Special Stories about YOUR Soldier

I just received my first e-mail! :)

scmiller — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 14:21:34 GMT

SGT Molino Sotillo. He's located in Iraq with about 700 other soldiers that he's representing. I just sent that package last Saturday. It included M&M's and I told him in the Halloween card that I sent that I hoped that they only did melt while eating them and not in his hand (or package). He said that they arrived unmelted until he ate them. :)

I he also said that he was reluctant to receive my box. I asked him why and told him that all of them deserved the packages because of what they are doing.

I told him that I was planning on sending out another package next weekend with hygiene items. I also told him that HE made my day. I'm THRILLED!

Picture possible from Netherlands American Cemetery

Gran — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 16:44:48 GMT

When checking out the Find-a-Grave Forum for the first time Sunday, I found where there were people who adopted the gravesites at Margarten and some would make pictures of the markers of the heroes that were interred there. Mr. Gran's half brother who enlisted in WWII when he was a tot and was killed liberating Europe as a paratrooper in 1945 is buried there, so we are hoping to get a picture of his marker and maybe connect with someone who might have adopted his gravesite also.

Eric Thom email

kathy cunningham — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 10:45:23 GMT

Wanted to share one line from an email from CSM Eric Thom. He received my latest box full of a variety of M&Ms (in his last email he told me that he would not say no to some almond or peanut M&Ms). So this is from his latest:

" I will try the strawberry peanut butter M&M because I am a Command Sergeant Major in the United
States Army and fear nothing."

Sweet and funny guy!

Kathy

Just got a thank-you!

MiriamJ — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 20:33:52 GMT

Just got a thank-you from the solider I sent my first care package to :) It was only a tiny one but it was so nice that he took the time to say thanks. I really wasn't expecting to hear from anyone!

What to Include in Care Packages

ann — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 12:00:45 GMT

In care packages to one of our contacts, we’ve sent a variety of things, in the hopes of providing a bit of entertainment, in addition to the bare necessities, that he has requested for his Troops.

With the economy the way it is, most of the extras have been sale items, coupon buys, hand knit stuff, used magazines. He’s even gotten hand knit slippers and early Christmas stockingsJ J .

I recently asked him to pls feel free to let us know what does and does not work for his Troops so I could adjust the cares packages to suit their needs, climate conditions, etc.

The answer came back almost instantly - We like everything you sendJ J .

His answer says soooo much about him and his Troops!!

Thank You from Airman

kathy cunningham — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 11:25:48 GMT

Just wanted to share part of an email I recently received from an airman contact:

"Seeing the return address from the great USA is a love song to us all."

Just melted over that line and thought you all might like it. too!

Kathy

Our Heroes never cease to amaze me....

Krewe Captain — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 15:19:37 GMT

The goodness that abounds in the ranks of our military heroes never ceases to amaze me. Those of you who have been junkies for a while have read my posts about our family's special AF Captain. He was my very first AS contact and we corresponded almost daily through a whole year of deployment. Our family supported his unit with gusto. It was our first experience of this nature. Anyway, he and his wife have really become a very special part of our family. We stay in touch on a regular basis and he visits several times a year. He called on sunday and as we were chatting I let him know that hubby's nephew had just arrived in A. He's young, not long out of training and scared to boot. The first words out of Captain's mouth was to let the family know that he is well trained and is doing great things for our country and then he said........"you make sure he has my military address...I will be available to him any time he needs to talk." WOW......I was so touched and so was my hubby.

My soldier is now home!

jeankath — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 23:02:48 GMT

Hello all you junkies out there. Just wanted to let you know that my soldier that you helped send good luck messages to when he deployed in August of 2008 has returned home. His unit came home last Tuesday to a large town welcome home gathering. If you watch this link you'll see how we welcomed home our heroes! Hope the site works for you. Thanks to all who asked about Corey while he was gone, it is appreciated. I think he was the only one from my hometown who returned, others were from other towns around here so his family and a friend and I decorated "HIS" town, we hung yellow ribbons around our town square, put signs up at our local businesses, and decorated his road all the way to his doorstep. It was pretty cool. He was quite impressed. Well enough bragging. Here is the link. Enjoy and thanks for all of your help http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PljjAeiqPIE

I got to meet my contact

zippy — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 13:36:36 GMT

Last night I had the chance to meet GySgt Joe Aguilar when he and his family came to my house for dinner. What a treat it was to meet his 4 boys (!) and GF and see his slideshow of Iraq pictures. It was fascinating to learn a bit about what it was like training the Iraqi police. I especially enjoyed his stories of how, when the USMC didn't supply his team with the necessary radios or whatever they needed, he knew how to 'scrounge' them for his guys. And for all the 180+ AS supporters who sent GySgt Aguilar and his men boxes & letters this past year, I can say he was very, very appreciative of AS support! He's a great guy (very modest, well spoken & funny) and it was a dream come true for me to actually meet one of my contacts and do something special for him.

