Posted on 12/28/2004 8:26:33 PM PST by saquin
BAGHDAD, Iraq, Dec. 27, 2004 — Even in Baghdad, Santa still delivers presents on Christmas. He just needs an escort from the 82nd Airborne Division to get the job done.
Santa Claus, with paratroopers from Company C of the 3rd Battalion, 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division, along for security, showed up at a middle school in central Baghdad for a toy and school supplies giveaway on Christmas Day.
The visit and the toys were courtesy of the U.S. Embassy's Joint Area Support Group. The group wanted to do something special for the local children on Christmas, said U.S. Army Lt. Col. Brian Jonas.
"Children all over the world are the same and they all need love and care and support," he said.
It didn't seem to matter that Santa Claus is the embodiment of a Christian holiday and that everyone at the school was a Muslim. Teachers at the school said there was no reason why non-Christians shouldn't share the holiday spirit.
"There is no difference between Christians and Muslims," one teacher told her students as they waited for Santa to arrive at the school's auditorium. "They are our friends, and we are going to share with them on their holiday."
A few minute later, Santa burst into the room to squeals of joy, and a few confused stares, from the children in the auditorium. He gave a couple of his patented "Ho, ho, hos," and then sat down on a chair on stage. Service members from the embassy's support group acted as Santa's little helpers, taking the children up to meet Santa, snapping pictures with them, and distributing toys and candy.
"This is heartwarming. It's great to be with such loving people," Jonas said.
But outside in the drizzling rain, some members of Santa's security detail for the event weren't feeling the love.
"Bah humbug," said Spc. Michael Fink, rain dripping down from his ballistic helmet.
Fink's commander, Capt. Adam Barlow, said his men didn't have to be handing out presents to make a contribution to the event.
"Those are civil affairs people," Barlow said of the Joint Area Support Group members. "That is their job. Our job is to make sure they can do that."
But Company C wasn't totally above getting into the Santa act. Earlier in the day they delivered a Humvee full of pens, pencils, crayons, and stationary to the school's teachers. The school and the apartments around it fall under the company's area of operations, and for much of the past month it has been conducting security patrols and improvement projects there.
"We have so much more than these people," said Staff Sgt. Jason Fulbright. "It's okay to miss a Christmas to help them out,"
Later in the afternoon, some of the residents of the neighborhood decided to repay the favor by preparing a Christmas feast for Fulbright and the other paratroopers.
Abu, a representative of the local Neighborhood Council, helped serve up a meal of turkey, stuffing and potatoes cooked Iraqi-style to the men.
"We consider them the best of friends, and in our culture we show friends that we take care of them as they take care of us," Abu said.
Do unto others....is catching on?
Oh, how I wish it were true.
A pity we can't get the scrooges and grinches at the ACLU to learn this simple concept of sharing.
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