The US Army's men in black ... turbans

Despite the death of the man, the efforts of the 913 team in that instance endeared them to many of the locals south-west of the city of Kandahar, where they are fast becoming a legend.

Dickinson's "ace-in-the-hole" with the Afghan villagers, he is quick to admit, is his own faith. "I can share the fact that I'm a Muslim, and I am automatically a brother to these Afghans. They start to trust me and tell me almost anything." The 22-year-old sergeant, whose Mexican mother is a devout Catholic and whose father has been in prison for several years, discovered Islam in a roundabout way.

"I started reading about it from the age of 12, but there wasn't even a mosque for me to pray in there in Battle Creek," says the Michigan native. "I really started to get into Islam and dig deeper into the history with the help of the Albanian Muslims, who I met during my peacekeeping work in Kosovo." Afghans, he says, are just as keen as Albanians to keep him moving along the righteous path. "I've already been given five sets of prayer beads, several turbans and a whole bunch of prayer rugs since I arrived here," he says.

His superiors say that Dickinson's knowledge of Islam has helped his fellow US soldiers understand Afghan customs. Some Afghan villagers around Kandahar have complained that US soldiers ignore their traditions, sometimes surprising uncovered womenfolk in their homes and walking with army boots on holy ground.

When the US forces finally arrived in Rawanday village on Tuesday, after getting stuck in the sand on three different occasions, Ghulam Faroq, a gap-toothed village elder led shouting boys and girls in a cheer. He greeted Dickinson and several of his fellow US officers with open arms. The psy-ops team had, as a rare treat, brought hundreds of blankets, school supplies, and toys for children.

"Are you excited about the loya jirga?" Dickinson asked a group of Afghan men three times his age. He was referring to the national assembly due to be headed up by the country's former king in June.

"Yes, we are," they said all at once. The villagers of Rawanday had prepared a meal of dried bread crust and yogurt. It was all they had to offer.

Dickinson was beaming. "I'm just glad to be here and have the chance to bring you a little something to thank you for the kindness you have been showing to the US military," he said. "I'm also very happy for you. This is the first time in nearly three decades that you will have the opportunity to choose your own leaders, without someone choosing them for you."

"You haven't been to see us in so many days," one village elder complained with an inquisitive grin.

"I love Rawanday," said Dickinson, keen to reassure his hosts.

They shot back: "Rawanday loves you!"

Dickinson's 913 mates worry a little, maybe not without reason, that he is "going native." Before he leaves Afghanistan, the young Michigander says he wants to find an Afghan wife. He does not mind if she is covered in a head-to-toe blue burqa, just as long as he can talk to her before they walk down the isle.

So far, he hasn't had any offers, but he still has his hopes up.

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