Children

I look forward to TB’s photos after a mission. They travel to remote villages and TB always attracts the kids. He’s like Santa, opening his pack, to give them little toys, candy, pens, and so on. He has learned to have the interpreters get the children to line up, otherwise they overrun him. Something that strikes me in the photos is the way TB gets down on the same level as the children. He is either sitting or on a knee. I’ve noticed too, that he makes certain the little girls are provided for, even though they are very shy and not as likely to hold out their hands as the boys.

TB gets a great deal of joy from interacting with the children. He always tries to teach them something, whether it’s soccer, jump rope, or juggling small balls. If he gives them pen and paper, he teaches them how to write his name. If they get coloring books and crayons, he shows them how to color. A child how receives candy also receives a toothbrush and toothpaste and is taught how to use them. TB never leaves a village without showing the villagers the heart of an American soldier.