Airmen take part in Operation Pencil Box

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Ryan Hansen
  • 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
BALAD AIR BASE, Iraq (AFPN) --  About 20 Airmen from the 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing were greeted with smiles, cheers and the classic thumbs-up sign as they delivered school supplies and toys to a nearby elementary school Oct. 23 as part of Operation Pencil Box.

More than 150 Iraqi children welcomed the group as they went from classroom to classroom delivering about 225 bags of school supplies. The bags contained paper, markers, crayons, coloring books and scissors. The Airmen also delivered assorted toys and clothing during the visit.

The project came to fruition when Oklahoma Air National Guard Chaplain (Capt.) Quentin Collins arrived at the chapel here. As the chapel’s point of contact for humanitarian efforts, he started working with the Army civil affairs office on how to distribute supplies he had collected and with the company grade officers council to organize and package the supplies.

“We can only win this war of ideas by creating an idea based on solution,” said Chaplain Collins. “This solution can only come if the people trust us. Trust can only be established by interaction with the people in a positive and healthy way; this is one small way of doing that, and the rewards will be huge and enduring.”

With the goods packaged and ready to go, the chaplain recruited 1st Lt. Yasir Archbold of the plans and programs office, and they worked with the Soldiers to schedule the delivery.

“Operation Pencil Box was just one of hopefully several humanitarian efforts we will be sponsoring in the near future,” said Lieutenant Archbold, who is deployed from Altus Air Force Base, Okla.

The event touched many of the Airmen who were there.

“The experience was absolutely wonderful,” said Staff Sgt. Nate Brown, of the 332nd AEW administration section, who is deployed from Eglin AFB, Fla. “This event gave me the opportunity to see the Iraqi people in a whole new light. It really gave me a better understanding of why we are here and what exactly it is that we are fighting for.”

Yugoslavians originally built the school in the 1950s. The school, which is located about five miles outside the air base gate, had deteriorated throughout the years. Since the beginning of Operation Iraqi Freedom, however, Airmen here have sponsored the school, and it has been totally renovated, officials said.

“We’re here to ultimately make Iraq a better place for the people,” Lieutenant Archbold said. “To get to positively interact, firsthand, with the Iraqi people like I did this weekend really puts what I’m doing here in perspective.”