Wheelchairs help Iraqi Kids

Photo By Staff Sgt. Sj Duga | Thanks to the humanitarian effort of LSI employee Brad Blauser, Iraqi children receive much needed assistance in the form of pediatric wheel chairs that have been donated by individuals back in the states.  

MOSUL, IRAQ

06.26.2006

Courtesy Story

345th Public Affairs Detachment

MOSUL, Iraq (June 22, 2006) "Handing out toys to Iraqi children during humanitarian missions is enough to make anyone smile. Giving an Iraqi child a wheelchair that will change his or her life evokes a much stronger emotion.

One man started a crusade to help disabled children in Iraq by providing wheelchairs to help make their lives a little more comfortable and their childhood years a little more enjoyable.

Brad Blauser, a Dallas native and employee of Logistical Services Incorporated in Forward Operating Base Diamondback, in Mosul, Iraq, has made it his personal mission to see that children in need get the wheelchairs they deserve.

"There is an alarming rate of children in Iraq that suffer from birth defects, disease, or [are] casualties of war," Blauser said. "I wanted to make sure that these children are not restricted to their homes because they don't have any means to get outside and play with their friends."

Blauser was involved with many activities at the chapel where he met Maj. David Brown, a surgeon from 1st Battalion, 24th Infantry Regiment, Task Force Band of Brothers. Blauser asked Brown what he could do right now to help out. He wanted to do his part.

"Brown told me that many Iraqi children needed wheelchairs," he said. "So I sent out an email to over 300 friends."

Blauser explained to his friends that he was in immediate need of wheelchairs, so he asked for 12, hoping to get the six he needed. At a cost of $1,000 to $3,000 each, he did not know what to expect. To his surprise, the generosity of his friends was immediately evident.

"I could not believe my eyes at how many we received," Blauser said. "We ended up getting 31 pediatric wheelchairs delivered to help the children."

According to Blauser, Federal Express shipped the first 12 wheelchairs for free. Then, the altruism continued when Jane Crouch from Turner Broadcasting Network, paid for the remaining chairs to be shipped to Iraq.

"I was just overwhelmed at the support we received from the people back home," Blauser said. "Once again, the American people have showed that they care about children they have never met, and it is truly inspirational."

Since the arrival of the chairs, the majority of the wheelchairs have been delivered to the children, but a few were donated to the 47th Combat Support Hospital in Mosul, to be used when children need to receive various treatments and can not walk.

"I am just glad to be here and be able to do my part," Blauser said. "The American people deserve all the credit; it was just my idea. They came through like they always do, and that makes you proud to be an American."

• Date Taken: 06.26.2006
• Date Posted: 06.26.2006 12:26
• Story ID: 6959
• Location: MOSUL, IQ