MRE’s

The 82nd Airborne Division is housed down the street from us here in Santo, and one afternoon Patrick Moynihan saw them walking down the street, so he invited them over. They walked in the front gates in 2 lines, each young man wearing dark glasses, his hand on an enormous automatic weapon. It was surreal – but also so funny. As I looked at each 18 year old face – and I’m fairly sure none of them is older than 24 – I was honestly happy to see them, but also happy for them that they had the opportunity to spend time at LCS, and would get to meet such smart, fun, interesting kids here. Of course it was the middle of netwayaj (cleanup hour) when they arrived, so the kids were more than happy to drop their brooms and wheelbarrows full of cinderblocks that they were in the midst of moving from the collapsed front wall. Instead they all gathered around the basketball court and watched members of the 82nd airborne take on 5 of LCS’s best ballers. The kids wore flip flops or played barefoot, and they basically ran circles around their peers in the US Army who wore fatigues and T-shirts with heavy boots. The Americans were actually much better shooters, but the full court defense and quick passes of the Haitians won the day. The final score was something like 40 to 15. Let’s hope the Americans have more success in their efforts to help rebuild this country than they did on the court.

Since that day, this one platoon from the 82nd has come back several more times. They told us they’ve kept the school a secret from the other platoons, calling it their “oasis.” Today they came for lunch and to enjoy real showers for the first time in three weeks. Obviously it would be absurd for the US military to eat the food that we eat from Catholic Relief Services and Food for the Poor, so they brought their MRE’s and exchanged them with the neighborhood children’s plates of rice and beans. You can be sure that both sides were absolutely happy with this arrangement. The LCS kids love MRE’s. A few of the older kids who have been working as translators in hospitals around the city have come back to school singing the praises of the MRE’s they get for lunch sometimes. After today’s exchange, I think the rest of the kids are now fully jealous of the United States Military’s superior cuisine.