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Plea: Send us school supplies

By MARYAN PELLAND
Published June 14, 2006

When Brooksville native Robert John Cumper first arrived for his tour of duty in Afghanistan, he wasn't surprised that he saw children begging.

But he was surprised by what they were begging for.

The Air Force tech sergeant told his mother, Sharon, that when the troops meet up with village kids, the little ones cry "kaleh"- which is not a plea for chocolate or food, but for pens.

The reason? These kids haven't been able to go to school for a long time. War does that. Now, also, girls are being allowed to attend some classes as well.

So when Cumper was writing home for a care package, he decided to ask for school supplies: paper, pens, pencils. His mom was more than happy to help.

"The guys gave away all their pens and then turned to us. I hope it grows. There's more than just 10 kids there; there's hundreds," Sharon Cumper said.

She and Cumper's father, Jack, are doing whatever they can to send supplies. They've mailed three boxes and have another ready to go.

The new project is helping to mitigate the feelings all military families have when loved ones are deployed in a combat zone: fear and helplessness.

"Conditions are relatively safe right now, but that can change,'' Sharon Cumper said. "What scares me is the five hours through rough mountains to get supplies. That's where you get scared."

The project also lets the Cumpers stay busy until their son returns. They've enlisted the aid of everyone they know. Longtime friend Peggy Davis, owner of Bide-a-Wee used books, has offered to accept supply dropoffs.

Cumper joined the service after graduating from Hernando High School 13 years ago. His unit builds schools, electric plants and other service installations.

He's career military, as is his wife, Heather, now preparing to deploy to Iraq with the National Guard. The couple have two sons: 10-year-old Jakob and 8-year-old Nick.

Anyone who would like to donate school supplies for this effort can drop them at Bide-a-Wee, 420 S Main or call Jack Cumper at 799-1003.

[Last modified June 14, 2006, 07:12:08]