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Media Center For interview requests: Staci Wolfe or Jana Davidoff at Polaris PR: 323.939.7535 For Questions or Comments: Paige Leitnaker at OICInfo@ptpi.org or 816.531.4701 |
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March
9, 2007 |
Scott Thompson, staff writer for The Leavenworth Lamp, discusses the multiple benefits derived from the efforts of organizations like OIC, which work to assist the troops. Read more from The Leavenworth Lamp |
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March
9, 2007 |
OIC co-founder Gary Sinise traveled to Kansas City, MO on February 28, 2007, and stopped by to visit the Operation Iraqi Children warehouse before performing with the Lt. Dan Band that evening for the soldiers at Ft. Leavenworth. Read more from The Leavenworth Lamp |
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March,
2007 |
Gary Sinse discusses the experiences that led to his co-founding of Operation Iraqi Children. Read more from Guideposts |
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2006 |
OPERATION
IRAQI CHILDREN Please click here to read the press release. |
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November
1 , 2006 |
A New Jersey National Guard unit delivered Operation Iraqi Children supplies to a local school with around 500 students in village outside of Balad, Iraq on October 16, 2006. During the distribution, a member of the unit spoke to a local official about a possible expansion of the crowded school. Read more from GX online |
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September
27, 2006 |
Comedian and former Marine Dave Bogan organized his second large-scale OIC supply collection in Milwaukee in September, 2006. Donors contributed nearly 500 School Supply Kits and almost $2,000. Read more from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel |
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July
21 , 2006 |
U.S. Servicemembers in Afghanistan brought school supplies from Operation Iraqi Children to a school in the Parwan Province that had been damaged by arsonists. The director of education for the province and the Charikar District representative to congress accompanied the soldiers and airmen on their mission. Read more from News Blaze |
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May
18 , 2006 |
Soldiers from Company B, 1-8 Combined Arms Battalion Distribute Supplies Sent by Operation Iraqi Children In an effort to decrease mortar and rocket attaches on the city of Balad, Iraq, soldiers recently conducted a patrol in the southern part of the city. With them, they brought School Supply Kits and stuffed animals from OIC, to demonstrate their desire to assist the children and families. Read more from the Blackanthem Military News |
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May
6 , 2006 |
Gary Sinise, Lt. Dan Band Rock Pentagon Actor and director Gary Sinise and his Lt. Dan Band rocked the Pentagon today, kicking off the second annual "America Supports You" salute concert commemorating Military Appreciation Month. Read more from the Blackanthem Military News |
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April
7 , 2006 |
A
group of students from the School of Business at the University of South
Dakota sent 670 School Supply Kits to Operation Iraqi Children. The kits
were collected and assembled by participants in Coyoteopoly, an interdisciplinary
student service learning project. Read more from the Press & Dakotan |
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March
24, 2006 |
Air
Force Maj. Ray Powell is working to bring Operation Iraqi Children, an
organization based in Kansas City, Mo., to the attention of the Fort Leavenworth
community. The OIC program puts together school supplies into kits and
sends them to Soldiers overseas who distribute them to children needing
the most basic classroom tools.
Read more from the Leavenworth Lamp |
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March
14, 2006 |
It was the boys' turn to receive OIC supplies this month at a school in Mosul. Soldiers from the 401st Civil Affairs Battalion, Webster, N.Y., and the 4th Battalion, 23rd Infantry visited the school earlier in the month to distribute supplies to the 400 girls who attend the school. OIC School Supply Kits were later provided for the 340 boys. To accomodate all students in one day, the classes are split with girls attending in the morning and boys in the afternoon. Read more from the USASOC News Service |
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February
15, 2006 |
The
Iraqi police, along with coalition forces, participated in the Operation Iraqi Children effort, bringing much needed school supplies to children. Read more from U.S. Department of Defense News |
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January
23, 2006 |
When
not appearing on the CBS show "CSI: New York" as Detective Mac
Taylor, actor Gary Sinise devotes much of his time to raising support
for U.S. troops. Sinise, who is planning his third trip to Iraq with the
United Service Organizations, appeared on ABC's "This Week"
today to talk about his new venture to help the children who have felt
the effects of the war in Iraq.
Read more from American Forces Information Service |
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| January
22, 2006 |
Civil Affairs Works With Operation Iraqi Children Organizations and Soldiers from Logistical Support Area Anaconda recently gathered and distributed toys and school supplies to the village of Abu Hassan. As part of Operation Iraqi Children, the 3rd Corps Support Command civil affairs team is in charge of collecting and distributing supplies provided by OIC. Read more from Anaconda Times | |
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| January
20, 2006 |
Operation Iraqi Children: A Bright Shining Hope Soldiers love to visit Iraqi schools. The teachers are welcoming, and the kids are always excited. The children burst into smiles and waves, but seem to be almost nailed to their seats: they do not get up without the teachers’ permission. Read more from Michael Yon: Online Magazine | |
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January,
2006 |
Are
you looking for a class or school project where your students can reach
out to help other children? Consider helping the school children of Iraq.
Through Operation Iraqi Children.: Read more from The National Education Association Online |
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December
23, 2005 |
BEYOND
THE IRAQ of political news and of counterinsurgency is a population and
a civil society, trying to right itself after decades of dictatorship,
followed by war. Two Americans helping them do it are actor Gary Sinise
and Laura Hillenbrand, author of Seabiscuit, who found an imaginative
way to help children. Here is Laura's story of how it all came about:
Read more from The Weekly Standard Online |
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November
8, 2005 |
(CBS)
Oscar-nominated actor and the star of "CSI: New York," Gary
Sinise is using his star power to improve the lives of Iraqi school children.
