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Comforts of home for combat troops: Snacks, toiletries on their way to soldiers in Iraq, Afghanistan
Dec 10, 2009 (The News-Sentinel - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) --
Soldiers serving in combat in Afghanistan and Iraq will soon be getting a taste of home -- peanuts, cookies, spices for those bland MREs (Meal Ready to Eat) and candy canes. Thanks to American Legion Post No. 499's auxiliary, they'll also be getting decks of cards, paddleballs and toiletries.
Last Wednesday night, the auxiliary set up the items -- some given by businesses, others bought with donated money -- on and near a pool table at the Legion hall, 4830 Hillegas Road. With militarylike precision, the members grabbed Chips Ahoy cookies, lotions, toothbrushes, socks and other items and tossed them into boxes destined for a military post office. Because of security reasons, the auxiliary members don't know exactly where the soldiers are. Sometimes they don't know who they are, and they don't mind, because "a soldier is a soldier" and is serving the country, said Sandy Crismore, head of the auxiliary.
"Tums for the tummy," remarked Connie Chiddister as she scooped up bottles and headed to white boxes that would soon need the help of packing tape to keep them from busting open.
"They're going to need it when they're done eating all this," answered Mary Stamets.
The auxiliary sends to any soldier in a combat zone whose name and information is given to them. They ship only to those in combat because "they're the ones who really need it," said Bev Weimer, auxiliary member. Other soldiers have access to PXs and other stores for what they need. But those in combat are out in the desert, she said. They need small items they can stuff into their pockets or backpacks and often have to discard things, she said.
This was the third mass mailing by the auxiliary, Crismore said. They've sent nine or more packages at a time but will ship single boxes if anyone sends them a name between mailings.
They've received two responses from soldiers. One presented them a flag that had flown in a combat area, and another wrote a letter. "...we will be spending Christmas out here," he wrote. "If you could send some Christmas-themed goodies in the near future, they would be most appreciated."
Being in a Muslim country, soldiers don't have Christmas items, Crismore said. So the auxiliary included candy canes and red and green paddle balls in this shipment. And when they saw retailers celebrating Christmas in July, they decided to do the same and sent boxes that month that included Popsicles.
The auxiliary received $100 in spice packets from the American Spice Co. And Fort Wayne Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Associates gave them oral hygiene items, so much that there were boxes left over that will go to patients at the VA hospital.
The auxiliary learned that soldiers prefer hand lotion to sunscreen. "There's no time before a mission to put on sunscreen," Crismore said. But they appreciated the healing feeling of lotion on their sunburns afterward.
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Mail deadlines
The recommended deadlines are here for sending packages and letters to servicemen and women overseas.
Here they are:
Friday, Dec. 11: Priority mail and first-class mail addressed to APO/FPO AE zip codes 090-092 and 094-098; APO/FPO AA zip codes 340 and 962-966.
Friday, Dec. 18: Express mail addressed to APO/FPO AE zip codes 090-092 and 094-098; APO/FPO AA zip codes 340 and 962-966.
To see more of The News-Sentinel, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to
http://www.FortWayne.com. Copyright (c) 2009, The News-Sentinel, Fort Wayne,
Ind. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email
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