Turn on the news any night of the week and you are likely to be bombarded by story after story of the violence in Iraq. Media commentators and reporters are quick to point out the many ways the Iraqi people are still suffering. They are just as quick to blame the Unites States and the war for the troubles of the citizens of Iraq. No one wants to talk about the horrors these people endured under Saddam Hussein’s regime. And even more telling, no one wants to tall about the good that is being done in Iraq. American troops are not just waging a war to establish peace and security. They are also providing humanitarian aid in countless ways. From immunizations to blankets to food to toys for children, our troops are actively looking for ways to help the Iraqi people.
One organization that is helping provide aid to the Iraqis is Operation Iraqi Children. This organization was founded in March 2004 by Gary Sinise (Forrest Gump, CSI: New York) and Laura Hillenbrand (Seabiscuit: An American Legend). Sinise and Hillenbrand started Operation Iraqi Children after talking and visiting with American troops who were trying give school supplies to the children in the towns and villages of Iraq. American troops were stunned to see the dilapidated condition of the schools in Iraq. The schools had been horribly neglected under Saddam Hussein and Iraqi students often lacked even the most basic of school supplies. Schools were often cramped one room buildings without solid floors, fans or even toilets. Many students didn’t have access to books, paper or pencils. American troops often took it upon themselves to rebuild the squalid schools and many asked family members back home to send school supplies that they could distribute to the Iraqi children. But the need is great.
Sinise and Hillendbrand were so inspired by these stories of compassion that they wanted to find a way to help. They started Operation Iraqi Children to help send even more school supplies to our troops to distribute. Through their School Supplies Kit Program, individuals, groups, churches and schools can gather the needed school supplies and send them to the Operation Iraqi Children warehouse in Kansas where they will be boxed and sent to our troops in Iraqi who will then pass them on to the children of Iraq.
It is an important element of the Operation Iraqi Children program that the school supply kits are sent tour troops to distribute. Sinise and Hillenbrand believe that when our troops pass out the kits, they are fostering trust and understanding and making progress in their efforts to win the hearts of the Iraqi people. You can find out more by visiting their website at www.operationitaqichildren.org.
Frequent Thoughts
Life in the middle of a civil war-like situation in Iraq is taking a dramatic turn. As the U.S. soldiers attempt to maintain peace amongst Iraqi people, the recent blowing up of a Shiite mosque in Northern Baghdad by a Sunni suicide bomber killing 69 people and wounding several Shiites, has left the US military camps with raising questions. The civil war between Shiites and Sunni Muslims in Iraq has lead to deaths of numerous US soldiers. It is leading to a situation where the soldiers have to operate in a no-trust environment as the civil war has started to take unusual events each day. It is a culture shock for US soldiers to see 11-year old children handling explosives and demanding “dollars” as ransom for the safety of their lives. The suicide bombings by Iraqi guerrillas and militiamen has raised intense fears and tensions amongst the military men. The roadside bombings and mortar attacks are making them wonder if they will ever be able to return home alive.
The suddenness of these bombings is creating pressure on the pentagon to save the lives of the US troops in Iraq. The hatred of the Iraqi people towards them is rising instead of the gratitude expected and has left the soldiers in a no-win situation. The US government is unwilling to accept the major blunder it has made by invading Iraq and is unwilling to recall the troops at the moment. The Iraqi people regard the American army as ‘Kafirs’ claiming to defile their native land and are doing everything possible to make them leave. Caught in the middle of this tug-of-war are the families of the American troops who have no choice but to pray for an early solution to this situation. Any moment, the soldier’s will run into grenades, bombs and possibly, death.
But at the end the children are worth that and more, they are innocent souls.