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This article appeared in my local paper about a soldier serving in Afghanistan.
Army helicopter pilot Eric Leach, 32, of Task Force Saber, 4th Cavalry Regiment of Hawaii's 25th Infantry Division (Light), wrote to friends and family to share something experienced by his fellow troops while on patrol in a village.
"At every stop, the children would come running up to the vehicle, excited, looking for the guys to give them something--anything. Most of the guys carry candy, so they began passing it out," he wrote.
"One child noticed the platoon sergeant writing something in his notebook. The boy of maybe 10 walked up to the platoon sergeant and held out his hand. In it was the candy he had been given. The platoon sergeant looked at the boy and shrugged his shoulders as if to say, 'What is wrong?' The boy pointed to he hand he was holding the pen in. He grabbed the platoon sergeant's other hand and gave him back the candy in exchange for the pen."
(snip)
An interpreter explained that pens and paper had been forbidden while the Taliban had conrolled Afghanistan. Now, he said, children who attend school must provide their own pens and paper. The pen represented not only freedom from oppression, but freedom to pursue and education.
(snip)
According to the article, the email was passed around and this guy is receiving boxes of school supplies. Leach's squadron commander has set aside a storage area for all the boxes and encouraged other soldiers to ask people back home to send more.
If you'd like to send pens and paper to Leach and his fellow troops, write to: Eric Leach, Task Force Saber, C Troop-3/4Cavalry, APO AE 09355, or email Leach at: eric.f.leach@us.army.mil.
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