Another story the "main stream" press won't talk about!

http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Jul2...0715_2081.html

Teddy Troopers 'Jump' Into Arms of Iraqi Children
By Spc. Derek Del Rosario, USA
Special to American Forces Press Service


CAMP TAJI, Iraq, July 15, 2005 - They can be seen parachuting into
various areas around Baghdad -- specially trained individuals recruited
during Operation Iraqi Freedom 3, whose primary mission is to bring
smiles to the faces of Iraqi children.

Army Spc. Benjamin L. Kepenke, a crew chief with Company C, 4th
Battalion, 3rd Aviation Regiment (Assault Helicopter), prepares a
"Teddy Trooper" for its descent to children below. Operation Teddy Drop
is a humanitarian mission geared to give teddy bears to Iraqi children.
Photo by Spc. Del Rosario, USA (Click photo for screen-resolution
image);high-resolution image available.

These airborne "soldiers" are actually "Teddy Troopers" or
"Para-Bears," stuffed animals with makeshift parachutes jumping into
the arms and hearts of children during Operation Teddy Drop.

The commander for this unique operation is Army Chief Warrant Officer 4
Randy M. Kirgiss, a pilot with Company C, 4th Battalion, 3rd Aviation
Regiment (Assault Helicopter). He said he started the airborne mission
as a way to impact the lives of Iraqi children.

Kirgiss began the operation in mid-April, inspired by previous
humanitarian efforts he had witnessed, as well as by Col. Gail
Halvorsen, the "Berlin candy bomber" who dropped candy to German
children during the Berlin Airlift.

"I got the idea from a lot of my friends who conducted humanitarian
missions on some of my previous deployments," Kirgiss said. "In Bosnia,
I saw school supplies donated; in Kosovo, teddy bears were given out. I
wanted to model something after the Candy Bomber who parachuted bags of
candy to kids. It was from this idea that Operation Teddy Drop began."

In order for his airborne humanitarian mission to get off the ground,
Kirgiss needed support from his chain of command, his unit, and from
friends and family to help him gather the stuffed animals.

He said he had the support of his company and battalion commanders.
"They were very supportive, and they helped me brainstorm ideas to make
the operation run safely and smoothly, he said.

In conjunction with his official flight missions, Kirgiss brings boxes
of stuffed animals with makeshift parachutes along with him. When he
sees a child down below, he instructs a crewmember to drop a Teddy
Trooper.

"There is a mission to be done, but dropping bears doesn't take away
from that mission," Kirgiss said. "We have the assets to do both our
mission and execute Operation Teddy Drop effectively."

Kirgiss originally told a group of eight friends and family members
about the operation. He received help in the form of donated stuffed
animals and parachute supplies. The original network of eight grew
immensely, and Kirgiss began to receive donations from everywhere
around the States -- receiving old parachutes and boxes of teddy bears.
Kirgiss is even getting a donation from a well-known teddy bear
manufacturer.

"Originally, I just wanted my friends and families to look into their
kid's closet to find old teddy bears to donate," said Kirgiss. "When
unit members started talking and my friends started talking, through
word of mouth it just got out, and now I get donations from
everywhere."

Kirgiss spends most of his free time, usually at night, making the
parachutes for the Teddy Troopers. The airborne recruits come in all
shapes and sizes, so specialized parachutes usually have to be made.
Using material from old, donated parachutes, Kirgiss makes the
parachutes that are best suited for his troopers so they can complete
their "mission." It takes Kirgiss approximately three minutes to make
each chute, he said.

The unit's largest recruit jumped May 21 as part of the largest drop in
the unit's short history. "We received eight boxes of donated stuffed
animals one day. The boxes stacked to my ceiling," Kirgiss said. "The
following day we dropped (more than) 200 stuffed animals, including the
largest one we have ever received -- a bear that was about 3 feet tall
and weighed around six pounds. I needed to make a special chute for
that trooper."

Kirgiss tries to get the plush toys to all kids, but his main aim is to
get them to the poorer Iraqi children in the countryside.

"It can be a safety hazard to drop them in the city. We don't want kids
running into the streets to get them," said Kirgiss, also the safety
officer of the company. "When we can, we try to send the bears to urban
and poorer areas, and for each kid we see we send down a bear so there
is no fighting among the children."

Sending these Teddy Troopers on their mission is very fulfilling for
Kirgiss. He said he enjoys seeing the smiles on their faces when they
get hold of their new stuffed animals. "It's a great thing to see, even
from 200 feet above," Kirgiss said. "When we see those kids wave and we
send down a bear, most kids will not know what it is at first. Some
hide behind their parents, some stay back in hesitancy, but once they
see that parachute open, they know what it is and go running toward it.
Some even catch them before they hit the ground."

More than 900 Para-Bears have bravely "jumped" since the start of the
operation.

It is Kirgiss' hope to continue the humanitarian mission for the
duration of his deployment and hopefully pass on the operation to the
next aviation unit that comes to Taji. For Kirgiss, it is a personally
gratifying experience to be a part of the operation -- an operation he
hopes will have an impact on the future.

"It is something I find very fun and constructive," he said. "Talking
about it also helps me stay grounded to my two young children. I can't
help but think that somewhere down the line we might be influencing the
future decision makers of Iraq. This operation is only a small way to
show that we are human and compassionate. We are soldiers, but we are
humane as well."

(Army Spc. Derek Del Rosario is assigned to 3rd Infantry Division's
Aviation Brigade.)

