Posted on 09/13/2005 5:59:13 PM PDT by SandRat
BAGHDAD, Iraq, Sept. 13, 2005 — The humvees descended on Salhiya in the blink of an eye. Roads were closed and cordons were established as armor-clad soldiers stepped from their vehicles, wary eyes hidden behind dark glasses. As the dismounted U.S. soldiers got closer to the crowd, their tight-lipped expressions suddenly turned into smiles as children circled around for hugs.
The children were orphans excited about another visit from the soldiers of A Company, 4th Battalion, 64th Armor, 4th Brigade Combat Team.
The orphanage fell under the company’s normal patrol route so the soldiers and the children were well acquainted, but today, Aug. 29, was different. The assembled parties were together to celebrate a new generator the U.S. soldiers had purchased for their little friends.
"They come out in the streets when we come through. It’s great to see them smile and know that you improved their quality of life. It’s nice to see that we are focused on what the Iraqis have."
Capt. Steve Wood
“(The orphanage) had an old generator provided by the old government that was run down,” said Capt. Steve Wood, A Co. commander. “They didn’t have power too often and the temperature inside the building would get into the triple digits. In an effort to make things better, to enhance the living conditions, we bought them a new generator.”
The generator works with the city power which is notorious for its shortages. The orphanage can turn it on when the Baghdad power grid shuts down.
The security officer who protects the orphanage moonlights as the handyman, so if the generator breaks down the children at the orphanage won’t have to put up with too much unbearable heat, said 1st Lt. Kevin Siegrist, a civil military operations officer assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 4th Bn. 64th Armor.
The civil-military operations section researched the project to make sure it would be feasible for the area and that the generator would be maintained.
“We don’t want to start a project where, once we leave, the work that we have completed goes to waste,” said Siegrist, a native of Denver.
The bid process is a way for the civil-military operations section to teach Iraqi citizens the intricacies of capitalism.
They take a minimum of three bids from area contractors and then choose the best qualified candidate.
“We don’t choose them based on who knows who,” Siegrist said. “It’s based on who can provide the best product for the best price in the least amount of time.”
The previous U.S. Army unit in the area started the project but the paperwork was lost in a bureaucratic maze. When Wood saw the process was stalled, he loaned a military generator to the orphanage until the project was finished.
Once A Co. got involved, things moved much faster. Within a matter of days after the contract was approved the contractor was at the site, laying the concrete slab for the base. There was less than an eight-hour period where the military generator was removed from the site and the new generator was powered up.
Finally, on Aug. 29, Wood and the orphanage manager cut a ribbon as the soldiers and civilians assembled for the ceremony applauded. The troops and children were soon interacting as they nibbled on pieces of cake brought to celebrate the occasion.
Soon the soldiers moved inside to give the orphans stuffed animals and clothes donated by families in the United States.
One soldier, a father himself, rocked a little girl as he remarked that she just needed to be held. For many of the soldiers, seeing the children laugh and play is a tangible result of their hard work here in Iraq.
“It’s great to come in here and see a smile on the children’s faces and they know based on the rapport that we have, that we are here to help,” said Wood, a native of Woodbridge, Va. “They come out in the streets when we come through. It’s great to see them smile and know that you improved their quality of life. It’s nice to see that we are focused on what the Iraqis have.”
Wood also sees the humanitarian effort in his area of operations helping the operational aspect of his mission.
“Salhiya is the closest neighborhood to the Green Zone, and we can give them a visible sign of change for the better,” he said. “This is really a joint effort between Coalition Forces and the Iraqi government and that’s what really matters.”
.S. Army Sgt. Kelly Johnson, of Great Falls, Mont., and assigned to A Company, 4th Battalion, 64th Armor, gently rocks a little girl who lives at the Salhiya Orphanage Aug. 29, 2005. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Dan Balda
I gotta warn you...... more; Awwwww! Ain't that sweet!
Dear God - bless these soldiers and thank you for your service! Makes me cry.
Why do we never hear these things from the lamestream media? </sarc>
Thanks for posting this. Our men and women of the armed forces are truly the best of America!
Yep, I was warned! Awwwwwwwwwwwww! God bless 'em. They're missing their own kidlets, I'll bet!....or are just the most awesome service personnel in the world!
GOD love the folks. :)
Yes on both counts plus maybe their baby brothers, sisters, nephews, nieces, heck just home and they have BIG HEARTS too!
Agreed, that's why I try and hunt down these stories. The word has got to get out somehow and for sure the MSM isn't going to put it out.
You know that's right! God bless 'em! I'll bet it's hard for them to let the kids go when it's time to go back to base, too!
Awwwwwwww
I read ALOT of your stories - so THANK You and THANK YOU!
Have I said lately how much I love our guys in the military.....{{{{{kisses}}}}}
Congrats on the new job!
Thanks :-) I really needed it too.
Matthew 19:14
Thanks. I really appreciate seeing photos like this. I often forward them to friends so they can see the good news, too.
OHH How sweetttttt
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