Soldier describes the children of Iraq

Two White Countians stand together in Iraq recently. Mark London, left, now of Macon, is the operations officer of the 48th Brigade Combat Team. Gary W. Solesbee is a member of the 48th and serves as White County's Emergency Medical Services director.

Editor's note: The following was written last week by Army National Guard Maj. Gary W. Solesbee of Sautee-Nacoochee. Solesbee is a member of the 48th Brigade Combat Team currently serving in Iraq. Solesbee is White County's Emergency Medical Services director.

I want to tell you that if we could get the Iraqi children grown, we would have a new and better Iraq. The children over here really love the soldiers. They always wave at us as we go by in a convoy.

We return the wave, and they always have a big smile like we made their day for them. They are very smart and many of them can speak English very well by age 7.

I asked them where they learned English, and they said watching TV. I guess TV is not all that bad for some kids. Once you go "out of the wire" (leave the protected area of the camps), they stand alongside the roads in hopes that the gunner (who's partially exposed through the top of the vehicle) will throw them candy or a small toy. We have a ton of small stuffed beanie babies or something similar that the soldiers take with them in the vehicles when they go out. We often take Gatorade, water and muffins, too, as they love anything we will give them.

If kids are standing along the road, you will see the soldier throw them some and they will race to get them and just wave and feel so proud. Most of them are ages 3 to 12.

I wish we could do more for the children.

They are usually dirty with dirty old clothes and flip flops and about half are barefooted. I told one boy that I am holding in the picture (above) that I would like for him to come to America because I had a son almost the same age and they could play together with lots of toys.

A big smile came across his face, and he said that he really would like to come and play with my son.

How different the world would be if we could just keep the ideas, dreams and smiles of these children in their hearts as they grow up into men and women.