Iraqi kids, U.S. servicemembers enjoy another day of fun, education

Published Dec. 27, 2009
By Staff Sgt. Jake Richmond
332nd Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs

JOINT BASE BALAD, Iraq -- As part of the ongoing base effort to directly engage the local populace, military volunteers hosted busloads of Iraqi children Dec. 19, 2009, for a day of fun, games and culture sharing.

The event marked the fifth of its kind in the last four months, each one focused on educating and entertaining local youths.

The engagements began in late August, when medical professionals invited about 30 local kids to the base for a health and wellness fair. In early October, base officials began expanding and standardizing the "Iraqi Kids Day" program, regularly organizing larger-scale occasions at the H-6 recreation area.

This most recent engagement doubled the previous attendance number, accommodating more than 200 local boys and girls -- each assigned to their own uniformed American "mentor."

"I knew the first hurdle to overcome was getting so many Iraqis through the entry control point," said 1st Lt. Victor Thompson, a maintenance operations flight commander and lead coordinator for the project. "The challenge was amplified when 100 extra kids showed up. After substantial delays, we pressed with the event, and that was when my team began to shine. All volunteers and mentors rallied together."

Event planners ensured each Iraqi boy was matched with a male military mentor and each girl was matched with a female. All of the volunteer mentors received special cultural training in advance, and they were charged with maintaining accountability for their assigned youngsters throughout the day.

Once the kids and volunteers were matched up, the first order of business was a magic show performed by Army Chief Warrant Officer Scott Anderson, an Oregon National Guardsman who makes his living as a professional magician. Magic, it seems, has no cultural bias -- the kids, ranging in age from 5 to 15, were visibly and unanimously delighted by the show.

After a distinctly American lunch of hamburgers, potato chips and pie, the mentors and kids spent a couple of frenzied hours playing games together. Inside, there was darts, billiards, board games, ping pong, and foosball. Outside, the groups also found fun on the volleyball and basketball courts -- but more than anything, there were lots of soccer balls whizzing by in all directions.

"In the village, the boys don't let us play soccer," said a 15-year-old local girl who attended. "So, it was fun to just play with my girlfriends."

The last activity on the agenda was a visit to JBB's airfield for an up-close look at an Iraqi CE-208 turboprop aircraft. Iraqi air force pilots were on hand to talk about the training plane and explain what it's like to serve in the military.

"It's very good for them to know that someone's there looking out for their future," said an Iraqi second lieutenant. "We want to make them eager for their future. They can be engineers or pilots or whatever they want -- better than carrying weapons in the street."

For Lieutenant Thompson, coordinating the event meant several late nights and long hours of planning, but he said seeing the kids just hanging out and having fun with their mentors made it all worthwhile.

"At the end of the day, I watched the last smiling child exit through the gate, carrying a huge bag of goodies in his hand. I breathed a happy, yet fatigued sigh of relief," he said. "I knew then that the mission was complete -- a total team victory for all participants."

The grinning Americans and fun-loving Iraqis didn't share a language, but they managed to fulfill the event's broader purpose: With the drawdown of U.S. forces from Iraq well underway, servicemembers and local children were able to learn something from each other.

"There's no better way to really embrace the Iraqi culture than by taking part in this event with these kids," said Tech. Sgt. Rafael Nuñez, 332nd Expeditionary Mission Support Group information assurance manager, who mentored three young boys. "They're just so kind and generous toward you, without expecting anything in return."

Sergeant Nuñez said the three boys he watched over didn't seem concerned with the struggles of their evolving country or the role of the U.S. military here. "They're just kids being kids," he said.

For some of the older teenagers, though, the experience was part of a bigger picture.

"I have heard some people say that Americans are bad," said the girl. "Now that I've been here (with them), I know it's not true."