Posted on 03/29/2008 11:24:00 PM PDT by patriciaruth
Welcome to the 2008 thread of the Merry Band of Patriots!
Our grassroots group of troop supporters started in the summer of 2001 by sending VHS movies and Snickers candy bars to the 101st Airborne and later the 10th Mountain at Camp Bondsteel in Kosovo. We are not an organized charity as no one of us has the time or energy to do all that paperwork, and any contributions made are not tax deductible.
Our specialty in the past has been movies, books, snacks, personal care items, holiday decorations and some appliances like DVD players, microwaves, and Playstations; and we have sent many hundreds of movies to various bases. Normally we adopt a whole unit and send care packages to a contact in that unit who distributes the goodies to all in the unit. When our adopted units rotate back stateside, they leave the items which are not consumable for the use of their follow-on unit. Thus we have helped build up entertainment libraries throughout the war zones.
REVIEW OF 2006
In 2006 we entered our 6th year of sending care packages to our troops in war zones We adopted the follow-on PSYOP company at Bagram air base in Afghanistan and a follow-on Stryker Brigade company at Mosul in Iraq. We also adopted a new company of 141st Signal battalion in the 1st Armored Division that started at Tal Afar and was soon moved to Ramadi as a tip of the spear there in 2006, just after another adopted unit (Old Sarge’s unit) at Ramadi left. Here are a couple emails from Chris that say it all for what they went through there.
“The bad news is that my team has been activated and now has a mission in downtown Ramadi, the most dangerous place in Iraq.” –June 15, 2006
“…can you say, BOMB MAGNET?!!” -- June 16, 2006
[It didn't help that a reporter with a major news service helped the terrorists spot their RPG trajectories by publishing that one had fallen 20 feet short, resulting the next day in an RPG killing one of our contact's fellow soldiers.]
“Last week another soldier and I were at our communication trucks when an RPG hit a humvee right outside our compound wall about 10 feet away. It rocked the trucks. We both opened the doors to our trucks to run inside when a 2nd RPG flew over the wall, through our camouflage net, bounced off the top of our trucks and hit the ground exploding right in front of us. I was closest, about 2 feet away. The blast threw us back into the trucks. The other guy only had his glasses knocked off. He got right back up and ran inside. I don't remember the exact details but I remember the blast throwing me back inside the truck and into the signal equipment. I think I was stunned and dazed because I sat there for a few minutes before I regained situational awareness and got the hell out of there. I suffered a concussions and some hearing loss.” –August 10, 2006
A lot of prayers were said for our guys at Ramadi, which is now a relatively peaceful city under Anbar Awakening, and our contacts are safely home.
In 2006 we were also glued to a couple companies of the 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team out of Fort Richardson in Alaska. (Most of the Brigade bases at Ft Wainwright.) Our adopted company in an SBCT the year before had been at Fallujah 2004 and then met evil face to face and endured some horrific times at Mosul (2004-2005). They witnessed atrocities to the civilian population by the terrorists and they experienced IED attacks and the mess hall bombing at FOB Marez that left some of our company very severely injured with one KIA.
Their follow-on unit and a sister company that we also adopted were faced with pacifying the towns along the Syrian border. In 2006 they moved out from Mosul into Ft Talafar, FOB Heider, COP Rawah, and other locations and brought a return to sanity for the locals from the murderous reign of radical and vicious terrorists enforcing their idea of Sharia law.
Alpha company of 4-23 infantry regiment of SBCT was out in the sand in tents at COP Rawah in the late winter and into the blistering summer heat with few amenities, so we concentrated on sending them packages.
In May of 2006, because I believed our adopted 172nd Stryker units and our 1AD unit at Tal Afar were going to be in an upcoming major offensive, I urged our troop supporters to send a great many care packages for the Fourth of July.
The Merry Band of Patriots responded by sending over a hundred care packages to our adopted units for the Fourth of July. More detail will be in one of the first posts of this new thread.
