I want to share with you an extremely unusual story of two families,
their friendship, their sons and the unfortunate circumstances that have
befallen each of their sons. This is a story filled with faith, prayer
and trust in our Lord. This is the time of year when families gather
together to celebrate Christmas and look ahead to a New Year filled
with hopes for health, joy and prosperity. These two families have,
for the last year, shared a burden that neither would have ever
imagined.... yet it has not only brought them closer but it has become a
source of prayers, prayer chains, love and support that is universal in
its scope. For me to be personally a tiny part of this support in
offering prayers for them has been an honor God has laid upon my heart
and the hearts of thousands all over the world. I know that you will be
moved to share this desire to pray for these families as well. I was
not aware of these two families until December 2011.
The Skellys with four children and the Powers with two children, were
living in Fremont, California in 1992. Stacy Skelly's son is Tyler, her
oldest, and Cathy Powers' son is Bryce. As mothers of young boys who
went to school and played together, they formed a bond that has lasted
over the years. The families eventually moved to different states but
the mothers stayed in touch. The boys grew up, graduated from school
and each chose to enlist in the military. Bryce chose the Air Force
and Tyler the Marine Corps.
Last December 2011, Tyler was stationed in Bahrain. A young Marine man
in excellent health, he suffered a fall that caused severe brain
damage. While being treated it was discovered he was diabetic. He was
in a coma and once stabilized flown to Germany where the situation
became worse during the flight, near death when he arrived. Again he
needed to be stabilized to return to the states, to Walter Reed where
Stacy was at his bedside.
This is when I was introduced to Stacy and Tyler by a friend from my
church who had moved to Tennessee a few years before. Two of her
friends at her new church were the grandparents of Tyler. When they
mentioned Walter Reed to her she told them about my visits to the
hospital with our Marine Corps League and they asked if I might visit
with the Skellys. How grateful I was that God had positioned all of us
so that I might be there for them, so far from home with no other family
able to be by their sides. As often as time allowed I would visit with
them, pray with them, and just be there for them. Tyler was in a coma
for many weeks.
Stacy had reached out to her friend Cathy and Cathy started a "Support
Tyler Skelly" Facebook page that took on a life of it's own. Prayers
were flowing in from everywhere.....and they were such an enormous
source of encouragement for Stacy!!! Friends and strangers were there
for her every day.....awaiting a new report every morning.... all of us
praying to our Great Healer in Heaven for a miracle. You can go to
that page and see how a year of prayer has brought miracles. In the
spring Tyler was moved to Palo Alto, CA where Stacy accompanied him to a
new facility. He has made incredible gains, but he is yet to be able
to speak. He looks like his pre-incident self, but speech has eluded
him. This is what we are all praying for so please join me in prayer
for Tyler to regain his ability to speak.
Now ten months have gone by. In that time Bryce had been stationed in
Japan with the Air Force. On October 13, 2012, just ten minutes off
base on the weekend, he was in a catastrophic automobile accident. In
a coma, he was hospitalized in Japan for weeks and then transferred to
Hawaii and finally transferred to Richmond, VA. Cathy is at his side
where she has been since the accident. Bryce is still in a coma and now
there is a support page on Facebook for Bryce. Cathy and Stacy are
there for each other. Bryce has had many setbacks, but the power of
prayer and the knowledge that hundreds are praying is what keeps hope
alive. Cathy has complete faith and trust in the Lord that He will
restore Bryce to the person he was prior to the accident. She asks us
all to pray for specific healing each day when she updates us.
That is where we come in.............we know that if there are
multitudes of us praying, if we believe and trust that God can bring
miracles, than these two young men who chose to serve their country,
their careers cut short by tragic accidents....will one day be well.
As we know, the most difficult is the reality that ultimately it is
God's will that prevails. That these two families are sharing the same
tragedies is remarkable to say the least. The evidence of God's
presence in their healing is a reality that we cannot deny.The unified
support from people everywhere has been a glue that has held us all
together to share the ups and downs of recovery for both Tyler and
Bryce. I ask each of you to please pray for each of them. Their
progress can be found on their individual Facebook Support pages.
Wednesday, December 26, 2012
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
QUILTS FOR MY FRIENDS
QUILTS FOR MY FRIENDS
Mission statement of Quilts of Valor from their website: "The mission of the Quilts of Valor Foundation is to cover ALL combat service members and veterans touched by war with comforting and healing Quilts of Valor."
After hearing from friends about this truly wonderful organization and their legions of quilters all over our country, I realized that there were very special people in my life who I felt had earned the gift of a Quilt of Valor. Patriotic themed custom made patchwork quilts mostly in reds, whites and blues, some with military branch patches, some with the recipient's name sewn in, and always with the names and towns of the volunteer quilters.
