Nov 18, 2002 By Suzanne Hance 4 min read

Uniontown native U.S. Army Sgt. Earl Rocca has vivid memories of Afghanistan. “It was very cold with lots of dirt,’ said Rocca, who recently served in the war-torn country with the 352nd Civil Affairs Command. “You just had to pay attention to your surroundings and remember that life isn’t normal there.’

Rocca was a military policeman in the U.S. Army from 1984 to 1994, leaving active duty but staying on in the Reserves. He was activated shortly after Sept. 11 and sent to Kuwait in November before going to Afghanistan from February to April. He later served in Africa before being sent home this fall to finish out his tour of duty.

Rocca, who was serving as a policeman with the Frederick Police Department in Maryland at the time of his call-up, noted that civil affairs is a type of special operations. He said civil affairs includes psychological operations, working with humanitarian organizations and re-establishing government infrastructure.

While in Afghanistan, Rocca said he worked on “goodwill projects,” involving education and “keeping people healthy.” He did assessments on schools and medical clinics to see what was there and what needed fixed. He also worked trying to get sanitation upgraded and schools rebuilt.

Rocca said the conditions in Afghanistan were very different from life in the U.S. There was no electricity or plumbing in most homes, he said, and there were explosives everywhere.

“Land mines were the biggest hazard. Literally, absolutely everywhere you looked there was unexploded ordnance,’ said Rocca.

Part of his work in Afghanistan involved negotiating with Afghan warlords and local officials. He said the warlords were “basically like a mafia,” adding that there were some tense moments. At one point, he was between rival factions that were arguing over a contract. Both sides had their guns pointed at each other, and he was in the middle.

“You try to be as diplomatic as possible,” he said.

Although Rocca was assisted by an interpereter, he was able to communicate with the local people better than most soldiers because of his wife, Mitra, who was born in Iran. Farsi, the predominant language in Iran, is also commonly spoken in Afghanistan.

“I’m familiar with the Islamic culture and I’ve picked up the Farsi language over the years, which helped me with communication,’ said Rocca.

He said his wife also helps give him a different perspective on the situation in the Middle East.

“Obviously, I get the other point of view from her,” he said, “It’s important to get her perspective.”

The son of Kathleen Rocca of Uniontown, he has two sisters, Christine Rocca-Shenal of Uniontown and Cynthia Stahl of Stoystown, Somerset County.

Rocca said he still stops in Uniontown about every other month, visiting not only his sisters and mother but also several aunts and uncles.

He has fond memories of growing up in Uniontown.

“It was a great place to grow up when I grew up there,” said Rocca. “It was a cross between Mayberry and the Twilight Zone.”

Rocca attended St. John’s Grade School in Uniontown and graduated from Geibel High School in 1984. He said he’s had nothing but support from his family and friends.

“I’m sure everyone’s very proud,” he said.

Noting that the country is dependent on Reserves more so than in the past, he said the duty “is a sacrifice.’ He stressed the importance of supporting those who serve in the military.

When Rocca was away, he said his wife was left alone with no family nearby. He said it meant a lot to have friends and neighbors there to help her out, either by cutting the grass or just stopping by. He said it means a lot for people in the military to be remembered for their serving their country.

“People are forgetting there are still guys serving and dying over there,” he said.