Saving the World from Evil, One Soccer Ball at a Time
Army Civil Affairs at work.
3 July 07
By Pfc. Melissa M. Escobar
22nd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment
BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan— Backpacks jammed full with school supplies, soccer balls, teddy bears, toys, hygiene kits, sandals and shoes were delivered to an Afghan orphanage in Mahmud Raqi district by members of the Bagram Provincial Reconstruction Team June 27.
National Guard Soldiers with the 351st Civil Affairs Command from Mountain View, Calif., along with the 1175th Military Police Company, 205th MP Battalion from Mississippi geared up and armed themselves with humanitarian supplies.
Army Sgt. Valetin DeLeon, a civil affairs specialist with 351st CACOM, opens up a soccer pump to inflate a soccer ball for a child at the Kapisa Orphanage in the Mahmud Raqi district of Afghanistan during a humanitarian aid drop on June 27. Photo by Melissa Escobar. In the three months that the team has been in country, this was the first time they visited the orphanage.
“The governor of the province asked us to visit the orphanage,” explained Army Capt. Jordan J. Berry, team leader with 351st CACOM. “The mission was a good-will gesture to strengthen ties with the community.”
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Categories: Army, Geo-Political, History, Military, Military History