The first time I contacted the organization I was requesting a quilt for my friend Sgt. Gordon Ward, Iwo Jima Marine and the subject of my second article (Published 11/7/12). I contacted them through their site and hoped to receive one in time for Father's Day 2010 and my wish was fulfilled! That Father's Day is one that is etched in my mind forever. Ana, his daughter, wheeled her father into a private party room where she sang his favorite songs in karaoke and then I presented him with his beautiful quilt. As weak and frail as he was he stood, saluted and sang for us the Marine Corps Hymn. Hugging each other, there were plenty of tears falling down our faces. He cherished that quilt and enjoyed it for a full year, as he passed the day before Father's Day 2011.
The second time I contacted QOV was for my father Henry Warren, a WWII soldier who served in the Signal Corps in the Philippines. By 2010 he was ill and very frail. I hoped that he would appreciate a quilt as he was always feeling cold, and what better way to stay warm than a quilt honoring him for his service to our country? When it arrived he told me he felt unworthy of such a magnificent gift, but after some convincing he accepted it with an open heart. Dad used his quilt through his last months he was alive, less than a year, but it warmed my heart so to see him use it regularly. He passed away in a nursing home and it was the shining light in his room. Now I have his quilt and I am so very thankful to display it knowing how fond he was of the quilt he first wanted me to return to the sender!!!
The third quilt I requested was for the husband of a friend from my church, David Schubert. Ann and her husband had moved to Tennessee while he was in remission from a bout with brain cancer. He was a former Navy Seal now in his 60's. Sadly his cancer returned and I hoped to surprise him with a Quilt of Valor with which he would surround himself. It was tricky, as I wanted it to be a surprise and have it delivered to their home. When it arrived, not recognizing the return address on the package, Ann brought it to the hospital to ask David if he was familiar with the address and he was not. He asked Ann to open it and there was one of the most beautiful handmade quilts they had ever seen. I was able to see it draped over his bed in the hospital and his sofa at home in photos she shared with me via the internet. There were but a few days left for David before the Lord took him home.
Late last year my brother-in-law Robert McBride, a soldier in Vietnam, planned to retire at 65 and enjoy life but was diagnosed with Agent Orange related lung cancer. He and his family live in North Carolina. Knowing that Robert felt cold all the time, I wanted him to enjoy the warmth of a quilt. Once more I called upon Quilts of Valor and they were able to create a beautiful quilt for Robert that he deeply loved for too short a time before he passed away in May of this year.
Again and again each quilt brought joy, warmth and love to it's recipient. Each of those beautifully hand crafted and personalized quilts showed that America cares, America remembers, and America will never forget. What a
unique and exceptional way to show our veterans just how much our country cares. I give thanks to the multitude of quilters who volunteer countless hours to craft quilts by the hundreds for our veterans, gifts that come from one heart to warm the heart of another.
Mission statement of Quilts of Valor from their website: "The mission of the Quilts of Valor Foundation is to cover ALL combat service members and veterans touched by war with comforting and healing Quilts of Valor."
After hearing from friends about this truly wonderful organization and their legions of quilters all over our country, I realized that there were very special people in my life who I felt had earned the gift of a Quilt of Valor. Patriotic themed custom made patchwork quilts mostly in reds, whites and blues, some with military branch patches, some with the recipient's name sewn in, and always with the names and towns of the volunteer quilters.
The first time I contacted the organization I was requesting a quilt for my friend Sgt. Gordon Ward, Iwo Jima Marine and the subject of my second article (Published 11/7/12). I contacted them through their site and hoped to receive one in time for Father's Day 2010 and my wish was fulfilled! That Father's Day is one that is etched in my mind forever. Ana, his daughter, wheeled her father into a private party room where she sang his favorite songs in karaoke and then I presented him with his beautiful quilt. As weak and frail as he was he stood, saluted and sang for us the Marine Corps Hymn. Hugging each other, there were plenty of tears falling down our faces. He cherished that quilt and enjoyed it for a full year, as he passed the day before Father's Day 2011.
The second time I contacted QOV was for my father Henry Warren, a WWII soldier who served in the Signal Corps in the Philippines. By 2010 he was ill and very frail. I hoped that he would appreciate a quilt as he was always feeling cold, and what better way to stay warm than a quilt honoring him for his service to our country? When it arrived he told me he felt unworthy of such a magnificent gift, but after some convincing he accepted it with an open heart. Dad used his quilt through his last months he was alive, less than a year, but it warmed my heart so to see him use it regularly. He passed away in a nursing home and it was the shining light in his room. Now I have his quilt and I am so very thankful to display it knowing how fond he was of the quilt he first wanted me to return to the sender!!!
