Airborne artillerymen mentor area native youth

  • Published
  • By Army Staff Sgt. Matthew Winstead
  • 4th ABCT PAO
JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska --  Paratroopers from the 2nd Battalion, 377th Parachute Field Artillery Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division, took part in a program, Dec. 9, aimed at helping Alaska Native boys.

The Father-Son Fair, at Creekside Park Elementary School in Anchorage, was part of Project Ki'L (pronounced "kul uh" - a Dena'ina word for "boy") a local program developed to reverse negative trends statistically seen in Native boys in the educational system.
Project Ki'L serves more than 500 Native boys, pre-school through 5th grade, in 12 elementary schools.

The project's father-son events, according to organizers, are designed to foster a community of men committed to raising personally, culturally and academically strong Native boys. They feature positive male role models from the local community, including U.S. Army Alaska Soldiers.

The paratroopers assisted in first activity of the evening, in which the boys made their own flags to represent their families. The Soldiers unveiled the American flag and explained its colors and symbolism.

The presentation inspired some of the children to draw small American flags on their own with other images of family, pets, fishing and other symbols they felt meant something to them and their families.

"It feels good to teach the kids something like this," Spc. Joseph Gucciardi, who gave the flag presentation, said.

The boys, their families and the Soldiers moved outside for some snowshoeing practice around the school grounds.

Many of the boys found it entertaining to naturally run circles around the Soldiers as the small groups of three to five marched throughout the frozen playgrounds with families trailing them.

"Some of these boys could probably teach your men a thing or two about snowshoes," Project Ki'L Manager DeWayne Ingram said with a smile.

The Project Ki'L group met again with 4-25th Soldiers, Thursday, at Mountain View Elementary School.