Operation Care

BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan -- Air Force Senior Airman Elisa Rosemond stacks bags of toys for Afghan children prior to an Operation Care visit to the Korean Hospital here Oct. 17. Operation Care is an all-volunteer effort that provides clothes, school and hygiene supplies, toys and candy to Afghan villagers. (U.S. Air Force Photo by Capt. Michael Meridith)

Operation Care

BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan -- Air Force Staff Sgt. Tracy Anderson passes out toys to Afghan children during an Operation Care visit to the Korean Hospital here Oct. 17. Operation Care is an all-volunteer effort that provides clothes, school and hygiene supplies, toys and candy to Afghan villagers. (U.S. Air Force Photo by Capt. Michael Meridith)

Operation Care

BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan -- Air Force Senior Airman Elisa Rosemond pass out bags of clothes to an Afghan mother and her child during an Operation Care visit to the Korean Hospital here Oct. 17. Operation Care is an all-volunteer effort that provides clothes, school and hygiene supplies, toys and candy to Afghan villagers. (U.S. Air Force Photo by Capt. Michael Meridith)

Bagram Airmen help bring better life to Afghan families

Published Oct. 18, 2007
By by Capt. Michael Meridith
455th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs

BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan -- A group of Airmen here have joined with their civilian and sister service counterparts to help bring a better life to the people of Afghanistan, one family at a time.

Dubbed "Operation Care," the all-volunteer effort collects and delivers clothing, toys, candy, school and hygiene supplies to Afghan families in need. The most recent mission brought supplies to Afghan families visiting the Korean Hospital here Oct. 17.

"I like doing this," said Senior Airman Elisa Rosemond of Greenwood, Wis., and a member of the 455th Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron. Airmen Rosemond, who also volunteers at a homeless shelter back in the United States, said that she gets a great deal of satisfaction from helping Afghan families get the things they need. "Service is part of who we are as Airmen, whether we're manning a post or passing out clothes," she said.

Those sentiments were also shared by other Airmen volunteering with Operation Care. Master Sgt. Jamie Cabral of New Bedford, Mass., and a member of the 455th Expeditionary Maintenance Group, said that involvement with the program had given
him an entirely different perspective on his service in Afghanistan.

"These people don't have much, so this is my way of helping the Afghan people," said Sergeant Cabral. "I get a good feeling from doing it."

An article on Operation Care in a military magazine was the inspiration for yet another Airman, Staff Sgt. Tracy Anderson of Wylie, Texas, and a member of Task Force Med. Sergeant Anderson, like her fellow Airmen, said that being part of Operation Care provides an enormous amount of personal satisfaction.

"The best part of it is knowing that you are making a positive difference," said Sergeant Anderson.

For more information on Operation Care, contact Mr. Reuben Breaux at reuben.breaux@afghan.swa.army.mil