A report on a school supply and toy distribution to children in the Al Zahara Quarter of Balad, Iraq.

Balad, Iraq - On Monday, September 20th, soldiers from Task Force 1-77 and Iraqi soldiers from the 203rd Iraqi National Guard Battalion distributed school supplies and toys to children in the Al Zahara Quarter of Balad. The Al Zahara Quarter, the area that surrounds Forward Operating Base PALIWODA, home of Task Force 1-77 (“Steel Tigers”) while deployed in Iraq, is home to many of the Iraqi nationals who work on the FOB as interpreters and workers, and many of the ING soldiers. This was the second time that members of the Steel Tigers have conducted a school supply delivery like this in the area.

The soldiers walked from the FOB into the neighborhood, and were met by scores of curious children who came running when they saw the soldiers approaching. The kids were ecstatic when the soldiers began passing out notebooks, pencils, pens, stuffed animals, and toys. The event was a great opportunity for both the children and the soldiers, who got an opportunity to get away from the daily grind of the deployment and interact with people from the area. “This is a lot of fun,” said Private First Class Casey Schotter. “It is nice to be a part of some of the good things we are doing down here in Iraq.” For many of the soldiers this was their first experience with Iraqi children. The reaction they received came as somewhat of a shock. “This is kind of crazy,” said Sergeant Lorenzo Gorrell. “I didn’t expect these kids to be so excited to see us, but they seem to really enjoy getting the toys.” Many of the children’s parents came out to see what all of the commotion was about, and stayed to watch and interact with the soldiers. “Everyone seems to be really happy to see the American soldiers out here,” stated Specialist Tyler Looft. “The kids love getting toys and school things, and the adults seem to be really thankful for us being here trying to help them.

This event was another part of Task Force 1-77’s OPERATION TIGER CUB. TIGER CUB is an on-going effort to improve the Balad area education system. To date the Task Force has overseen the renovation of two area schools, and is currently funding the construction of three new schools. The Steel Tigers have also distributed school supplies to children throughout the area during events such as this one. The school supplies and toys are donations by family and friends of soldiers in the Task Force. The generosity of these people has allowed the Steel Tigers to build a strong relationship with the Iraq people throughout the area by distributing much needed school supplies to the children. For many of the soldiers who participated today this was their first opportunity to be involved in something other than combat patrols and pulling FOB security. For many of these Iraqis, this was their first experience with the American soldiers. In both cases the event was a good experience, and left each side with a positive feeling about what the soldiers are doing here in Iraq. One you Iraqi boy, Ali, summed it up – “Thank you very much, American soldiers good! Very Good!”