A beautiful story appeared in the Camden Courier-Post about Marine Capt. Michael P. Del Palazzo (pictured) of nearby Marlton who has been making a difference in the lives of children while he is stationed in Iraq.Mike is the son of our cousin, Lorraine Cirucci Del Palazzo and he is a very admirable young man. Of course, we're not really surprised by all of this since his mother is an extraordinary woman and a true patriot.
Here's part of the story:
Marine Capt. Michael P. Del Palazzo has witnessed the chaos the war has brought to Iraq, including to its impoverished children, many of whom lack shoes and decent clothes.
In frequent e-mails, the 31-year-old Marlton man, who's finishing his second tour of Iraq and is scheduled to return to the United States this week, has told his mother about the dire circumstances the children face.
As a mother, Lorraine Del Palazzo understood -- and did something about it.
In March, she organized a shoe/clothing/toy drive among her co-workers and church friends that collected 18 boxes of donated new and almost-new items for Iraq's children.
The boxes, filled with everything from sneakers, shoes and sandals to shirts, shorts and pants to Beanie Babies, reached their destination in late April.
Del Palazzo, along with members of the Charlie Company 1st Tank Battalion he commands, distributed the gifts to children in the Al Anbar province of Iraq.
"The Marines in my company are professional warriors, but they are also very compassionate young men. Their ages range from 19 to 25, and a lot of them have children at home," Del Palazzo wrote in a May 1 e-mail to the Courier-Post. "They take the same pride in helping the people here as they do in serving as Marines."
His mother was moved to start the drive when her son sent her a photo of him with some Iraqi children on March 13 . . .
In frequent e-mails, the 31-year-old Marlton man, who's finishing his second tour of Iraq and is scheduled to return to the United States this week, has told his mother about the dire circumstances the children face.
As a mother, Lorraine Del Palazzo understood -- and did something about it.
In March, she organized a shoe/clothing/toy drive among her co-workers and church friends that collected 18 boxes of donated new and almost-new items for Iraq's children.
The boxes, filled with everything from sneakers, shoes and sandals to shirts, shorts and pants to Beanie Babies, reached their destination in late April.
Del Palazzo, along with members of the Charlie Company 1st Tank Battalion he commands, distributed the gifts to children in the Al Anbar province of Iraq.
"The Marines in my company are professional warriors, but they are also very compassionate young men. Their ages range from 19 to 25, and a lot of them have children at home," Del Palazzo wrote in a May 1 e-mail to the Courier-Post. "They take the same pride in helping the people here as they do in serving as Marines."
His mother was moved to start the drive when her son sent her a photo of him with some Iraqi children on March 13 . . .
Read the rest of the story and see more photos here.
No comments:
Post a Comment