Airmen drop toys for youngsters

What a gift it was for me to sit next to an American soldier, PFC TJ Simmons, 25, of Clearfield, on an airplane flight from Salt Lake City to Chicago recently.

Simmons grew up in South Weber, always dreaming of serving in the military.

So, no one was surprised when he joined the Utah National Guard and later ended up in the 197th Special Operations Command (USASOC) out of Ogden.

What struck me, though, was the mission Simmons and five other comrades, also on the plane, were headed to accomplish at Fort Bragg, N.C., also known as the "Home of the Airborne."

Sure, they'd be earning their foreign jump wings from German paratroopers, but before they could accomplish that mission, there was one they had to carry out first.

"The object was to give a child a present — kind of like a ticket to board the plane — before boarding to jump," Simmons said, grinning from ear to ear.

"When I heard about it, I thought it was wonderful."

"Our soldiers are also fathers, mothers, husbands and wives, so we also have a soft spot in our hearts for children," said 2nd Lt. Casey Staheli, 27, of St. George, the executive officer of the 197th. "This toy drive is not only an opportunity to do some service, but also to progress as soldiers and individuals."

"The presents will go to kids who don't have presents for Christmas," said Simmons, whose civilian job is as a patient's account representative at Ogden's McKay-Dee Hospital, and who dreams of becoming a medic some day.

But for now, he's helping those who may feel either unwanted or unloved by donating a present to a child he will never meet.

It's all because one soldier, over a decade ago, envisioned how soldiers could give back while earning elite recognition such as foreign jump wings.

Perhaps that is why, prior to these soldiers jumping out of the plane, the German elite gifted each with a crest from their berets, a significant token of respect.

Payback for their toy drive?

Nope, it's pay it forward, last I checked.

Cynthia Kimball Humphreys is a professional speaker and trainer. She writes a column for weekly newspapers in southern Utah and is a southern Utah correspondent for Deseret News. She can be reached at kimball@every1counts.net. Her column, "GR8NESS," appears on deseretnews.com monthly.