VFW & GUARD AID AFGHAN KIDS
Article & Photos by Alan Edwards
            In response to requests from Arizona National Guard units, Tucson’s Casas Adobes VFW Post and Auxiliary 10188 teamed with the “Tucson Troop Support Group” to collect items that Guard units will distribute to kids in Afghanistan. The Tucson Troop Support Group donated funds to help purchase over 2,000 diapers of all sizes, school supplies, soccer balls and baby items.
            Deployed since January, members of Arizona’s 1-285th National Guard have ‘adopted’ a primary school in the city of Khowst which will receive the school supplies. Sergeant Heather Barajas sent a request for donations of baby items after volunteering at the Forward Operating Base Salerno Hospital, which treats many children from the nearby city of Khowst. Soldier’s families at home will get some assistance by being able to pick up diapers which were donated to the Arizona Army National Guard Family Assistance Center in Tucson. Soccer balls will be dropped from Guard helicopters to waiting children in Afghanistan, so they will not be intimidated by Guard helicopters, as a part of ‘Operation Soccer Chopper’.
            Arizona’s VFW Department Officers joined the volunteers who gathered at VFW Post-10188 to finish collecting items and package them for shipment to Afghanistan, while enjoying a steak dinner, some dancing and quite a lot of socializing.
            There will be a lot of happy Kids in Afghanistan over this one, and we trust that they will have fond memories of VFW and Auxiliary 10188 members and Arizona’s National Guard units.
            For more information about VFW-10188 activities contact event organizer Kim Sloan. More information about ‘Operation Soccer Chopper’ and ‘Operation Soccer Ball’ can be found on the internet.

Pictured are volunteers from Tucson’s VFW Post and Auxiliary 10188 with members of the ‘Tucson Troop Support Group’ who are displaying the considerable array of items that will be distributed to kids in Afghanistan (seated L-R): Auxiliary-10188 President Eileen Bedel; VFW Department Surgeon and VFW-10188 L ‘Corky’ Gripp; Past Auxiliary-10188 President Lynn Buckel; Auxiliary Member Carmen Whirley; and VFW-10188 Gary Harlan. (Standing L-R): VFW-10188 Commander Mike O’Daniels; VFW-10188 members Geneva Malone and Vince Sloan; VFW Department Commander and Auxiliary-10188 Betty Gripp; Auxiliary-10188 Secretary Chrissy Harlan; Auxiliary-10188 Members Susan Johansen, Cheryl Greenwald, Rachel Greenwald, and Tory Greenwald; Auxiliary-10188 Chaplain Agnes Skoropad; Tucson Troop Support Group Chairman Mitch Steinberg; Post Quartermaster Soni Abernathy and Auxiliary-10188 Treasurer and Veterans and Family Support Chairman Kim Sloan.

VFW-10188 Auxiliary President Eileen Bedel, Commander Mike O'Daniels, VFW Department Commander Betty Gripp and Veterans and Family Support Chairman Kim Sloan are pictured with the considerable array of goods that will be delivered to Arizona’s National Guard, for distribution to a school and hospital in Afghanistan. Soccer Balls will be dropped to Afghan kids from Guard helicopters.