Posted on 11/27/2006 5:51:03 PM PST by SandRat
KIRKUK -- Four years ago a compassionate Soldier and a six dollar beanie baby named “Courage” brought an unforgettable smile to 4-year-old Sarah’s face. And more than one million beanie babies later, that Soldier’s generosity and commitment to Iraq’s future continues to impact Iraq’s next generation.
“Beanies for Baghdad,” a civilian organization based in Evansville, Indiana, donates thousands of the small stuffed animals weekly to the United States Army through Lt. Col. James Barker, squadron commander, 2nd Squadron, 6th Cavalry Regiment, 25th Combat Aviation Brigade, for distribution to Iraqi children throughout the Kirkuk Province.
It Began With a Kind Gesture
Barker, of Whitewood, South Dakota, was one of thousands of Soldiers in Baghdad when Operation Iraqi Freedom began in 2003. During that tour, Barker frequently interacted with the local population.
“During our ‘walkabouts’ in the community I never saw any children with toys of their own,” said Barker. “On one occasion, I threw [a beanie baby named ‘Courage’ that my sister sent me] into my bag. That day, we were at an elementary school. I saw a little girl about 4-years old named Sarah, and I called her over,” he recalled.
Barker gave Courage to Sarah, and her reaction to the gift compelled him to do more.
“When we got back from the mission that afternoon, I sent an email with Sarah’s photograph to a website for beanie baby enthusiasts. I asked them to send beanie babies to me so that we could hand them out to Iraqi children. They accepted my email and published it. I immediately began receiving emails, and within the first four or five days there were about 2,000 beanie babies on their way to me for distribution,” he said.
According to Barker, about one week later, two individuals back in the United States volunteered to stand-up a web site at their own expense. On May 4, 2003, “Beanies for Baghdad” was born.
Program Continues in Kirkuk
Barker departed Iraq in June 2003, but the generosity continued. Each successive Army unit designated a representative to receive beanie baby donations. The program thrived. Then, in 2006, Barker again deployed to Iraq, this time to the Kirkuk Province. Once again, he became the point of contact for beanie baby donations.
“We still receive 3 to 4,000 stuffed animals a week,” said Barker. The toys arrive in boxes and are received by Barker’s Soldiers. One of those Soldiers is Pfc. Travis Zinn of West York, Pennsylvania.
As the boxes arrive, Zinn, and others, go through them to ensure that all the gifts are culturally sensitive. “I remove the beanie baby [pigs] and angels because those symbols might be considered offensive,” Zinn said.
“I really enjoy helping the people of Iraq,” he continued. “My philosophy is that small things will eventually add up to be big things, and these stuffed animals have a big impact.”
The beanie babies Zinn repackages go primarily to infantry units and military assistance teams for distribution to Iraqi children with the help of the Iraqi Army.
Contributing to Mission Success
A recent mission to distribute the latest donation was conducted by the Iraqi Army’s 4th Division in conjunction with Soldiers of 3rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team’s 2nd Battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment.
The Soldiers convoyed to the remote town of Umarilyah Oct. 22. Umarliyah is best identified by reference to its nearest neighbor Tuz, a rural town 18 kilometers southwest of Kirkuk. By the end of the day, Soldiers handed out more than 900 beanie babies.
According to Sgt. 1st Class Thomas Nichols, military transition team noncommissioned office-in-charge, 2-27, the humanitarian mission was a big success. Not only did the event brighten the day for almost 1,000 children, it also served as another opportunity for Coalition Forces and the Iraqi Army to demonstrate their support for the community.
“The Iraqi Soldiers did the majority of the gift handouts so that their community can see that the IA that are doing things to make life better for folks here, even if it seems relatively minor like providing toys for their children,” Nichols said.
“The other piece is that events like today get IA leadership and soldiers interacting with the local community so that the citizens better understand what their army does and can do,” he said.
Showing genuine concern and compassion for Iraqis is a key component to mission success in Iraq, especially when you’re impacting Iraq’s future generation.
“You never know the future of these children,” said Lt. Col. Barker.
“Twenty or 30 years from now one of these kids may be a prime minister or regional leader and that child will remember the kindness and generosity of a Soldier, a Soldier who stopped and went out of their way and gave them a toy, probably the only toy that child ever had in their life.”
I have 200 beanies just waiting for a new home. Where should I send them?
this started four years ago and we are only now, post elections, hearing about it? gee...
It's an Armed Forces story. There have been many similar stories.
I'd be astounded if the "mainstream" US media covered them much.
Isn't that a little red pig that that child is holding up?
Isn't that a little red pig that that child is holding up?
I wanna hear a Re-Post/story on "Operation Teddy [Bear] Drop"...
....my son's new pal...lol
No, that is Snort, a bull.
One of the beanie websites will have a connection - like msjanie.com.
It is a bull.
Cool!
Last fall, my wife had a friend who sent her a decent sized Beanie collection that she inherited and did not want.
We sent them on to a friend stationed in Iraq for this purpose.
Nice to see the end results.
Please mail items to:
LTC Jim Barker
B4B
HHT 2-6 CAV
Unit #70118
FOB Warrior
APO AE 09338
http://www.beaniesforbaghdad.com/
Despite financial troubles, a woman who runs a nonprofit group that ships toys, school supplies, sporting goods, clothing and Beanie Babies to impoverished Iraqi children hopes to keep the gifts flowing to Iraq. Beanies for Baghdad, which was founded in 2003 by an Army officer who befriended an Iraqi girl, is now run by Donna Ward out of her Evansville home.
On Friday afternoon, several plastic bags of school supplies, Beanies, clothing and stuffed animals lay on her living room floor. Ward and her husband, Gerald, have shipped more than 500 boxes of items for children in Iraq.
They estimate that they have spent more than $2,000 of their own money shipping boxes to Iraq and have spent another $1,500 donated by other sources, including local businesses and other aid organizations.
Donna Ward has collected six large boxes of toys for another mailing. The homemaker estimates it will cost $200 to $250 to send it first class to Iraq.
See if you can help "Beanies for Baghdad."
or
You might try contacting judythpiazza@gmail.com
I had a collection of about 50 Beanies that I stored away years ago. This past August my local community was accepting donations for the troops and Beanies were on the list. I was glad to donate the toys for the troops to distribute.
Thanks for posting the story.
Bummer. I had some Halo beanies I thought would be good. I hadn't thought of the fact we can't exactly send angels. lol
I will go thru my tubs of beanies and see what I can send. Thanks for posting this!
Thanks so much for posting it.
L
I want to know where to send the beanie babies.My daughter has over a 100 beanie babies that are hanging up in her closet collecting dust.I would love to get rid of them and donate them to a worthy cause.
Lt. Col. Barker has it just right. I worked in Germany during the late 80's. Many of the Germans I worked with had grown up in the US sectors just after WWII. They remember the GIs for giving them their first taste of chocolate, teaching them baseball, and giving their mothers nylon stockings. They loved the US.
Other Germans grew up in the Russian sector - they hated Russia, the US, and everyone else. They only remembered fear.
Our military is doing more for International Relations than we will know about for years. Everything I read just convinces me that our military is securing us for generations.
That's Snort the Bull! Not to be confused with the limited edition Toro the Bull, from Coca-Cola.
Oh, I should've read the thread comments before posting. Sorry!
The address is in post #14. I have to know if you have an Easter Peeps Bunny Beanie Baby, lol. I do!
Isn't that a little red pig that that child is holding up?
>>>>>>>>>
All I get is a little red X. Don't know why that always happens...
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