Civil Affairs Captain gets Kids off the Street and into Orphanages

Thursday, July 10, 2003

By SPC Ryan Smith

Army News Service Writer

"We see the results almost immediately. It's incredibly rewarding. It's my life's work while I'm here."

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- ANS
A captain is walking the streets of Baghdad looking for homeless kids who would be willing to go to an orphanage.

Concerned civilian journalists who stay in the nearby hotels first brought the problem of homeless children to the attention of Capt. Stacey Simms, a Civil Affairs team leader.

One of the obstacles that Simms faces in trying to help these children is that they were often treated poorly in state-run homes, he said. They were threatened and frequently abused.

Simms is with the 422nd Civil Affairs Battalion, an Army Reserve unit from Greensboro, N.C. Unfortunately, there is little Simms can do for kids who refuse to leave the streets, except to return later to provide them whatever assistance he can.

"I can only help people who are willing to help themselves," Simms said.
(More: Military.com)
2003 © The Army News Service.

Dan