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Men, women send care package to troops

Oct- 7-2004 » Filed Under: 3/2 SBCT

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By HEMA EASLEY

WHITE PLAINS — Iraq is on everyone's mind on this typical Sunday in the Eilen household.

A dozen men and women surround a long table filled with by magazines, toiletries, candy bars and all kinds of junk food. Friendly instructions fly around as cardboard boxes are packed and finally sealed with the sharp, tearing sound of sticking tape. Nearby, a man fills out postal forms and a woman ticks off names from a list.

"They want snacks, just junk food. Good old beef jerky is on top of the list," says Kiki Maria of White Plains, who teaches composition at Manhattanville College.

She and 25 others are volunteers for a chapter of Operation Support Our Troops that sends goodies to soldiers in Iraq, Afghanistan and other parts of the Middle East.

Led by Dr. Bonnie Eilen, a physician who lives in White Plains, they donate time, money and material to send to soldiers boxes filled with crackers, Pringles, lima beans, DVDs, compact discs, mouthwash, magazines, batteries, over-the-counter drugs and any other items soldiers could need. The men and women, some of whom have children in the military, say gestures like these go a long way in boosting the morale of soldiers[...]

Milton Karl knows just how much these packages can mean to soldiers who eat dehydrated Meals Ready to Eat while on combat duty and who could use a glass of lemonade when they are in 100-plus-degree heat.

"My son hardly gets a hot meal," said Karl, a White Plains resident whose 21-year-old son, Pfc. Alan Karl of the infantry's Stryker armored vehicle brigade, has fought in Najaf and Fallujah and is now in Mosul. "They are always on the move."

Under Operation Support Our Troops, volunteers, the majority of whom have no family in the military, "adopt" one or more soldiers and send them boxes at least once a month.

Full names and addresses are given only to military families for security reasons. Each packet costs $5 to mail and reaches the soldier in two weeks.

The packages frequently contain letters from volunteers to their soldier. Unlike previous wars when people would mail letters and boxes addressed simply to "Dear Soldier," volunteers have the first name of the soldier they are writing to, which creates an emotional link between them. Some volunteers feel that as long as they keep writing to their soldier, he or she will remain alive.

Soldiers frequently respond to their "families," thanking them for the boxes and for keeping them in their thoughts. Some write about the impact Sept. 11, 2001, had on their lives and that they believe they are fighting for freedom, justice and liberty for all. Others ask if a box can be sent to their buddies.

"There's a real need for people to know that when soldiers get a package, they know that people back home are thinking about them, and it is a great morale boost," Eilen said.


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