October 11, 2001

By Rudi Williams
American Forces Press Service

ARLINGTON, Va., Oct. 11, 2001 — “Wow”! “Look at the dogs!” Melvina Brown, 5, exclaimed as she rushed to pet a “therapy dog” at DoD’s Family (Casualty) Assistance Center here. Her little brother, Robert Russell III, 2, eagerly followed.

Later, Kelli Lynch, 2, stunned her father by petting the dogs.

“I didn’t realize what they were here for until my daughter started playing with them,” said Paul Lynch of Waldorf, Md. “She doesn’t have a dog. She’s actually terrified of them, so it’s surprising that she’s playing with these dogs.” Tears started streaming down his cheeks.

“My father has two dogs at the house, and anytime either one of them makes a move toward her, she turns around and runs and screams and cries. But she’s petting these dogs right now,” Lynch said.

His father, James Lynch, was a civilian employee in the Navy Command Center at the Pentagon. His office was in the direct path of the hijacked airliner that crashed into the building on Sept. 11.

The therapy dogs, a variety of breeds, gave tail-wagging greetings to anyone who entered their space. The four- footed therapists are part of Therapy Dogs International Inc., a volunteer organization that provides qualified handlers and their dogs for visits to hospitals, nursing homes and other places where the dogs might help make residents and patients smile.

Group officials pointed out researchers have clinically proven that petting, touching and talking to the animals lowers patients’ blood pressure, relieves stress and eases depression.

“We’re here at the family assistance center for the families, volunteers, staff, military, security — everybody,” said Sue Peetoom of Fredericksburg, Va., chairwoman of the group’s local chapter, Spirit keepers. “We have our dogs available at any time to be petted and hugged for comfort for the families to remember the pets they’ve left at home while they’re here.”

“The dogs are like a magnet, people are just drawn to them,” said Peetoom’s husband, Lee. “A lot of families, counselors, clergy and other members of support groups stopped by to pet the dogs. We also took them to the kids rooms where children were kept while the parents were taking care of business.”

“We were asked to come here because we have a chapter in Oklahoma City that helped people dealing with the disaster there,” Sue Peetoom said.

Certified therapy dogs must be trained, tested and evaluated before they’re allowed into action, she noted.

“They must be ‘bombproof,’” she said. “That is, they can’t react adversely to any situation. They have to be able to be pulled, prodded, hugged, in large crowds, loud noises. They have to be able to deal with anything that happens to them. We have dogs of all shapes, sizes, breeds — and mixed breeds. The only requirement is that they have to be a year old and have excellent temperaments, love people and get along with other dogs, because we’re always in groups.”

They’re all family pets of the people on the other end of the leash, she noted.

A steady stream of people visit the dogs every day, Peetoom said. “We have dogs in the lobby, upstairs, in the children’s room. The dogs are not only for the families, though. Everybody working here is stressed as well, and they’re coming by just for a minute or to smile, touch the dogs, decompress and go back to work.”

Robert Russell III and Melvina Brown had a ball playing with the therapy dogs at DoD’s Family (Casualty) Assistance Center in Arlington, Virginia.
Photo by Rudi Williams.

October 7, 2001

WASHINGTON, Oct. 7, 2001 — In addition to attacking the Taliban regime and terrorist facilities in Afghanistan today, U.S. air operations include the delivery of some 37,000 Humanitarian Daily Rations to Afghan refugees.

The daily ration was specifically designed by the Defense Department for use in emergencies to feed and sustain moderately malnourished people until more traditional feeding methods are restored.

The meals are nutritious, culturally sensitive and cost- effective and have been praised by the United Nations and the international relief community. Since their first use in 1993, they have emerged as a significant and lasting contributor to the fight against hunger.

The rations are pre-packaged, ready-to-eat foods that provide an entire day’s nutritional requirements. Each ration packet contains two main vegetarian meals based heavily on lentils, beans and rice, and also complementary items like bread, a fruit bar, a fortified biscuit, peanut butter and spices. Beans with tomatoes, beans and rice, and bean salad are entrees among the five available menus.

Humanitarian rations come in bright yellow packaging for easy identification on the ground when air-dropped. They “float” down to populations with no parachutes. The packets are marked with the words, “A Food Gift From the People of the United States of America,” and include illustrations depicting how to eat the foods.

Providing about 2,200 calories, each ration packet costs about $4 and has a shelf life of 18 to 24 months.

Hundreds of thousands of the rations were first air-dropped over isolated Bosnian enclaves on Nov. 22, 1993, as part of the humanitarian relief effort Operation Provide Promise. Since then, more than 8 million of the rations have been distributed to refugees worldwide, including in Iraq, Cuba, Bosnia, Rwanda and Haiti.

A typical Humanitarian Daily Ration packet. The yellow, plastic pack is designed to “float” to the ground once dropped by transport aircraft. The packet contains meals that can be eaten by virtually anyone, regardless of culture or religion. The United States began delivering 37,000 rations to Afghan refugees Oct. 7, 2001.

– American Forces Press Service

October 1, 2001

After three years service to Happy Campers in medical need, Dr. Akinlade and his family have left the area. Dr. Akinlade said they plan to travel for a time, then find work and settle down closer to the East Coast.

We have fond memories of his participation in our community and will miss seeing him here. The Happy Camp Health Clinic will continue to operate with nurse practitioners in October, and a temporary doctor will help starting in November while a permanent doctor is being hired.