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Voices from Iraq: Stryker brigade 1st Lt. Ben Tiernan

Mar-13-2006 » Filed Under: 172nd SBCT

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My sister began teaching in Iowa last year. When my unit, A Troop TF 2-1, first arrived and began visiting towns north of Mosul, it was clear that the children had very little of anything, both at home and at school. During these first couple of weeks and after the first couple of calls home, my sister's class began ... collecting toys they wished to give to Iraqi children.

Soon, the entire third grade of this small-town school joined in the effort. Time went by; eventually I was able to go on leave and visit the school. Sure enough, there were boxes filled with toys and school supplies sitting in the classroom. At the time it looked like a good contribution of a couple large boxes. Little did I know that when it was all said and done I would be receiving around 13 large boxes through the mail.

Not long after returning to Mosul, I began to receive the boxes of Beanie Babies, Hotwheels, Crayons, Legos, Buzz Lightyear, Barbie dolls, Ken dolls, doll dolls, toy phones, pencils, pens, paper, markers, chalk, a never-ending supply of the things that kids like.

We took these, added them with the boxes from a class in my home town, loaded them onto our Strykers and drove out of Mosul into the sparsely populated areas to the north. We were given the opportunity to deliver these toys and school supplies to a small school in Tall Kayf.


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