Sgt. Darrell Bradford, C Company, 7th Battalion, 101st Aviation regiment, performs maintenance on one of the two rotors found on a C-47 "Chinook".
Spc. Levi Gydesen, C Company, 7th Battalion, 101st Aviation Regiment, light wheel mechanic, changes the oil of a vehicle at Kandahar. U.S. Army photo Spc. Jim Wagner
Pfc. Michael Singleton, C Company, 7th Battalion, 101st Aviation Regiment, refueling specialist, fills up a CH-47 "Chinook" after a flight. U.S. Army photo Spc. Jim Wagner
KANDAHAR AIR FIELD, Afghanistan — For every successful mission flown by CH-47 Chinook helicopter air crews supporting Operation Enduring Freedom, scores of soldiers are working behind the scenes to keep the twin-rotor aircraft flying. (click for the rest of the story)
Work Behind The Scenes Keeps Chinooks Flying
Cpl. Jocelyn C. Oberhauser, military police, Command Element, 3rd MEB, feeds an infant during a community relations visit to the Pattaya Orphanage May 15. Photo by: Staff Sgt. Jason M. Webb
Reaching out to children... Marines, Sailors warm orphans' hearts
Submitted by: MCB Camp Butler
Story Identification Number: 200361115110
Story by Staff Sgt. Jason M. Webb
PATTAYA, Kingdom of Thailand(June 10, 2003) -- In this city where elephants roam the highways and neon lights guide vacationers down seedy alleyways, young abandoned children are often forgotten.
But one place, nestled between smoking open-air markets and trash-riddled roads, functions as a light in the dark for the misfortunate youth of Thailand. The Pattaya Orphanage is one place where abandoned and parentless children and infants are given a new chance in life.
Started in 1970, by the Catholic Redemptorist Work for the Poor, the orphanage has helped elevate the lives of orphans, the blind and the deaf.
Marines and Sailors participating in Exercise Cobra Gold 2003 visited the orphanage May 15 during a community relations project sponsored by the 3rd Marine Expeditionary Brigade, III Marine Expeditionary Force, Chaplain's Office.
Even though the visit was purely social, it was the second of many visits to the orphanage during the duration of the month-long exercise.
According to 3rd Marine Expeditionary Brigade chaplain, Navy Lt. Cmdr. Aaron Jefferson, the volunteerism by the Marines and Sailors on a weekly basis provides direct interaction with the children. Something he said is necessary for the children who grow up without the loving touch of a parent.
Each visit gives the servicemembers a firsthand view of orphanage life, but he added that each visit is bittersweet for him.
"It's a mixed feeling of good and emptiness," the Houston, Texas native said. "(The orphans) don't feel human touch like children in a regular family. Normally, they may go the whole day without any interaction except for diaper changes."
But when the Marines and Sailors visit, contact is the key to each visit.
Gunnery Sgt. Rafika O. Hargett, future operations chief, G-2, 3rd Marine Expeditionary Brigade, III Marine Expeditionary Force, walked into the orphanage with mixed feelings as well. She had never visited an orphanage before, and she was not sure what to expect. But after a few hours of interaction with the infants, she decided to sponsor the youngest infant at the orphanage.
In doing so, she fulfilled a life-long dream of helping a needy child and brought stability to a two-month-old girl named Yupha through her yearly $1,000 donation.
Hargett said that in the past, she wanted to send money to needy children, but she was not sure if the money would ever reach the child directly. Here, after holding and caring for Yupha, an abandoned infant whose mother could not care for her financially, Hargett saw that her donation was going to a good cause.
"I know the money is menial to us, but it means a lot to them. I know at least one of the children will have a secure future," the Brooklyn, N.Y. said. "But I don't want to sponsor a child for a month and then forget about her. This is a long-term commitment."
Jefferson said that he and other chaplains participating in Exercise Cobra Gold 2003 made their own long-term commitments to the orphanage over the years. And chaplains from Okinawa and Hawaii regularly send money donations and care packages throughout the year.
The most noticeable of the Marines mark on the orphanage was during this trip. Where one child wore a gray T-shirt emblazoned with USMC across his chest, signifying the Marines had been here before.
As Jefferson stated, "When we leave, the orphans are not forgotten, and they don't forget us."
