Christmas in July

Last year was a great year for supporting our troops as we continue sending monthly care packages and prepare for our Christmas in July Project, 2013. In May, 2013 we'll be mailing our 6,000th care package to our troops in Afghanistan. We hope this year to meet the needs and requests of even more soldiers as support for them and our mission grows.

The Brookings-Harbor Redshirts were able to host a community event on March 30th, welcoming home four of our local soldiers; two served in Afghanistan and two served in Iraq. Thanks to many local businesses and citizens for funding this welcome home celebration. It was wonderful seeing everyone shake hands and welcome home some of our local troops.

Thanks also to our many Global Giving supporters who are invaluable in helping us fulfill our promise of supporting our troops until they all come home. We are making preparations for our yearly "Christmas in July" shipment also, where we send not only good and hygiene items, but gifts, games and other items to make it "feel" like Christmas for our soldiers. This is the time of year it's the hottest in Afghanistan so we go all out to lift the morale and make it fun for our troops.

Recently we received a letter from MSG Tadd Jennings in Afghanistan who also sent us a picture from there. One of the items he was requesting was hand warmers, you'll see why. Here is his letter to us all:

Hello Redshirt supporters!

Thank you for the care packages and piece of driftwood!  The gifts and supplies was much appreciated.  Everyone liked the pictures of the group and how beautiful Oregon is!  Most of the soldiers here are from Texas and other southern states and had never visited Oregon.  Our base here is a small one and US Army soldiers are the minority.  We have a lot of NATO Soldiers and they are amazed by the support of total strangers for Soldiers from the USA.

I have enclosed a pic of us here.

Have a great day.

v/r

MSG Jennings, Tadd

NCOIC

Camp Qargha, Afghanistan

UNCLASSIFIED

Also I have included a couple of pictures of the community-wide welcome home celebration for four of our soldiers.

Thank you again for all your support,

With Gratitude,

Frank Muller

Project Leader

Brookings-Harbor Redshirts

This year the Brookings-Harbor Redshirts had a sucessful Christmas shipment of care packages to our troops serving in Afghanistan. We were able to mail 151 assorted care packages to ten different groups, and several located at Combat Support Hospitals. We were blessed to be given about 50 filled Christmas stockings by one of the local churches and also to have the help of the Red Hat Society, a local ladies group in packing a lot of our care packages.

Each large shipment like this one requires a lot of planning, organizing and timing to make it all happen on time. It also requires the resources necessary to purchase the items and to pay for the shipping. So to all our partners in GlobalGiving, a big thank you for helping make this all possible. Thos year, 2013, we are hoping to be able to mail our 6,000th care packages to a soldier serving in harm's way. 

We've had lots of thank you letters and emails from the troops and I would like to share some of them with you today.

Dear Redshirts,

I wanted to personally thank you all for continued support for our the Troops here in Afghanistan. We received the care packages today and I passed them to the Chaplain to help pass them around to everyone. It is the support from folks like yourselves that keeps us going.

Thank you again and God Bless.

Sincerely,

KENNETH E. KOEHLER

1LT, MS

TF MED SW S4

And another card read:

Dear Brookings-Harbor Redshirts,

Thank you very much for your kind gifts and thoughtful letters. The Marines made quick work of everything you sent.

We hop you and your families will have a wonderful Christmas, we genuinely appreciate your support.

Semper Fidelis,

Zachary Schmidt

1 MEF FWD (G1)

And from a local soldier:

Dear Redshirts,

Thank you so much for your packages! My room mates and I love the DVDs! Going to try and watch them all before I come home.

My room mates and I decorated our room with the ornaments and Christmas lights you all sent to us. It looks beautiful and cheerful!

From all the soldiers here in Afghanistan, we thank the Redshirts for all of the support and packages sent to us during our tour over here. Thank you so much!!

SPC Sarah Braun

Camp Leatherneck

Afghanistan

We want to again thank you for all of your support, but mostly, we want to express the goodwill from all of the troops serving in harm's way because of the difference you were able to make during their tour of duty. Thank you and a wonderful 2013 to all of our partners. May our troops be safe and come home soon.

With gratitude,

Frank Muller

Project Leader

Brookings-Harbor Redshirts