As feared, just as their tour ended and they were getting on planes to go back to Alaska, our two adopted 172nd SBCT companies had their tours extended and were turned around and sent to Baghdad in 120 degree heat. They pretty much arrived with just the clothes on their backs, having given away to their follow-on unit or mailed home most of their “comfort” and recreational items. They had to beg back their Stryker vehicles and unpack and reassemble and resight their weapons. ‘Stryker at the special location’ (FOB Heider) went, too; and all were reunited again at FOB Stryker at Baghdad. Some 200 plus of them returned from Alaska.
We did an emergency mailing of packages to help reequip them with odds and ends, like surge protectors, flexible cold packs, pillows, sheets, soccer ball inflators, drink mix, DVD movies and boxed TV series. kattracks, bjcintennessee, daybreakcoming, DAVEY CROCKET, JaneAustin, Just A Nobody, SwatTeam, JoyjoyfromNJ, Enterprise, MJY1288, norton, JustAmy, Abigail Adams, DrDeb, Ros42, my optometrist, SENClander, patriciaruth all sent packages.
In return a few of us got T-shirts from the Apache Renegades (Juan’s Stryker unit), with their mascot [skull with Indian war bonnet] over a map of Iraq with this inscription:
OIF
Aug 05 – Dec 06
Mosul Rawah Baghdad
“STRIKE FEAR”
We adopted a new unit in the Fall of 2006, an NPTT unit (National Police Transition Team) at Baghdad, on the recommended of Juan in the 172nd SBCT, because his brother Andy was a member of the unit. (Another brother was serving in Afghanistan. What a family!)
We also sent 19 packages to Kirkuk for Operation Crayon summer 2006 with school supplies for the local kids.
We communicated with and sent some packages to a few wounded warriors at a Fisher House for transitional treatment of those just discharged from Walter Reed.
We sent some packages to Irbil where some MI soldiers were liaisoning with servicemen from Republic of Korea, and some to a military intelligence unit at Kirkuk.
I sent a few packages to a Marine from my town who was near Baghdad.
2006 had its victories.
Zarqawi was killed at Mosul in June and Saddam was executed in Baghdad in December. But the bombing of the Golden Mosque at Samarra by al Qaida early in 2006 sparked escalating sectarian violence that almost derailed everything we had accomplished. Anbar Awakening (where the Iraqis in Anbar Province decided the al Qaida types were evil and decided to band with the Americans to get rid of them) and the Surge in 2007 put Iraq back on the freedom track and our soldiers closer to seeing a victory for their heroic and costly efforts in Iraq.
2006 had its sorrows.
2006 was a difficult year for me due to personal and family health problems and the beginning of kattrack's final illness, and thus I never posted a new 2007 thread with a summary of 2006. The advantage of the delay is that I was able to include much more detail about what was going on with our adopted units in 2006.
kattracks was our Fairy Godmother Dept for our soldiers in harm's way. In the first 9 months of 2006 she sent at least 92 care packages, many of them large. 7 went to Camp Ramadi and included an large inflatable wading pool, 9 went to Stryker at Mosul. 23 went to Tal Afar for general distribution to all the units there. 11 went to A company of Stryker at COP Rawah and then 11 more went to them after they were redeployed to Baghdad; 2 went to C company of Stryker at Ft Talafar and 11 more after they redeployed to Baghdad. 9 went to Kirkuk for Operation Crayon, and 9 went to Bagram air field, Afghanistan.
kattracks was given the precious gift of the Rapture in May, 2007, and we were left to carry on without her.
A few other special projects in 2006 that caught my eye as I was counting the packages from kattracks:
18 boxes of school supplies were sent in 2006 to Operation Crayon in Kirkuk by Coop, kattracks, Jane Austen, patriciaruth, my mother, Just A Nobody, Enterprise, DrDeb)
Two framed quit claim deeds to Zarqawi’s safe house were donated by doug from upland (together with copy of the ad on eBay) and sent to MI at Kirkuk and to 1AD at Ramadi.
