Let Freedom Ring reports on the immense humanitarian efforts going on in Diyala Province in Iraq.
From an earlier post on Miss Utah Sgt. Jill Stevens, S. McHardy explains how these humanitarian efforts are paying off for the US military:
The family members of the 211th back home spent their own time and money to send hundreds if not thousands of pounds of humanitarian supplies to be distributed by the group in the villages they visited. Mostly they collected shoes, coats, soccer balls and soft modestly dress dolls for the people of this village. They were sent at substantial cost to these military member’s families, and with help of charitable contributions.
Much more was done, including teaming with Chad Everett and his wife (Medical Center actor) and their charitable foundation to bring a boy to America for heart surgery that saved his life. The American military does not leave their caring at home, and it is not limited to their own families.
They were not meals-on-wheels, but were ambassadors for America (unfortunately, I can’t write they were ambassadors for all Americans) as well as soldiers doing their duty. Remember, every soldier is an intelligence gatherer and while this humanitarian effort was simply that, I am positive there were and continue to be tactical gains made by befriending this village and showing them a more accurate picture of America and who some of its people are.
S. McHardy
Camp Taji, Iraq