Zippy

A very special Christmas

SCain — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 23:08:21 GMT

A couple of years ago, I was packing up a box of goodies to send to a friend's son who was stationed in Iraq.

Just as I was ready to close the box my young son ran into the room and said "Mom, wait! I have something I want to send to Ryan!" And in the box he placed his favorite red, white and blue N.Y Giants football saying, "I figured if the guys ever get any down time they might want something fun to do for a change." And so with 4 weeks left to Christmas, off went the box to Iraq.

About 3 weeks after dropping the box off at the post office, imagine our surprise when we received an email, all the way from Ramadi, Iraq! It was a thank you from Ryan and his platoon, but the best part was the picture he included, for there was the entire platoon standing together with Ryan in the middle, a huge grin on his face as he held up my son's football! He wrote that while they all loved everything we sent, that the football was their favorite thing and that every chance they got they divided up into teams and had their own "Ramadi Superbowl!"

As he looked at the picture and read what Ryan wrote, my son said, "You know, Ryan has no idea that he just gave ME the BEST Christmas gift I've ever received in my entire life!" :)

A simple "misunderstanding"

Phillis — Sun, 14 Dec 2008 02:56:18 GMT

Well y'all, here's one for the record books!

I have a friend in A'stan, and he is fortunate enough to live in some sort of little "house" with 7 other guys. I had gotten a 6 foot tree and all the lights/decorations/etc after Christmas last year at the 75% off sale, and so I thought since they did have such "spacious" conditions, they might could use it. I asked, they excitedly said "YES" and I got it all packed up. (for future reference, I got a "lamp box" at the u-haul store for about $5.00--everything fit perfectly and postage was about $35.00)

I sent it mid-Nov, so they could have a huge decorating party the day after Thanksgiving. In addition to all the trimmings for the tree, I had hot chocolate, marshmallows, christmas cookies, christmas music, santa hats...whole nine yards! I think the fun I was IMAGINING them having putting up the tree was far above anything realistic! I had wrapped each box of goodies and decorations individually. The only thing NOT wrapped was the tree!

Well, Thanksgiving comes and goes...Nick and I exchange emails...he does not mention the tree! I finally broke down yesterday and asked him if he ever got it put up! He emailed back and said that they did and "I guess it turned out okay". Well, I was a little bit taken aback by that, gotta tell you! I was really expecting just a tad more excitement, you know?? He said "I'll send you a picture" and he did. WELL..my first thought was "bless their hearts, they don't even know how to put up a tree!" but then I enlarged the picture. There was no topper, there were no lights, no tree skirt...just some ornaments that DID NOT look familiar! I went back and read his email and he had made the comment that they had one of the guys mom's send some ornaments! HUH????? I looked at the picture again, and there, sitting sweetly UNDER THE TREE were all the wrapped decorations and stuff I had sent!!

On one of the boxes I had put "OPEN ME FIRST" and in it was the note that said to go ahead and open everything else, and the Santa hats and Christmas music...That adorable young man thought I meant to open that one first ON CHRISTMAS MORNING! I didn't know whether to laugh or cry, so I just did BOTH (a little heavy on the crying though I have to admit!) They had to have thought I was the BIGGEST IDIOT in the world to send a whole tree WITH NO DECORATIONS, plus, the great decorating party I had envisioned for them never happened! I'm just thankful he sent the picture and I noticed the presents today--before Christmas morning! can you imagine the guys opening "gifts" and finding a goofy box of ORNAMENTS that they needed a month before?? talk about a moral buster!! UGH!!

Lesson learned here, surprises are wonderful, as long as they have CLEAR AND CONCISE INSTRUCTIONS! LOL

I should have said "OPEN THIS NOW" rather than "open this FIRST"

They are going to open everything tomorrow...salvage what they can and pass on the excess decorations to another group that needs them, so it's still all good, right??

