Louisiana Troops Show Southern Hospitality To Local Children
Working and going on patrol among the same citizens in Baghdad day after day tends to make you feel familiar. So when gifts were sent from home with instructions to pass them out, the soldiers did just that.
Troops with the 769th Engineer Battalion have family at home that have gathered donated gifts and toys and sent them with instructions to give them to kids locally there in Iraq. “We have a tradition to give to the local community that we work in, that we have visited around the world,” said Command Sergeant Major Chad Lynch. Lynch is with the 769th Engineers.
“Typically we donate school supplies, but this time it is in a different community that has a greater need than we usually find,” said Lynch. This time the donated items included toys, stuffed animals, crayons, coloring books, paper, pencils as well as Mardi Gras beads and various items of personal hygiene. The soldiers passed out these items to kids on their patrol route.
One of the officers that serves with the 769th Engineer Battalion is an elementary School principal back home in Louisiana. Captain Patrick Jenkins is Zachary school Principal in Zachary, LA, currently serving in Iraq. “I miss my students back home, and getting a chance to affect the lives of these kids is such a blessing,” said Jenkins.
The soldiers of the 769th Engineer Battalion work closely among the citizens and are quite heavily involved in the MNF Division Baghdad mission. It was good for them to have an opportunity to work in an area besides security and patrol.
