Monday, January 23, 2006

Operation Iraqi Children

Here's something new and different. An actor and author supporting our troops and helping with the effort at rebuilding an infrastructure in Iraq without a political agenda. Education for all people in a society is a foundation for a strong society. Apparently, Gary Sinise, author Laura Hillenbrand and Mary Eisenhower have started and are the Executive Committee of a non-profit organization whose mission is to provide Iraqi children with the basic necessities for obtaining an education. The need for something to be done about this was brought to the world's attention by our Soldiers:

During and after Operation Iraqi Freedom, American soldiers passing through Iraqi villages were horrified at the squalor of Iraqi schools, which had been severely neglected under the dictatorship of Saddam Hussein. Corralled in sweltering one-room buildings without air conditioning, fans, windows, solid floors, or even toilets, Iraqi students lack even the rudimentary supplies that American children take for granted.

I knew I liked Gary Sinise every since I saw him in Stephen King's The Stand! I've never seen him in a movie that I didn't like (at least liked his character - even when he was the bad guy). The non-profit, Operation Iraqi Children is obviously making headway with providing for the educational needs of the children of Iraq. Apparently the Taliban also understand the importance education will have on the children there as they have been targeting schools in their terror attacks.