It's just that this was the first time I'd ever done anything like this, and I was so overly excited about it, the dissapointment is just, well, overwhelmingly CRAPTACULAR!!! I can't believe I was such a DOOFUS...

email from Colorado

mrsmarquis — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 03:48:11 GMT

The first soldier I supported for fifteen months left in December. He just emailed today to check for the first time since he has been home to tell me he is being deployed again in eight months. This will be his fourth tour. Only one year home. He is so grateful for the little boxes I sent. It takes so little to make them happy. We should all appreciate the little things that bring joy to our lives. I learned so much from writing and supporting our soldiers.

My first repeat Soldier happening soon

Lilly — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 16:49:08 GMT

If anyone doesn't think what they do for our military has an impact, maybe this will change your mind.

Starting in the fall of '07, I had a young lady contact in Iraq that I got from this website. She had signed up for 12 people, 6 guys and 6 girls. They worked in a warehouse and mostly wanted snacks. I obliged with a couple of boxes of snacks each month, including a card saying hi to all of them, asking how they were doing, thanking them every time for their service, and giving them the weather for my part of Texas that day. I got a few short thank you cards from my contact with the weather report from her part of Iraq. She didn't share too much personal info with me. At Christmas, she sent me a little stuffed bear wearing a t-shirt saying 'Someone at Camp Taji loves you.' For the rest of her deployment, I did not hear from her directly but she posted fairly regularly on AS so I kept sending at least 1 box of snacks a month til her address was shut off in June '08 before their deployment stateside.

At the end of last month, I got an e-mail invitation to be one of her friends on Yahoo Instant Messenger. It took me a second to remember who she was. I accepted her invitation and a few days later, she and I happened to be logged in at the same time and had a nice chat. She told me she is heading to Afghanistan in late summer. I said 'But you just got home!' She said 'That's the way it is in the Army.' I immediately offered to to send her care packages and she told me she had hoped I would offer, that I had been the only supporter they had in Iraq who stuck with them through the whole deployment. So this will be my first AS contact who I will be supporting for a 2nd deployment. I am happy I can help her, it makes me sad that she is going again so soon.

Message from my Marine

USKiwi — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 16:46:31 GMT

I am notorious for writing long winded progressive letters that take days to write. I wondered if they really like reading my day to day things. Last week I got a Thank you card back and later a quick email from a Marine. Then I was surprised with a little package from the Marine with a book and little things. Also I had frustrations at work and she got a few others to write encouraging notes and even got a chaplain to explain some of the indiosyncracies of a Marine I work with. It was great. I am off to pick up some of the stationery I write on to send to them.

Update

Acoustic — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 01:18:41 GMT

Hi guys what's up!

With me being able to meet one of my soldiers, I had some incentive to continue supporting others (I took a break and focused on my current contacts.) I asked my new school [where I just moved to] to help out, and we have started a drive. As with my CCD drive, this is my second. Yay! To make this a little more interactive and beneficial for you guys, if you have any contacts you're writing to and want them supported, please tell me who and I'll get a few packages to them.

Thanks, Nick

Received a FLAG from my soldier!!

colourful — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 02:42:48 GMT

What an HONOR! I received a flag along with a certificate and a little note from her....I couldn't have been more THRILLED! Here's a photo:

Link

Not about the soldier...

Acoustic — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 02:43:42 GMT

I am in contact with Spc Andy Carroll, a medic from my state (very near me). He has been out of contact for a while - I don't know why - but when I checked my email, a message compensated

[dramatic drum lick]

It was actually from his wife! She wrote me talking about how we could get together when Andy went on his 2 week R&R! Enclosed was her phone number, in which I can stay in contact with the Homefront and Andy. I will definetly update you guys when I meet him.

-Nick

Got to meet one of my soldiers

CptDan'sMom — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 22:50:39 GMT

While I was at Ft. Campbell to welcome my son home, I got to meet one of my contacts who happened to be on the same flight. SGT Kimberly Bullman, a chaplain's assistant, who got one of my cards in an early swap! She happened to connect because I had mentioned my son in the letter enclosed with the card and she actually recognized his name. She wrote me back and we have been corresponding ever since. I got her last letter about a week ago. I was so surprised when Dan told me she was on his flight and asked if I wanted him to introduce us. What a double blessing! Lynne B.

