What a great privilege to be included on this trip put together by American Airlines and Operation Iraqi Children, in cooperation with the Department of Defense, to deliver 20 TONS of schools supplies to the children of Iraq. Gary Sinise actually started OIC because he noticed that soldiers were doing whatever they could to provide kids with supplies and shoes, and that in turn helped build bridges with the Iraqis. American Airlines has the biggest heart of any corporation I've worked with--they did this half million venture totally under the radar, they had quite a few volunteer to work this trip. They're amazing!
I had the privilege of delivering some of the school supplies to a school in Balad (thanks to the soldiers at FOB Paliwada!)--the girls kept saying "thank you" and "I love you". Our soldiers have really built some serious bridges there already. I talked with the Mayor of Balad and some of his city councilmen for about 10-15 minutes (my Arabic is rusty so it was through an interpreter :) ) and they are big supporters of our troops. 3 weeks ago, the council held a vote in a packed room to determine if they wanted our US troops to go or stay. There was one dissenting vote. In fact, they told LTC Hodne that the Mayor's wife told him that if he didn't vote in favor, he shouldn't come home. Some things are just universal.
I also met the Chief of Staff of the Iraqi Army General Babakir Zebari, and several of his staff. It was clear from the very friendly conversation between him and US Colonels McGinley and Smith (all in Arabic by the way), that there is great mutual respect. Again, I can't say enough about the impressive diplomatic skills of our troops--not only can they light up the sky, and hunt down the bad guys, but they really understand the nuances of diplomacy. I saw this over and over again.
One of the things that really added to the trip was having some performers along to entertain the troops..headlining was Tony Orlando and his AMAZING band. OK, I am now Tony's no. 1 fan--not only is he and his show captivating, but he has the biggest heart and the best way of communicating to those soldiers. He's been doing this since the Vietnam days. Also, some up and coming stars like Corinne Chapman, Dennis Wilson, Vander-Snook, and the cast from Country Tonight in Branson. It was a thrill to perform for a couple thousand troops in Baghdad (Tony asked me to sing a couple of numbers at the end, so I did "Thank you for being a Friend" by Andrew Gold from the 70's...and "So Far Away" by Carole King.
On our way out of the combat zone, we stopped at the Ramstein Air Base in Germany to visit the trauma center where all wounded are brought within hours of being injured. A soldier had just been brought in whose four limbs had been blown off, and his face completely burned. I don't know how he survived. His mom and dad were just coming into the hospital when we were there. Later, I spent some time with the chaplain who sat with him as they got him onto a plane to Walter Reed that afternoon. He said that the Mom said "I was prepared for his death.but not this." It was a tough day. I also met with SGT Daniel Bailey who had been electrocuted when an IED blasted his convoy and dropped power lines on him...3 of his buddies had been killed. He showed me the tattoo on his arm that said "Freedom isn't free" and then he said, "I want to go back in Ma'am-I'd do it all over again". I was with a three star general that day who said, "I believe that this generation is even greater than the "greatest generation". I am so proud of our team on the frontlines as they keep the fight away from us. I have already received a lot of emails from them who are grateful to know that America hasn't forgotten them--they do get CNN and other news over there (I stayed in one of Saddam's palace and yes, there was TV)and very often, they watch as the pundits discuss. It's frustrating for them to feel like their stories are not being seen. That's the number one reason I'm writing this to you all...as you'll see from the direct request I received from LTC Hodne to share what I saw. Obviously, it's not all here...but it's a taste. It was a life-altering, perception-altering experience.
So honestly, I'm behind right now on all my projects. You would think that I would start one book, finish it, and then start another. But no, I get too excited about dropping my photos onto a page and throwing text on them, that I start one book after another. Let's see, how many books in progress do I have. Family 2007 (it's all done...just waiting for me to take one last look before I click "send" to turn it into a book), Family 2008 (I have just a few more photos and videos to drop in), Europe 2008 (that one is done, just need to review), Iraq 2009 (just waiting for some photos I'm expecting on a disc in the mail...as you can see from the sample pages above, I kept it really simple...just white on black...and I'll do a black leather cover), and would you believe...I'm all caught up for Family 2009! That's the one I mentioned earlier on my blog that I'm doing once a week, with one picture a day with a line or two of text. It has been fun to decide each day what that "photo of the day" is going to be. Today it was catching two kids in the act of doing homework without being told!
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