Operation Shoe Fly
Donations come from above to Afghan village
By Spc. Cheryl Ransford, 17th Public Affairs Det.
JILDALEK VILLAGE, Afghanistan — As the helicopters touched down and Soldiers exited the aircraft, many villagers looked on with anticipation.
The two CH-47 Chinook helicopters that landed in Jildalek Village were carrying more than 800 pounds of humanitarian aid donations including food, clothing, shoes and toys for the villagers. The donations were the result of the “Operation Shoe Fly” and “Angels for Afghanistan” programs.
Operation Shoe Fly, started by Company B, 214th Aviation Regiment, and Angels for Afghanistan, started by 1st Battalion, 211th Attack Aviation Regiment, are donation programs that have been set up by the family members of the Soldiers.
Starting off as local programs in Hawaii and Utah, respectively, the home states for the two units that comprise Task Force Pirate, they have grown nationwide. Angels for Afghanistan has even grown internationally, with donations coming from Australia, said Chief Warrant Officer Terry Stauffer, TF Pirate maintenance officer.
Due to the popularity of the two programs, some of the donations have been allocated to Honduras, since the donations can be used to help the locals there as well, said Stauffer.
While the main delivery for Angels for Afghanistan, two cargo planes full of donations, has not yet reached Afghanistan, packages have been received by individual Soldiers on a constant basis during the last few months.
Using the supplies that have already arrived in Afghanistan, TF Pirate has been working with the Parwan Provincial Reconstruction Team to locate villages that are in need of donations from an outside source.
Jildalek was identified as one of those villages.
“When we found out the Soldiers were there for the donations, we sent word out to the surrounding villages that donations were available at the school construction site,” said Qayoom, the regional security commander.
The construction site that was used for distributing the donations is a PRT-funded project to help rebuild the education system in the area.
While the PRT is working to improve the educational opportunities in Jildalek, the Soldiers of TF Pirate are using the donations supplied through the two organizations to improve the everyday lives of the people.
Although not all the villagers knew about the donations in advance, more than 200 people came to the donation site to receive clothing, shoes and humanitarian aid from the Soldiers.
Along with supplying the villagers with supplies, the Soldiers are also working to make the village elders a part of the re-stabilization efforts in the region.
In an attempt to give the village elders a larger role in the donation process, the Soldiers let the elders hand out the gifts, while they oversaw the process and took care of crowd control, which was necessary due to the large turnout.
On a recent trip to Jildalek, the only villagers that came to receive the donations were the men and boys, said CWO Layne Pace, TF Pirate AH-64 Apache pilot. During this visit the Soldiers had a nice surprise.
“This time, while there were still no women, there were quite a few young girls who came to the donation site and received shoes, clothes and stuffed animals,” he said.
As a sign of gratitude for what is being done for the people in the village, Qayoom invited the Soldiers to a tea lunch, which included green tea and cookies in the shape of a tree.
Qayoom again thanked the Soldiers for all the help they are providing to the village.
“We welcome all the help you are able to provide to the region,” said Qayoom. “We know that all help is from the heart, and we are very grateful.”
Qayoom also talked to the Soldiers about other needs in the village and future projects with the PRT.
“This isn’t the first time you have visited our village and I’m sure you will continue to help,” he said. “My only request for more donations is for coats, blankets and warm clothes that will help the people make it through the winter. The winters here are very harsh and the people don’t have warm clothes.”
Pace told Qayoom that they were awaiting a shipment of 1,000 blankets to come in before the next donation, and also that they would find out about any jackets that are being sent.
Before the helicopters returned to take the Soldiers back to Bagram Air Base, Qayoom had one last thing to tell the Soldiers.
“We are ready and willing to help the military in any way possible in the work they are doing to improve the region,” he said. “I hope this is the beginning of a long and lasting relationship between the military and the people of our village.”
With that, the Soldiers boarded the Chinooks, with the agreement that they would return again soon.
Thank You All- Sgt Hook out.
Posted by Hook @ 0726 zulu | | Permalink
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