The third quilt I requested was for the husband of a friend from my church, David Schubert. Ann and her husband had moved to Tennessee while he was in remission from a bout with brain cancer. He was a former Navy Seal now in his 60's. Sadly his cancer returned and I hoped to surprise him with a Quilt of Valor with which he would surround himself. It was tricky, as I wanted it to be a surprise and have it delivered to their home. When it arrived, not recognizing the return address on the package, Ann brought it to the hospital to ask David if he was familiar with the address and he was not. He asked Ann to open it and there was one of the most beautiful handmade quilts they had ever seen. I was able to see it draped over his bed in the hospital and his sofa at home in photos she shared with me via the internet. There were but a few days left for David before the Lord took him home.
Late last year my brother-in-law Robert McBride, a soldier in Vietnam, planned to retire at 65 and enjoy life but was diagnosed with Agent Orange related lung cancer. He and his family live in North Carolina. Knowing that Robert felt cold all the time, I wanted him to enjoy the warmth of a quilt. Once more I called upon Quilts of Valor and they were able to create a beautiful quilt for Robert that he deeply loved for too short a time before he passed away in May of this year.
Again and again each quilt brought joy, warmth and love to it's recipient. Each of those beautifully hand crafted and personalized quilts showed that America cares, America remembers, and America will never forget. What a
unique and exceptional way to show our veterans just how much our country cares. I give thanks to the multitude of quilters who volunteer countless hours to craft quilts by the hundreds for our veterans, gifts that come from one heart to warm the heart of another.
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
FIRST IMPRESSIONS AND A CHANGE OF HEART
As so many veterans of war know, time does not always heal their hidden
wounds. That was certainly the case when a Vietnam veteran read my
autobiography on my Grass Roots Troop Support webpage. It stated that
back in the 60's I was an anti-war protestor (an unfortunate stance
based on misinformation from the media) but due to 9/11 and my nephew
enlisting in the Marine Corps and a new era of patriotism, how I felt
then was not how I felt after 9/11. This former Marine read the bio
and became so inflamed that he proceeded to send me a scathing email
lambasting me, a total stranger, for all that he had suffered through is
time in Vietnam and his maltreatment when he returned home. He said he
was speaking for all who were in his shoes, not just himself.
He wrote of his two years at war, 1967-1969, that hundreds of thousands of Americans and South Vietnamese were killed, how we at home called those veterans baby killers and worse, how we protested and spit on them upon their return home, his horrible experiences of dying friends and the sound and smell of war. He blamed me and my friends for "not caring if they rotted over there in hell." He wrote that we are supporting our troops today because of our guilt for our treatment of our Vietnam veterans. He wrote that those who returned from that war vowed to make sure no other generation of warriors would suffer what they did. He cursed me and accused me of being one of the enemy of that era. This veteran who chose to share his long suffering anger with me, a stranger, reiterated again and again in his email that the years of pain, mental anguish, suicides were compounded by a government and VA that did not support them or understand them. He called me names. In closing he did thank me for caring enough to send care packages to our troops serving in Iraq. This veteran's name was Casey and the year was 2009.
I was shaken to my core by this email....so upset that my heart was pounding. I had never been on the receiving end of such a tirade and was unsure how to react, whether I should just delete it or respond to his fury. I inquired of a friend, a very special friend, a Christian whom I knew would give me sound advice. He did just that. He suggested that I write back to Casey expressing my sadness at his continued pain and suffering, that I realized it was misdirected and I want to help as a sister in Christ. He was totally shocked that I responded at all!!! I, too, felt that reaching out was the way to go. I asked him if we could speak on the phone. I gave him my phone number. It took some weeks before he called. As we spoke I felt that Casey needed to have Jesus in his life. I asked if he did and he told me yes, but not for many years and that my reaching out to him made him realize he needed to ask Jesus back into his life. I thanked my friend for his advice. I thank God for giving me the opportunity to befriend him when he was expecting retaliation or nothing at all.
Casey served with 1st Bn/9th Marines, the "Walking Dead", a unit that suffered severe losses in Vietnam. Our phone calls increased, we became friends, I learned more about his time at war, about his family, about his pain. He told me that our friendship and his relationship with the Lord finally allowed him to release much of the pain and anger he had harbored all those years. What better gift to me then such words! Our friendship grew over time. We spoke frequently.
