November 2, 2005

"He never had anything bad to say about the
service," Knapp said of his uncle. "He said,
'You get to see the world, you get great pay, you don't
have to worry about anything. They take care
of you.' That's why I joined the Army."
~Army Spc. Kyle Knapp~

By Staff Sgt. Robert R. Ramon
Joint Task Force Phoenix Public Affairs Office

Issue: July 2004

KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – Coalition Joint Task Force Phoenix Soldiers fighting terrorism in Afghanistan took time recently to brighten the lives of some of the victims hit hardest by the 25 years of war that ravaged this country and Afghan children.

During what would normally have been at least a partial day off for CJTFP Soldiers, several Soldiers used their free time to travel to a nearby orphanage to visit with local children and deliver donations sent by family and friends back home.

"Today we brought two five-ton trucks loaded with food, toys and candy," said Staff Sgt. Tim Wilkens after helping to unload the large trucks in the orphanage courtyard.

Children of all ages watched excitedly as the Soldiers unpacked each box. After organizing all the items, the Soldiers handed out toys and school supplies to the visibly happy children.

"When you see the children when the Soldiers are here, a smile comes across their face," said Mohammad Hafiz Karimi, an Afghan interpreter working with the Soldiers. "These are smiles not seen in many years," he said.

It was arguable as to who was happiest on this day-the children or the Soldiers.

"Personally for me it's great," said Wilkens. "Since I've been here I've gone on over two hundred combat missions. This is the first time I've visited an orphanage and it's great to actually be able to come out here and be with the little kids.

The children waited with great anticipation all morning according to the orphanage employees.

"When the Soldiers are here, the children forget they're orphans and have no parents," said Karimi. "They know there's someone there to take care of them," he said of the Soldiers. "The kids really appreciate it and I'm very happy about that."

The Soldiers created a makeshift playing field in the courtyard and taught the children to play one of America's favorite sports-baseball. As the game went on, a group of adults stood at the gate and took in the unusual sight of foreign Soldiers playing games with Afghan children.

"It's showing goodwill toward them and letting them see a different side to us other than just combat operations," said Wilkens. "We're able to show that we do care about the Afghan people and their children," he said as a small Afghan boy about two or three years old ran over to give him a high-five.

"That right there makes being here in Afghanistan worthwhile. I'd like to be here (at the orphanage) more often," he said.

If any of the Soldiers had any doubts as to whether their visit made a difference to the children, the Afghan adults in the area were more than happy to let them know just how much their presence meant.

"It's a joy to have the Soldiers here for the children, and the people of Afghanistan are very happy to have the Soldiers here in general as well," Karimi said.

The Soldiers are planning several more trips to the orphanage in the near future and additional donations would be greatly appreciated in order to make these visits successful. If you'd like to participate, please send items including clothing (ages one to 12), school supplies, athletic equipment, toiletries and toys to: "Operation Sandbox," 45th In Bde, Camp Phoenix, APO AE 09356.

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