CAMP BONDSTEEL, Kosovo - Some of the best feelings you can have may come from a child. An innocent smile or maybe a genuine hug from a child is all it takes to make what may have started as a bad day, seem like there isn't a problem in the world.
The bright-eyed, smiling children, who vigorously wave as you drive down roads here in the Multi-National Task Force-East (MNTF-E) sector are just one of the many reminders of why the mission in Kosovo is so important.
Giving these children a safe and secure environment to live in and the freedom of movement is what Kosovo Force (KFOR) feels is the key to these children's future.
Throughout the years, KFOR Soldiers have taken an extra step to give Kosovo children a brighter future.
Since 2001, Soldiers have adopted schools from all over Kosovo, through a voluntary community relations program carried out by Soldiers.
"The adopt-a-school program provides a moral boost to the Soldiers while they teach, mentor and interact with the children," said Capt. Fredrick A. Robinson, Task Force Thunder"˜s civil military assistance officer.
"The sponsoring section adopts a school in their area of operations and spends time teaching them English, creating a pen pal system with a school in the U.S., coordinating UXO/mine awareness classes, safety classes, whatever they choose."
Since the program started, more than 200 schools in the MNTF-E sector have been adopted. Many of these schools are passed down from previous rotations and new schools are still being found.
KFOR 9's supply and logistics division had adopted a school in the small village of Drennush shortly before KFOR 10 arrived and passed the mission down to them.
"KFOR 9 took me to the school before they left. I noticed the children needed shoes, so I wrote down a lot of their shoe sizes," said Staff Sgt. Philip White, an ammunitions accountable officer for the Material Management Center of Task Force Falcon. "I came back and told the section about it and everyone was excited to participate."
KFOR 10's G-4 section, which provides Camp Bondsteel with the supplies it needs, is also supplying the school with the materials and clothing they need.
"My mom made fleece hats for us to give out. She retired from the Columbia Public School system as their food service director, and when I told her we had adopted two schools she went right to work," said Staff Sgt. Timothy Gibson, maintenance operations noncommissioned officer-in-charge of the MMC.
"She made about 20 stocking hats for the kids. The rest of the school supplies have come from our family members from around the state. Everyone was more than happy to send school supplies."
Boxes of donated school supplies, socks and shoes filled the vehicles. The small school is located in the mountains and has little funding for equipment and supplies.
"The building is concrete with small pot belly stoves for heat. Some kids have quite a trip to get there because they come from the lower part of the mountain," said Gibson. "The roads are muddy with very little gravel, so when the weather is bad it's a tough walk up for them."
Luckily, the Soldiers brought plenty of new shoes for all of the children and each one waited patiently to be fitted for the right shoe.
"The shoes they had on were pretty worn out and most didn't even have socks. One boy, about 10 or 11, had a pair of rubber slip-ons that were way too big and socks that were worn out," said Gibson. "I'm not sure what they had at the school as far as supplies, but we were told that pencils and a limited amount of paper was all they were using."
Soldiers filled the children's arms with boxes of crayons, markers, pencils, paper, coloring books, candy and socks.
"This was the most heartwarming experience. The children and parents were so grateful for everything we gave them," said Sgt. 1st Class Shanon Johnson of the MMC. "Being able to witness the smiles and expressions of thanks on their faces make this deployment worth every day spent here. This is definitely a memorable experience that will never be forgotten."
While G-4 focused on shoes, TF Saber Headquarters and Headquarters Company had another idea in mind. "We wanted a safer and more cheerful place for the children to learn," said Master Sgt. Don White, the operations sergeant major. "So far we've painted the outside of the school house a bright color that we let the teachers pick out and another big project we would like to do is rebuild their playground equipment. It's very old and unsafe."
Sodovina e Qerkezve/Cerkez Sadovina, a village outside of Viti/Vitina, has a three-room school with 125 students. Like many schools, the funding is very limited, so the village took it upon themselves to give the children a place to learn.
White said his group wanted to find a smaller school that they could afford to help, because "we haven't received any outside donations; (HHC Soldiers) have all pitched in money and time."
So far the Soldiers have donated a new television, DVD player and many school supplies in addition to painting the school.
HHC has many projects in mind, but something different caught the children's attention on a recent visit.
The teachers collected all of the students and had them gather around, while they were introduced to their new pen pals from Fort Leavenworth, Kan.
"My daughter's fifth grade class drew pictures and wrote the children," said Maj. Gerald Green, operations and training officer for TF Saber. "The idea came from my daughter's teacher. She wanted her class to share with the students in Kosovo a little bit about the United States."
"You could see the excitement in the kids' eyes as we shared the cards with them," Green added. "We will keep writing back and forth. The school here is writing and drawing for the kids back at MacArthur Elementary."
Adopting these schools doesn't just benefit the children; it puts smiles on the Soldiers' faces as well. "Visiting these schools just brightens my day," White said.