An area sergeant is asking you to donate a small gift to help out the children of Iraq.

"He's a sergeant in the army," says Suzanne Sanders of Cave City. "He's a leader of his troop, decorated."

Suzanne is a proud mom.

"Joshua Alexander Matheney. He's 23. He's handsome, girls," she laughs.

Today, Sergeant Matheney is on a volunteer mission to Iraq.

"That's my son Joshua there, " Suzanne says, pointing to a picture. "The camouflage there looks like an angel wing."

Now, Sergeant Matheney has called on his family for help aiding the children of Iraq.

"He sees them playing with rocks and sand," Suzanne explains. "Whenever he calls me, he says, 'Don't send me food! Send me toys, whatever you can for children'."

Sergeant Matheney's 12-year-old sister, Rebecca, has already sent her childhood toys to Iraq, and Suzanne hopes other residents do the same.

"If you could see these children through the eyes of my son as he explains it to me whenever he gets a chance to call, you'll want to help," she says. "They're so sweet, so innocent. They're just the victims of this war. He'll share whatever he can with the children. When he walks to a small town, all of the children will come around him, gathering around him because they know he's going to give them something."

"He makes me proud every day," Rebecca adds. "He's a really good brother and a really good soldier."

"I'm very proud of my son," Suzanne concludes. "I'm overwhelmed with pride for my son. He's a good man. He's my Josh."

If you would like to donate your toys or shoes to the Iraqi children, send you items to:

Sgt. Joshua Matheney
B TRP 6-9 CAV 3BCT
FOB Sykes
APO AE 09351