Late last year, the Fleet Air Reconnaissance (VQ) 2 Rangers joined with Navy Information Operations Center Georgia Sailors to do an “Extreme Makeover – Ranger Style” for the Bayram Karadag School, located in a poor neighborhood located on the outskirts of Incirlik, Turkey.

They constructed a new basketball court out of concrete pavers, a sand volleyball court, painted the fence around the school and spent time cleaning up the school yard. 

According to the school’s manager, they only receive $3,000 per year from the government, which is barely enough to fix broken windows or busted pipes.

“We’re really grateful when we receive help from the American Soldiers,” said the school manager, adding that he wanted to have the basketball court moved away from the classroom windows because the kids always get distracted from their work.

It wasn’t all work. The Sailors took time to play basketball and soccer with the neighborhood kids, handed out candy and exchanged smiles with the predominantly Kurdish Muslim community. Although the shoveling, painting, raking and sweeping left many Rangers a little sore the next morning, the memories of the smiling children and school officials lasted beyond the stiff joints.

VQ-2 isn’t the first group to help the Bayram Karadag School. The Air National Guard expeditionary squadrons who have passed through Incirlik have assisted in installing new air conditioning units, overhead projectors and a new restroom at the school. 

When, was approached about the possibility of a community service project at a local village school, the rest was history.

“When the idea was brought up, I jumped all over it,” said Lt. Cmdr. Joseph Levy, officer in charge of the VQ-2 detachment site. “I know that staying busy (when deployed over the holidays) and keeping the focus off yourself and your own issues is the best way to make them good.”

The VQ-2 Sailors were just as enthusiastic. They raised $1,500 from their own money and donations from family back home to pay for the sand, concrete, steel and paint. When it came time to roll up their sleeves and get to work, there was no hesitation.

Most of the VQ-2 Sailors who participated agree they benefited as much from the project as the children did. The bus trip through the village on the way to the school was eye opening, as were the classroom conditions. The dirt roads traveled by donkeys pulling ox carts and the dilapidated dwellings, punctuated by minarets from the local mosque, looked like a panorama that most of them had only seen in action movies. 

“I had never done any kind of service project like that before,” said Aviation Electrician’s Mate 2nd Class Stephen Brandon. “It was a great experience. You could really sense the genuine feeling of appreciation on the face of the school manager and everyone else who was there.”

“I think a lot of people in the military are used to being given a measurable objective and then they work until it is completed,” said Levy. “But in addition to the physical work we did, we hope we won over some hearts.”