Engineer Makes Special Deliveries to Iraqi Children

By Polli Barnes Keller
Special to American Forces Press Service

MOSUL, Iraq, Jan. 10, 2006 - After years of tyranny
and war, the children of Iraq have almost nothing and are very grateful for each
gift they receive.Lana Aziz, an Iraqi citizen and junior engineer for the U.S.
Army Corps of Engineers, coordinates the collection and distribution of shoes
and school supplies for Iraqi children. With each gift she gives to a needy
child, she also gives joy and hope to their lives.

When it comes to the legitimacy of the war, hundreds of hours of debate ranging from interpreting the UN to digging up bodies in the sand dunes of Iraq are the norm. But there is one thing that can play on emotion and can spur a smile from even the most pessimistic.

When a child looks into the eyes of a soldier who has just handed them school supplies, you have to wonder, “what would it be like if these supplies never made it?” or “how less educated would these children be, and how different would the Iraqi future be?” It’s an honest question, and it’s an honest gesture. Bringing hope to children is something some in the U.S. have been fighting for for generations. How is the future of Iraqi children any different?