Troops bring Christmas to Iraqi orphans

Multi-National Force-Iraq ^ | Spc. Crystal Witherspoon, USA

[SandRat]

Children excitedly reach toward Santa Claus, played by Pfc. Brent Read, HHC, 2nd HBCT, 3rd ID, to see what gifts he has to offer at a church in Kermles, Iraq, Dec. 24. Spartan Soldiers visited the orphaned children of Mosul and Kermles on Christmas Eve, bringing toys, candy, backpacks and shoes. Photo by Spc. Crystal Witherspoon, 3rd Infantry Division.

FOB MAREZ — As smiling children filled a room almost to capacity, their faces shining and full of excitement, Col. Charles E. Sexton asked them, "Have you all been good boys and girls or bad boys and girls?"

"Good!" screamed the children, with cheer.

The 2nd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division commander smiles; he turns to an interpreter and asks him to tell the children, in Arabic, they have a surprise waiting in the next room. The children become overjoyed as they hear "Ho, Ho, Ho," bellowing from the next room.

Sexton’s Soldiers made Christmas extra-special for orphans in Mosul and Kermles this year, as Pfc. Brent Read, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, dressed as Santa Claus as he and other Spartan Soldiers passed out toys, candy, backpacks and shoes to the children on Christmas Eve.

Zuhayr Muhsin, mayor of Mosul, provided his office as a place for the Spartans to pass out gifts to the orphans. The mayor expressed his thanks for the Soldiers' generosity and awarded the commander with a plaque for their efforts.

As Santa and his Soldier helpers finished passing out gifts to the children, night began to fall. They then returned to their Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles and traveled to a church in Kermles and passed out gifts to the orphaned children there.

Read said dressing up as Santa was a lot of fun and an experience he would never forget.

"Today was really exciting. I know it was very special for them to see Santa because when you're young, you love Santa; he lets you know that Christmas is truly here," he said. "The kids were so excited; a bunch of them sat on my lap and gave me kisses on the cheek."

Sgt. Matthew Thorton, HHC, 2HBCT, 3rd ID, said he felt so good about handing out gifts to kids without parents on Christmas Eve, and other than being at home, he couldn't have thought of a better place to be.

"I couldn't be home with my kids, but just being there seeing those kids' happy face made me feel good,” he said. “These kids don't have a whole lot, so to be able to help them out was really important to us.

"This also gave us an opportunity to build an even better relationship with the people here; show them we really care."

(By Spc. Crystal Witherspoon, 3rd Infantry Division)

[SandRat]

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[jveritas]

God bless our brave troops.

[Last Dakotan]

Raise ‘em as Christians - the only hope they have for a better life.