An official website of the United States government
A .mil website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States.
A lock (lock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Home : News : Article View
NEWS | July 25, 2018

Soldiers spend the day playing with kids at Kuwait hospitals

By Master Sgt. Daniel Palermo Task Force Spartan

KUWAIT CITY, Kuwait – U.S. Soldiers in Kuwait, some from the Indiana National Guard, had an opportunity to visit and spend time playing with children coping with critical illnesses in two Kuwait hospitals on July 10.

Deputy Director Banafsheh Azizi and Volunteer Coordinator Basma Ismailand of the Kuwait Association for the Care of Children in Hospital (KACCH) organized the visit to help the children. An outgrowth of the program is new friendships between the Soldiers, children and hospital staff.

Soldiers volunteered to visit, socialize and play with in-patient children through the Every Soldier an Ambassador program. The program highly encourages Soldiers to develop a pathway for community outreach and social partnerships to increase understanding of each other's practices and customs. Participating Soldiers volunteered to share in a six-week rotation of KACCH play therapy with hospitalized children.

Spc. Maigen DiCristofaro is with Headquarters & Headquarters Company, 38th Sustainment Brigade, Indiana National Guard. She has a bachelor's in community health and is pursuing her masters in public health – with a dual concentration in physical activity and behavioral, social and community health – at Indiana University-Bloomington. DiCristofaro was extremely appreciative of the opportunity to spend her day interacting with the hospitalized kids.

"I had the opportunity to visit some of the strongest and most amazing children I've ever met at the children's hospital in Kuwait. Being able to be of service to all mankind is something that is near and dear to my heart, to give back by just playing and interacting with kids is something that is just natural to me," said DiCristofaro. "I initially went there ready to make their day but in return they left an even larger impact on mine. I'm very thankful for the experience."

The children are dealing with sicknesses of varying severity. The play day's goal is simple – make the children's and family members' hospital stays a little easier. The objective is to make a kid smile, laugh and enjoy being young again and at the same time give the family members a moment to relax, breathe and watch their children have fun with their new playmates.

The children are excited and wait with open arms to welcome their new playmates. It helps them get through the day a lot better. There is no language barrier between the Soldiers and the kids at Al-Razi and NBK children hospitals because play and fun is a universal language. Ismailand and Azizi said, it's a simple concept with tremendous benefits. Children in the hospital are vulnerable to emotionally stress but are full of excitement and energy when playing.

Capt. Bryan Shivley, with Headquarters & Headquarters Company, 38th Sustainment Brigade, 1st Theater Support Cooperation, said, "It was a wonderful opportunity to give some joy to some children who need as much of that as they can get. There was no language barrier. She [the child] was happy to walk right up to us and get to playtime. It's a great program. I would encourage every Soldier to do it."

 

 

Related Articles
Chief Warrant Officer 5 Brian Searcy, the Command Chief Warrant Officer of the Army National Guard, addresses attendees of a warrant officer caucus session during the National Guard Association of the United States (NGAUS) conference in Milwaukee, August 24, 2025. The 147th NGAUS General Conference and Exhibition – which is held annually to connect delegates from all 54 states and territories to discuss the future of the National Guard – took place August 21-25 and featured various events and social gatherings throughout Milwaukee to showcase Wisconsin’s rich history and heritage.
Searcy Leaves Legacy of Advocacy for Warrant Officers in Army Guard
By Lt. Col. Carla Raisler, | Aug. 28, 2025
MILWAUKEE, Wis. — Chief Warrant Officer 5 Brian Searcy, the eighth command chief warrant officer of the Army National Guard, will retire later this year after more than three decades of service.Searcy marked the occasion this...

The 111th Electromagnetic Warfare Company conducts training exercise, Operation Golden Corridor in Dahlonega, Georgia, August 15, 2025. Throughout the duration of the exercise, Soldiers simulated peer and near-peer electromagnetic warfare scenarios and enhance unit proficiency in spectrum mapping, RF detection, and alternative radar awareness capabilities under austere conditions.
Georgia Guard Company Leads in Electromagnetic Warfare Modernization
By | Aug. 27, 2025
DAHLONEGA, Ga. - The Georgia Army National Guard’s 111th Electromagnetic Warfare Company, based in Forest Park, Georgia, is rapidly establishing itself as a leader in the Army’s modernization efforts within the...

Soldiers from the 1st Battalion 182nd Infantry Regiment, Massachusetts Army National Guard, and the 1st Battalion 69th Infantry Regiment, New York Army National Guard, participated in the annual Logan-Duffy Shooting Match, August 21, 2025, at Fort Devens, Massachusetts. The history of the Logan Duffy Rifle Match goes back nearly 90 years to the first match, which was held in 1936.
Massachusetts, New York Guard Members Compete in Historic Logan-Duffy Rifle Competition
By Sgt. 1st Class Steven Eaton,   | Aug. 27, 2025
DEVENS, Mass. – Soldiers from the 1st Battalion, 182nd Infantry Regiment, Massachusetts Army National Guard, and the 1st Battalion, 69th Infantry Regiment, New York Army National Guard, participated in the annual Logan-Duffy...