Site Essentials
- » Site Introduction
- » Comment Policy
- » Stryker Brigade 101
- » FAQ
- » Thank The Troops
- » Support Our Site
- » Contact Us
- » Terms & Conditions
In Memoriam
Browse Archives
Search Archives
Subscribe to SBN
Browse Our Shop
Awards
By Susy Raybon
In December 2005, Stryker News published the story of First Lt. Brett Phillips (1st BN, 17th INF) at FOB Marez and SSG William Verble (278th Regimental Combat Team, formerly of FOB Cobra, Tennessee National Guard) handing out small dolls of color in the Mosul and Baghdad regions of Iraq. Both soldiers are medics and gave out the dolls while on medical screening missions.
On a recent medical mission, 1st Lt. Phillips, of Fairbanks, said there was a comment from a grandmother who had brought her granddaughters to one of the medical screenings for treatment: “Oh, the dolls have the same skin as Iraqi’s. That is so nice.” In Brett’s words, “It was pretty cool that she picked up on it. You always wonder but never know. “ A bond was forged.
And now, the Heart List has grown and the little project called Winning the War One Heart at a Time, continues. Pfc. Patrick Anderson (A- Company, 2-1 INF) with the 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team is yet another soldier who is an eager participant in the homegrown project. Pat carries the small brown dolls in his pockets to give to the Iraqi children while on dismounted patrols. His base of operation in Iraq has been FOB Courage also near Mosul. (Recently FOB Courage has been in the process of turning over that facility to the Iraqi Army. The soldiers of FOB Courage are relocating to FOB Marez.) Pfc. Pat Anderson’s home is also in Fairbanks, AK.
But the latest recruit in Winning the War One Heart at a Time and rising fast to the top of the Heart List is Sgt. Julian Bruce Adams, FOB Speicher. “Bruce” is a Blackhawk Crew Chief somewhere near Tikrit. Sgt. Adams (101st Airborne, Ft. Campbell, Kentucky) paints a staggering image with his most recent correspondence. “Sorry I haven't replied. Just been real busy. I threw a bag of toys out the aircraft today. It’s always fun to see the kids running for it. Its hard for me to take pictures when I’m manning the machine gun with one hand and throwing toys out with the other. Hopefully I can get one of the guys to take a pic and I'll send it out.” A mind-bending image, indeed. Sgt. Adams’ hometown is Enterprise, Alabama. (Notable home of the Boll Weevil Monument!)
So, the small Winning the War One Heart at a Time project continues and the Heart List grows…. It began with a woman in South Carolina who has enlisted a little help from her friends and family and especially from a whole classroom of first-graders at Shaw Road Elementary School in Puyallup, Washington…sending support in the form of little brown dolls along with candy and letters, pencils and toys, toothbrushes and yes, fingernail polish…all sent with love and concern for the “delivery men” in uniform and to the children in the cities and villages in Iraq.
Updates as the Heart List Grows…. as these men come home and as new ones are found to continue the project (To be sure, no one will ever take their place!).