Airmen help bring donations to Uzbek orphanages

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Scott T. Sturkol
  • 416th Air Expeditionary Group Public Affairs
KARSHI-KHANABAD AIR BASE, Uzbekistan (AFPN) --  Airmen, Soldiers and civilians supporting Operation Enduring Freedom from here brought donated toys, clothing, shoes, food and a variety of other products to local Uzbek orphanages Jan 17 and 22.

The Jan. 17 visit went to a baby orphanage in Qitab, and the Jan. 22 visit was to an orphanage in Karshi. The visits, organized by 33rd Army Support Group officials, are a part of an ongoing humanitarian-assistance effort.

Angella Crane, a Russian interpreter with the group, helped organize the visits. She said going to the orphanages is critical to relations.

“Humanitarian assistance is important to maintain and improve relations with the local (people),” she said. “It’s also important just to help people less fortunate than ourselves.”

Chaplain (Lt. Col.) Redmond Raux, who served at the chapel here, went to the baby orphanage. He said he also visited an Uzbek kindergarten class in September and on each of his visits, he found friends in the children he visited with.

“Children, it seems, no matter what part of the world they are from, like to blow bubbles,” Chaplain Raux said. “That’s what I bring with me when I do something like this. For children, once they get over their fears, they tend to explore, and they are more comfortable with you, and all of the sudden, you've made a friend.”

Capt. Joe Clancy, a 774th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron C-130 Hercules pilot deployed here from Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska, went on the Jan. 17 trip to Qitab. He said that as the group brought out pajamas, diapers, toys and other items for the children, it was an experience hard to explain unless you were there seeing the faces of the children.

“Going on a trip like that is where you can see the difference you're making,” Captain Clancy said. "You get to see the human element. It’s nice to be a part of a group that lends a helping hand.”

On the Jan. 22 visit to the Karshi orphanage, Army Sgt. Natasha Davis, deployed here from Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, said the children were very thankful for the things that were given to them.

“They were also very happy about the time that we spent with them,” Sergeant Davis said. “That brought great joy to my heart. It was a good experience for me.”

Master Sgt. Timothy Duckett deployed here from Moody AFB, Ga. He said he learned on the trip how simple life can be, “especially from a child's perspective.”

“When you think of children in an orphanage, you might fill up with gloom and despair and think of conditions and supplies that are not perhaps the best,” Sergeant Duckett said. “But these children were all full of energy and life. They were all quick to smile and share it with you. It is a simple reminder that life is not about possessions but about living the life we are all given. What I liked about the trip was that as proud as they were of the clothes and things, they would quickly drop those for some time with someone willing to spend time and play with them."

First Lt. Steve Lawhun, also from Moody, said he could see the children he visited are “truly survivors.”

“It really put things into perspective and made really miss my son back home,” he said.

“The mission to the orphanage is just one small example of how we can sustain and improve the good image that Americans generally have in this area,” Mrs. Crane said.