January 24, 2008
There's nothing like a child's smile
Daniel Clark is stationed in Iraq. He'll be back home sitting with us in section 108 some time this season.
He had an idea about getting some soccer balls to children in Iraq to spread some cheer and good will in a dark situation - and Class VI put together a soccer ball drive and mailed them to him ... here is Daniel's account ...
Nearly a hundred eager Iraqi children scrambled towards me as four other Marines and I struggled to quickly hand out soccer balls, t-shirts and cleats to the squirming crowd. Each child that received one beamed, as if they had been given the best gift in the world. They were so grateful that they immediately took pictures with us, shook our hands, and gave us more tea and bread than we could possibly eat.
I am a combat medic with the Marine Corps and I have been deployed here in Camp Fallujah since last August. My time here has consisted mostly of going out into the cities on missions with a group of engineers. That means that I have gotten to spend a lot of my time with the Iraqi people. The kids over there spend their time going to segregated schools and shepherding to protect their families’ sheep. They all love playing soccer, but all they have to use as equipment, they find on the side of their roads. Whether it be a rock, some trash, or a piece of wood, they use what they have.
Thanks to Class VI and the soccer ball drive that was set up, we were able to hand out real soccer balls to these kids. It means the world to them to receive things like that from people that they don’t even know. We may not be able to take away all of the hardships that they have and still do endure in their lives, but we can add some joy to their daily routines. It may seem like just a soccer ball to us, but to them it means so much more.
Seeing the joy on their faces and getting to play with these Iraqi children has changed me forever. These kids live in darkness and something as simple as a soccer ball brightens their life. Their hearts are full of gratitude, joy, and hope – something we should all aspire to. So, thank you, Class VI, and all of you that contributed for making a difference in these kids’ lives and mine as well.
And thank you Daniel for you sacrifices for our country and for your concern for children living in a difficult situation. We hope we're presented with more opportunities like this in the future.
Posted by mark at January 24, 2008 09:16 AM