Biography
Born in Seattle Wash. Peter grew up in a less diverse time in the small town of Edmonds. Being of mixed heritage in an all white town helped shape how he saw things. Left to discover his own way, Peter disappeared into books, writing his own fiction stories or reading of distant lands and exotic cultures.
One thing that always stood out in his mind is a lesson from Sister Margaret, his fifth grade teacher. Her lesson was of a man that God spoke to and had him write a holy book. A Catholic nun talking about the Prophet Mohammad in the 1970s is a great lesson of acceptance and understanding. One that has always stayed with Peter.
It is that same lesson of tolerance that Peter brought with him when he joined the Army. As a psychological operations soldier in Afghanistan, Peter travelled all over the country. Most of his time was spent among the Afghan people with a reconstruction team conducing village assessments.
Through vigorous study and visiting over 300 villages Peter became a subject matter expert on the country and culture of Afghanistan. Through cultural relativism, he was able to win over a number of the locals. As an American, being considered family to Pashtuns is a rare honor.
Peter’s experience as a subject matter expert on Afghanistan led him to a job as an international advisor for a State Department led counter narcotics program. He set up the Kandahar office of the Ministry of Counter Narcotics and supported the poppy eradication efforts.
Since his first deployment to Afghanistan, Peter has always wanted to help the Afghan people. He developed an alternative livihood program for Afghan farmers for lucritive options to growing poppy. As an international advisor, and later as a military liaison officer for the eradication teams, Peter facilitated a number of donation programs to Afghan orphanages.
Now attending the University of Washington, Peter will graduate with his degree in journalism and return to the Middle East to bring back the stories that have not reached American readers.