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thedrifter
12-07-06, 09:58 PM
Marines Take Time Out to Visit Disabled Girl
by Lance Cpl. Stephen McGinnis

Under the body armor, behind the rifle, Marines proved to Iraqis there lies a compassionate heart.

Marines from Personal Security Detachment, 1st Battalion, 24th Marine Regiment changed up their normal routine of patrolling the streets of Fallujah to visit a physically disabled child.

Marines with the battalion are currently serving under Regimental Combat Team 5 in Fallujah, Iraq.

The 5-year-old-girl needs braces to walk and a back brace to sit up straight. Iraqi doctors in Fallujah were unable to diagnose the child, so her illness has not been identified.

"Today it felt like we gave something to that little girl's welfare," said Lance Cpl. Kenneth W. Davenport, a 21-year-old-rifleman from Bradyville, Tenn. "We had good intentions, and it felt really good. It was great to be around those kids and to be alert, but also to let down our guard. I really enjoyed that."

Navy Capt. James L. White, 1st Battalion 24th Marine Regiment's battalion surgeon, tried to determine what the child's illness was and see if there was any treatment available to help ease her pain.

Marines kept watch outside the gates of the home, not just for insurgents, but also for children. Marines from PSD handed out candy to as many children as possible. They couldn't hand it out fast enough. They left Camp Baharia with more than five bags of candy and returned with none of it. The candy was gone in less than 10 minutes.

The more candy they gave out, the more children approached them.

Several Marines kept the other children of the house company inside the house. Davenport decided to crouch down to rest his legs, and before he knew it he had three children climbing all over him wanting to sit on his lap.

"We got to have a lot more interaction with the people and the children," Davenport said. "We got to see how they respond to us as Marines. We are from a different world than them, and it was the first time I got to experience that."

Lance Cpl. Jade A. Tanguay, a 29-year-old, 6-foot, 210-pound, motor transport mechanic from Chesterfield, Mich., towered over the children, but none of them were afraid of him. He was more than happy to exchange handshakes and high fives with the little ones.

"It touches home to see little kids and see how they react to us," Tanguay said. "It gives us more of a humane feeling, and it lets the people out there know that we aren"t monsters and we are here to do a good thing."

Marines were all smiles when dealing with the children.

Sgt. Justin M. Monti, a 24-year-old communications field wireman from Brighton, Mich., brought in another bag of candy to hand out. Before he could get the bag open, the children were digging for more candy. He just laughed and let the children rummage through the bag.

"It was a nice break," Monti said. "You always have force protection to think about, but when we were inside that courtyard it was a weight off our shoulders to play with the kids for a little bit."

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Ellie