Photo By Lt. Col. Deanna Bague | Spc. Ramiro Vadez and his wife Erica sign-up to record a book for their two-year-old...... read more read more
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DALLAS – Soldiers departing from the Dallas Fort Worth International Airport after completing their rest and recuperation leave, can step into the reading room before heading back to the combat zone.
“The military assistance told us that there was a place where we can read some books, so it sounded like a really good idea to do before I leave,” said Spc. Roberto De La Riva of Regiment Support Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment. “You never know what can happen so at least I leave something back.”
The “Reading Room” program is managed by USO volunteers. Soldiers who wish to participate before heading to theater pick a book per child to read and record it on a DVD. The volunteers then package the books and recordings and send them to the service members’ children who receive them about two days later.
Kathy Clark, a volunteer, said the intent is to create an uplifting environment for the service members and their families. She said service members whose children are in the local area may accompany them to the reading room and experience the recordings first hand.
“It’s a happy place for the children,” said Clark. “It’s something that we want the children to be happy about – we want the parents to be uplifted about – so even though [deploying] is a hard thing, [the Reading Room] is a good thing.”
Children who accompany their parents get to pick out their own books and take both the books and recordings home with them, added Clark.
De La Riva recently spent time during his rest and recuperation leave with his two young daughters ages 3 and 5. They live in a different state and were not able to accompany him to Dallas from where he will depart to return to the combat zone.
De La Riva said he strongly encourages other service members to participate in the Reading Program. He said he chose Spanish-written books to record for his daughters because they expressed precisely what he wanted to convey to them.
“[The book] says, ‘How much I love you,’ [and] basically my oldest daughter understands things a little more, and through the book I can [show] her how much I really love her even though I can’t [be with] her right now,” said De La Riva.
For his youngest daughter, De La Riva said he chose Winnie the Pooh. And even though she cannot read yet, he said, she will enjoy the pictures.
“She loves anything related to Winnie the Pooh – she’ll probably smile for a little bit – which is really important,” said De La Riva.
| Date Taken: | 01.10.2011 |
| Date Posted: | 01.31.2011 17:26 |
| Story ID: | 64548 |
| Location: | DALLAS-FORT WORTH, TEXAS, US |
| Web Views: | 27 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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