Posted on 08/11/2005 4:41:35 PM PDT by SandRat
The visit marked the unit's first purely humanitarian mission in Iraq, a mission made possible from donations by church groups and family members at Fort Stewart, Ga.
TAWAITHA, Iraq, Aug. 11, 2005 — U.S. soldiers assigned to F Company, 26th Forward Support Battalion, brought smiles to Tawaitha children as they distributed hundreds of shoes and toys near a landfill July 23.
The community of squatters who live in the landfill, located near the Rasheed Airfield, often suffer foot injuries caused by walking over sharp debris without shoes.
The F Company troops, who operate in direct support of 1st Battalion, 9th Field Artillery, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, set up a perimeter to secure the site and quickly began fitting children with sneakers.
“It’s a great thing to come out and do something to raise the standard of living out here a bit,” said U.S. Army Capt. Charles Price, commander of F Company, 26th Forward Support Battalion. “This area is all landfill, and bad guys drop bodies and explosives here all the time - it’s a dangerous place to live.”
"These people here are just trying to survive - they don’t have anything, so it makes me feel great to see the little kids smile when they see our trucks coming."
U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Guillermo Blanco
The mission was made possible from donations by church groups and family members at Fort Stewart, Ga.
A church group in Pennsylvania also donated about 300 pairs of sneakers to the effort, while Lt. Col. Steven Merkel, 1st Battalion, 9th Field Artillery commander and a native of Fort Wayne, Ind., coordinated for clothing donations from Fort Stewart.
Chaplain (Capt.) Charlie Lee, 1st Battalion, 9th Field Artillery, brought stuffed animals along on the mission, which were a big hit with residents of all ages.
“This place reminds me somewhat of Korea after the war,” Lee, of Buffalo Grove, Ill., said. “As a chaplain, I want to help share what we have with the neediest Iraqi people.”
Lee fitted several ecstatic children with running shoes and watched them dash off to show their families.
“This kind of thing builds good relationships - you can tell everyone really appreciates it,” Lee said.
Although it was F Company’s first purely humanitarian mission in Iraq, soldiers said they were well prepared for the crowd that quickly gathered around the humvees.
“We never announce these things beforehand, which makes it safer for everyone,” said Staff Sgt. Guillermo Blanco, F Company, 26th Forward Support Battalion, patrol noncommissioned officer in charge. “These people here are just trying to survive - they don’t have anything, so it makes me feel great to see the little kids smile when they see our trucks coming.”
Blanco, from El Salvador, fitted children with shoes and helped keep the crowd orderly as soldiers tossed water bottles, food rations, clothing and stuffed animals from the cargo bed of a light medium tactical vehicle.
After the operation, Price contemplated the long-term significance of the operation.
“To win this country over to peace and democracy, it all starts with the kids,” said Price, of Columbus, Ohio. “Ten years from now, these kids will be creating the future direction of Iraq.”
That is why we will always prevail
OooRah!
The story is great, but be sure you open the website for some really heart-warming pictures!
U.S. Army Capt. Charles Price, commander of F Company, 26th Forward Support Battalion, helps a girl into a new pair of shoes during a humanitarian aid mission in Tawaitha, Iraq, July 23, 2005. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Ben Brody
See that? They are just little kids, like kids all over the world. The girl is smiling and the boy looks like "What are you doing taking my picture":). To think that some dirty Bas**** would come along with a bomb and blow children like that to bits makes me want to personally execute every terrorist in the world. The sooner all the terrorists are killed the better off the world will be.
My son always tells me the best part about being in Iraq is seeing the kids and their smiles!
Things like that make me want to kill the bad guys -- the more the better.
I'm not a fan of the people who make "nuke 'em all" comments here. Just the opposite, I believe in the Special Operations Imperative that says, "Engage the threat discriminately."
Yes, despite the fact that the Koran advocates killing all infidels I don't believe the majority of them would engage in this activity if the hardliners were eliminated. Maybe that is wishful thinking but I dont' think so. However, I would gladly pull the trigger on terrorists such as OBL and his lt. and any other person who would kill children like this without a thought.
(See tag line)
My daughter still gets teary when we watch the slideshow of her and her fellow reservists visiting loval area school that they rehabilitated, delivering school supplies.
BTTT!!!!!!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.