Paratrooper gives to Anbar schools

Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Nancy Lugo | At Camp Ramadi, Iraq, Cpt. Michael Ariano (right), assistant logistics officer, with 2nd Advise and Assist Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division, helps load up a truck with school supplies donated to the Anbar Department of Education, Iraq, Sept. 19. The donated supplies will go to schoolchildren throughout Anbar. Ariano is a native of Rockland, N.Y.  

ANBAR PROVINCE, IRAQ

09.20.2011

Story by Staff Sgt. Nancy Lugo 

82nd Airborne Division Public Affairs Office

ANBAR PROVINCE, Iraq -- A mountain of assorted boxes were piled up, covering the entire floor. The smell of crayons permeated through the logistics office of the 82nd Airborne Division’s 2nd Advise and Assist Brigade. Capt. Michael Ariano, the assistant logistics officer for the 2/82, stood by the massive horde with a smile on this face.

He stood next to the stockpile of school supplies, markers, notebooks, pens and pencils, he was grinning in anticipation, representatives from the Anbar Department of Education were coming to pickup the inventory for distribution to schools throughout the province.

“This will be the most rewarding day of this deployment,” said Ariano, a native of Rockland, N.Y.

During his last deployment to Iraq, in 2006 Ariano worked on a military transition team with 1st Brigade, 10th Mountain Division, building schools and giving out school supplies.

“Working on the MiTT team I realized that building the education of this country, making sure Iraqis can read and write, makes them less susceptible to the fanatical religious ideals,” Ariano said.

Now on his third tour of Iraq, he wanted to continue helping Iraqis by providing them with school materials.

Ariano reached out to a friend, Tom Deierlein, who had started the TD Foundation in 2006, while working as a civil affairs officer in the U.S. Army, to help Iraqi children. As a civil affairs officer, Deirlein worked on the reconstruction in the war torn Sadr City, where he saw the terrible conditions the children and their families had to live in. He was moved to help by providing them with basic necessities such as clothing, food, water, school supplies, vitamins and toys.

Deierlein is no longer in the Army, but his foundation is continuing to help Iraqi children and their families.

When Ariano e-mailed his friend Tom, he thought he would get a few boxes of school supplies. He received much more than he had hoped for.

“He sent $7,000 dollars worth of school supplies. It will help to build a foundation for the next generation of Iraqis,” said Ariano.

Dr. Fawaz Hammad, the government of Iraq education representative for Anbar, sent her son Qudai Fawaz Hammad and Safy Mohammed, a high school physical fitness teacher in the Anbar province, to pick up the materials.

Paratroopers with 2/82 loaded up the boxes of school supplies onto Hammad’s small white truck. Rope was used to secure the boxes for their journey.

When all the school supplies were tethered, Ariano shook hands with Hammad and Mohammed.

Mohammad said, “We were not expecting this amount of school supplies. It is a great gift for the children of Anbar.”

• Date Taken: 09.20.2011
• Date Posted: 09.22.2011 14:54
• Story ID: 77462
• Location: ANBAR PROVINCE, IQ