Stryker Brigade News

By Brad Blauser
Founder, Wheelchairs for Iraqi Kids
Tikrit, Iraq

It was an unlikely duo, but two like-minded men serving very different roles in a combat zone joined forces to change the lives of thirty-one Iraqi families in late 2005. Now faced with an even greater challenge, Wheelchairs for Iraqi Kids (www.WheelchairsForIraqiKids.com) is poised alongside US combat forces to provide pediatric wheelchairs to 100 more families of disabled children living in Northern Iraq.

Before returning stateside in October 2005, Major David Brown, MD, the 1-24 Infantry Battalion Surgeon and his medical staff routinely entered the city of Mosul for medical screenings in schools to evaluate and assist children with unaddressed medical needs. During the screenings, Major Brown and his staff examined an unusually large number of children suffering from disabilities such as Cerebral Palsy and Spina-Bifida, which rendered them immobile. Birth defects seem all too prevalent in this region of more than 2 million people.

During his tour of duty in Iraq, Major Brown was actively involved in activities at Marez Memorial Chapel, FOB Marez in Mosul. Brad Blauser, a civilian contractor serving on the same base, was also active in chapel activities alongside Major Brown. The two men became friends and joined efforts to create what was to become ‘Wheelchairs for Iraqi Kids’.

“One day in July (2005), I approached Major Brown and asked him what he needed; as I could help provide assistance through backing of a growing support base in the states”, Blauser commented. His email update distribution list had grown to well over three hundred addresses, from which he had raised support for a Bible drive, netting over 300 study Bibles donated to soldiers by mid 2005 (see story - http://cbn.com/spirituallife/biblestudyandtheology/perspectives/ans_frontlines.asp).

“Major Brown spoke of the situation in the city with disabled children pulling themselves along the ground just to get around. I offered to try to get him some pediatric wheelchairs for the kids he met at the screenings, and he jumped at the opportunity.”

Blauser described how through the efforts of his family, friends and total strangers, thirty one pediatric wheelchairs were secured via grassroots efforts of normal, everyday Americans.

“Christian organizations, local hospitals and an untold number of individuals came together to make this thing happen,” Blauser recounted. “Joni and Friends’ Wheels for the World (www.WheelsForTheWorld.org) donated the first twelve chairs, Wheels of Love (www.WheelsofLove.org) of San Antonio donated fifteen, and Huguley Hospital (www.ahss.org) in Burleson, Texas provided four wheelchairs. FedEx really came through with free shipping on the first twelve, but we had to provide funds for the second shipment. That’s where TBN and Jan Crouch’s Smile of a Child (www.SmileofaChild.org) organization stepped in and donated over $5000 to cover the costs of delivery for the second group of chairs that came over.”

Unfortunately for Major Brown and his medics, the wheelchairs did not arrive in Mosul in time for distribution by him and his men before they were deployed home to Washington State. The 1-17 Stryker Brigade from Fort Wainwright, Alaska had arrived to take their place on the front lines in mid-September 2005.

“Major Brown introduced me to his replacement, Captain Matthew Fargo, MD, and I knew then the wheelchair mission would still be in good hands.” After all thirty one wheelchairs arrived, Captain Fargo and his team were able to deliver them in just three missions around the city of Mosul. They became known as the ‘Battalion with all the wheelchairs’, and were approached by other units looking to distribute wheelchairs in their areas. However, all the wheelchairs had already been given out. Captain Fargo contacted Mr. Blauser in December about the possibility of having more wheelchairs to deliver, as the need for pediatric wheelchairs is still great.

Brad Blauser and Captain Matthew Fargo

Blauser and Captain Fargo have teamed up with Reach Out and Care Wheels Inc. (ROC Wheels) (www.ROCWheels.org) in Bozeman, Montana to secure 100 new pediatric wheelchairs manufactured by inmates at the South Dakota State Penitentiary in partnership with Hope Haven International Ministries which manages production. Reach Out and Care Wheels is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, providing pediatric wheelchairs and other mobility devices to disabled children in developing countries around the world.

The ROC Chairs are adjustable pediatric wheelchairs, custom fit to each child thanks to the generous support of people who donate to the ROC Wheels Adopt-A-Chair Program. The ROC Chairs have full support of critical areas – head, torso, legs and feet. They also have a recline feature and a tilt-in-space feature that allows a more comfortable position for the child (similar to a rocking chair on wheels). This eliminates pressure points and allows the children to sleep in the chair and be more comfortable, lying flat if they prefer. Andrew Babcock, Executive Director of ROC Wheels, calls the wheelchair, “the best, most specialized pediatric wheelchair produced and delivered at no charge by any non-profit in the world.”

“Mr. Babcock offered us 100 new pediatric ROC Wheelchairs for the Iraqi kids, but our window of opportunity to secure them is really pretty tight,” Blauser related. “We are in the process of trying to raise $20,000 to buy them at a discounted rate from ROC Wheels at $200 each (thanks to cheaper distribution costs), but hits on our new website reflect only about $3000-$4000 in donations at this point. We may be somewhat short of our goal right now.”

Once secured, the 101st Aviation Regiment of Fort Campbell, Kentucky has offered to ship them free of charge via military C130 transport to Iraq. There, they will be handed over to Captain Fargo and the 1-17 Stryker soldiers from Alaska for distribution. Dr. Fargo recently was quoted as saying, “There are so many disabled children in Mosul that we can give out as many chairs as can be sent.”

Blauser hopes this is just the beginning for ‘Wheelchairs for Iraqi Kids’. “Depending on the level of support we get from back home, we may be able to provide chairs for more kids than we originally had hoped. It’s really great to know that we are helping these children; they are going through so much living in a war zone. It also gives the US soldiers a valuable opportunity to help win the hearts and minds of the Iraqi people, and do something tangible for them at the same time.”

If readers would like to assist with this project, please visit www.WheelchairsForIraqiKids.com. Donations are tax deductible through ROC Wheels, and tax receipts will be provided for all donations. The address to send donations is:

ROC Wheels Inc.
7175 Sypes Canyon Rd
Bozeman, Montana 59715

Or to donate to the Iraq Mission online: https://www.marsew.net/RocWheels/donate.cfm (please indicate ‘Iraq’ in comments section)