The 1/9 has a network of veterans of the Nam era. Casey felt compelled to support my care package effort and asked his network if they would be willing to donate to the packages. A year after our rather unusual 'meeting' I was delivered by hand a check for $1000 from one of the members who lived in Virginia. Later that year, in the fall of 2010, I was invited to the 1/9 national reunion as a guest. Once again I find it hard to express my feelings. To recall how Casey and I started, to being an honored guest at their reunion is hard to put into words. I again thank God for making all things possible. That network has donated more than once to supporting my care packages. Who ever would have thought at the outset where this angry email would have taken us? Casey and I will remain friends throughout our lives.
He wrote of his two years at war, 1967-1969, that hundreds of thousands of Americans and South Vietnamese were killed, how we at home called those veterans baby killers and worse, how we protested and spit on them upon their return home, his horrible experiences of dying friends and the sound and smell of war. He blamed me and my friends for "not caring if they rotted over there in hell." He wrote that we are supporting our troops today because of our guilt for our treatment of our Vietnam veterans. He wrote that those who returned from that war vowed to make sure no other generation of warriors would suffer what they did. He cursed me and accused me of being one of the enemy of that era. This veteran who chose to share his long suffering anger with me, a stranger, reiterated again and again in his email that the years of pain, mental anguish, suicides were compounded by a government and VA that did not support them or understand them. He called me names. In closing he did thank me for caring enough to send care packages to our troops serving in Iraq. This veteran's name was Casey and the year was 2009.
I was shaken to my core by this email....so upset that my heart was pounding. I had never been on the receiving end of such a tirade and was unsure how to react, whether I should just delete it or respond to his fury. I inquired of a friend, a very special friend, a Christian whom I knew would give me sound advice. He did just that. He suggested that I write back to Casey expressing my sadness at his continued pain and suffering, that I realized it was misdirected and I want to help as a sister in Christ. He was totally shocked that I responded at all!!! I, too, felt that reaching out was the way to go. I asked him if we could speak on the phone. I gave him my phone number. It took some weeks before he called. As we spoke I felt that Casey needed to have Jesus in his life. I asked if he did and he told me yes, but not for many years and that my reaching out to him made him realize he needed to ask Jesus back into his life. I thanked my friend for his advice. I thank God for giving me the opportunity to befriend him when he was expecting retaliation or nothing at all.
Casey served with 1st Bn/9th Marines, the "Walking Dead", a unit that suffered severe losses in Vietnam. Our phone calls increased, we became friends, I learned more about his time at war, about his family, about his pain. He told me that our friendship and his relationship with the Lord finally allowed him to release much of the pain and anger he had harbored all those years. What better gift to me then such words! Our friendship grew over time. We spoke frequently.
The 1/9 has a network of veterans of the Nam era. Casey felt compelled to support my care package effort and asked his network if they would be willing to donate to the packages. A year after our rather unusual 'meeting' I was delivered by hand a check for $1000 from one of the members who lived in Virginia. Later that year, in the fall of 2010, I was invited to the 1/9 national reunion as a guest. Once again I find it hard to express my feelings. To recall how Casey and I started, to being an honored guest at their reunion is hard to put into words. I again thank God for making all things possible. That network has donated more than once to supporting my care packages. Who ever would have thought at the outset where this angry email would have taken us? Casey and I will remain friends throughout our lives.
Tuesday, December 4, 2012
THE GIFT OF PAPER
This is a story about reams of paper and a 'thank you' letter that I
will never forget which was written on graph paper.
Once again it starts with a cruise, our annual mother and daughters cruise. As I wrote previously, I am not shy about telling strangers that I send care packages in support of our troops deployed or asking for donations. Occasionally the conversation leads to some rather remarkable outcomes. This is one of those outcomes!!!!
A gentleman I met from Maine was most interested in assisting in supporting my efforts and promised to address this subject with his Kiwanis Club as soon as he returned home. A couple of weeks later I received a phone call from a woman who heard his request at the Kiwanis meeting. She owned a paper company and wanted to know if I would have a need for paper of any kind. She had reams of paper, considered 'seconds', that she could ship to me. I thought long and hard about what I could do with it and realized it could be used for our deployed troops to write home and perhaps other uses I was not even aware of. I accepted and she sent me hundreds of pounds of paper, all cut to 8x10 and placed in clear zip lock bags. Most of it was plain white or solid colored paper. I literally had to have someone lift it and store it for me as there was nowhere in my apartment to keep it.
Slowly I used it, tossing a couple of these reams of paper in each care package knowing our troops would find ways to use it. The added weight in each care package added to the shipping cost but I felt it would be worth it and it was. This was back in 2004 when we were transitioning out of Iraq and starting to build up our troops in Afghanistan.
