Capt. Jeff Paradee of Federal Way worked behind the scenes in Afghanistan with the U.S. Navy Reserves. Paradee, an engineer, helped oversee construction of training and security facilities across 34 provinces.

The U.S. military is training Afghan police and soldiers. Paradee joined engineers from both Afghanistan and a coalition of nations.

Although he never saw battle, Paradee witnessed the impact of the coalition’s presence. Afghans at the village level, many of whom live in mud huts, “are ecstatic to have us there,” he said. “They are some of the nicest people in the world.”

The Afghans want self-rule without corruption and tyranny, he said, noting that many Afghans are killed by their own police forces and the insurgency. In fact, as U.S. troop strength increased in Afghanistan during Paradee’s time there, the insurgency increased — a result of more contact with the enemy, whether through conflict or ripping up opium poppy fields.

“We’re in there as a force to set them up to be their own country,” he said of his duties in Afghanistan. “Some might say we’re meddling. Maybe we are, but that’s not for me to say.”

Paradee, 50, returned home in June 2009. During his 16-month deployment, the Internet made the absence from his family more bearable. Through e-mail and video chat programs like Skype, Paradee maintained regular contact with his wife, Stephanie, and his children Brian, 11, and Anna, 13. The Internet enabled Paradee to help the kids with homework or simply see their faces — a service worth every cent he paid. Through YouTube, other military personnel watched videos of their kids being born or taking their first steps, he said.

“That was a blessing from top to bottom,” he said. “You just can’t put a price on that.”

Despite access to the Internet, Paradee was largely removed from U.S. news. He caught big-ticket items such as the presidential election or the Super Bowl, but otherwise was too busy working 16-hour days.

Upon returning to Federal Way, he interviewed with a local TV news reporter about his service in the Middle East. The conversation was reduced to a sound bite, then inserted into an unrelated report about dead U.S. Marines.

Paradee understands the need to report on the bloodshed. But he also wants U.S. media, specifically TV news, to show what people in Afghanistan are doing to help themselves. For now, he looks for those reports from the BBC and Canadian press — or on Facebook.

“On the news, you only get 1 percent of what’s going on,” he said. “That’s frustrating; 99 percent goes unreported.”