Sergeants toy with donations Published Aug. 4, 2006 By 2nd Lt. Lisa Kostellic 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs BALAD AIR BASE, Iraq (AFPN) -- Two Airmen deployed here are trying to further Iraqis' understanding of Americans through the simplest objects: children's toys. Staff Sgts. Scott Klobucher and Samantha Ross are volunteers at the Air Force Theater Hospital. The sergeants are two of about 600 people who volunteer at the hospital, providing services such as changing bed linens, answering phones and helping patients write letters home. They started volunteering shortly after their arrival, but soon discovered that helping at the hospital on their days off wasn't enough for them. Each experienced an epiphany when they saw an Iraqi child's face light up after receiving a stuffed animal. The first forward-deployed hospital since Vietnam, the hospital is the busiest Level 1 trauma center in Iraq. In the past six months, the staff has treated 40 pediatric Iraqi patients from 3 months to 15 years old. Most were injured from the blast of an improvised explosive device or a mortar, and about 15 percent were wounded by a gunshot. Seeing children in the hospital reminds Sergeant Klobucher of his own child who will be 2 years old in November. "I have a son of my own," Sergeant Klobucher said. "I feel bad if he hits his head on the coffee table." Both NCOs decided they could make more of a difference by starting toy drives. After receiving legal advice, they each decided the best way to increase their charitable efforts was to ask their family, friends and church members to send toys. Sergeant Klobucher, a line delivery munitions expediter with the 332nd Expeditionary Maintenance Squadron, sent e-mail requests to his family and friends, and along with the help of his co-workers, the word spread. He received about 40 boxes of toys from family, friends and strangers, including an insurance agency and a little girl in Colorado. A guardsman with the 115th Fighter Wing in Madison, Wis., Sergeant Klobucher not only distributed toys to the hospital, but he also gave toys for delivery to children all over Iraq to Airmen who frequently go off the installation.Sergeant Ross, an air traffic controller with the 332nd Expeditionary Operations Support Squadron, noticed during her volunteer time that the children at the hospital had very little to do to occupy their time. Since they can't speak English, they find other ways to communicate and be creative. "We try to talk to them and get them something to do like a pencil and paper. They love to color and draw," Sergeant Ross said. Sergeant Ross also enlisted the help of her co-workers. Like Sergeant Klobucher's office, they sent e-mail requests to their churches at home, asking people to send 10 sets of coloring books and crayons each. Sergeant Ross hopes to have the donations by the end of the month so she can deliver them to the hospital before she returns home. Both sergeants plan to continue their efforts when they return home. To ensure continuity at Balad, they are now working together to establish a legacy before they depart. "I just want to do some good (and) provide some positive aspects of what Americans are actually like. I don't do it for myself," Sergeant Klobucher said. "Most of the credit goes to the people back home who are stepping up the effort to gather toys from their friends and families to get them here."