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Brad and Matt with Wheelchairs Denton Shipment.
New Updates!
»WFAA (ABC) in Dallas/Ft Worth recently produced an excellent segment on the Wheelchairs for Iraqi Kids program: Watch it here.
»To see the full interviews for this, watch here.
»Watch as wheelchairs are distributed at Camp Diamondback, here and here.
1. How do you describe what you do with your project?
Through e-mails and networking, I help raise funds for donations to ROCWheels.org in Montana. ROC Wheels, among other projects, provides pediatric wheelchairs to soldiers in Iraq shipped via the Denton Program for distribution to disabled Iraqi children.
2. What inspired you to undertake this work?
In summer of 2005, I asked friends and family on my e-mail list to send over pediatric wheelchairs for disabled Iraqi children. One of my friends at Chapel, then MAJ David Brown (now LTC) with “Deuce Four” (1-24 Infantry Strykers) told me of kids he meets while out on medical missions in the city who were disabled from cerebral palsy, spina bifida and various other maladies. I offered to send an e-mail home to ask friends and family to coordinate the donation and shipping of twelve pediatric wheelchairs for these kids, and David accepted the offer. Within four weeks, 31 chairs were on location ready to be distributed. In the weeks that followed, CPT Matthew Fargo and medics of the 1-17 Strykers from Alaska were able to give a special gift of a different type of freedom to 31 Iraqi families. The same day in December when Matt e-mailed me asking for more chairs, Andrew Babcock of ROC Wheels contacted me with news of 100 extra high-end pediatric wheelchairs he could pass on to us for our mission for materials cost of $200. Two weeks ago, the chairs hit ground here and to date, Matt still has 73 waiting to go out on mission to the kids.
3. How do you approach the work?
Through e-mails and online bulletin boards, I let people know of the great number of kids in the city for the ROC Wheelchairs. People in the States, the UK, Australia and Canada have stepped up to help Matt and ROC Wheels in the effort. To this point, we have 77 chairs sponsored, and still need sponsors for the remaining 23 chairs at $200 each. Hopefully, we can raise that and have this mission fully funded. Matt, Andrew and I would love for this to end up as an ongoing grass-roots effort for everyday people to have a direct impact on the quality of life for disabled kids and their families in Iraq.
4. Where do you find inspiration?
I’m a “helper.” When I’m at the end of my road, I want to be able to look back and say that I made the biggest “splash” in life I could possibly make, by helping the most number of people I could help. A very wise man once said, “When you’ve done it to the very least of these, my brothers, you’ve done it unto me.” I think the very least of these could very well be disabled Iraqi kids suffering the trauma of living in a war zone.
5. What books are you reading now?
The NIV Starting Point Study Bible.
There’s not much time for reading over here for me. I work almost all day, every day. Then after work hours, I go hang out with the soldiers at Chapel watching MASH DVDs or something. When I do find time to sit, sleep comes very easily. To sit quietly is to sleep, unfortunately!
6. What do you consider required reading in order for people to understand the world today?
The Bible, the Washington Times, blogger sites like MichaelYon-Online.com, Foxnews.com, Glenn Beck and Sean Hannity’s websites.
7. Whose work (in any field) do you admire the most?
It would be a tie between Billy Graham and Mother Teresa. They are giving/gave selflessly without reward to enrich the lives of others.
8. What do you consider as an overrated person, place or thing?
I consider living a self-centered life as overrated. So many people do it, and end up with a big emptiness as they go through life. To live a life of service to God and others—that’s the ultimate high which will last even beyond this lifetime.
9. What do you hope will be your most lasting contribution?
My answer to this question is twofold.
First, I see my life’s purpose in helping as many people find peace with their maker as possible. For now, that’s with the soldiers with my other project www.StudyBiblesForSoldiers.com.
Second, when my time is done overseas, hopefully I’ll be able to return stateside to find a great lady who will want to start a family with me. I really miss having kids around as there are none in my environment right now. Before it’s all said and done, I hope to leave a legacy in the family I help create and the kids I raise.
10. When is the last time you laughed outloud about something?
I laughed out-loud today while watching a movie clip of men getting sick while tending to the diaper needs of infants.
11. What do you think people need to spend more time doing (or paying attention to)?
A good number of people I meet aren’t planning for the future. If they would spend time doing so, they’d save themselves a great deal of heartache in days ahead.
12. What is the most important piece of equipment (or skill) in your arsenal?
My most valuable skill would be the ability to connect with and relate to others. By approaching others with a genuinely kind spirit and unguarded heart, people appreciate the vulnerability and soon learn to trust me for who I am. My motives are pure, and that usually comes through pretty quick when I first get to know people.
The following is an e-mail from Brad with the latest news regarding the wheelchair project:
I know I’m late getting this word out, but for everyone who hasn’t heard, the ROC Wheelchairs are here!
Thanks to Hope Haven International for providing the manufacture and storage of the chairs; ROCWheels.org for working with us to purchase them; the Denton Program for getting them here free of charge via US Air Force C130, the media outlets and bloggers who helped us spread the word and everyone who donated funds to help make this dream come to reality!
On the morning of the 10th, I was called to our warehouse yard, and there they were. Five air pallets of boxed wheelchairs. 100 in all. Great sight to see after fundraising since January, and considering that Captain Matt Fargo’s group will be leaving in the next little while. I was afraid he and his soldiers wouldn’t have a chance to get kids into these chairs after working so hard to get our hands on them. But have no fear, the wheelchairs are here! And they are already making it out to different regions for distribution by US Army Surgeons, Occupational and Physical therapists and Medic Aid teams. Matt and his medics should be able to make a few trips out to deliver them also on aid missions. We have promises from the units taking them out that we will have lots of pictures to share, so maybe a website update is appropriate in the near future? Anyway, the word is spreading around this area about the ROC Wheelchairs, and right now 73 are available for the asking. Challenge is now - working to let the units know they’re here. I talked with the Chow hall management, and they were gracious enough to let us put up a wheelchair display right next to the front door so all the soldiers here can freely see the chairs are here and available for distribution.
Matt and I delivered four over to his aid station and assembled them. We were very impressed with the construction and quality! They have a great look, very lightweight yet durable and rugged. Perfect for this environment.
A few days ago, I received an email from a Colonel at the Combat Support Hospital who serves with the 101st. He heard about the Wheelchairs for Iraqi Kids project. COL Espinosa is an Orthopedic Surgeon, and regularly goes out on aid missions in cities all across the Northern part of the country, providing medical assistance to locals as well as Army Personnel. COL Espinosa asked for 10 chairs, so I delivered them to him so his guys could take them out for the kids. He made sure I knew how much these chairs would help in winning the confidence of the Iraqi people - showing that we’re here to help them, AND their kids. Just about that time, someone walked by and said there was a young boy with broken legs in the hospital who could use the chair for a few days until he could get back up on crutches. COL Espinosa and I went into the hospital with the wheelchair, and showed it around while we waited for the boy to come out of surgery. A short time later, we were taken into the ICU where the boy had just come around. He will walk again in due time, but while he recovers he will have use of the chair at the CSH.
If anyone would like to sponsor a chair, we still have 24 ROC Wheelchairs that still need sponsors @ $200 each. Click here to donate: http://www.marsew.net/RocWheels (indicate Iraq in comments section)
Please support this mission by making a direct contribution. Without your support, the mission will end. Thank you for helping me tell the full story of the struggle for Iraq and Afghanistan.
