Sgt. Breanna Jessop.Photo: Courtesy of the USO
Sgt. Breanna Jessop joined the military out of high school in Utah because she wanted to help people. In August, amid the evacuation of American forces and vulnerable citizens in Afghanistan, humanitarian help was badly needed.
Jessop, a member of the 82nd Airborne Division, was deployed to the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul and immediately made a difference. Among other tasks, she oversaw a makeshift orphanage that cared for 400 unaccompanied minors, ranging in age from seven days to 17 years old.
According toTask & Purpose, a publication that covers military matters, Jessop and other soldiers created the orphanage when they encountered children who’d been separated from their parents. She and her fellow soldiers wanted to provide a sense of safety, warmth and fun — so they brought in a radio for dance parties, and secured toys and coloring books, the outlet reported.
Sgt. Breanna Jessop.Courtesy of the USO
“We were just trying to cheer them up, keep them happy,” Jessop told the outlet. “Like I don’t know what you went through or how rough that was, it’s not something I could ever relate to, but I’m here to give you love.”
Jessop told the outlet that more than half the children in the orphanage actually had families outside the airport’s gates, but their parents had given them over, wanting them to get to safety in the United States. She said she saw a group of children with “U.S.A.” written on their hands, indicating the parents' desperate desire to get them to a safer place.
Prior to her work at the orphanage, Jessop was put in charge of the airport chapel, and in that role, she procured basic hygiene items for 4,000 U.S. military members and other coalition forces.
Sgt. Breanna Jessop (right).Courtesy of the USO
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“Sgt. Jessop displayed devoted and selfless leadership under duress operations,” Pitt’s nomination letter said, adding that her efforts “left an indelible mark” on those she helped.
The non-profit USO, which is celebrating its 80th anniversary in 2021, was founded in 1941 when six civilian organizations pooled their resources to entertain the troops during World War II.Bob Hopeperformances became a staple, and since then the organization has grown and evolved into an unwavering source of support for deployed service members.
source: people.com
