Support Our Troops From Home

As I sat at the dinner table on Thanksgiving Day, my family gathered around saying grace and talking about what we are all thankful for. I am thankful for all of my family being home and safe. There are so many families over this holiday season though that can not have that to be thankful for. There are too many families that are short a few family members this year due to the fact that they are off fighting for our country. These members have been deployed for months or even years at a time fighting for our safety and freedom while their families are at home everyday wondering and worrying about whether or not that they will hear from them each day. With these people being gone and fighting for US there are a few things that we as citizens can do to show them how much we care and are thankful for them. One website that is out there to show love to the soldiers is called “Soldiers Angels.” Sergeant Brandon Varn’s mother started this site in the summer of 2003 after Varn wrote home expressing that some soldiers seemed to have no support from their home and loved ones.

This mom, like any other mom, could not stand around and let this happen, so she contacted a few friends of hers to write a few extra letters. Within a few months, this grew to thousands of people writing letters to the troops. Besides just letters the troops need little things to try and make it feel a little more like home. This site along with others is collecting backpacks to send to the troops. Currently the Defense Department is not allowing for packages to come unanimously from individuals, the United Service Organization Inc. found a way to still get the troops what they request. The USO is enlisting the help of individuals to help with these care packages. By donating only twenty-five dollars, you can sponsor a care package that will include a personal message from you to the troops. These packages at minimum will include requested items such as prepaid phone cards, sunscreen, toiletries, and disposable cameras as well as the special message from the donor. The packages are being sent to the US Armed Forces around the world to let them know that the have not been forgotten about and providing them with a “touch of home.” The little things that we take for granted is what they are requesting. The troops are supporting us day in and day out, is it not about time that we show them how much we care and are thankful for them. If you are interested in helping out you can go to www.usocares.org or http://solidierangels.org.