TAWAITHA, Iraq (Aug. 5, 2005) - Capt. Charles Price, F Company, 26th FSB, commander, helps a girl into a new pair of shoes, during a humanitarian aid mission in Tawaitha, Iraq, July 23.

 

U.S. Soldiers give Tawaitha children ‘happy feet'

Spc. Ben Brody

2nd Brigade Combat Team PAO

TAWAITHA, Iraq – Soldiers from F Company, 26th Forward Support Battalion, brought smiles to Tawaitha children as they distributed hundreds of shoes and toys near a landfill July 23.

The community of squatters who live in the landfill, located near the Rasheed Airfield, often suffer foot injuries caused by walking over sharp debris without shoes.

The F Co. troops, who operate in direct support of 1st Battalion, 9th Field Artillery, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, set up a perimeter to secure the site and quickly began fitting children with sneakers.

“It's a great thing to come out and do something to raise the standard of living out here a bit,” said Capt. Charles Price, commander of F Co., 26th FSB. “This area is all landfill, and bad guys drop bodies and explosives here all the time – it's a dangerous place to live.”

The mission was made possible from donations by church groups and family members at Fort Stewart , Ga.

A church group in Pennsylvania also donated about 300 pairs of sneakers to the effort, while Lt. Col. Steven Merkel, 1-9 FA commander and a native of Fort Wayne , Ind. , coordinated for clothing donations from Ft. Stewart.

Chaplain (Capt.) Charlie Lee, 1-9 FA, brought stuffed animals along on the mission, which were a big hit with residents of all ages.

“This place reminds me somewhat of Korea after the war,” Lee, of Buffalo Grove , Ill. , said. “As a chaplain, I want to help share what we have with the neediest Iraqi people.”

Lee fitted several ecstatic children with running shoes and watched them dash off to show their families.

“This kind of thing builds good relationships – you can tell everyone really appreciates it,” Lee said.

Although it was F Co.'s first purely humanitarian mission in Iraq , Soldiers said they were well prepared for the crowd that quickly gathered around the humvees.

“We never announce these things beforehand, which makes it safer for everyone,” said Staff Sgt. Guillermo Blanco, F Co., 26th FSB, patrol noncommissioned officer in charge. “These people here are just trying to survive – they don't have anything, so it makes me feel great to see the little kids smile when they see our trucks coming.”

Blanco, from El Salvador , fitted children with shoes and helped keep the crowd orderly as Soldiers tossed water bottles, food rations, clothing and stuffed animals from the cargo bed of a light medium tactical vehicle.

After the operation, Price contemplated the long-term significance of the operation.

“To win this country over to peace and democracy, it all starts with the kids,” said Price, of Columbus , Ohio. “Ten years from now, these kids will be creating the future direction of Iraq.”