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First sergeant gives teddy bears to Iraqi children

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Travis Edwards
  • 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
BALAD AIR BASE, Iraq --  Soft, huggable security ... many things can describe what a teddy bear feels like, but to many Iraqi children and families in the Air Force Theater Hospital here, it is a reminder of the love and level of care they received.

Master Sgt. Dave Dunn, 332nd Expeditionary Medical Group first sergeant, makes it his personal mission to visit the intensive care ward everyday. He gives out teddy bears there for an informal program he and his wife call "Project Poppa Bear."

"I was talking with my wife a few weeks after I got here about what I could do for the children in the hospital. It is hard to see them everyday and not feel something," said Sergeant Dunn. "I wanted to be able to do something for them, so she said, 'Why not give them a teddy bear?'"

The name fits as Sergeant Dunn is affectionately nicknamed the "Bear" by his troops because of his gruff but caring nature. According to the first sergeant, toys are important part in the recovery process. 

The children at the hospital enjoy the plastic toys they share, but a soft, plush teddy bear that they can keep goes a long way to build relationships and remind them of the compassion displayed by the servicemembers in the hospital.

In the first four weeks of starting "Project Poppa Bear," Sergeant Dunn and his family have given away more than 50 stuffed bears to injured Iraqi children and their families.

"It's amazing to see the look on their faces once I give them a bear," he said. "I sat a bear down next to one little boy who appeared to be sleeping, and the nurse checking his vital signs next to him told me he was in a coma. Not but a few seconds later I saw his hand caressing the bear; the nurse told me it was involuntary movement, but I know that child knew that bear was for him."

Sergeant Dunn also told the story of a little girl who had been shot while watching TV. 
 "I was inside the hospital when the doors to the helipad blew open." He said the doors only fly open like that when something critical is happening. "In the litter was a little girl, couldn't have been older than 10 -- had a head wound ... it didn't look like she was going to make it."

He went on to say, doctors at the AFTH were able to stabilize her and she is still recovering in the hospital today with a big stuffed bear right by her bed.

"I am only limited to the number of bears I have on hand," the sergeant said. "Fortunately my wife and mom got together with their church back at home near Lackland (Air Force Base, Texas) and are sending me 200 more bears to give out. But there are never too many."

Sergeant Dunn said he is only able to give the children the stuffed bears because of the wonderful work done by doctors and nurses at the AFTH. "When I saw that little girl, it made me think of my own. I couldn't help but feel for her parents, I was so happy when I heard they (the doctors) saved her life."

Whatever adjective used to describe teddy bears, the one that Sergeant Dunn will remember is loving and caring.

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