Read more from CBS News Online |
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December
13, 2004 |
Team
effort to get school supplies to Iraqi kids Guard force volunteers to
make a difference in war-torn nation BALAD, Iraq - The helicopter’s blades cut the afternoon sky as the Blackhawk flew fast and low to the ground, passing over villages and farmlands, skimming over tops of palm trees, and following the occasional road. Read more from MSNBC Online |
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October
26, 2004 |
Gary Sinise and the Lt. Dan Band Visit Troops in Arizona WASHINGTON – Actor, director and producer Gary Sinise is embarking on his seventh USO tour to provide a morale boost to troops stationed at Luke Air Force Base in Arizona. Sinise, together with the Lt. Dan Band, will perform a free show for troops and their families Oct. 30. Best known for his Oscar-nominated performance as Lt. Dan in “Forrest Gump,” Sinise is a strong advocate for the troops and has appeared at numerous events around the globe supporting U.S. service men and women. Read more from USO Online |
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October,
2004 |
How
Do You Spell Relief? By Gary Sinise Actor Gary Sinise tells how he and Seabiscuit author Laura Hillenbrand are racing to get school supplies into the hands of Iraqi children. Read more from O Magazine |
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September
12, 2004 |
In
Step With…Gary Sinise By James Brady Stage and screen star Gary Sinise—Oscar-nominated for his role as Lieutenant Dan in Forrest Gump—may be the only actor who’s gone twice to Iraq to entertain the troops. He’s certainly the only one who’s created a foundation to help Iraqi schoolchildren. Read more from Parade Magazine |
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December
23, 2003 |
An Army Reserve officer is mounting a campaign to bring copies of the popular book "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" to schoolchildren in Iraq. "Operation Seabiscuit" began after the soldier e-mailed author Laura Hillenbrand to tell her how much some Iraqi schoolgirls he met wanted to read the book in Arabic. Lt. Col. Sherman McGrew of Harwinton, Conn., told the girls through an interpreter "that this was a famous book about the greatest horse that ever lived, that there were millions of copies printed, that it was written by a woman, and that some of Seabiscuit's ancestors were Arabian horses." Read more from The Courier-Journal |
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December
22, 2003 |
Hollywood's horse is racing to Iraq. With help from author Laura Hillenbrand, the Army is mounting what it is calling "Operation Seabiscuit" to bring copies of the popular book to schoolchildren in Iraq. The impetus was an e-mail from a soldier there. Read more from The Mercury-News | |
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December
15, 2003 |
Laura Hillenbrand's mega bestseller "Seabiscuit" and the hit movie that followed have reached far beyond the realm of Thoroughbred racing and become international treasures. But not even Hillenbrand was aware just how inspirational her book was until several recent e-mails from Iraq. Read more from The Blood-Horse | |
| Broadcast Media |
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January
22 , 2006 |
OIC co-founder Gary Sinise spoke to "This Week" on ABC News about his trip to Iraq and what led him to found Operation Iraqi Children. See the interview or read the transcript at ABC News Online |
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April
27, 2005 |
Actor Gary Sinise, co-founder of Operation Iraqi Children and Shauna Fleming, founder of A Million Thanks appeared on Scarborough Country to give us the good news coming from Iraq and update us on how their organiztions are helping American soldiers. |
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WTVM
Columbus, GA WTVM "He left in March 2003, and six weeks later he was killed in Iraq when an unidentified ordinance exploded outside of the hum-v that he was driving," Tatum says. She remembers her 21-year old brother, Private First Class Johnny Eli Brown. She also remembers the last time she spoke to her younger brother... "In the last telephone conversation I had with Johnny we talked about how children of Iraq were, the conditions they had to live in, and he compared the children there to his nephew, Bryce, my son." Johnny had a deep love for his 3-year old nephew. Because of that, Iraqi children will benefit. Iraqi children will soon see basic school supplies, pencils, paper, scissors, glue and crayons. "He never said it, but I knew if things had gone the way we hoped, and he came home, that if he'd learned about this organization and he would've taken part in it himself." And although her brother is now a memory, she makes sure he lives on through his nephew. -By
Ashley Nix |
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April
15, 2004 |
Listen
to a 10 minute radio interview with co-founder Gary Sinise. People
to People International |
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March
15, 2004 |
Gary Sinise and Laura Hillenbrand appear on NBC's Today show on to announce the launch of Operation Iraqi Children. | |
| Press Releases |
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March
21 , 2006 |
OIC co-founder Laura Hillenbrand and Managing Director Liz Wegman visited the White House to meet with President Bush and First Lady Laura Bush. Personally invited by White House officials, Hillenbrand and Wegman joined a small group of representatives of non-governmental organizations serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. See Press Release |
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December
14, 2005 |
OIC co-founder Gary Sinise traveled to Chicago to accept a $25,000 donation from AT&T. This contribution will enable the organization to continue providing Iraqi children with the basic tools needed to learn and grow. See Press Release |
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September
21 , 2005 |
About 300 children at Baghdad Airport Primary School started the new
school year off right Sept. 11, thanks to Multinational Corps-Iraq soldiers
at Camp Victory. See
Press Release |
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August
5, 2005 |
Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld visited the set of "CSI:
New York" in Studio City to thank actor Gary Sinise personally
for his support of the "America Supports You" program through
his "Operation Iraqi Children" effort. See
Press Release |
