson shows the locations of future village schools to Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, at the opening of Pushghar Village Girls School 60 miles north of Kabul in Afghanistan.
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I watched the "60 Minutes" piece on Greg Mortenson last Sunday with disappointment. Greg Mortenson built more than 100 schools in Afghanistan and Pakistan and is the best-selling author of "Three Cups of Tea" (co-written with Oliver David Relin). "Three Cups of Tea" is the inspirational story of Mr. Mortenson's personal journey from a lost K2 mountain climber to the founder of the Central Asia Institute, an organization devoted to children's education.
If you didn't watch the "60 Minutes" piece, Mr. Mortenson is accused of embellishing his personal story and mismanaging the Central Asia Institute. He has offered a partial response to the accusations -- none of which are criminal -- and I hope he clarifies further the points that have been raised.
In the interim, I offer two thoughts on the subject.
First, by the impact of his actions, Greg Mortenson remains a hero. He built mountains from sand both on an individual and organizational level. He went from sleeping in his car to building more than 100 schools, many of them for girls, in villages in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Without his personal efforts and investment, thousands of young women never would have had the opportunity for an education. About double that number of parents have been able to see their children take a path to opportunity. In the end, the future accomplishments of those children as productive citizens are more important to Mr. Mortenson's legacy as a person and activist than the details of his personal narrative.
Second, however this story unfolds, Greg Mortenson's actions were an extraordinary service to the American public. His personal story, even if it turns out to be flawed, introduced millions of Americans to the concept of forming people-to-people partnerships to support the development needs of local leaders and citizens, particularly in the Muslim world. These partnerships are unquestionably in our country's national interest, both at home and abroad.
First Published April 22, 2011 12:00 am
