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Actor Gary Sinise and author Laura Hillenbrand (Seabiscuit: An American Legend) launched Operation Iraqi Children in March of 2004.

The need for the service was discovered when "during and after Operation Iraqi Freedom, American soldiers passing through Iraqi villages were horrified at the squalor of Iraqi schools, which had been severely neglected under the dictatorship of Saddam Hussein."

In a little reported story, many American soldiers took it upon themselves to help relieve the situation, after seeing the lack of basic materials throughout the Iraqi school system. At times their lives were in danger for doing this, sometimes being shot at when they were helping out. Most of this was done on their days off when they could have been spending downtime; instead they went beyond the call of duty.

The problem was the soldiers were more than willing to help, but lacked the resources that could make a big difference. They were in the beginning only able to help through the materials sent family members, friends and some scattered groups.

One time Sinise went with a group of Army soldiers to a broken down school building. He describes it like this: I have seen Iraqi kids climbing on our soldiers and hugging them and kissing the. I have seen their smiling faces and their attempts to say 'I love you' in broken English. The folks I saw had hope in their eyes and gratitude in their hearts for what was done for them."

School Supplies Handed out from Operation Iraqi Freedom

In response to the need and inspired by talking with the soldiers, Sinise and Hillenbrand founded "Operation Iraqi Children."

The overall purpose is to provide a vehicle for concerned Americans to help out Iraqi children and offer support for the efforts of the soldiers to aid the people of Iraq. The program has now went beyond its original purpose and also helps children in Afghanistan and Djibouti, where American troops are stationed.

There is also an "urgent need" arm of the organization which focuses on discovered needs. For example, they now ask for donations which target providing shoes and blankets for those who have nothing to wear or cover up with in the cold evenings of Iraq.

While the organization welcomes individual contributions, they focus on organizing drives and groups through families and a variety of organizations that will provide materials and assemble them in kits per the instructions provided on their website.

If you're interested in helping out the Iraqi Children, you can go to the web site to find out more information.