Ranger Mom
12-29-2009, 11:28 AM
This is a letter sent out from my nephew in Afghanistan
I'm currently deployed to Afghanistan, in support of OEF 09-11. My squad of MPs runs 72hr operations, and we had to go out on Christmas Day. Before we left, though, I checked our mail room to get some... packages. I had received a box from AllThingsJeep.com. I opened it up, and there sat a little red Rubicon. I was perplexed, but decided to take it with me, and photograph the journey it was about to undertake. I put batteries in it, and played with it for a little bit, before packing it up in our MRAP.
When we got to the compound we were going to occupy for the next 72 hrs, we set up security, and began downloading gear from the trucks. The Jeep, which was in my rucksack, evaded damage. I spent the remainder of the night on tower guard.
The next day, (the 26th), I saw a small child working in our compound. He was 10 years old, and worked to help provide for his family. The Afghani Nat'l Army and Police that worked in the compound we occupied had hired him to serve chai and do dishes. When I saw him, I knew that he was going to be the proud owner of the new Jeep. I asked when he was going to be through for the day, and planned on meeting up with him before he left. In the mean time, I played with the Jeep, and even let some ANPs give it a spin.
When the time came, I met the child over in a corner with our Terp. I asked his name, and he told me it was, "Mustafa". I explained to him that we celebrate a holiday based on giving to others. I knew that he came from a poor family, and what Mustafa was doing to help his family was very selfless. I told him that I wanted to give this Jeep to him, and that I hope it was something special.
When I presented the little Jeep to him, his eyes lit up! I had never seen a child so happy, so amused by a gift such as this. He played with the Jeep until the batteries ran down. I ran inside our tent and got him some more AAs, and Mustafa was back in business! After a while, he decided he should leave. I walked him to the gate, where he gave me a big hug, and told me in his best English, "Thank you, Mista!", and gave me a thumbs up. We took a picture, and I watched him wheel the Jeep back home, down a dirt road outside of our compound.
Spending Christmas away from my family this year was hard on me, my wife, and our families, but the feeling I got from giving this kid a toy made me feel so happy, and it made this holiday season a little more bearable.
http://photos-a.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs140.snc3/18738_229104968307_500473307_3171009_2403811_n.jpg
http://photos-b.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs160.snc3/18738_229105393307_500473307_3171012_2717353_n.jpg
http://photos-h.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs160.snc3/18738_229105428307_500473307_3171013_1114173_n.jpg
I'm currently deployed to Afghanistan, in support of OEF 09-11. My squad of MPs runs 72hr operations, and we had to go out on Christmas Day. Before we left, though, I checked our mail room to get some... packages. I had received a box from AllThingsJeep.com. I opened it up, and there sat a little red Rubicon. I was perplexed, but decided to take it with me, and photograph the journey it was about to undertake. I put batteries in it, and played with it for a little bit, before packing it up in our MRAP.
When we got to the compound we were going to occupy for the next 72 hrs, we set up security, and began downloading gear from the trucks. The Jeep, which was in my rucksack, evaded damage. I spent the remainder of the night on tower guard.
The next day, (the 26th), I saw a small child working in our compound. He was 10 years old, and worked to help provide for his family. The Afghani Nat'l Army and Police that worked in the compound we occupied had hired him to serve chai and do dishes. When I saw him, I knew that he was going to be the proud owner of the new Jeep. I asked when he was going to be through for the day, and planned on meeting up with him before he left. In the mean time, I played with the Jeep, and even let some ANPs give it a spin.
When the time came, I met the child over in a corner with our Terp. I asked his name, and he told me it was, "Mustafa". I explained to him that we celebrate a holiday based on giving to others. I knew that he came from a poor family, and what Mustafa was doing to help his family was very selfless. I told him that I wanted to give this Jeep to him, and that I hope it was something special.
When I presented the little Jeep to him, his eyes lit up! I had never seen a child so happy, so amused by a gift such as this. He played with the Jeep until the batteries ran down. I ran inside our tent and got him some more AAs, and Mustafa was back in business! After a while, he decided he should leave. I walked him to the gate, where he gave me a big hug, and told me in his best English, "Thank you, Mista!", and gave me a thumbs up. We took a picture, and I watched him wheel the Jeep back home, down a dirt road outside of our compound.
Spending Christmas away from my family this year was hard on me, my wife, and our families, but the feeling I got from giving this kid a toy made me feel so happy, and it made this holiday season a little more bearable.
http://photos-a.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs140.snc3/18738_229104968307_500473307_3171009_2403811_n.jpg
http://photos-b.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs160.snc3/18738_229105393307_500473307_3171012_2717353_n.jpg
http://photos-h.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs160.snc3/18738_229105428307_500473307_3171013_1114173_n.jpg