Originally Posted By DDMAN26 A nice story to share for thanksgiving. It's from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. I posted the whole story instead of linking it because you have to sign up. Anyway enjoy: In Iraq, generosity offers its own lessons Posted: Nov. 23, 2005 County Lines Laurel Walker E-MAIL | ARCHIVE The family of former Menomonee Falls resident David Stabenaw, a Marine now based in Fallujah, Iraq, is hoping its public appeal on his behalf is the kind of "feel-good" story that people might respond to on this day we give thanks for our bounty. I have to be honest; there's little about this war that makes me feel good. From my perspective, the best news is that the tide of public opinion has turned and leaders increasingly are thinking about how fast to get us out. So it's a test, frankly, to write good news when I find so much of it bad. But I owe this much to the David Stabenaws of this war - the men and women whom I respect for sacrificing so much for duty to their country. That includes members of my own family, a soldier now in Baghdad and a sailor who for now, at least, is back from the Gulf - the grandsons of my brother and my sister. So let me pass along this "feel-good" story. Marine Helping Iraqi Children Former Menomonee Falls resident David Stabenaw visits a classroom in Iraq. Stabenaw and his family are seeking donations to send school supplies to Iraqi children. I love to see the kids’ faces light up. You almost forget you’re in a war zone when you’re around them. In a place where guns and bombs make the biggest bang - and, yes, get the most media coverage - Stabenaw's quiet little project aims to bring pencils and crayons and notebooks and book bags to Iraqi schoolchildren. It is, no doubt, good for the children and their families - a way to capture the hearts and minds of the Iraqi people. But it also must be very good for the Marine. "I love to see the kids' faces light up," he wrote through his family in Waukesha County. "You almost forget you're in a war zone when you're around them. It makes you feel blessed to be a human being. We come back to our base feeling great on days like these." Stabenaw, 38, is a 1985 graduate of Menomonee Falls East High School who entered the Marine Corps right out of high school. He is, according to his brother-in-law, Mark Singer of Lisbon, a classic success story. He entered looking for direction, Singer said, and he has since earned bachelor's and master's degrees in information systems, has co-authored a book on computer networking, and is working on his master's degree in business administration. With a wife and two children, 11 and 14, in South Carolina, he's been a member of the Marine Reserves for six or seven years and is the chief warrant officer and a team commander. Last August, his unit - the 6th Civil Affairs Group, 2nd Marine Division - reported to Fallujah, about 45 miles west of Baghdad. A year ago this month, Fallujah was the scene of some of the war's most ferocious fighting as Marines, backed by Iraqi soldiers, fought to retake the city, which had become a haven and base of operation for insurgents. In the process, up to 20% of the city's 50,000 buildings had been destroyed, and half to two-thirds were significantly damaged, according to some news reports. If there is a good job in war, then it has to be one like Stabenaw's doing. His unit is in charge of working with political and civil authorities to rebuild Fallujah and, in the process, create productive relationships with the local officials and citizens that will help make Iraq stable. Stabenaw, in a statement released by his family, called it "quite the challenge." "Some parts of the city are in really bad shape," he said. "Our job is to put together a plan to fix as much of the infrastructure as we can while we're here." He hopes to come home next spring. When he and his fellow Marines aren't working on the city repair plans, they're out meeting the children, giving them toys and supplies. To see a child's eyes light up, he wrote, is "a sight to behold." Unit is building schools Stabenaw said his unit is making it a priority to rebuild as many school buildings as possible for the city's 94,000 schoolchildren. But it takes basic supplies to make a school, too - items that are hard to come by in a country where reconstruction money has a million other places to go. "That's where I want to make a personal effort to help," Stabenaw said. He called on his family and friends in Wisconsin to help. Michelle Singer of Lisbon, the oldest of Stabenaw's three siblings, has taken on the task. It started as a way for the family to connect with a cause that David Stabenaw was already a part of. The family sent over about a dozen kits, and as word spread, they collected enough for another 30. Each donation of $15 supplies a child with a kit made up of a ruler, scissors, two notebooks, two folders, a box of crayons, a box of colored pencils, two pens, a half-dozen pencils, glue, an eraser, a pencil case and a backpack. Donations accepted Singer is accepting donations, with checks payable to the Iraqi School Project, mailed to P.O. Box 73, Sussex, WI 53089. I tried unsuccessfully over the past week to reach Stabenaw directly by e-mail, but his family said they, too, have had a recent gap in e-mails from him. Such is war. But Michelle Singer said she knows her brother is "very excited and very thankful. The schools are very thankful, too." And that's good news.
Originally Posted By Beaumandy << Marine Helping Iraqi Children >> It's these Iraqi children who now have a chance to grow up in a democracy and start their own business, fly to WDW, be able to practice the religion of their choice without worrying that the are going to be shot. These Iraqi children are most likely not going to grow up and be suicide bombers and terrorists.
Originally Posted By cmpaley Beau, they won't be allowed to fly to WDW. They're AY-rab Muslims, therefore, by definition, they MUST BE terrorists, as far as you're concerned. After all, that's part of the point of many of your posts: AY-rab Muslims are terrorists by nature. Didn't you forget?
Originally Posted By Beaumandy Just the traditional radical ones cmpaley. Muslims who follow the Koran to the letter can justify terrorism due to the teachings in this book. But most reject the violence part and see that unless they want to continue living in stone age hell holes, they need to start being productive human beings.
Originally Posted By DDMAN26 The point of me starting this thread wasn't so people could start a p*ss*ng contest.
Originally Posted By cmpaley >>Muslims who follow the Koran to the letter can justify terrorism due to the teachings in this book. But most reject the violence part and see that unless they want to continue living in stone age hell holes, they need to start being productive human beings.<< Just like many radical fundamentalist Christians can use passages from the Bible to justify killing abortion doctors and the like. That's why an outside interpreting authority it necessary. In Christianity, it's called the Church.
