- Title: U.S. troops help children, who fled Afghanistan adapt at Ramstein airbase
- Date: 24th August 2021
- Summary: RAMSTEIN, GERMANY (AUGUST 24, 2021) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF CHILDREN CLAPPING BEHIND FENCE AS SOLDIER PLAYS SOLDIERS STANDING SOLDIER PLAYING BALL WITH CHILDREN CHILDREN SEATED WATCHING CHILDREN PLAYING WITH CARDBOARD BOX CHILDREN AND FAMILY MILLING AROUND / TENTS IN BACKGROUND CHILDREN LAUGHING AND SCREAMING WALKING PAST SOLDIERS PLAYING BALL WITH CHILDREN (SOUNDBITE) (English) MEDIC, LIEUTENANT COLONEL SIMON RITCHIE, SAYING: "We have a team here called: Disaster, Mental Health. And Disaster, Mental Health specialises in these sorts of traumatic events, tending to the psychiatric and mental health needs of these people during these times. So we have had a couple of situations like that. Generally speaking, I will say the people coming off the aircraft appear to be extremely resilient. They are very happy to be here on German soil. They seem to be very appreciative and actually in very good spirits, which considering everything they have been through in the past week or so is really great to see." MILITARY PLANE EVACUEES SEEN THROUGH FENCE BUS VARIOUS OF EVACUEES GETTING ONTO THE BUS GIRL WAVING OUT OF WINDOW SOLDIERS WITH CLIPBOARDS VARIOUS OF BUS DRIVING AWAY (SOUNDBITE) (English) MEDIC, LIEUTENANT COLONEL SIMON RITCHIE, SAYING: "A lot of children coming off, absolutely. And as I am sure you know, there was a child born on the flight lined here a couple of days ago. The baby is actually out of the hospital and back with mother here at Ramstein so, so far there have been a couple of children we have sent to Landstuhl for a little bit of further care and observation just to ensure that they get better and so far that has been the case, they have all turned around wonderfully." VARIOUS OF TENT ACCOMMODATION AND PEOPLE WANDERING ABOUT (SOUNDBITE) (English) COLONEL CHRIS MEEKER, CIVIL ENGINEER WHO BUILT TENT CITY AT LOCATION WHERE PLANES ARE USUALLY REPAIRED, SAYING: "We asked for volunteers this weekend to come in on a Saturday and Sunday. And hundreds of volunteers came to help. We have had the army reaching out, the local population. Everybody wants to help, everybody wants to be part of it. And I tell you if you are not that excited to be here then the first time you see Afghan kids playing soccer and smiling and laughing, you're all in, ready to work." VARIOUS OF CHILDREN AND ADULT SITTING ON THE TARMAC VARIOUS OF TABLES FULL OF FOOD AND GOODS VARIOUS OF FOOD BEING SERVED INTO TAKEAWAY BOXES (SOUNDBITE) (English) EVACUEE, SULTAN ASIC SAFI, SAYING: "Entering, to enter Kabul airport is very hard because outside of the airport are Taliban. The Taliban are beating them and they are firing on them and they are killing them and it's very hard to enter the airport, yes! And also there is no one can support them to bring them into the airport." (SOUNDBITE) (English) EVACUEE, ADINA GHAFOORI, SAYING: "All the people are afraid of this situation of Afghanistan, especially the ladies. The ladies are too worried about their futures. They can't study, they can't work, they can't do anything, they can't go out of their rooms, they can't go out of their houses." VIEW OF BASE REGISTRATION TENT WHEELCHAIRS VARIOUS OF ENTRANCE AREA EVACUEES MILLING NEAR TENTS EVACUEES PLAYING BALL EVACUEES CHATTING PEOPLE MILLING AROUND NEAR TENTS CIVILIAN ATLAS PLANE
- Embargoed: 7th September 2021 16:59
- Keywords: Grafenwoehr training area Ramstein Air Base U.S. Army in Europe military soldiers
- Location: RAMSTEIN + GRAFENWOEHR, GERMANY
- City: RAMSTEIN + GRAFENWOEHR, GERMANY
- Country: Germany
- Topics: Defence,Europe,Government/Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA001ERN1HZB
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: As the U.S.-set deadline for evacuations out of Kabul nears, Germany and other nations are working at full capacity to get as many people out of Afghanistan as possible before August 31.
In Germany's U.S. Ramstein Air Base 7,000 evacuees have been flown in. The base has a capacity for 12,000 and is offering first aid, food and water, and care to refugees coming in from Kabul.
On Saturday an Afghan woman gave birth on board a U.S. evacuation plane, moments after landing at the Ramstein Air Base.
The woman delivered a baby girl in the cargo bay of an Air Force C-17 aircraft after going into labour and experiencing complications during the flight, U.S. Air Mobility Command said on Twitter.
"The baby is actually out of the hospital and back with mother here at Ramstein," Lieutenant Colonel Simon Ritchie said.
U.S. soldiers and an army of volunteers were keeping operations smooth and entertaining Afghan children on Tuesday.
"Generally speaking I will say the people coming off the aircraft appear to be extremely resilient. They are very happy to be here on German soil. They seem to be very appreciative and actually in very good spirits, which considering everything they have been through in the past week or so is really great to see," Ritchie said.
"So far, there have been a couple of children we have sent to Landstuhl for a little bit of further care and observation just to ensure that they get better and so far that has been the case, they have all turned around wonderfully."
So far, 37 planes have landed at Ramstein, from there the evacuees are being taken to further locations by civilian aircraft. On Tuesday, 700 evacuees were relocated from the U.S. base.
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