Building schools to change lives

  • Published
  • By Brian Brackens
  • 377th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico --  Maj. Terry Jenson, a project manager at the Airborne Laser Program Office at Kirtland Air Force Base, recently returned from a deployment to Iraq.

While deployed, Major Jenson worked with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in the Adder Resident Office, outside of Nasiriyah, and was in charge of managing construction projects.

During his tour, he noticed that rural communities in Iraq suffered from extreme poverty, with many lacking basic infrastructure, such as access to clean water, roads and schools.

"In these areas, children really don't have a future," said Major Jenson. "They go to school usually only through primary school, and then they go back to work on the farm. That's usually the entire education they get."

The improvement projects that Major Jenson enjoyed working on most were schools, because of the positive impact they have on the children and the community.

"In one of the towns that we built a school, the previous school had been a one-room mud building," he said. "The locals were very grateful to get the newer facility."

After building the particular school, Major Jenson and his team did a follow-up visit to pass out candy and school supplies to the children.

"When we drove into the school area, the kids just surrounded us," said Major Jenson. "We handed out candy to the smaller kids, but the older kids wanted pens, pencils and activity books, especially those written in English, because they all wanted to learn English."

The visit showed some of needs of the local population.

"While there, we handed out toothpaste to the kids" he said. "Afterward, one of the Iraqis told us that it was a nice gesture, but the kids didn't have any toothbrushes. They take pieces of bark from trees and then feather one end and use it to brush with."

He said the trip gave the team a chance to show Iraqis that America cares about their future.

"Visits like these are important, because it lets them know that the Americans are not all bad," said Major Jenson. "That we're not the big bad monsters that come in. These visits help gain acceptance between our two cultures."