U.S., Bulgarian Airmen renovate hospital

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Katherine Windish
  • 31st Fighter Wing Public Affairs
PLOVDIV, Bulgaria --  More than 60 U.S. and Bulgarian air force members worked together to clean, paint and decorate 11 post-operation rooms in the pediatric surgery ward of a local hospital here April 21 and 22.

The U.S. Air Force volunteers are deployed to Bulgaria from Aviano Air Base, Italy, to participate in Thracian Star 2012, a coalition exercise geared toward strengthening partnerships between NATO allies. During the month-long exercise, American forces will work closely with their Bulgarian counterparts both on duty and in the community through projects such as this.

St. George's University pediatric surgery department is one of only two pediatric surgery units in Bulgaria and surgeons frequently treat patients with serious congenital birth defects. The busy hospital was in need of renovation and the volunteers were happy to help.

"I hope to gain a better understanding of other people," said Chaplain (Capt.) Jeromy Wells, 31st Fighter Wing chaplain. "Sometimes we let the language barrier keep us from communicating and doing things together. The really cool thing about this is there's a need and no matter our differences, we have come together to meet that need. That's really neat to be a part of."

For some of the Bulgarian volunteers, it was a way of giving back. Bulgarian air force Sgt. Ivan Chernav's son was hospitalized in St. George's as a baby 15 years ago. He said he is glad he could finally show his appreciation.

"I owe this hospital and these doctors a great debt," Chernav said. "I can think of no one who deserves this more and no better way to thank them than to do this for their patients."

Volunteers scraped old paint from walls, applied fresh paint on walls and doors, hung wallpaper and cleaned the children's rooms. After the paint was dry, the colorful rooms were decorated with Winnie the Pooh and princesses.

The hospital staff was very appreciative of the hard work done by the volunteers. Dr. Margarita Stefanova, head of the pediatric surgery department, said the rooms greatly needed refurbishing and though her staff had been slowly working to revamp them, they didn't have much time to devote to the project. Having so many volunteers donate labor and supplies to the cause was a huge help, she continued.

"We are so thankful," said Stefanova. "Words cannot express what this means to us, to the children. Our children and patients will benefit from this project for years."

After the work was finished, Stefanova brought the volunteers around to visit with patients, who received 510th and 555th Fighter Squadron patches and stickers to brighten their day.

"We've really come together to get this job done," said Chaplain Wells about U.S. and Bulgarian forces working together. "It's amazing to watch and now that it's all finished we can look back and say 'look what we did.'"