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Pacific Air Commandos reach out to Bangladesh school

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. Marilyn Holliday
  • 353rd Special Operations Group public affairs
DHAKA, Bangladesh --  Adults and children alike were all smiles during a special delivery of school supplies at Eglal's ABC School here.

Members of the 353rd Special Operations Group handed out school supplies to all 60 students as part of their community outreach program during Exercise Teak Buffalo, a joint combined exercise training event being held through mid-May at Bangladesh Air Force Base Kurmitola.

"It's important for us to give something back," Captain Gretchen Holden, project officer for the school supply drive and operations officer for Teak Buffalo, said. "People at home station were more than willing to donate the necessary school supplies to make this event a success for the group."

The school includes students in kindergarten through fifth grade.

"Our children come from poverty-level families," Zahirun Nessa, head teacher, said. "If the children were not in school, they would be begging on the street."

Mrs. Nessa went on to further explain that students are sponsored through monetary donations and the school supply donation will defray costs necessary to provide the children with not only an education, but meals, uniforms, supplies and medical needs.

"It puts things into perspective," Captain Darin Wheeler from the 1st Special Operations Squadron, said. "You can hear different stories of plights of different countries, but there's no way to understand it without seeing it firsthand."

In addition to community outreach, the 353rd SOG is training with the Bangladesh Air Force during joint combined exchange training through mid-May.

"The exercise is important to both countries," Major Abe Friedman, mission commander, said. "Information exchange between both air and ground forces increases our knowledge of how each of us operates."

Both nations will be participating in low-level navigation, night vision goggle, personnel and cargo airdrop and competency flight training.