Soldiers heading to Afghanistan are making sure they pack their reading glasses in their army rucksacks as Storybook Soldiers help their loved ones sleep easy.
Reading glasses may not be one of the most obvious things a soldier on his or her way to Afghanistan would pack, but an initiative called Storybook Soldiers could change all that. British soldiers fighting overseas are taking time out to read and record bedtime stories for their children at home. The service may necessitate packing a pair of reading glasses and a dog-eared copy of The Gruffalo, but it’s worth it for the children of soldiers missing their fathers at Christmas.
Reading Glasses – Conquering a Desert
The voices of soldiers are being sent 4,000 miles back to the UK so that their children can hear them read a bedtime story. According to a report in The Times, the soldiers find time while recovering from the fighting to sit alone with a book and their reading glasses, speaking to their children into a microphone amid the bullets and ammunition. The soldiers have taken to finding a quiet spot in the army ammunitions compound to record themselves reading the books while a warrant officer guards the door. The idea of innocent children’s tales and comforting bedtime stories takes on a particular poignancy in the context of a war. And of course any sounds of war are edited out.
Storybook Soldiers – Soothing Voices
Reading glasses are therefore a necessary accessory for those soldiers who want to send their voices to their babies, children and teenagers – especially at times when they are feeling their absence the most – such as Christmas. Going to Afghanistan can cause huge upset for families left at home. According to Storybook Soldiers, although children can communicate via email or satellite phone, the sound of a parent’s voice reading them to sleep is incredibly evocative. So one thing that could be at the top of every soldier’s wish list this Christmas could be the most unlikely of presents: a pair of reading glasses!
Reading from the Frontline
The stories have proved a big hit for the children of soldiers, who find a certain comfort from hearing their fathers’ voices. Although the wives don’t always find it so easy to hear their absent husband’s voice, speaking to The Times, one wife said: “When I listen to it, I realise how hard it is for him, missing her. And it’s the contrast between doing something this nice and sweet for a little girl, and the reality of what’s going on out there, which is horrific.”
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