| How a small gesture of a soccer ball can impact so | | | | collecting soccer balls when her son told her the |
| many lives... | | | | impact they had on Iraqi children. She then contacted |
| Like baseball, basketball is one of America's favorite | | | | WQYK to help spread the word and aid in the |
| pastimes. The evening the Houston Rockets won the | | | | collection. |
| NBA Championship in 1995, the streets of Houston | | | | Operation Soccer Ball was run through the local VFW. |
| were packed with throngs of people and seemed to | | | | (There may be other programs like this around the |
| be a common thread amongst everyone no matter | | | | country.) And PostcardMania printed the posters - |
| their race, color or creed…. that commonality | | | | pro-bono. We do lots of pro-bono work for charities |
| was sports. It didn't matter if they weren't really | | | | and recently started doing more for the military. We |
| basketball fans; they were fans of being winners and | | | | were contacted this past summer to help USO |
| that night, we were all winners. | | | | Georgia by printing 18,000 postcards for a large |
| There is something going on in Iraq right now that | | | | deployment of American troops so they'd have |
| reminds me of that nostalgic moment: Operation | | | | postcards to write home to their families on one last |
| Soccer Ball. Apparently the Iraqi people, particularly | | | | time before boarding their plane on their journey to |
| the Iraqi children, are passionate about soccer. | | | | the Iraq and Afghanistan. |
| Actually, it's football to them, but we call it soccer. | | | | Well, I got a letter the other day that Operation |
| You could equate their passion for the game of | | | | Soccer Ball was a big success - over $8000 was |
| soccer to our love of football or baseball. Any street, | | | | raised for the project and all the monies went |
| field, farm, or dusty ground off the side of the road | | | | directly to the cause which enabled WQYK to collect |
| is a veritable soccer field in Iraq. From reports of | | | | over 3500 soccer balls and enough money to ship |
| soldiers overseas, Iraqis are all passionately chasing | | | | them (it costs close to $2 to ship each ball!). One |
| some form or fashion of a soccer ball. If they don't | | | | interesting note that really stood out was that after |
| have a soccer ball, they'll use anything as a substitute | | | | being befriended with a soccer ball, some Iraqi |
| - even a rock - and play with it like they were playing | | | | children have risked their own safety by disclosing |
| for the World Championship. | | | | the whereabouts of numerous IEDs (explosive |
| Iraqis need soccer balls, and whoever started | | | | devices) and insurgents to our soldiers. Wow. It's |
| Operation Soccer Ball, in my opinion, is brilliant. It was | | | | amazing to me that a small gesture of a soccer ball |
| started as a way to convey the goodwill of America | | | | can impact so many lives. |
| and American soldiers by giving Iraqi children soccer | | | | It's the pleasure in life, or even the contemplation of |
| balls that they so desperately desire. | | | | pleasure, that enriches our lives. For some it could be |
| The love of sports, in this case being soccer, is | | | | a trip to the Bahamas. For others, it could be a stroll |
| starting to become an instrument of peace and is | | | | down memory lane with an old friend…or the |
| forming a common bond between the US and the | | | | love of a good game of basketball. But for the Iraqis, |
| Middle East. It's transcending cultural differences and | | | | it's the game of soccer. And a lot of good people are |
| language barriers and it's also mitigating the | | | | creating a safer haven in the worn-torn Middle East |
| aggravated feelings of some Iraqis that would rather | | | | with just a few balls - who'd have thought? |
| not see US presence in their land. | | | | Michael, a soldier in Iraq who has a blog on the net, |
| I found out about Operation Soccer Ball from a local | | | | cited some Kiowa pilots from the 1st Cavalry Division |
| radio station in Tampa Bay - WQYK. They contacted | | | | that had been dropping soccer balls from their |
| my company, PostcardMania, to print posters | | | | helicopters after completing their missions. One story |
| promoting Operation Soccer Ball in an effort to raise | | | | in particular really struck a chord. |
| money for the cause and enable soccer balls be sent | | | | "I remember this one time when we came down, |
| to soldiers in three different locations in Iraq. The | | | | ready to drop a few balls and we see this kid |
| purpose of the mission was to solidify relationships | | | | standing off in the distance. He had his arm cocked |
| with the future leaders of Iraq by giving soccer balls | | | | back to his ear, just ready to hurl a rock at us. I |
| out to the Iraqi children. | | | | pulled one of the balls out and tossed it to him. The |
| The program actually started in Tampa by a woman | | | | kid just stood there for a second, like he really |
| named Gina McDowell whose son, PFC McDowell, is | | | | wasn't sure what to do, but then he dropped that |
| serving in the Army Reserves presently stationed in | | | | rock, grabbed the ball and gave us the thumbs up. |
| Al Hillah, Iraq. He is part of the Provincial | | | | That was cool." --Chief Warrant Officer Sonny |
| Reconstruction Team attached to the United States | | | | Hinchman, Kiowa pilot. |
| State Department. Gina came up with the idea of | | | | |