Is this part of that "cesspool" to which you referred?
The good news you don't get from Iraq
Marine Cpl. Isaac D. Pacheco
canadafreepress.com
Army Sgt. Addie Collins' Kicks for Kids program is an example of this. Three months ago this Army Reservist from Los Angeles asked her friends and family to forgo sending the usual box of goodies, and instead send a few pairs of kid-sized shoes, which she would hand out to Iraqi children she'd seen walking barefoot. Friends and family told friends and family, and today, 10,000 pairs later, Collins is outfitting an entire Ramadi community with sneakers, sandals and boots.
Where's her morning talk show appearance?
Many others, military members and civilians who truly care about the Iraqi people and rebuilding their nation, have stories that mirror Collins'. Marines, soldiers, sailors and airmen are working hand-in-hand with the Iraqi people to build schools, pave roads and train police officers. In the process we're re-instilling the citizens of Iraq with a sense of national pride that years of oppression had smothered.
I may just be a good ol' Kentucky boy, but if my voice counts for anything, I'd say we're doing a bang-up job.
Semper Fi.
Marine Cpl. Isaac D. Pacheco of Northern Kentucky enlisted in the Marines on Sept. 12, 2001, and arrived in Iraq last fall. He serves with the Combined Press Information Center in Baghdad. |