Christmas, 2006, packages went to
Bagram (from Nina0113, Enterprise, daybreakcoming, airborne)
Baghdad:
10th Mountain: (from patriciaruth)
NPTT (from SENClander, daybreakcoming, with 11 Petzl headlamps sent directly)
a local Marine near Baghdad (patriciaruth)
4th ID north of Baghdad. (from patriciaruth requested by Abigail Adams)
Mosul: Stryker that was redeployed to Baghdad (from jtill, a Santa suit from patriciaruth, LittleBlogSpot, Freedom is eternally right, SwatTeam)
Ramadi: (from jtill, fanfan, SwatTeam, daybreakcoming and her sister, Merlinator, Abigail Adams, Enterprise, Just A Nobody)
Wounded:
Walter Reed (from Enterprise)
Mologne House for recovering wounded (from patriciaruth)
daybreakcoming sent pre-lit Christmas trees to Ramadi and Mosul, and her tree to Stryker at Mosul ended up at FOB Stryker in Baghdad as they were redeployed there just before Christmas. SENClander sent a pre-lit Christmas tree to NPTT at Baghdad.
Many care packages went out throughout 2006 which are not listed, like all those nina0133 sent to Bagram; but I have decided to cut the effort to list everything now so I can manage to get a new thread posted.
REVIEW OF 2007
In 2007 we sent out over 71 care packages to Afghanistan, over 105 to Stryker Brigade Combat Team units in the Surge to pacify Baghdad and environs, over 83 to NPTT units at Baghdad, and 4 to Balad for an estimate of over 263 packages sent to our adopted units in the war zones.
. The Surge meant our guys were on walk about more than they were at home base -- looking for and finding AI (al Qaida in Iraq) as well as enough caches of weapons to carpet California.
Afghanistan heated up and we ended the year 2007 sending a few care packages to a group holed up on high mountain ledge near the Pakistan border and scoring 400 plus fire fights with Taliban and al Qaida trying to infiltrate back into Afghanistan.
Last year 2007 we grieved at the loss of troop supporters kattracks, kayak, 68-69TonkinGulfYachtClub, GretchenM (formerly GretchenEE), and the husbands of jtill and SENClander. We also continued to miss COB1 (AKA Texas Cowboy). God holds them all now in the palm of His infinite hand.
CREDITS:
AFGHANISTAN 2007:
BAGRAM Air Field near Kabul:
SENClander's sister sent 3 care packages in January to 315th PSYOP unit just before they left, and we [nina0133, Ros42, Abigail Adams, Just Amy, Jim Robinson, jtill, Paperdoll, PigRigger, manna, patriciaruth] sent 61 care packages (5 were large) to A Co, 13th PSYOP who took over and who have now departed early this year. These packages included 55 bags of beef jerky given to a Special Forces unit there from airborne, norton, Kitty Mittens and my mother. SW6906 sent most episodes of 3 TV series.
KANDAHAR: fanfan sent packages to Canadian troops
BATTLE Company on Pakistan-Afghan border:
Early in December 2007 we sent them 7 care packages for Christmas:
5 boxes of Hickory Farms cheeses (with 37.5 oz of cheese in each) from Enterprise and patriciaruth, a box with 17 packs with 1/2 lb of beef jerky from 4Godsoloved...Hegave, and a box with 14 Hickory Farms 14 oz beef sausages from by cshnorthcarolina.
Email to maine-iac7 from her grandson: “We ate all of that cheese and meat, it was amazing. We really pushed through all of it fast. awesome. I can’t find the box to tell who sent it - if you know, PLEASE thank them and let them know how great it was! Best food in some time! It means a lot to us that people back home know we are here. We;re so isolated that it really is awesome to know. It means a lot to all of us.”
