Hurlburt hands Hondurans happy holidays

  • Published
  • By 2nd Lt. Mark Lazane
  • 1st SOW Public Affairs
HURLBURT FIELD, Fla. --  In 1992, Tech. Sgt. Manny Torres and Maj. Ken Poole were in Honduras on a training mission. 

Just down the road from a Honduran Air Force base, they saw a sign on the side of the road inscribed with the acronym "SOS." This acronym was, coincidentally, also the name of their current squadron. 

Out of curiosity, they turned around to see what this particular SOS stood for and they discovered a small orphanage with several small children.
 
"We decided the next time we went we would 'charge' ten dollars a head to visit the place," now Lt. Col. (Ret.) Poole said. The "charge" was actually a fundraising attempt to provide supplies and gifts to the orphanage.
 
"The next visit we showed up with $800 dollars, presented it to the kids, and played volleyball with them," Colonel Poole said. 

"Many of the children are not orphans," said Mr. John Grove, a retired Air Force veteran who helped organize the donations for OPERATION CHRISTMAS WISH. "They are simply abandoned. Most of them have parents somewhere. The parents are just not able to take care of them." 

From its humble beginnings, OPERATION CHRISTMAS WISH has continued to slowly grow in size and shape.
 
The annual operation, now in its 16th year, not only allows for humanitarian assistance to some of the many destitute Honduran children, it also provides essential joint training time with U.S. military personnel serving abroad.
 
This year, the 6th Special Operations Squadron organized the mission to help train both Army and Air Force special operators at the Joint Task Force- Bravo base in central Honduras. They were also charged with executing the humanitarian aspect of OPERATION CHRISTMAS WISH.
 
"This year the 1 SOW sponsored more than 1,000 orphans, kids who would go without any presents were it not for the generosity of the 1 SOW families," said Capt. Pedro Cuadra, OPERATION CHRISTMAS WISH Mission Commander. 

This year marked the first time more than 1,000 children were sponsored. 

In addition to the gifts, many of the eight orphanages received used appliances and other needed equipment. 

It was a scene of sheer juvenile ecstasy when the battered school bus arrived at the first orphanage, Aldea Infantil SOS La Ceiba on a foggy Tuesday morning. 

Commandos, loaded down with donated boxes of doughnuts and bags of candy, were almost overrun by the children as they pounced on the free sweets. 

"It was great to see the children face to face and it didn't matter that we didn't 'speak' the same language," said Master Sergeant Clint Grizzell, mission non-commissioned officer in charge. "It's about sharing smiles, hugs and appreciating each other. We get just as much, if not more, from them as they do from us."
 
In the midst of their sugar rush, the children anxiously awaited the next individual they had spied sitting on the bus. They were soon crowding the front of the bus to be first in line to meet the special guest the Commandos had brought along. 

Suddenly, Santa Claus appeared. His big black boots had scarcely hit the ground when his chants of "Feliz Navidad" were already drowned out by the children's cheers for Santa Claus. 

One small child was moved to the point of tears at the sight of Santa. Instantly, he grabbed Santa's hand and guided him through the throng of youngsters to ensure Santa would not be lost in the shuffle prior to reaching his destination. 

Once underneath a covered patio, Santa was given a nice cushy seat in the front of an extremely anxious audience. There, after a dancing demonstration performed by the orphanage children, the magical moment arrived. Assisted by several eager Air Force elves, Santa handed each child a large plastic container filled with gifts, goodies, and even some practical items, such as socks and underwear. 

Though the children received many gifts, soccer balls were overwhelmingly popular. A buzzing line of children proudly held their "pelotas" aloft for a quick burst of air from the donated pumps and the entire patio came alive with childhood jubilation.
 
"The real mission of OPERATION CHRISTMAS WISH is to train with the Joint Task Force-Bravo individuals," Mr. Grove said. "The gift giving is in addition to that. It goes with the whole mission." 

The Operation, though only lasting four days, requires significantly more time to put together. 

"It's a whole lot more than just putting Santa on a plane," Mr. Grove said. 

Children are "adopted" by various Hurlburt Field personnel throughout the year.  Beginning in the first week in December, individuals are asked to drop off a container filled with items to be given to each child. 

The containers are then organized onto pallets and loaded into the back of a military airplane for dispersal. 

Even when mechanical problems with the airplane threatened to doom the mission the first day after just two orphanages had received their containers, the personnel stayed positive. 

"Our mission focus never changed. We're used to things changing and we adapted very quickly," Sergeant Grizzell said. "We were all stoked to complete the flight training and to visit the orphanages." 

When the airplane became operational, the Commandos wasted no time in continuing their mission. 

"The end result was that the wing pulled together and accomplished our original goal of not only getting Christmas gifts for the children but also giving them much needed supplies," Sergeant Grizzell said. "The mission in Honduras is an important one. The training available there is invaluable to our mission." 

"Not only is it a 1 SOW tradition since 1992, but it is the right thing to do," Captain Cuadra said. "Missions like this win hearts and minds and spread American goodwill around the world." 


AUTHOR'S NOTE: In researching OPERATION CHRISTMAS WISH, I had the privilege of interviewing Mr. John Grove, former Air Force aviator and a man whose zest for life and charitable projects seemed endless.

Still on active duty when OPERATION CHRISTMAS WISH begun in 1992, Mr. Grove was a strong advocate for the project from the start. Year after year, many Air Force individuals would move or be called away, but Mr. Grove stayed constant in his dedication and selfless service.

Upon returning from OPERATION CHRISTMAS WISH and in the process of writing this story, I learned that Mr. Grove had passed away suddenly. Though nothing on this earth can instantly patch the broken hearts of those who knew and loved Mr. Grove, they can take solace in the fact that he died just after ensuring completion of the 16th straight OPERATION CHRISTMAS WISH, a cause for which he intimately championed.

His impact on this earth reaches far-and-wide, from the Hurlburt Field runway to several neatly-kept, eternally under-funded orphanages in Central America whose children are given a reason to smile at this time each year. Though my time with John was, unfortunately, extremely short, I will forever be grateful for the opportunity to make his acquaintance.