Electronic interview with Byram officer

Sergeant Pete Zabita of the Byram Township Police Department was sent to Afghanistan last March. In addition to being a police officer, he also was one of Byram Intermediate School’s D.A.R.E. officers. We recently interviewed Captain Zabita via e-mail. Pete Zabita was born in Newton, N.J. He decided to join the National Guard in 1993 to serve his country. He also enjoyed the college benefits that service offered. When Captain Zabita is not serving the National Guard, he is a sergeant in the Byram Township Police Department. After being deployed to Afghanistan last March, he was assigned to teach the Afghan Army Infantry Company Commander how to build and command a strong army. This also meant that he was in charge of 120 soldiers. Captain Zabita’s first day in Afghanistan was very rough. He really did not know what to expect. He did not even know what his job was going to be! Afghanistan has many different cultures. Zabita says the people, weather, and foods are a lot different than ours. Since Afghanistan has a different culture than ours, they eat many different foods. For lunch and dinner they have rice, beans and meat. The meat is usually beef, sheep, chicken or goat. Captain Zabita misses many things in the United States, like his family, his friends, and the food. However, he has had many great experiences in Afghanistan. He said, “ It is nice to see many people in Afghanistan happy for the help that we have given them.” We asked Captain Zabita what is was like in Afghanistan and he replied, “Most people here do not have electricity or even running water in their houses. They do not have televisions or video games. The kids play soccer or cricket for fun.” He found the Afghan people to be very resourceful. “They manage to survive without the tools and other items we take for granted.” He added that some Afghans are called Kuchis because they do not have a permanent home. They are a lot like gypsies. They walk hundreds of miles with their herds of goat, sheep and camels between Pakistan and Afghanistan where they sell their animals. As far as schools go, the Afghan school system is not as well organized as the American schools are. During his time there, Captain Zabita has been extremely generous and helpful to the children in Afghanistan. The students at Byram Intermediate School teamed up with Zabita to collect school supplies, winter jackets, gloves, boots and scarves. “Without the students at Byram Schools, the people would not have these essential items. The children here (in Afghanistan) are very thankful for the generosity of the American children.” We hope to see Captain Zabita back in the D.A.R.E. classroom very soon, sharing more of his experience with us. He is expected to return home around March 8. We wish him a safe return to the U.S. and look forward to having him back in New Jersey.