My newest sister is home!

Lilly — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 20:05:28 GMT

I have posted before about SFC Bridget and how we bonded over countless IM sessions to the point where we now call each other Sister. I am happy to report she is HOME, got home on Tuesday and called me last night! We had a nice, long conversation

The day before she arrived back at her post in the States, I had a large box waiting for me when I got home from work. Bridget sent me a flag that had flown over her FOB in Afghanistan, a set of her uniform patches - name, unit, campaign patch - and a traditional Afghanistani bedspread - very pretty but kinda smelled funky! She included a note to WASH it first - no kidding! When she was home on leave the end of the year, she met my 2 best soldier support buddies and she sent them gifts too. She is so thoughtful. And I have a new sister and friend for life!

A special package........

Krewe Captain — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 18:53:10 GMT

Hi all! Haven't been on too much lately but felt I HAD to post today. A few moments after walking in the door last evening after a LONG day my phone rang. It was one of my favorite people. I had supported Jenn and Dave as they were on a 15 month deployment.. Husband & wife they are.........leaving home a small boy for all that time. They have both returned safely and are settling in to life in the states once more. She asked me if we had received a package from them. I told her no....but then realized that I hadn't had time to check the mail since arriving home.

I then saw a box on my table that hubby had brought in earlier and about that time I hear him say that I had gotten a package. I opened it and was so touched at what was in there. There was a beautiful photo album/scrapbook filled with photos and notes of thanks for me and my family. Photos of their accomplishments while deployed, the return home and the subsequent vacation that they were able to take as a family. The last page is for the photo that we will take when they come to visit for the first time. I tell you I am choked up just thinking of the book........I keep pulling it out, undoing the ribbon and turning the pages again and again.

When I think of all she has to do with supporting her hubby, serving our country and being a mommy.....WOW........she still had time to make this wonderful memory book of our year of friendship! Oh, the inscription on the inside reads:

"David and I would like to thank you for all the support that you gave to both of us through our deployements. Words ceould never come close to the apprciation that we have for your family to be willing to offer us so much. I made this mini-album for you to share with your friends and family! Thanks again and enjoy! With Love, J, D, & A Your adopted children and grandson!"

Turning 21 in Afghanistan, send birthday cards please!

Lilly — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 15:24:16 GMT

One of my newest AS contacts is a young woman who was in the Army less than 9 months when she deployed to Afghanistan. I just heard from her that she will turn 21 the 1st week of March.

If any of you card-sending junkies would be so kind, would you pop a birthday card in the mail to PVT Celeste Alvarado? Please request her name and address from the AS website Where to Send. And if you are feeling REALLY generous, send her a care package for her and her buddies too!

I don't know much about her, like favorite color or anything like that, so be creative and go for it, if you are so inclined! I'll be sending party hats, noisemakers, paper plates, Hostess cupcakes and birthday candles for her mini-celebration.

THANKS!!!

Hickory Farms Update - Fat, happy Marines

Susie — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 03:02:43 GMT

One of the Marines I sent a Hickory Farms package to said they demolished their summer sausage and cheese while watching the inauguration.

Another one sent me this email today. The "fat, happy Marines" comment made me laugh, and the email made my day.:

Susie,
I guess it is a good thing that I am writing because at this moment I am absolutely speechless. I have returned to find (4) EMPTY boxes of Hickory smoked sausage and cheese and FAT, HAPPY Marines with nothing but smiles on their faces. Really you did not have to go to such great lengths I really have no idea how to repay you or thank you for such kindness. Truly thank you so very much from me and my Marines you can not imagine how much something like this has truly lifted their spirits.

That Hickory Farms deal was a GREAT ONE! It made some Marines VERY happy, and boy, those packages got to Afghanistan and Iraq quickly!

Please don't let him lose his house!!!!

anetnut — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 16:15:37 GMT

I considered putting this in the emergency thread, but wasn't sure it would be considered an emergency. It is to me though.

I have a friend/"adopted" son who is in Afghan, just deployed 3 weeks ago. He just lost his mom to cancer less than 2 months ago. He is only 18. I finally was so relieved to have heard from him a couple of days ago on facebook. But then this is what he wrote on my wall....

