I was in the Peace Corps for two years. Very few people would consider that "service to our country" and almost no one would consider it service to our country in the same way as joining the military and going to war.



I was in the Peace Corps for two years. Very few people would consider that "service to our country" and almost no one would consider it service to our country in the same way as joining the military and going to war.

I was in the Peace Corps for two years. Very few people would consider that "service to our country" and almost no one would consider it service to our country in the same way as joining the military and going to war. That's fine with me. When I served in West Africa, I didn't have guys shooting at me. So I realize there's a difference.

Although some people don't think much about the work done by Peace Corps volunteers (mushy, soft, touchy-feely), I'm glad I did it. Many people see Americans as a giant imperial behemoth. They see Americans as the guys who invade weak countries to get their oil or because they're anti-Muslim. This may not be true, but it's the perception many people around the world are left with and denying that this perception exists is dangerously self-deceptive.

Humanitarian and development volunteers make a contribution in countering that perception. People like Peace Corps volunteers and related workers are in the front line in combating anti-Americanism. It might be slow, it might not be sexy or macho and there are no guns involved. But it's the most important and most effective way to prove to foreigners that we mean well. Unfortunately, these slow and painstaking efforts are often undermined by reckless government decisions.

Still, it's hard to hate Americans when some of them are giving you vaccinations or teaching your son mathematics. In the country where I served, 80% of the people were Muslim, yet Islamic extremism and anti-Americanism was pretty much non-existent. With programs like these, Americans become real human beings with flesh and bones rather than a vague abstraction. Americans become a people rather than a government with a military.

And it's not just Peace Corps. The people I admire most are those who go into war zones to deliver food or house refugees or give medical care. These are people who really do risk their lives to help other people. They could be living comfortably in Europe or North America, but instead they are dodging bullets and negotiating with drugged up 12 year olds with Kalashnakovs. Sure, some of them may be adrenaline junkies, but the fact is that many innocent people are still alive because of them. They risk life and limb for the sole purpose (and sole effect) of helping others. I happen to think there's something noble about it, even if no one throws them a parade or makes a movie-of-the-week about them or puts signs in front lawns in their honor.