Again my nephew Alex McBride was deployed with 3rd Battalion, 6th Marines. They were all over Afghanistan and of course we were not to know their locations as they moved around the country. This letter started with the endearing words "Dear LCpl McBride's Aunt".
He was writing to thank me for the package and tell me he was always the first one to 'hit the snacks'. Then he proceeded to tell me that upon arrival in country they were given maps of their AO (area of operation). Assuming the maps were current they went out on their first patrol only to find that the roads, dry creek beds and buildings on their maps did not exist, and what did exist was not on the maps. Only the ancient ruins were accurate!!!! As it turned out, the maps they were given were surveyed in 1954 and reprinted in 1970 and were useless!!!!!!
As this Marine wrote further 'Being the creative mission accomplishing Marines that we were we decided to map our own maps using our GPS's and our little knowledge of the area. However, we couldn't draw straight grid squares for anything. Then we got mail !!!!' He started going through the box looking for favorite snacks when he found at the bottom bags of graph paper, mentioning that he ate a lot of snacks as well. He immediately started making maps using the tracking feature on his GPS that tracked every patrol that they had done.
They found three alternate routes leading to their base, which was imperative in order to avoid ambush by the enemy as they avoided a pattern in their routes.
His last statement was the one that really hit home. "The graphing paper that you sent is helping to keep Marines safe and helping to complete our missions (killing terrorists)....that the graph paper was literally savings the lives of our Marines." There were only a few reams of graph paper in the entire shipment I received. His boxes just happened to be the ones containing the graph paper. Coincidence?
I think not. The Lord working in His mysterious ways yet again.
Over time there will be other letters I will share with you. This one has always held a special place in my heart. I can't help but smile every time I look back and know that God has us covered no matter where we are.
Once again it starts with a cruise, our annual mother and daughters cruise. As I wrote previously, I am not shy about telling strangers that I send care packages in support of our troops deployed or asking for donations. Occasionally the conversation leads to some rather remarkable outcomes. This is one of those outcomes!!!!
A gentleman I met from Maine was most interested in assisting in supporting my efforts and promised to address this subject with his Kiwanis Club as soon as he returned home. A couple of weeks later I received a phone call from a woman who heard his request at the Kiwanis meeting. She owned a paper company and wanted to know if I would have a need for paper of any kind. She had reams of paper, considered 'seconds', that she could ship to me. I thought long and hard about what I could do with it and realized it could be used for our deployed troops to write home and perhaps other uses I was not even aware of. I accepted and she sent me hundreds of pounds of paper, all cut to 8x10 and placed in clear zip lock bags. Most of it was plain white or solid colored paper. I literally had to have someone lift it and store it for me as there was nowhere in my apartment to keep it.
Slowly I used it, tossing a couple of these reams of paper in each care package knowing our troops would find ways to use it. The added weight in each care package added to the shipping cost but I felt it would be worth it and it was. This was back in 2004 when we were transitioning out of Iraq and starting to build up our troops in Afghanistan.
Again my nephew Alex McBride was deployed with 3rd Battalion, 6th Marines. They were all over Afghanistan and of course we were not to know their locations as they moved around the country. This letter started with the endearing words "Dear LCpl McBride's Aunt".
He was writing to thank me for the package and tell me he was always the first one to 'hit the snacks'. Then he proceeded to tell me that upon arrival in country they were given maps of their AO (area of operation). Assuming the maps were current they went out on their first patrol only to find that the roads, dry creek beds and buildings on their maps did not exist, and what did exist was not on the maps. Only the ancient ruins were accurate!!!! As it turned out, the maps they were given were surveyed in 1954 and reprinted in 1970 and were useless!!!!!!
As this Marine wrote further 'Being the creative mission accomplishing Marines that we were we decided to map our own maps using our GPS's and our little knowledge of the area. However, we couldn't draw straight grid squares for anything. Then we got mail !!!!' He started going through the box looking for favorite snacks when he found at the bottom bags of graph paper, mentioning that he ate a lot of snacks as well. He immediately started making maps using the tracking feature on his GPS that tracked every patrol that they had done.
They found three alternate routes leading to their base, which was imperative in order to avoid ambush by the enemy as they avoided a pattern in their routes.
His last statement was the one that really hit home. "The graphing paper that you sent is helping to keep Marines safe and helping to complete our missions (killing terrorists)....that the graph paper was literally savings the lives of our Marines." There were only a few reams of graph paper in the entire shipment I received. His boxes just happened to be the ones containing the graph paper. Coincidence?