"sorry to worry you, im fine all is alright, the house is about to be forclosed on but not much i can do here.
As for care packages, any bagged candy, (jolly ranchers and now and laters are golden) green socks and tan T shirts also. we will be going through alot of them. right now we have a good amount of down time, but not alot to get to the MWR.(internet and phones) PLease tell jamie, sarah and justin that im alive and well."

I am so upset over this. I can't let him lose his house. I'm assuming it was in his mom's name. I don't even really know if he has siblings. I don't think he has a father around. There must be something that somebody higher up can do. How can this young man (just a kid to me, but that goes with being my age I guess) come home from fighting for US and not have HIS home to return to? That home probably held memories, the last ones he would have with his mom. The house is located in Texas.

I have wrote to him on facebook, emailed him to both addresses and will be sending out a couple of letters in the mail in a package and without, just to see which way he sees it first. I have asked him for any info that I can about the house etc. to see what I can do from here. I have nothing to go on. I'm assuming that he would want some help with this, by the sound of his note.

A couple of the ladies from chat are helping me, God bless them, but if anyone else thinks they can help on this or have any suggestions, or knows someone in high places, please PM me and I will send you my email address. These guys/gals go through enough without piling more up on their plate.....

anetnut

Seeing each other FINALLY!

Lilly — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 21:40:07 GMT

Back in May '08, I sent a care package for a female to a male contact I chose off this site. He described their location as very remote, they only received mail once every 4 to 6 weeks and he said there were only 2 women there. I thought those 2 ladies could use some morale-boosting smell-good stuff and other feminine necessities. Bridget got the package although she shared with the other female soldier. Anyway, that is how Bridget and I first had contact. She e-mailed me a very nice thank you note and we started e-mailing back and forth, and then IMing whenever her schedule allowed.

Sometime in July, her glasses broke. Bridget is practically blind without her glasses. She sent me a photo showing her wearing her glasses with electical tape holding the 2 pieces together at the nose bridge - she even joked about looking like a geek! She also said the lenses were badly scratched from them falling off her face and onto the rocks and dirt. I was really worried that while she was outside the wire, her glasses might fall off or fall apart during a critical time and she would be unable to see. It became my mission to get her new glasses.

With the help of a very sweet optical technician at the Ft Campbell clinic and with Bridget's e-mailed permission, I was able to get Bridget's prescription and the measurements needed for the frames and then it was on to Lenscrafters! BTW, the 'glasses in one hour' is such a LIE! It took a WEEK! ...but ultimately I got a beautiful pair of NEW, sturdy glasses to mail my buddy Bridget. It took weeks for the mail to get to her FOB but by the end of September, she could see again!!! She was so happy and so grateful, it was really humbling the e-mail she wrote me after she got her new glasses. I think that has been the proudest moment among many proud moments as an AS junkie.

So Bridget and I finally got to see each other last Monday! She came home on R&R and I live near the DFW airport. She was heading out west to see her kids and had a long layover at DFW. Another support junkie friend and I went out to DFW and greeted the troops and then THERE WAS BRIDGET!!! She arrived 1 day after her birthday and I took a sign that said 'Happy Birthday, Bridget' but we recognized each other right away. She had a 40 pound pack on her back but when she saw us, she screamed and came running over and was hugging us and screaming and jumping up and down. It was so cool! As we were leaving and passing others that had come to greet the troops that day, I was still holding the sign and everyone was yelling 'Happy Birthday, Bridget!' She hugged or shook hands with everyone in the line.

We tried to get her on an earlier flight to get her home to her kids faster but that didn't work out. So we took her outside DFW and went to a nice place for lunch. I had also brought along a birthday cake so we had that for dessert. We just had the best time talking and visiting. We got back to DFW and stayed with her til she got on her flight. It was so amazing to meet her in person after all these months and feel like you already know each other after all the e-mails and IMs. Through AS, I have already acquired many friends, a daughter, a son, and now a sister!

Happy 2009!

Christmas Gift from "my" Marines

USKiwi — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 21:43:54 GMT

This Christmas I was surprised by a Christmas gift from a Unit of Marines I write to. I put it under my tree. It was an alligator (I live in Florida) dressed in Marine Blues. Check out my profile pic.
I do get hassled at work for getting a Gator as I work at University of Miami (rival to Florida Gators!!!).
This was such a humbling experience.