The Iraqi children’s eyes shone and their smiles just radiated unspeakable joy. You would think we had given them something unbelievably grand, something they could never ever imagine owning. You’d think we had just handed them they key to a better life. Maybe we did.
We gave them pencils. And they gave us an emotional payback of satisfaction that is difficult to describe.
The exchange was just one of many through a program our battalion (mainly our chaplain’s office) put together called Operation Flying Start and Operation Flying Start was just one of many similar humanitarian missions we did in Iraq. We contacted churches and organizations back home, and they gathered school supplies, soccer and sports equipment, etc., so we could distribute them here to orphanages and schools.
As our convoy vehicles prepared to take all this stuff to the Iraqi people, we did it along with the Iraqi Army because we wanted to push them out front to make relationships. At that point, the average Iraqi citizen was scared of the Iraqi Army. They thought if they talked to the Iraqi soldiers, that others would kill them. So by having the Iraqi army help us distribute these supplies, we intended to teach the kids not to be afraid of them. We wanted to help them realize there’s a different way of life and that America is not bad; we were there to help.
To see how the children reacted to the gifts of basic, simple necessities gave us a greater appreciation of what our being over there was all about. Someone can have a conversation about whether or not we should be there but there’s no denying that these are still people who have suffered a lot they are an oppressed people. It’s just horrible. There’s no way life should be like this.
Lord, show me where I can help in my own community to lift a burden from the oppressed and poor.
“He who oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors God.” (Proverbs 14:31)