BigBadBrian
11-07-2004, 09:19 PM
Smiles from Iraqi children plentiful during Operation Crayon
Story by Spc. Sean Kimmons, 25th ID (L) PAO
KIRKUK, Iraq – As if a famous rock star performed in front of a live audience, Iraqi children shouted and waved to 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division (Light) Soldiers and Iraqi Police who visited the Halima Al-Sadeea Elementary School to hand out school supply packages intended for Operation Crayon on Oct. 21.
Operation Crayon has been an ongoing mission for the 2nd BCT and the excitement displayed by the school children on this day was normal treatment that Soldiers get when they are around Iraqi children in this city.
“They’re just like any other kid, they are shy but will open up and are very receptive,” Chief Warrant Officer Randall Reynolds, 2nd BCT Operation Crayon coordinator, said about the Iraqi children.
It’s also fun for the Soldiers to play with the kids especially if they are a parent and has not seen their own kid in months, said Reynolds, a resident of Weatherford, Okla.
The main reason for the world-wide Operation Crayon mission is to seek school supplies so that American troops can distribute them to needy children in the countries where they are deployed. It offers an approach for posts, units, and especially family members to support their troops as they promote goodwill in war torn countries.
Second BCT’s Operation Crayon mission is meant to do all of the above, but has incorporated the assistance from the Iraqi Security Forces in order for them to build a positive reputation among the Iraqi people.
“We are grateful to provide these supplies to the students,” Sgt. Kurzan Adnan, a Kirkuk Iraqi Policeman, said through an interpreter. “I think the supplies will make their studies easier.”
Currently, 2nd BCT with the help from the ISF, have donated more than 6,500 basic school supply packages to about 20 different schools in its area of operations.
“It has been bigger than I thought it would be,” Reynolds said about Operation Crayon. “It’s something that the people from Hawaii plus everybody’s family members throughout the states really have stepped up to help with.”
According to Reynolds, the operation will carry on throughout the school year.
“As we continue to receive supplies, we will go on with our volunteers to package the items and send them out to different schools,” Reynolds said. “This will be a program that we will hand off to the 116th Cavalry Brigade as they come aboard.”
During the Christmas holiday, 2nd BCT is planning to conduct an Operation Santa Claus, where Soldiers will hand out gifts containing items that were donated but not used in the school supply packages. These gifts will target orphanages.
The Operation Crayon staff and its volunteers on Kirkuk Air Base are extending an invitation to those who would like to help bring smiles to the faces of needy children in Iraq.
Items that are needed to help support this operation are: writing paper, construction paper, pencils, pencil sharpeners, pencil erasers, pens, markers, chalk, chalk board erasers, glue, rounded-end scissors, coloring books, soccer balls and jump ropes, band-aids, and of course crayons (preferably in 24 packs).
http://www.centcom.mil/CENTCOMNews/Stories/11_04/2a.jpg http://www.centcom.mil/CENTCOMNews/Stories/11_04/2b.jpg
Story by Spc. Sean Kimmons, 25th ID (L) PAO
KIRKUK, Iraq – As if a famous rock star performed in front of a live audience, Iraqi children shouted and waved to 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division (Light) Soldiers and Iraqi Police who visited the Halima Al-Sadeea Elementary School to hand out school supply packages intended for Operation Crayon on Oct. 21.
Operation Crayon has been an ongoing mission for the 2nd BCT and the excitement displayed by the school children on this day was normal treatment that Soldiers get when they are around Iraqi children in this city.
“They’re just like any other kid, they are shy but will open up and are very receptive,” Chief Warrant Officer Randall Reynolds, 2nd BCT Operation Crayon coordinator, said about the Iraqi children.
It’s also fun for the Soldiers to play with the kids especially if they are a parent and has not seen their own kid in months, said Reynolds, a resident of Weatherford, Okla.
The main reason for the world-wide Operation Crayon mission is to seek school supplies so that American troops can distribute them to needy children in the countries where they are deployed. It offers an approach for posts, units, and especially family members to support their troops as they promote goodwill in war torn countries.
Second BCT’s Operation Crayon mission is meant to do all of the above, but has incorporated the assistance from the Iraqi Security Forces in order for them to build a positive reputation among the Iraqi people.
“We are grateful to provide these supplies to the students,” Sgt. Kurzan Adnan, a Kirkuk Iraqi Policeman, said through an interpreter. “I think the supplies will make their studies easier.”
Currently, 2nd BCT with the help from the ISF, have donated more than 6,500 basic school supply packages to about 20 different schools in its area of operations.
“It has been bigger than I thought it would be,” Reynolds said about Operation Crayon. “It’s something that the people from Hawaii plus everybody’s family members throughout the states really have stepped up to help with.”
According to Reynolds, the operation will carry on throughout the school year.
“As we continue to receive supplies, we will go on with our volunteers to package the items and send them out to different schools,” Reynolds said. “This will be a program that we will hand off to the 116th Cavalry Brigade as they come aboard.”
During the Christmas holiday, 2nd BCT is planning to conduct an Operation Santa Claus, where Soldiers will hand out gifts containing items that were donated but not used in the school supply packages. These gifts will target orphanages.
The Operation Crayon staff and its volunteers on Kirkuk Air Base are extending an invitation to those who would like to help bring smiles to the faces of needy children in Iraq.
Items that are needed to help support this operation are: writing paper, construction paper, pencils, pencil sharpeners, pencil erasers, pens, markers, chalk, chalk board erasers, glue, rounded-end scissors, coloring books, soccer balls and jump ropes, band-aids, and of course crayons (preferably in 24 packs).
http://www.centcom.mil/CENTCOMNews/Stories/11_04/2a.jpg http://www.centcom.mil/CENTCOMNews/Stories/11_04/2b.jpg