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Soldiers value our tangible acts of support. We
would like to share some of their letters:
I just wanted to thank you personally and on behalf of HHB, 1-101st FA. We really
appreciate all the Care Packages you send to Tim Lorenson. He puts all the stuff you guys donate in a collection room which we call ``Wal-Mart" for everyone to take. We
have a pretty good ``Morale and Welfare Recreation Room" that we put all the books you donate into. It is starting to look like a library. We really enjoy having stuff sent to
us, especially in our time of need. It shows that people still care and support the Troops, and we need all of your support.
We thank you again for setting up drives and donations and then forwarding the
proceeds to us. You sacrifice a lot of time and money to support us and it does not go unnoticed by anyone here. Everyone is really proud of what you do back home; we are
glad we are in your thoughts, and you put a smile on a lot of people's faces when you send us Care Packages. We thank you again and look forward to hearing from you all.
SPC Jonathan Falorni
Camp Travis, Baghdad
...I would be honored to receive and distribute items for the men on my team out here. Our medic and I are already self-appointed ``distributors" and not only do we make sure
everyone gets what he needs, but that anyone who mails us gets a personal, handwritten letter back with photos of the team.
A little about us. We are a ``BTT," or ``Border Transition Team." These transition teams
are embedded with units all over Iraq and Afghanistan, sometimes with National Police, sometimes with Iraqi or Afghan Army units, and, like us, with Border Enforcement.
We train, advise, and assist our Iraqi counterparts with controlling the border with Iran. There are
several such teams out here, and we receive support from the Georgians, Kazakhs, Poles, and El Sals, to name a few. There are many nontraditional forces out here.
We are a 12-man team (no females) comprised
of experts in various fields, such as medicine, logistics, intelligence, or, like me, combat operations. We live on a small patrol base, and patrol ``outside-the-wire" on
almost a daily basis. We have no PX, but we do have showers and a chow hall, thankfully. Anything the great people of Hingham wish to donate is truly a blessing.
Many of us are very spiritual, but our Chaplain support is very thin.
....I gotta get back to work....Tell everyone I said, ``Hi."
V/R
Gregory Hayes
Captain, Field Artillery
Camp Delta (PB Shocker)
Iraq
I am glad my (US) flag made it to you and once I am back from deployment I can share
the true story (actual mission details) of the day the flag was flown here. ....Your support to my troops has far exceeded the standard and be rest assured everyone in
my company is truly appreciative. The Army is like a mini-USA. My Soldiers are from nearly every state including some foreign countries, Bahamas, and even St. Martin! We
represent nearly all religions and ethnic backgrounds. One of the best aspects of the military is the strong diversity and watching everyone become a cohesive team.
We are just over the year out mark and are slated to redeploy on or about Sept 2008. As you can imagine it is
extremely hard on the families left back in Germany and the states. Knowing we have your unwavering support does improve morale and in turn keeps my Soldiers focused on the mission. Tell your congregation and community
that Bravo Company, 2-159 Attack Reconnaissance Helicopter Battalion says THANK YOU for your support....
Cpt. Jarat Ford
Commander of an AH-64D Longbow Apache Company
Iraq
THANK YOU SO MUCH! The guys love the packages and please keep them coming. I have received all packages and usually they arrive about 7-10 days after you mail them.
All the best. Temperatures are reaching 120F and only go down to 100F at night!
Cpt. Jarat Ford
Commander of an AH-64D Longbow Apache Company
Iraq
Thanks for the strong support and your care packages are more important than ever. I had to move a portion of my company to a remote site in Iraq and we do not have a
fully functional PX. All supplies come in via helicopter. Phone and internet are limited.
I will let you know when your packages arrive. THANK YOU! Your packages are a huge
morale booster and greatly needed for my young Soldiers who barely scrape by financially.
Cpt. Jarat Ford
Commander of an AH-64D Longbow Apache Company
Iraq
Believe me, we really appreciate it. The guys here tell me that I must be really loved back home because I keep getting all these packages. But I tell them it's not
just for me ... it's for everyone ... so we are all loved and cared for by people back home. :-) Take care,
Tim Lorenson
Camp Travis
Baghdad, Iraq
Hello from Western Iraq: For the past several months I have been stationed at a small
Combat Outpost near the Syrian border. Our presence here is meant to deter, and stop the spread of terrorist activities. Being so far from the main US and Coalition Bases
comes with a heavy price. We do not routinely have fresh supplies of needed items, mail delivery, and even running water. We are roughing it to say the least. ¶ When the
mail finally is delivered out here, usually in 3 week intervals, I am overwhelmed with packages from your Support The Troops Program. It is not unusual for me to receive 6
to 9 packages at a time. I quickly sort thru the contents, and place the items on the shelves in our recreation room. I am happy to report that the items are ALL gone by the
following day. They are really being put to use, yes even the books. You folks are making a huge impact on the lives of all these young Soldiers, Sailors, and Marines. If
not for your efforts many here would just sadly go without, or struggle to get by. You are genuinely making life a little easier here on the Western frontier. ¶ I am glad to
know that this church and these kinds of people, giving caring people, exist in my community. Hingham is my birthplace and I have never been prouder to call myself a
Hinghamite. Thanks to you...Rev. Ludwig, Joy, and ALL the many other volunteers who put smiles on the faces of weary soldiers. ¶ "...and the Lord said, I assure you, as
often as you did it for one of my least brothers, you did it for me..." ¶ May God Bless you, and continue to Bless America!
CE1 (SCW) Keith Jermyn
US Navy Seabee, Iraq
Your help will be especially welcomed because we don't have regular access to a store or any place to buy these things. We live on an Iraqi Army base that they let us use a
portion of, and it doesn't have any of the services or amenities of an American base.
PFC Gregory Miller, Iraq
I can personally attest that getting Care Packages when deployed is a true God-send. We appreciate the fact that the people back stateside have NOT forgotten US, or our mission.
CE1 (SCW) Keith Jermyn
US Navy Seabee, Iraq |
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