Black Jack Soldiers provide meals, gifts on Muslim holiday

Multi-National Force - Iraq ^ | Sgt. Robert Yde

[SandRat]

Capt. Marcus Melton, of Atlanta, commander of “Palehorse” Troop P, 4th Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment, hands off a heater to a girl to take into a mosque during Eid gift giving in Baghdad’s Karkh District, Oct. 14. Photo by Spc. Robert Yde, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division Public Affairs.

BAGHDAD — To mark the end of Ramadan, Soldiers from throughout the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, took part in the traditional Eid celebration by handing out meals and gifts to residents in central Baghdad, Oct. 14.

Eid is a traditional Muslim holiday observed at the completion of Ramadan to celebrate the achievement of advanced piety practiced over the course of the previous month by fasting from sun up to sun down.

“It’s something that Black Jack has done across its battlespace, and we were fortunate to be able to offer that to the people in Yarmouk today,” Lt. Col. Michael Tarsa, the commander of 3rd Battalion, 82nd Field Artillery Regiment, explained.

Tarsa and his Soldiers were on hand at Yarmouk Hospital to provided security and assist in the distribution of meals to both the patients and the staff.

More than 200 meals were passed out between Yarmouk Hospital and a nearby group home for mentally disabled children.

The meals, which were pre-packaged for distribution, were provided by the Taha-Kubba Group, a nonprofit organization working to improve the lives of Iraqi citizens.

“There are people fighting for good things here,” Nadia Al Ezzi, a business development manager said. “We want to show the world what the Iraqi people can do.”

Al Ezzi said that her company frequently distributes meals to groups such as hospitals and orphanages, and that being able to assist in providing Eid meals was special because the holiday is synonymous with the ideals of brotherhood and cooperation.

Tarsa, who is originally from East Longmeadow, Mass., said that being able to share the Eid meal with the patients and staff of Yarmouk Hospital was particularly important for his unit because, while their relationship is good, it has also had its challenges in the past.

“We have had the responsibility of going into Yarmouk Hospital for operational reasons – conducting searches for targets,” he explained. So, at times, the relationship can be challenging as we assure them, one, we are here for patient care, but secondly, we do have security responsibilities. They acknowledge that but being able to include them on the Eid offering was important to us.

It was good not only to recognize the end of Ramadan, but also to show our continuing commitment to the facility.”

While 3-82 FA Soldiers were providing meals, other units in the Black Jack Brigade were providing heaters and blankets to local leaders to handout.

“We figured with winter coming they could use the heaters and blankets versus a meal, and it would help them get through the winter,” explained 1st Lt. Benjamin Brown, a platoon leader for Company E, 1st Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment.

Brown said that he and his Soldiers conducted the handout over two days with the assistance of Iraqi Army Soldiers, and focused their efforts on a particularly poor part of Kindi populated by squatters.

“It feels good, but the main thing is that they see there is hope,” the San Diego native explained. “No matter how bad their life has been, they see that there is hope, and it motivates them to make things better.”

Blankets and heaters were also provided to five mosques in the Haifa Street area by Soldiers from Troop P, 4th Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment.

“We’ve learned that giving them to the mosques and having the mosques distribute them is smarter,” Ashville, N.C., native, Staff Sgt. Ted Bradley, said.

Like Brown, Bradley said that he hopes the items will sustain the people through the upcoming winter.

“These items are available at the market, but not all people are able to get them because they don’t have jobs,” Capt. Sha’ab, the executive officer of the 1st Company, 1st Battalion, 1st Brigade, 6th Iraqi National Guard, said.

“I like seeing the children and women happy,” he added. “I’m glad I was able to do this with the Coalition forces.”

[SandRat]

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[do the dhue]

bump

[JNL]

Good God these are good men

[do the dhue]

May God Bless them all and may God forgive Nancy Peloser, because I won’t.

[O6ret]

A nice gesture, yes, but I suspect more meaningful to the men of the Black Jack brigade than the recipients.

[ARE SOLE]

Another good one bro. Thanks SR.

Regards.

[JNL]

Does it matter....one child at a time...one person at a time....violence is drpoping in Iraq because of these guys and what they do. Not the politico’s but kids from all over America. They are the diplomats, they are THE heros.

Get the Iraqi children now and we have friends for life.

[JNL]

drpoping = dropping (must not talk to wife while posting)

[O6ret]

Yes, they are heroes, including my own soldier...

But I fear that it is for naught. We can't stay there forever and as history has shown time and again they do not share our fundamental beliefs in democracy and human rights.

Ask any American what is fundamental to our system of government and he/she will tell you it is the Constitution or the Bill of Rights or our many freedoms or the judicial system.

Ask that same question in any Middle Eastern nation and they will tell you it's Islam. Muslims do not value individual freedoms. They do not value freedom of religion or thought or the press. They do what the Koran tells them to do, what the mullahs demand that they do. There is no due process. If they do not obey they risk the most brutal of summary and barbaric punishments.

Sorry, I do not agree. Iraq will not be won one child at a time.