Tennis. Academics. Character.
Follow us on Facebook
Affiliations
.png)
.jpg)
ATA College Prep Talks Afghanistan With A Special Guest
Mr. O’Malley is a Reserve Officer in the U.S. Naval Reserve, Supply Corps. During the period March 2006 through May 2007, Mr. O’Malley was activated and deployed to Afghanistan as an augmented member of the 41st Brigade Combat Team (Oregon National Guard). Mr. O’Malley was a member of Taskforce Phoenix V, with responsibility for training and supporting the Afghanistan National Army. Specifically, Mr. O’Malley was assigned to Camp Phoenix, which is located 10 miles East of Kabul, Afghanistan. During his deployment, Mr. O’Malley was assigned as a Transportation Officer with responsibility for teams transporting military and humanitarian cargo throughout Afghanistan.
In addition to normal military responsibilities, Mr. O’Malley had the opportunity to experience the Afghanistan culture, interact with numerous local nationals, and lead and participate in numerous humanitarian missions building and supporting schools, distributing medical assistance, funding and building wells, and securing and supporting orphanages in and around the Kabul area. Participation in these humanitarian missions provided Mr. O’Malley with a unique perspective on the afghan people, the history of their country, and the ongoing U.S. military mission in Afghanistan.
The highlight of Mr. O’Malley’s deployment was teaming up with the O’Malley family and greater community back in Austin to spearhead the collection, and distribution of over 5,000 lbs of school supplies to children and teachers at schools and orphanages in the Kabul area. This was not only an awesome humanitarian effort, but also a great learning experience for kids and families back in Austin, as well as a great method for the O’Malley family to connect and stay focused on a positive initiative during a very challenging time in our lives.
Below, please find the writing of Meghan O’Malley.
Meghan O’Malley:
On Friday, March 4, my dad came and talked to ATA College Prep about his experience while he was in Afghanistan. He told us what is like to live over there and what the climate was and how the days for him were like. My dad told us about the politics and why America was over in Afghanistan and Iraq. He said Afghanistan used to be a marvelous place to visit in the sixties and seventies, but since Afghanistan has been at war for a long time it has got beaten down. He explained that other countries around Afghanistan just go through there because there isn’t very much border control. This is another reason Afghanistan is run down and does not look very pretty any more. My dad also talked about his training for Afghanistan and how it was much harder than being in Afghanistan itself. My dad talked about the communication the soldiers had when they were overseas and how they hardly ever got to talk to their families. He talked about the things that he did in Afghanistan and he said that it was difficult because if he made one bad decision, it could have cost his life and many others.
©2003 - 2012 Austin Tennis Academy
+1 512.276.2271 
+1 512.276.2272 
deb.cahill@AustinTennisAcademy.com
Physical Address: 6800 Spanish Oaks Club Blvd. Austin, Texas 78738 (Map)
Mailing Address: 3801 North Capital of Texas Highway, Suite E240-161 Austin, Texas 78746
Map and driving directions to other Austin area tennis facilities.
Also see the CATA Tourney Sites and other North American Cities Interactive TennisMaps