Multi-National Division - Baghdad bridges cultural gap with Boy, Girl Scouts worlds apart

BAGHDAD, IRAQ

01.16.2009

Courtesy Story

Multi-National Division Baghdad

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From the Multi-National Division - Baghdad Public Affairs Office

CAMP LIBERTY, Iraq – Iraqi Boy and Girl Scouts interacted with scouts from Texas and Georgia, Jan. 10, through video teleconferencing between Multi-National Division - Baghdad Headquarters, Fort Hood, Texas, and Fort Gordon, Georgia.

After attending a similar exchange event between Iraqi middle school students and students from Nolanville Elementary School in central Texas, Lt. Col. John Moelter, division G6, MND-B, heard there were boy scouts in Iraq and the idea took hold.

After getting the go-ahead from the Maj. Gen. Jeffery Hammond, commanding general, MND-B, Moelter began the coordination to get as many groups together as he could. Fortunately scouting has been around in Iraq for nearly a century.

Moelter found there was a group of scouts less than five miles away, near the Baghdad International Airport, under the chairmanship of Col. Brian Pugmire and Maj. Cheryl Hanke of Multi-National Corps – Iraq.

With scouting alive and well in the MND-B staff, it was easy from there.

Moelter, a Signal officer whose family lives in Augusta, Ga., just outside of Fort Gordon, has two boys in cub scouts and knew he could get support from the local Georgia/Carolina Boy Scout council.

Lt. Col. Gerald Messmer, who works civil/military operations for MND-B, also has two boys in scouting who hold senior leadership positions in the Texas Longhorn council. His sons were more than helpful bringing a crew together at Fort Hood.

The activities started after picking the Iraqi scouts up with busses, from their scout camp on the Victory Base Complex. Shortly after arriving at MND-B headquarters, the scouts were treated to pizza and refreshments. While they ate, boys and girls were filtering in to Fort Hood and Fort Gordon facilities.

"We could hear the excitement back home as the boys and girls waited patiently to meet the Iraqi children," said Moelter. As the Iraqi kids filed into the VTC facility their initial view, projected onto a big screen, were about 40 cub, webloe and boy scouts along with brownie and girl scouts of Georgia/Carolina.

Eagle Scouts, and now deputy commanding generals for the 4th Infantry Division and MND-B opened the video teleconference with stories of their childhood scouting and how the lessons of leadership, teamwork, and self-reliance learned through scouting have helped them throughout life. Brig. Gen. William Grimsley, a native of Charleston, S.C., and Brig. Gen. Robin Swan, native of Pittsburgh, emphasized the fact that the scouts sitting in the room with them in Iraq and those in Texas and Georgia will be the future leaders of our countries and it was a great opportunity to see there is little difference between the three groups of kids.

Many of the scouts were amazed when Grimsley pulled a compass from his pocket and told the story of how it was given to him by his father and he has carried it everywhere he goes for the last forty years and even found it useful in the last week visiting a location near Baghdad.

After the general officers spoke, each location provided a short introduction of who was present.

In all, there were nearly 20 dens, packs and troops represented by more than 90 scouts. Once introductions were complete, Moelter led the question and answer period, beginning with Texas scouts and rotating between the groups. Scouts asked everything from what do you when you go camping, do you go fishing, to what courses do you study in school and what do you like to eat?

One Iraqi girl asked if the Texas scouts helped out at home with cooking and cleaning. The reply from a Texas girl scout was "Yes and sometime my brother helps." A question that came from a scout in Texas that made almost every adult in the room in Iraq take a breath was "what is it like living in a country where there's a war going on?" The senior boy scout from the Iraqi troop approached the microphone and answered, "we love our country and with the help of the Iraqi and coalition forces, security has improved."

Georgia webloes leader, Jeffery Holder said, "It's really a great opportunity for them [the American scouts] to get a look at the culture over there in Iraq and realize that those children are a whole lot more like them than they are different from them."

The final event at the MND-B HQs for the Iraqi scouts to participate in was an open fire and the opportunity to roast marshmallows and make smores with graham crackers and chocolate. Even the Soldiers joined in, helping the kids and eating a few marshmallows themselves.

Finally it was time to take the kids back to their parents.

Moelter said, he was very impressed with how well mannered the Iraqi children were.

"When we arrived back at the Iraqi scout camp, without any adult telling them to do so, every Iraqi scout sought me out to shake my hand and and say 'thank you' or 'shukran,'" said Moelter. "I couldn't have asked for a better ran event.

"The MND-B Soldiers all pitched in and made it an exceptional experience," added Moelter. "I think we all learned, when it comes down to it, the Iraqi people want to live, enjoy life and their families, and watch their children learn and grow. Just like anyone in America. Scouting is a fantastic activity that hopefully shows the Iraqi people the great value in peaceful organizations that promote the individual, family, and service to ones community."