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Tropic Lightning -- 17 January 2002
 Photo(s) by Courtesy Photo Children gather around to catch a glance of Santa, during his visit to the home.  Sgt. William Willett, Co. C, 2nd Bn., 27th Inf. Rgt., platoon leader, plays Santa at the Holy Family Home in Osaka, Japan. | Soldiers deliver gifts to Japanese orphanage By PV2 Sean Kimmons On Christmas day, Santa made a stop at the Holy Family Home in Osaka, Japan to give gifts to more than 180 children. But what the children did not realize, the man in the Santa suit was not the real Santa, it was Sgt. William Willett, 2nd Battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment, platoon leader. "The best thing about playing Santa for the children was that most of them believed I actually was the real Santa," said Willett. Willett and Sgt. Chris Laduca, 1st Bn., 27th Inf. Rgt., platoon leader, were selected to be representatives for last month's Wolfhound Orphanage Fund. Each year, one Soldier from 1st Bn., 27th Inf. Rgt., and one Soldier from 2nd Bn., 27th Inf. Rgt. are sent to Osaka, Japan to deliver donated gifts for the orphans of the Holy Family Home. The wolfhounds have been sponsoring the home since 1950. And every year, the children of the home anticipate the day when the wolfhounds will visit. "This is huge for the children," said Laduca. "They know who you are before you arrive." Not just anyone can be a representative for the wolfhounds. Representatives are chosen from Soldiers who deserve it and who can represent the wolfhounds well, said Capt. Steve Chambers, 2nd Bn., 27th Inf. Rgt., assistant operations officer. Before anyone is considered to be a representative of the wolfhounds, they will need knowledge of the unit, public relations and speaking skills, said Laduca. One of the important duties Willett and Laduca did as representatives is that they delivered the gifts to the Holy Family Home. But to Willett's and Laduca's surprise they were overwhelmed by other duties that were laid ahead of them. During their week in Japan, the Soldiers were given a chance to visit many of the different homes of the Holy Family Home organization, meet one of the top contributors to the family homes, meet the mayor of Osaka and also meet the Consulate General. Even though it was a hectic week for both Soldiers, Willett says it was one of his best experiences he's ever had. "I also think this trip went well," said Laduca. "It helped with the tradition of the fund and the relations between the U.S. Army and Japan." |
