November 13, 2005
Every generation in my family
has served in the military and
honestly, I wanted to be like my dad.
~Army Sgt. Ronnie Fisher~
A young girl snuggles up to her new stuffed animals after U.S. soldiers assigned to 256th Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, handed out toys to young cancer patients at General Children’s Hospital in Baghdad, Iraq, July 31, 2005. U.S. Army photo by Andrew Lance
U.S. soldiers bring toys -- and smiles -- to the young patients during a visit to the Baghdad hospital.
By U.S. Army Sgt.
Thomas Benoit
256th Brigade Combat Team
CAMP TIGERLAND, Iraq, Aug. 15, 2005 — Task Force Baghdad soldiers spent part of the day July 31 bringing smiles to a Baghdad children’s hospital during a humanitarian aid mission.
U.S. Army Command Sgt. Major James Mays, from Pineville, La., senior enlisted noncommissioned officer of the 256th Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division; and Lt. Col. (Dr.) Joseph Dore, from Charlotte, N.C., brigade surgeon, hosted the mission at the General Children’s Hospital in Baghdad, bearing toys and stuffed animals for young cancer patients.
The medical staff also received several reference manuals from Dore, who coordinated numerous medical and civil affair projects across the area of operations.
Outside the hospital, a father clutched his ill daughter on his hip and wept as he approached Mays. The family was stranded without a way to pay for transportation back to Mosul, after they journeyed to Baghdad and visited Abul-Qader Gailany Mosque and prayed for a miracle to cure the child.
When the daughter’s health worsened, she was admitted to General Children’s Hospital. The financial burden was too great for the family to manage.
Mays and other 256th Brigade Combat Team soldiers did not hesitate to pass a collection plate to aid the Iraqi family stranded miles from home.
"The 256th (Brigade Combat Team) soldiers go above and beyond the call of duty to bridge the gap between America and Iraq, which only proves they’re a cut above the rest,” Dore said.
song playing....You Are So Beautiful