Pacific Stars &
Stripes, Oct. 23, 1953
TOKYO, Oct. 23 (INS)- America's ambassadors of
good will in the Far East-U.S. servicemen-are headed toward a record
year of giving dollars and kindness to charity as the climactic drive
"for Christmas contributions enters its final phase.
From Japan to Okinawa to Korea, U.S. forces are
preparing to top their contributions of last year, which officially
amounted to 1 million dollars for orphanages alone but actually was
much more than that.
In Korea Eighth Army Commander Gen. Maxwell D.
Taylor called upon his troops to celebrate that country's first peaceful
Christmas since 1949 with gifts of clothing, food, toys and money
for impoverished children.
The multitude of charity drives, both large and
small which Far East-based American servicemen regularly carry on,
constitutes one of the biggest decentralized charity projects in history.
The 27th Infantry (Wolfhound) Regiment this year
continued to support as it had since 1949, the Holy Family home in
Osaka, Japan, putting its contributions to the orphanage well over
$135,000.
Marines of the 1st Marine Division's 11th Regiment
who built a school at Masan, Korea support it by collecting the deposits
on soft drink bottles-as much as $300 a month.
The Army Security Agency in Japan raised $2,000
for the remodeling of the Jido Gakuen orphanage in Tokyo for 100 children.
Its members built a kitchen, bought uniforms for the youngsters, installed
new tatami (straw floor mats) and a bathroom and replaced 350 window
panes.
This year servicemen in Japan and Korea contributed
more than $130,000 to flood victims in Kyushu and southern Honshu,
Japan, in the wake of destructive typhoons. The services also provided
emergency equipment, medical supplies and gifts sent from the U.S.
The 45th Division reported it costs $20 to supply
one Korean orphan with a new winter clothing outfit. The 45th raised
$8,000 in three months to clothe all the youngsters in three orphanages.
Money Given Sundays
A battalion of the 7th Infantry Division's 31st
Regiment collects money every Sunday at religious services for an
orphanage near Seoul. Servicemen regularly visit the children to check
on their needs.
The 7th Division provided materials for a school
constructed by the citizens of Pochon, Korea, and paid for its furnishings,
books and school supplies with $10,000 in donations.
The 40th Division made contributions to a high
school built by its engineers in Kapyong, Korea.
Men of the 17th Infantry (Buf)- were concerned
about hundreds of young orphan boys who evaded ROK authorities and
slipped through the mountains seeking work as "shoeshine boys"
and handymen for the unit. They established a "shoeshine boys'
town" orphanage.
by Howard K. Janis
PSS-309
