Just wanted to post a picture I finally got from my visit to the medical clinic. The girl is Jasmine, the one who really, really wanted the pink soccer ball. Sadly, the military has cancelled the clinic, no reasons given. My guess is that someone in a “senior leadership position” decided that, because the clinic was an unfunded venture for the military, it was more important to use the money and supplies on something “better”.

It seems like the military or politicians would have learned a thing or two about “hearts and minds” from Vietnam but apparently not. Granted, I don’t know the exact reason why the program was stopped but, knowing the military the way I do, I can almost guarantee the reason was probably stupid.

So, that was the first and only time I’ll probably be able to work with real Iraqis. I had fun and wouldn’t mind doing a tour that allowed me to work with the locals on a regular basis.

Today was my first time interacting with the Iraqi people. I volunteered to help with the Hearts for Baghdad program, where we visit a medical clinic on base and play with the children who come in.

We first gave out coloring books and boxes of crayons but ran out quickly. Just like American children in kindergarden, if you don’t have a big bucket of crayons for everyone to pull from, they won’t share their personal boxes. Many children kept coming up, asking for crayons, but all we could do was borrow one from another child. > more <

As some of you may have heard, a middle school in Maine recently passed a regulation that allows children as young as 11 years old to receive contraceptives. The children need parents permission to see the health center but, because state law says health concerns are confidential, parents won’t be notified if their children are receiving the birth control devices. > more <