Santa and his elves went to Baquoba, Iraq (my personal "war story")

[LynnTheDem]

My husband is active duty US military and was sent to Iraq in April 2003. His unit was stationed in the "Sunni Triangle" at Baquoba.

With Christmas 2003 approaching, I mentioned to a friend, Patricia (she & Michael run the Iraq Coalition Casualty Count site) that I was sending a lot of things to Iraq as "Santa care packages", because so many of the troops weren't getting anything from home. Some didn't have any family, some had families that just didn't have the money to send anything.

What an awful thing; troops stuck in the middle of a war, Christmastime, and not a single gift.

Pat wanted to help; could she too send some "Santa packages" to my hubby, for him to distribute to needy soldiers?

On my next online chat with hubby I asked him & he said sure, he'd play Santa.

So Pat set about collecting items to make up several packages, and happened to mention what she was doing to a friend of hers. That friend thought this was a fabulous way to actually do something to support our troops, rather than just chanting about it. Could she do some packages up too?

See, without personally knowing a soldier in Iraq and having his camp address, you can't send items directly to the troops. "General delivery any soldier" is no longer allowed. I had an "in"; they could send goodies directly to a soldier...mine!

Pat got hold of me, and asked would the hubby be willing to play Santa to a few more soldiers, say maybe 10 or a dozen troops?

On my next online chat with hubby I asked him & he said sure, he'd play Santa for a dozen soldiers.

And so Pat's friend started shopping for goodies on her lunch hours. She set out in her office different piles; socks, toothbrushes, candy etc. Her plan, when she was done with her piles, was to toss one item from each pile into a large baggie, which would be 1 care package for 1 soldier. A "Santa's workshop assembly line". :D

As customers came to this woman's office, they were very hurt; obviously a Christmas party was being arranged and they hadn't been invited! :(

Pat's friend quickly told them no, she was arranging Santa Care Packages to send to the troops, as her friend's friend had a husband in Iraq who would distribute the packages to needy soldiers who weren't getting anything otherwise.

These good people decided that was just NOT RIGHT, soldiers receiving nothing for Christmas! And so they all started coming back to the friend's office and dropping off goodies to be added to the piles. They brought socks and candy and instant soups. They brought telephone calling cards and books, books and more books. They brought instant tea mix and wet-wipes and nuts.

Pat's friend's boss learned about the "Santa workshop" taking place in his office; it was hard not to, there were huge piles of stuff all over the place. When he learned what it was all for, he said his company would donate the postage costs...and he did; all $350 of it!

Once all the gift packages were done, the friend and Pat took the many packages to their local Boxes store. When they learned what all the packages were for, the store donated all the boxes and peanut packaging.

Pat got hold of me when all was done...did I remember she'd asked would the hubby be willing to do care packages for 10 or 12 soldiers?

Yes, I remembered.

Well, she said, how about for....ohhh...say....30 or 40 of them???

:wow:

I said oh...my...gawd...and cried. :D

We decided NOT to tell hubby ahead of time. What a surprise he'd get, heh.

Hubby was surprised, when the boxes and boxes and boxes and boxes started showing up. The US Millitary Mail guys were NOT happy with him, to say the least. :D

The entire camp was quite stunned, and the unit's chaplain offered to help hubby pass out the gifts. Hubby emailed Pat & me;

"I think I have my first elf!"

He ended up with several "elves", and together they passed out all the Gift Care Packages to all the needy soldiers. Everyone in the unit received gifts for Christmas; either from their own families or from these incredibly kind wonderful people who on their own donated items for Pat's friend's "Santa assembly line" piles.

And THAT is SUPPORTING OUR TROOPS, even when we oppose the war they've been ordered into.

[Jivenwail]

1. Thank you, Lynn

For sharing this lovely story with us and kudos to you for what you did. This was amazing.

I completely understand what it means to "support" the troops in a war they were ordered into...the military doesn't make war, the politicians do and our military must do their bidding.

And once again, this year, our troops will be spending another Christmas alone in Iraq. Will Santa's workshop be up and running for these troops this year? Please let us know.

God speed

[Jacobin]

2. This is a great Christmas story.

:toast:

[TransitJohn]

3. Nice

:kick: :yourock: :grouphug:

[PA Democrat]

4. That is such a moving story Lynn

If only more people realized that ther is more to "supporting our troops" than putting one of those yellow ribbon magnets on their cars.

[bleedingheart]

5. what a great thing to do...

[Eloriel]

6. Fantastic

I'm in tears. Bless you -- and your hubby, of course. And all the GIs without families to remember them.

[LynnTheDem]

7. Thanks, guys! I have photos of the huge stack of boxes sitting

outside hubby's trailer in Iraq...soon as I figure out how to get them, and a few other interesting Iraq pics he took, from my 'puter onto the net, I'll post a few. :)