I think not. The Lord working in His mysterious ways yet again.
Over time there will be other letters I will share with you. This one has always held a special place in my heart. I can't help but smile every time I look back and know that God has us covered no matter where we are.
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
HOW IT ALL BEGAN
HOW IT ALL BEGAN
Grass Roots Troop Support......the title I gave my care package ministry ten years ago. Not too many folks were sending care packages to the service men and women at the outset of the war in Iraq. It all started with a letter my sister received from Parris Island prior to my nephew Alex McBride's graduation ceremony from boot camp. That letter told her there were many Marines who would have no family members attending the ceremony culminating the completion of their life altering training. The Marine Corps was requesting those families attending the weekend to 'adopt' one of the Marines and show them the admiration and appreciation due any recruit who had gone through boot camp and made it to graduation as one of "the few and the proud". That letter was etched in my heart........I could not fathom any young man or woman achieving the ultimate goal of the Eagle, Globe and Anchor and all it entailed without their family there.
Weeks later when Alex first deployed to Afghanistan the reality of those Marines with no family support spoke to my heart. I asked Alex if he would be my middle man, my distributor, of care packages if I mailed one or two. Naturally he was pleased to help. That was intended to be a package every few weeks but he Lord had other intentions for the future of this endeavor. I also realized I might consider asking friends for donations. One friend suggested a local paper write an article about what I was doing to bring awareness to the community so that perhaps others would be inspired to follow this path. That small article and my willingness to ask just about anyone for donations turned my little project into something much larger.
Before I knew it, the funds were rolling in and I was shipping fifteen boxes out each week to different units out of Camp Lejeune and Cherry Point, NC. destined for Iraq, Djibouti and Kuwait. Later, as each unit prepared to return to the states, I requested the names and addresses of their replacements. This project just kept expanding! Unfortunately, due to the economy, I now send fewer boxes each week.
I received letters of thanks...far too many to count. Each letter lifted my heart and soul and made me more determined to keep this effort going. Commandants, Regiments, Battalions, Companies, Squads and individuals expressed their gratitude by sending me American flags flown in my honor with accompanying certificates (some on very special dates such as 9/11, July 4th or Memorial Day) and challenge coins. Many, in their letters, shared a little about themselves and their families back home. I'm so thankful the Lord put in on my heart to serve our troops ....He certainly knew more about me than I did when He opened that door!!! What means most to me is knowing the happiness that comes to those who open the boxes to find all sorts of snacks, socks, toiletries and magazines that I know troops appreciate. I recall one letter where a 1stSgt who received a box wrote that it was the "Motherload" of all care packages!! That definitely put a huge smile on my face. Most importantly those who are serving far from home are assured that we 'have their backs'. Their morale and their well being are lifted up in knowing that we at home have not forgotten them and we are always here for them.
I am humbled and honored to know that after all these years our warriors are still moved by the boxes I pack and ship. I started out shipping to NCO's of each unit and then I switched to the chaplains because they travel all over the (AO) Area of Operation which would reach more troops in the most remote FOBs. (Forward Operating Bases). The chaplains continue to be a huge blessing to the distribution process. So many people are factors in making this ministry a success. I give thanks every day for the cooperation of the Family Readiness Officers (liaisons between active duty troops and their families) of each unit and their willingness to work with me.
Over the years my life has been fulfilled by meaningful friendships with those in the military and their families. I cannot imagine what my life would have been like the last ten years had I not been involved with supporting our deployed troops and the gratification I received by serving others. As the war winds down and our troops return home next year, I look forward to whatever doors the Lord will open for me.
I will always continue to pray for their safety and give thanks for their voluntary service to our great country.
Grass Roots Troop Support......the title I gave my care package ministry ten years ago. Not too many folks were sending care packages to the service men and women at the outset of the war in Iraq. It all started with a letter my sister received from Parris Island prior to my nephew Alex McBride's graduation ceremony from boot camp. That letter told her there were many Marines who would have no family members attending the ceremony culminating the completion of their life altering training. The Marine Corps was requesting those families attending the weekend to 'adopt' one of the Marines and show them the admiration and appreciation due any recruit who had gone through boot camp and made it to graduation as one of "the few and the proud". That letter was etched in my heart........I could not fathom any young man or woman achieving the ultimate goal of the Eagle, Globe and Anchor and all it entailed without their family there.
Weeks later when Alex first deployed to Afghanistan the reality of those Marines with no family support spoke to my heart. I asked Alex if he would be my middle man, my distributor, of care packages if I mailed one or two. Naturally he was pleased to help. That was intended to be a package every few weeks but he Lord had other intentions for the future of this endeavor. I also realized I might consider asking friends for donations. One friend suggested a local paper write an article about what I was doing to bring awareness to the community so that perhaps others would be inspired to follow this path. That small article and my willingness to ask just about anyone for donations turned my little project into something much larger.
