JOINT BASE BALAD, Iraq – Smiling faces, entertaining activities, a youthful presence and building relationships is what service members experienced at the Iraqi Kids Day event, March 26, at Joint Base Balad, Iraq.
For Col. Scottie D. Carpenter, the chief of staff for the 103rd Sustainment Command (Expeditionary), an Orlando, Fla., native, this will be his last mission here at JBB, as the 310th ESC Chief of Staff Douglas C. Carpenter, a Medina, Ohio, native, prepares his unit to continue the Iraqi Kids Day program.
“When you deploy, you have mixed emotions on what you are going to find and what it is going to be,” Scottie Carpenter said. “But, I have been deployed overseas to a combat environment three different times, and by far, Iraqi Kids Day has been my most rewarding experience on deployment that I have had to this point.”
Scottie Carpenter said that Iraqi Kids Day is a huge logistical effort that is done with a lot of love and willingness, because service members know what the outcome is going to be, and the efforts that go into Iraqi Kids Day are not going unnoticed for the Iraqi people.
The 103rd ESC has contributed a combined total of more than 500 boxes of health and educational materials, games, shoes, sandals, toys and treats for the Iraqi children, said Lt. Col. John Thomas, operations and training operations officer with the 103rd ESC, and a Columbus, Ohio, native.
“The participation from members of the 103rd speaks for itself,” Thomas said. “Iraqi Kids Day has proven to be a valuable experience for all involved and has vastly improved the morale of the troops knowing that they are making a positive impression on a local child’s life.”
Thomas said the soldiers of the 103rd ESC that have previously participated in Iraqi Kids Day say that it is an awesome event that helps contribute to the well-being of children from local villages.
It also provides an outlet for soldiers and other service members to make an important contribution to the lives we are here to protect and improve.
The activities at the Iraqi Kids Days event that have carried on include the zip line ride, face painting, arts and crafts, soccer, a Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle display, fire-department activities, a cultural meal, music, dancing, and much more.
Iraqi Kids Day is generally held once a month, and the 310th ESC has intentions on expanding the Iraqi Kids Day program.
“There has been a great start here, and we want to expand the program as much as we can do it, but still accomplish our mission at the same time,” Douglas Carpenter said.