For the Children...

In one of the first phone calls Rory made to his mother after getting to Iraq he commented on how impoverished the children are there. These children have very little and when I say little--I mean to the extreme. Very little clothing, school supplies, medicine etc. Rory commented on how badly their lips were chapped from the scorching desert sun and how very few had any shoes. The pictures I have seen online remind me of the children I have seen wondering the streets in Mexico and India.

The children in Iraq are often the ones to save our soldier's lives by pointing out IEDs (Improvised Explosive Devices) that they find or have seen being set. And (much to my chagrin) they even often cut the wires themselves. When soldiers go out on patrol, the children flock to them. Often when relations are strained between locals who are untrusting of occupation soldiers the gap is can be bridged through the kindness shown towards their children. This was the case when some of the troops started collecting school supplies for the Iraqi children, and I encourage you to take a look at their results to date and latest update.

When asked what he needed, Rory only asked for small items that he could carry in his pockets to give to the kids that will help them and let them know that he cares. This is exactly what I would expect of Rory, being the caring and selfless individual that he is. So, The Youth Group of the First United Methodist Church of St. Charles is in the process of fund raising and collecting chapstick and flip-flops to send to Rory's platoon to hand out. If you would like to donate to the cause, please contact Stephanie Finke or Vicki Sherony.

In this time of chaos I am glad that there is some humanity left in the world, especially where Rory and his fellow soldiers are. If that love and humanity can be found and brought about in the smile of a child or the purr of kitten then I am happy and perhaps it will put a smile on Rory's his face as well.