Friday, October 5, 2007 at 1:01am
Breaks my heart
Column: Interesting Times
I got this note from Iraq yesterday morning. My friend Pat is on his second tour there — he has a wife and five children at home.
All:
It's hard to describe the plight of Iraqi children here in the western desert ... caught in a war, living in abject poverty with a crippled economy and the harsh realities of living in a desert. Yet in the battle space that surrounds my immediate area there's been an amazing calm now for months. Schools are open, and the U.S. is helping to renovate them. We've also reopened a local water treatment facility that was closed three years before the war even started.
However, winter will soon be here. We're now dropping below 100 degrees for our high, and within two short months the lows at night will drop into the high 20s and low 30s. We do all we can to help. Our Marines take out scrap wood for firewood — no trees in the desert for that!
Here's how you can help ... CHILDREN'S CLOTHES FOR WINTER ... blue jeans, long-sleeve T-shirts, sweatshirts, socks, etc. ... used or new, it doesn't matter. You see, we get many refugees in our area who have fled their homes in the Baghdad area 45 miles to the east of us. Most homes have little or no heat in the winter. Families will all sleep together in one small room to try and stay warm.
One of my chaplains goes out regularly, and the local leaders are impressed that a religious leader is sent out with the Marines and he's become an instant conduit for helping the children.
I'm hoping you and your churches/civic groups might make a push to help the children have a warmer winter. A clothing drive of outgrown winter clothes would mean a lot to the kids in our area. At the same time, we become more friends than occupying force to the locals, and that keeps our Marines, sailors and soldiers safe. Just send the packages to me, and I'll get them to our chaplain before he goes out.
The Marine League of South Carolina is sending us 2,400 care packages for Christmas, so we're set as far as taking care of Marines and sailors.
May God bless you all, and thanks so much for your generosity!
Chaplain Pat McLaughlin, CDR, USN
2D MLG FWD Group Chaplain
Unit # 73950
FPO-AE 09509
I really don't need to say more, as there are many in need all over the world and it takes time to pack up items and get them shipped off to some children, someplace you may never go. But the next time you go to Target, the thrift shop (my area thrift shop has 25 cent clothing for kids), the next time you want to clean out closets, do think of how you might keep a child warm at Christmas. Swaddling clothes come in all sizes and colors.
— — —
Lynne Bundesen is the author of five books on religion and was adjunct professor at the Boston Theological Institute under a Templeton Science and Religion Grant. She is currently the spiritual expert for the physical and spiritual health website of Dr. Andrew Weil. Her book "The Feminine Spirit: Recapturing the Heart of Scripture" was just published. Her email address is {email lynnebundesen@hotmail.com}lynnebundesen@hotmail.com{/email}. © Copyright 2007 by Lynne Bundesen.
All:
It's hard to describe the plight of Iraqi children here in the western desert ... caught in a war, living in abject poverty with a crippled economy and the harsh realities of living in a desert. Yet in the battle space that surrounds my immediate area there's been an amazing calm now for months. Schools are open, and the U.S. is helping to renovate them. We've also reopened a local water treatment facility that was closed three years before the war even started.
However, winter will soon be here. We're now dropping below 100 degrees for our high, and within two short months the lows at night will drop into the high 20s and low 30s. We do all we can to help. Our Marines take out scrap wood for firewood — no trees in the desert for that!
Here's how you can help ... CHILDREN'S CLOTHES FOR WINTER ... blue jeans, long-sleeve T-shirts, sweatshirts, socks, etc. ... used or new, it doesn't matter. You see, we get many refugees in our area who have fled their homes in the Baghdad area 45 miles to the east of us. Most homes have little or no heat in the winter. Families will all sleep together in one small room to try and stay warm.
One of my chaplains goes out regularly, and the local leaders are impressed that a religious leader is sent out with the Marines and he's become an instant conduit for helping the children.
I'm hoping you and your churches/civic groups might make a push to help the children have a warmer winter. A clothing drive of outgrown winter clothes would mean a lot to the kids in our area. At the same time, we become more friends than occupying force to the locals, and that keeps our Marines, sailors and soldiers safe. Just send the packages to me, and I'll get them to our chaplain before he goes out.
The Marine League of South Carolina is sending us 2,400 care packages for Christmas, so we're set as far as taking care of Marines and sailors.
May God bless you all, and thanks so much for your generosity!
Chaplain Pat McLaughlin, CDR, USN
2D MLG FWD Group Chaplain
Unit # 73950
FPO-AE 09509
I really don't need to say more, as there are many in need all over the world and it takes time to pack up items and get them shipped off to some children, someplace you may never go. But the next time you go to Target, the thrift shop (my area thrift shop has 25 cent clothing for kids), the next time you want to clean out closets, do think of how you might keep a child warm at Christmas. Swaddling clothes come in all sizes and colors.
— — —
Lynne Bundesen is the author of five books on religion and was adjunct professor at the Boston Theological Institute under a Templeton Science and Religion Grant. She is currently the spiritual expert for the physical and spiritual health website of Dr. Andrew Weil. Her book "The Feminine Spirit: Recapturing the Heart of Scripture" was just published. Her email address is {email lynnebundesen@hotmail.com}lynnebundesen@hotmail.com{/email}. © Copyright 2007 by Lynne Bundesen.