Written by U.S. Army Sgt. Tobey White Wednesday, 30 November 2011
KHOWST PROVINCE, Afghanistan – Most people remember that day when they received their first bike.
For one Afghan boy, that day came on Forward Operating Base Salerno Nov. 28.
KHOWST PROVINCE, Afghanistan—U.S. Army Maj. George Smolinski (right), from St. Paul, Minn., a physician with 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, helps an Afghan boy get on his new bicycle on Forward Operating Base Salerno, Afghanistan, Nov. 28. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Tobey White, TF Duke PAO)The donated bike was the first as part of a program the Germany-based Kaiserslautern Military Community Cycling club started to provide Afghan children with better transportation, said U.S. Army Maj. George Smolinski, a physician with 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division.
In October, Smolinski, a St. Paul, Minn. native, began coordinating with KMC Cycling on how best to transport and distribute the bikes.
“I was here (in Afghanistan) so we joined forces to make this happen,” he said.
Servicemembers donated used bikes to the program, which were repaired by members of KMC Cycling. After the bikes had been fixed they were mailed to Afghanistan.
“A lot of the kids are injured and biking is a great physical therapy for them,” Smolinski said. “For the young adults the bike will be a great means of transportation and can be used to haul equipment or groceries.”
The boy, affectionately named “Hot Rod” for his propensity to navigate the hospital in his wheelchair then crutches, was brought in after a motor vehicle accident in May and remained in the hospital for two months while receiving treatments for his legs.
“He’s become dear to myself and the others over the course of time he’s been here,” explained U.S. Army Capt. Jeffrey Smith, a nurse from Oakland, Calif. with the 352nd Combat Support Hospital. “The hardest thing for him about the bike is he has to keep his leg straight for two more weeks and won’t be able to use it until then.”
“This is a great first step we’ve taken here today and we hope to touch the lives of many more Afghani children through this program,” said Smolinski.
(c) CJTF-1
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