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January 2008 - Iraqi Village
We have been very busy since Christmas. Our projects now range in scope from simple road repairs to complex fishing cooperative startups targeting economic revitalization in the villages surrounding the three Anbar lakes. Of course we are most proud of the school supply project. Ironically, it has cost us exactly zero dollars to date and we believe it has had the greatest impact. Two days ago I opened packages from Santa Monica, CA, Clearwater, FL, and Augusta, ME just to name a few places. Yesterday we delivered 900 lbs of notebooks, pencils, rulers, glue sticks, crayons and letters to a small village. Early in the morning we left Ramadi for the 50 mile trip to the village, dragging our loaded Frankenstein trailer through frozen mud puddles along the way. When we got there SGT E and the doctor from Baghdad set up their clinic. Since it is not permitted for Americans to treat Iraqi civilians in the field, we designed the clinic as a training mission for Iraqi Army medics. It worked perfectly. SSG W and I began hearing claims while SSG M and SSG S set up the school supply distribution. We stayed in the village until dark treating medical conditions, paying damages, and making certain that every child (at least 400 kids) received at least a pencil and a notebook. It was the first time I have seen people smile in that village, and I saw a thousand smiles in a day. My friends, if you asked me what single thing I was most proud of in 25 years of living, I would tell you about yesterday. We sometimes exhaust ourselves in this fight with efforts which ultimately fail, sometimes yielding terrible consequences. But sometimes it works, and when it does it is worth all the disappointments. I am proud of my team for making it happen in spite of many obstacles, proud of all the soldiers who have gone before us to get Iraq to a point where things like this can take place, proud of the brave Iraqis who took a risk to show up with their wives and children, and proud of the hundreds of Americans who have sent us the tools we need to make a difference, one box of pens at a time. Thank you all so much for supporting us in all the ways you have supported.
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