A week of so ago, our unit had a visit from one the Peruvian guards who provide contracted security services to the U.S. government here at the Combined Press Information Center.  The visitor was one of the supervisors and spoke English very well.

We ask a lot from these guards; in some cases they are the front line of defense against those who wish to do harm to others in the International Zone.  They are also our de facto Spanish-language teachers during breaks and lunch. 

When the commander and I visit with the guards, we ask that they let us know if they have any issues that need our assistance  (SPC Mary Lee mentions them in one of her blog entries).  Though they did not specifically ask for help in the past, we have passed on some basic first aid items and shared some of the homemade treats we receive from friends and family (you really did not expect us to eat ALL those cookies, did you?).  The visit by the supervisor today was the first time they openly have asked us to help. 

It seems our Peruvian guards and guards from other coalition nations started an informal soccer league in February, playing against each other at locations around Baghdad.  They play matches on soccer fields at the Embassy, on Camp Prosperity, and elsewhere.  To inspire pride and increase morale, the team members wanted to wear a soccer uniform.

They don’t make a lot of money, but I suppose they are just as happy as we are to have a steady paycheck these days.  To show them our support for keeping us safe, we told them we would find a way to get them some soccer uniforms, but truthfully we did not know where to start. 

Because we are ordering only a few uniforms, we did not know which vendors would be the best to approach — here or back in the United States.  We figured it would be best to seek the advice of someone who had experience buying uniforms — so we sent an email to Shon Ewens and Cindy Reams at Vestavia Xpress YMCA in Birmingham (see their website at http://www.ymcabham.org/yBranches/Branches.asp?bch=9). 

For those of you who have read our blog from the beginning, you know that this YMCA and its staff were a great help to our soldiers and their families.  They gave each of our soldiers a free membership to the YMCA during pre-deployment in Alabama   Our upcoming military training at Fort Dix demanded we all be in great shape (long hours, heavy body armor, etc), and the facilities and staff at Vestavia helped us make sure we all were up to that challenge.

We sent an email off to Vestavia and within 24 hours we had word back from Shon .  Not only did she have a recommendation, she had the owner of a local Birmingham company willing to send the uniforms to our guards for free — Mike Richards from One Stop Promotions.

In the following weeks, we plan to get some video and photos of the CPIC soccer team on the field with those new uniforms.  We are sure they will be as successful as your loved ones have been in our military mission.  Their “World Cup” championship games are coming in late April and early May — so stay tuned for more.

Muchas gracias Mike!