Soldier Conducts Toy Drive for Iraqi Children

DoD ^ | Oct. 26, 2003 | Cpl. Todd Pruden

[Ragtime Cowgirl]

 

Soldier Conducts Toy Drive for Iraqi Children

By U.S. Army Cpl. Todd Pruden, 372nd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

 

BAGHDAD, Iraq – Being in a hospital can be a miserable and frightening experience for children. It can be difficult to bring joy to children in these places. But, with the help of a soldier in Iraq and generous Americans in the States, smiles were abundant at a children’s hospital in Baghdad Oct. 19.

Chief Warrant Officer Paul Holton, an interrogator with the 141st Military Intelligence Battalion, a Utah Army National Guard unit from Salt Lake City, has spearheaded a toy-drive to brighten the lives of misfortunate children in Baghdad. Armed with a busload of toys and his warm demeanor, he visited as many rooms as he could, distributing toys, checking on the children’s progress, and talking to their mothers.

“I am trying to do something for the Iraqi children,” Holton said. “It’s rewarding to perhaps change an attitude, change a perspective of a new generation of Iraqis and how they might feel about us and the rest of the world.”

Dr. Quasem Al-Taey, director of the Central Teaching Hospital for Children in Baghdad, the hospital Holton visited, said the toys seem to lift the children’s spirits.

“Happiness matters for the children,” said Al-Taey. “It gives them the power to fight diseases.”

According to Holton, the toy drive started when he asked friends to send things for Iraqi civilians. But that evolved into something more. He said the thing that really kicked things off was when he saw a little girl crying at one of the coalition checkpoints, looking for her mother.

He rushed back to his office and grabbed some toys that had been sent to him and gave them to her to console her.

“Just from the joy I saw in her face and the smile and the twinkle in her eye, I knew I needed to do this on a larger scale,” Holton said.

He then asked his friends to send toys, but that was not enough.

“I asked people to send more toys so I could do this in hospitals, orphanages, schools, and neighborhoods around Iraq,” Holton said.

Chief Warrant Officer Paul Holton, an interrogator with the 141st Military Intelligence Battalion, a Utah Army National Guard unit from Salt Lake City, talks with an ill child at the Central Teaching Hospital for Children in Baghdad, Iraq, Oct. 19. Photo by U.S. Army Cpl. Todd Pruden, 372nd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

 

Holton decided to use the Internet as a medium to solicit this request.

Holton has a Web site where he posts his personal journal of experiences he has had in Iraq. When he posted his request for toys, the response was overwhelming.

“My Web site gets between 6,000 and 7,000 hits per day,” he said. “It’s definitely not my writing style or my interesting journal that’s drawing in most of the people,” Holton added.

The web site, at http://chiefwiggles.blog-city.com, details what type of toys to send, the mailing address and also includes testimonials by Holton and photos of the actual distribution process.

Since the posting about the toy drive on his Web site, Holton said he has received more than 700 boxes of toys from people around the world.

 

[Ragtime Cowgirl]

The web site, at http://chiefwiggles.blog-city.com, details what type of toys to send, the mailing address and also includes testimonials by Holton and photos of the actual distribution process.

Since the posting about the toy drive on his Web site, Holton said he has received more than 700 boxes of toys from people around the world.

~~~
Chief Wiggles winning hearts and minds in Iraq - and featured at the DoD website.

Also, from Chief's blog:

	MSNBC, Scarborough Country to air Chief Wiggles Toy Drive Story Monday night!!! MSNBC contacted us to let us know they decided to delay the program until Monday evening. If they had aired it on Friday, they would have had to cut the story short for time. Be sure to watch MSNBC's Scarborough Country, Monday, October 27, 10 pm eastern time!!!!

Good job, Chief!
~~~

If you want on or off my Pro-Coalition ping list, please Freepmail me. Warning: it is a high volume ping list on good days. (Most days are good days).

[Alamo-Girl]

Bump!

[RippleFire]

bump

[windchime]

Will be watching!

[blackie]

Toys for Iraqi tots ~ Bump!

[radu]

Be sure to watch MSNBC's Scarborough Country, Monday, October 27, 10 pm eastern time!!!!

Thanks for the heads up about this, RC! We have a second satellite dish and I believe we get MSNBC with the programming. My fingers are crossed, anyway. hehe! I really enjoy Chief Wiggles' blog and would love to see this program.

[Prodigal Son]

Here's the Chief's website:

http://chiefwiggles.blog-city.com/

Got some cool pictures from Iraq.

[VOA]

Chief Warrant Officer Paul Holton, an interrogator with the 141st Military Intelligence
Battalion, a Utah Army National Guard unit from Salt Lake City, has spearheaded
a toy-drive to brighten the lives of misfortunate children in Baghdad.

Looks like the Chief is out to become the biggest "re-gifter" in Iraq.
I hope he sets a world record!

[Ragtime Cowgirl]

One of the first great posts I read from Iraq was a letter Chief posted from an Iraqi doctor who apologized for the mixed up Iraqi youth and thanked the troops and America for freeing his country.

Chief's blog proved the power of the internet re. the war. It was picked up by bloggers, and became so well known that the mainstream press is now carrying this story.

Think the press knows that Chief has a gift of sharing himself - and his faith? *g*

[Alamo-Girl]

Bump!

[radu]

WOOOHOOOOO! I just watched Chief Wiggles on MSNBC. Had to go to the guest house to do it because that's where our other satellite dish is but it was worth it. I just wish we'd had a VCR over there so I could have taped the segment. Drat my luck!

Thanks for letting us know about it yesterday. I'd have never known about it otherwise.
We definitely need a different programming package with the satellite dish in this house.

[windchime]

I usually watch the Scarborough rerun, so that was my plan for tonight. Now, I find the third run of Hardball on the schedule in Joe's late slot! I'm SO disappointed!

[blackie]

Toys for Iraqi tots ~ Bump!

[VOA]

bump for exposure

[VOA]

Daylight hours bump from smokin' Southern California!

[VOA]

BUMP for the Re-Gifter champion of the US Military (for at least the current campaign)...

And a reminder to posters/lurkers of the general DEADLINE of NOVEMBER 13TH
to make sure our Best-And-Brightest get something to brighten up their "holiday in the sun"
(a bit of irony and gentle laughter definitely intended by that last phrase)

[VOA]

just a Saturday publicity bump...

[VOA]

publicity bump

[blackie]

Toys for Iraqi tots ~ Bump!