Before I knew it, the funds were rolling in and I was shipping fifteen boxes out each week to different units out of Camp Lejeune and Cherry Point, NC. destined for Iraq, Djibouti and Kuwait. Later, as each unit prepared to return to the states, I requested the names and addresses of their replacements. This project just kept expanding! Unfortunately, due to the economy, I now send fewer boxes each week.
I received letters of thanks...far too many to count. Each letter lifted my heart and soul and made me more determined to keep this effort going. Commandants, Regiments, Battalions, Companies, Squads and individuals expressed their gratitude by sending me American flags flown in my honor with accompanying certificates (some on very special dates such as 9/11, July 4th or Memorial Day) and challenge coins. Many, in their letters, shared a little about themselves and their families back home. I'm so thankful the Lord put in on my heart to serve our troops ....He certainly knew more about me than I did when He opened that door!!! What means most to me is knowing the happiness that comes to those who open the boxes to find all sorts of snacks, socks, toiletries and magazines that I know troops appreciate. I recall one letter where a 1stSgt who received a box wrote that it was the "Motherload" of all care packages!! That definitely put a huge smile on my face. Most importantly those who are serving far from home are assured that we 'have their backs'. Their morale and their well being are lifted up in knowing that we at home have not forgotten them and we are always here for them.
I am humbled and honored to know that after all these years our warriors are still moved by the boxes I pack and ship. I started out shipping to NCO's of each unit and then I switched to the chaplains because they travel all over the (AO) Area of Operation which would reach more troops in the most remote FOBs. (Forward Operating Bases). The chaplains continue to be a huge blessing to the distribution process. So many people are factors in making this ministry a success. I give thanks every day for the cooperation of the Family Readiness Officers (liaisons between active duty troops and their families) of each unit and their willingness to work with me.
Over the years my life has been fulfilled by meaningful friendships with those in the military and their families. I cannot imagine what my life would have been like the last ten years had I not been involved with supporting our deployed troops and the gratification I received by serving others. As the war winds down and our troops return home next year, I look forward to whatever doors the Lord will open for me.
I will always continue to pray for their safety and give thanks for their voluntary service to our great country.
Monday, November 26, 2012
Friday, November 23, 2012
CARE PACKAGE HEARTACHE
11/28/12
As you know from previous articles one of my passions for the last ten years has been sending care packages to our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. I started back in 2003 when my nephew Alex first deployed to Afghanistan. In a future article I want to tell you how that all came about, but not today.
One of the units I was shipping to was 3rd battalion, 8th Marines out of Camp Lejeune. I used to ship to each of the five companies of a combat battalion and wrote asking the Marine in charge of each company to whom I might address those packages and which Marines might not be receiving mail. I was given the names of several Marines in each of the five companies. It is the end of 2008, the holiday season. I packed each box with loving care as if I knew the recipient, filled with non-perishable food, toiletries and magazines that I know the guys prefer to read. I pictured in my mind the joy their faces would express when the boxes were opened. 25lbs of goodies. There were five going out that week. One was addressed to LCpl Alberto Francesconi. I got them ready a few days early so they were stacked and ready for me to take them to the post office.
Each morning I receive email announcements from the DoD. (Department of Defense), war related news and casualty reports. I see a name that seems so familiar to me but I cannot place it.....for an hour I puzzled over that name......until it registered...I went through the stacked boxes and there was the box addressed to LCpl Alberto Francesconi, 21 years old, killed in combat January 1, 2009, the first casualty of the new year. I was stunned........I felt as if I had my heart was torn out. In all the years I had shipped to our Marines I never anticipated this happening. Of course all of us at home realize the dangers of war but I never expected it to touch me so personally. After the shock passed I wept for the loss of this young man and his family. How difficult it was for me to remove that label from that box and readdress it to another Marine in his company. I felt that loss as if he were my by brother or my son, and yet I did not know him.
A few days later I located an article on the internet that appeared in the local paper where Alberto lived. He was from the Bronx, New York. I contacted the author of that article and told her my story. She was stunned as well, and wrote a follow up article about my heart breaking experience. She shared my story with his family and made it possible for me to send them a letter of condolence. They contacted me months later to thank me for the card and package I had prepared for Alberto.
Many years late his sister contacted me on Facebook to thank me again for caring enough to pack a box for her brother and for reaching out to her family.
