Archived Movable Type Content

May 12, 2004

Wining hearts and minds

The following is via Eschaton, and is certified NOT to be an Internet hoax:

All:

As many of you know, I am currently in the apolitical position of Army public affairs specialist in Afghanistan. I only recently arrived, after waiting for 2.5 months at Ft. Riley, Kansas, but that's another issue. I'm writing you all today because I'm going to take many of you up on your offers and rudely ask a favor of those who made no offer.

When I first mentioned on my blog, Nitpicker, that I was going to be deployed, a large number of you asked how you could help me, what I would need for Afghanistan. The truth is, there's not much. However, I just went on my first mission with a civil affairs group and found a way you might be able to help me out.

It seems that the children of Afghanistan want nothing more than they want a pen.

It was explained to me that the villages through which I traveled (near Kandahar, where I'm based) are so poor that a pen is like a scholarship to these children. They desperately want to learn but, without a pen, they simply won't. It's a long story. I won't bore you with it. Trust me, though, when I say that it would be a big deal if even a few of you could put up the call for pens for me. Anyone interested in helping out could either send some directly to me or go to these sites and send them, where you can find them for as cheap as $.89 a dozen.

You can send them to me at this address:

Terry L. Welch
105th MPAD
Kandahar Public Affairs Office
APO AE 09355

The links he included are OfficeMax.com, which has an easy way to send to an APO address, and OfficeDepot.com, which requires that you email apo-fpoorders@officedepot.com with your order details and a callback number.

Posted by Norwood at May 12, 2004 09:42 PM
Comments

In the land of plenty we often forget how impoverished others truly are. In Marge Pierce's "Woman on the Edge of Time," the protagonist, a young Puerto Rican woman in NYC, considers her day a success when she finds a pencil stub on the street. Since I always have a drawer full of pens and pencils, the imagery hit home. It's nice to know that we can make a huge difference in someone's life with (what is to us) such an insignificant gift. Thanks for the information.

Posted by: Marla at May 15, 2004 02:45 PM