 Military News
The servicemembers were greeted with singing, clapping, chanting and hundreds of smiles as they approached the school yard. Brig. Gen. Craig Olson, Iraq Security Assistance Mission director, said to the children and faculty of Al Mustafa. "Since the future of a free Iraq is held in its children, it was my strong desire to participate personally in a mission like this." Olson called on U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Robert Carriedo, ISAM Air Force, and an interpreter for USF-I, who had previously completed similar missions to help coordinate another visit. They were joined by Senior Master Sgt. Luann Gaylor, assigned to ISAM Logistics, who spearheaded the necessary coordination. Gaylor and many others collected donations of clothing, school supplies, toys and more than $800 in donations to buy other needed items for the children and the school. After accumulating enough items to make a generous package for each child, several volunteers assigned to various divisions within ISAM organized and packaged the gifts. "I know I speak for all the participants when I say it was one of the greatest blessings of my deployment," Olson said. "I intend for there to be many more such visits in the future." The team members have already begun collecting items for the next mission. ADDITIONAL PHOTO:
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