Fast forward to August 2011. I received an email from a journalism student at Columbia Journalism School. Each student in his class had an assignment to "write a memorial of a fallen soldier for the 10th anniversary of 9/11"
and his fallen soldier was Alberto. He was unable to locate any members of the family and by searching the internet found previous articles about Alberto where my name was mentioned. I told him I doubted my luck would be any better than his, but I would see what I could do. Back to Facebook I found the old messages from his sister and I wrote her explaining the situation regarding a student who would like to interview the family members for this very special project. Time was of the essence.....it was nearly Veteran's Day by now...as this had all taken many weeks to coordinate.
Finally I heard from his sister and the family was willing to speak to the student! Well, I have to thank the Lord for making this all work out......never in a million years would I have imagined this meeting would take place. Not only was the family willing to share Alberto's life, but it seems the family had a memorial celebration every year, as it was Alberto's birthday as well. A large family cookout with some of his old Marine buddies who drove up to New York. The family invited the student to join them to eat, chat and get all the material he needed for his project. They also invited me to come up to NY to share the laughter and the tears but because of my work I was unable to attend although I was incredibly grateful that this gathering would take place.
Again the Lord was in control.... connecting me with people who have had such an impact in my life....each one is a special gift and will always hold a special place in my heart.
As you know from previous articles one of my passions for the last ten years has been sending care packages to our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. I started back in 2003 when my nephew Alex first deployed to Afghanistan. In a future article I want to tell you how that all came about, but not today.
One of the units I was shipping to was 3rd battalion, 8th Marines out of Camp Lejeune. I used to ship to each of the five companies of a combat battalion and wrote asking the Marine in charge of each company to whom I might address those packages and which Marines might not be receiving mail. I was given the names of several Marines in each of the five companies. It is the end of 2008, the holiday season. I packed each box with loving care as if I knew the recipient, filled with non-perishable food, toiletries and magazines that I know the guys prefer to read. I pictured in my mind the joy their faces would express when the boxes were opened. 25lbs of goodies. There were five going out that week. One was addressed to LCpl Alberto Francesconi. I got them ready a few days early so they were stacked and ready for me to take them to the post office.
Each morning I receive email announcements from the DoD. (Department of Defense), war related news and casualty reports. I see a name that seems so familiar to me but I cannot place it.....for an hour I puzzled over that name......until it registered...I went through the stacked boxes and there was the box addressed to LCpl Alberto Francesconi, 21 years old, killed in combat January 1, 2009, the first casualty of the new year. I was stunned........I felt as if I had my heart was torn out. In all the years I had shipped to our Marines I never anticipated this happening. Of course all of us at home realize the dangers of war but I never expected it to touch me so personally. After the shock passed I wept for the loss of this young man and his family. How difficult it was for me to remove that label from that box and readdress it to another Marine in his company. I felt that loss as if he were my by brother or my son, and yet I did not know him.
A few days later I located an article on the internet that appeared in the local paper where Alberto lived. He was from the Bronx, New York. I contacted the author of that article and told her my story. She was stunned as well, and wrote a follow up article about my heart breaking experience. She shared my story with his family and made it possible for me to send them a letter of condolence. They contacted me months later to thank me for the card and package I had prepared for Alberto.
Many years late his sister contacted me on Facebook to thank me again for caring enough to pack a box for her brother and for reaching out to her family.
Fast forward to August 2011. I received an email from a journalism student at Columbia Journalism School. Each student in his class had an assignment to "write a memorial of a fallen soldier for the 10th anniversary of 9/11"
and his fallen soldier was Alberto. He was unable to locate any members of the family and by searching the internet found previous articles about Alberto where my name was mentioned. I told him I doubted my luck would be any better than his, but I would see what I could do. Back to Facebook I found the old messages from his sister and I wrote her explaining the situation regarding a student who would like to interview the family members for this very special project. Time was of the essence.....it was nearly Veteran's Day by now...as this had all taken many weeks to coordinate.
Finally I heard from his sister and the family was willing to speak to the student! Well, I have to thank the Lord for making this all work out......never in a million years would I have imagined this meeting would take place. Not only was the family willing to share Alberto's life, but it seems the family had a memorial celebration every year, as it was Alberto's birthday as well. A large family cookout with some of his old Marine buddies who drove up to New York. The family invited the student to join them to eat, chat and get all the material he needed for his project. They also invited me to come up to NY to share the laughter and the tears but because of my work I was unable to attend although I was incredibly grateful that this gathering would take place.
Again the Lord was in control.... connecting me with people who have had such an impact in my life....each one is a special gift and will always hold a special place in my heart.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)