On 18 Aug 2005 10:18:42 -0700, "Mule" wrote:

Another story the "main stream" press won't talk about!

http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Jul2...0715_2081.html

Teddy Troopers 'Jump' Into Arms of Iraqi Children
By Spc. Derek Del Rosario, USA
Special to American Forces Press Service


CAMP TAJI, Iraq, July 15, 2005 - They can be seen parachuting into
various areas around Baghdad -- specially trained individuals recruited
during Operation Iraqi Freedom 3, whose primary mission is to bring
smiles to the faces of Iraqi children.

Army Spc. Benjamin L. Kepenke, a crew chief with Company C, 4th
Battalion, 3rd Aviation Regiment (Assault Helicopter), prepares a
"Teddy Trooper" for its descent to children below. Operation Teddy Drop
is a humanitarian mission geared to give teddy bears to Iraqi children.
Photo by Spc. Del Rosario, USA (Click photo for screen-resolution
image);high-resolution image available.

These airborne "soldiers" are actually "Teddy Troopers" or
"Para-Bears," stuffed animals with makeshift parachutes jumping into
the arms and hearts of children during Operation Teddy Drop.

The commander for this unique operation is Army Chief Warrant Officer 4
Randy M. Kirgiss, a pilot with Company C, 4th Battalion, 3rd Aviation
Regiment (Assault Helicopter). He said he started the airborne mission
as a way to impact the lives of Iraqi children.

Kirgiss began the operation in mid-April, inspired by previous
humanitarian efforts he had witnessed, as well as by Col. Gail
Halvorsen, the "Berlin candy bomber" who dropped candy to German
children during the Berlin Airlift.

"I got the idea from a lot of my friends who conducted humanitarian
missions on some of my previous deployments," Kirgiss said. "In Bosnia,
I saw school supplies donated; in Kosovo, teddy bears were given out. I
wanted to model something after the Candy Bomber who parachuted bags of
candy to kids. It was from this idea that Operation Teddy Drop began."

In order for his airborne humanitarian mission to get off the ground,
Kirgiss needed support from his chain of command, his unit, and from
friends and family to help him gather the stuffed animals.

He said he had the support of his company and battalion commanders.
"They were very supportive, and they helped me brainstorm ideas to make
the operation run safely and smoothly, he said.

In conjunction with his official flight missions, Kirgiss brings boxes
of stuffed animals with makeshift parachutes along with him. When he
sees a child down below, he instructs a crewmember to drop a Teddy
Trooper.

"There is a mission to be done, but dropping bears doesn't take away
from that mission," Kirgiss said. "We have the assets to do both our
mission and execute Operation Teddy Drop effectively."

Kirgiss originally told a group of eight friends and family members
about the operation. He received help in the form of donated stuffed
animals and parachute supplies. The original network of eight grew
immensely, and Kirgiss began to receive donations from everywhere
around the States -- receiving old parachutes and boxes of teddy bears.
Kirgiss is even getting a donation from a well-known teddy bear
manufacturer.

"Originally, I just wanted my friends and families to look into their
kid's closet to find old teddy bears to donate," said Kirgiss. "When
unit members started talking and my friends started talking, through
word of mouth it just got out, and now I get donations from
everywhere."

Kirgiss spends most of his free time, usually at night, making the
parachutes for the Teddy Troopers. The airborne recruits come in all
shapes and sizes, so specialized parachutes usually have to be made.
Using material from old, donated parachutes, Kirgiss makes the
parachutes that are best suited for his troopers so they can complete
their "mission." It takes Kirgiss approximately three minutes to make
each chute, he said.

The unit's largest recruit jumped May 21 as part of the largest drop in
the unit's short history. "We received eight boxes of donated stuffed
animals one day. The boxes stacked to my ceiling," Kirgiss said. "The
following day we dropped (more than) 200 stuffed animals, including the
largest one we have ever received -- a bear that was about 3 feet tall
and weighed around six pounds. I needed to make a special chute for
that trooper."

Kirgiss tries to get the plush toys to all kids, but his main aim is to
get them to the poorer Iraqi children in the countryside.

"It can be a safety hazard to drop them in the city. We don't want kids
running into the streets to get them," said Kirgiss, also the safety
officer of the company. "When we can, we try to send the bears to urban
and poorer areas, and for each kid we see we send down a bear so there
is no fighting among the children."

Sending these Teddy Troopers on their mission is very fulfilling for
Kirgiss. He said he enjoys seeing the smiles on their faces when they
get hold of their new stuffed animals. "It's a great thing to see, even
from 200 feet above," Kirgiss said. "When we see those kids wave and we
send down a bear, most kids will not know what it is at first. Some
hide behind their parents, some stay back in hesitancy, but once they
see that parachute open, they know what it is and go running toward it.
Some even catch them before they hit the ground."

More than 900 Para-Bears have bravely "jumped" since the start of the
operation.

It is Kirgiss' hope to continue the humanitarian mission for the
duration of his deployment and hopefully pass on the operation to the
next aviation unit that comes to Taji. For Kirgiss, it is a personally
gratifying experience to be a part of the operation -- an operation he
hopes will have an impact on the future.

"It is something I find very fun and constructive," he said. "Talking
about it also helps me stay grounded to my two young children. I can't
help but think that somewhere down the line we might be influencing the
future decision makers of Iraq. This operation is only a small way to
show that we are human and compassionate. We are soldiers, but we are
humane as well."

(Army Spc. Derek Del Rosario is assigned to 3rd Infantry Division's
Aviation Brigade.)

Nice story, thanks for posting it!

--
John H.
On the 'PocoLoco' out of Deale, MD