IRAQ 2007:
In 2007 we [[nina0133, SwatTeam, manna, jtill, patriciaruth, Enterprise, Ros42, Abigail Adams, mathluv, Just Amy, Jim Robinson] sent 66 care packages to our adopted Stryker unit at FOB Stryker at Baghdad up to their departure at the end of the summer --including a microwave [Enterprise], a Nintendo Wii [my optometrist], and 210 blue ice gel packs [SwatTeam and jtill].
We sent 39 care packages [deadhead, SENClander, JustAmy, Jim Robinson, Paperdoll, Abigail Adams, patriciaruth, 4Godsoloved...Hegave], 18 Petzl headlamps [Enterprise, jtill, manna, PigRigger, Kitty Mittens, MEG33] and a Christmas tree with ornaments [mass55th] to the current Stryker unit at Baqubah in Diyala Province, after we made contact in November.
To 3 NPTT (National Police Transition Team) units in Baghdad (at Camp Liberty) we [SENclander, patriciaruth, mass55th, Yaelle] sent 56 care packages including 22 Petzl headlamps [MEG33, SwatTeam, norton, Enterprise, jtill] and a Christmas tree [MJY1288] and ornaments. To one of these units (to Juan's brother Andy) we [Enterprise, Tunehead54, patriciaruth, my mother] also sent 12 boxes of school supplies for him to distribute to local school children.
To an NPTT unit at FOB Falcon near Baghdad that left in September we [patriciaruth, iceskater, Enterprise] sent 15 care packages and SW6906 sent most or all episodes of 5 TV series.
BALAD, Iraq 2007: 4 care packages sent for Christmas to mystery-ak's husband (doing another tour of duty).
FOB Prosperity, Iraq 2007: 1 care package
****
Our many generous donors of checks, cash, money orders, Paypal, shopping cards, phone cards, etc are listed in the Accounting posts toward the end of our 2006 thread (which also covers 2007) and which can be linked from the post below. Many of our members are now trusted to mail their packages directly.
Hey Patty!
Wanted you to know - I’m headed to Ft. Bragg next weekend for Sean’s graduation from Special Forces school!
He and Sarah are expecting baby # 2!
May God bless you and your “Merry Band of Patriots”!
And may He continue to bless all of our heroic men and women serving in the US Armed Forces!
Is that the weekend just past or the weekend now coming up?
An update on a Sky Soldier’s stateside leave:
my grandson, from BATTLE co, 2nd/503rd, in Afghanistan just had his 18 day leave, after 10 months in the Hindu Kush, aka “Taliban Central” =
He was apprehensive over the reception he might receive stateside, due to the cr*p coming out of DC and elsewhere - but he found out that what his ole gramma had assured him was true: America is behind you!
He is, as we “speak” on his way back for 5 more months in ‘The Valley of Fire” -
He has 5 more months there before a years break back at base in Italy =
Praying that by the time Battle Co, is sent back to the Korengal for a second 15 monther that things will have calmed down. ()It seems Gates is considering to cut the deployments down to 12 months - only twice that of other branches. Big of him.
On a positive note: My grandson was greatly heartened and surprised that everywhere he went on his leave (He was was in Texas and California with parents, other grandparents and siblings, ) he continually found people at restaurants, stores, hotels, on the street - letting him know how much they appreciated him and his fellow troops.
He even got the royal treatment from other troops on the plane coming stateside when they saw his insignia: “You’re BATTLE COMPANY!” = Drinks were being sent from everywhere and his hand got sore from shaking.
From Houston to Corpus to California - he was treated like royalty everywhere he went. He was blown away.
Here’s a couple ‘excerpts’:
Last week, he and his dad went up to Austin - my grandson is an accomplished guitarist, even played a full set on stage, when he was only 12, with the famous Blues man, Phillip Walker - so he wanted to check out the Blues bands in Austin. He was having such a good time, he suggested to his dad that they stay over night.
The hotel wanted $298 for one night. My grandson said: “Well, it’s not that I couldn’t pay that, it’s that I wouldn’t pay that to sleep anywhere for one night.” (He had on a BATTLE CO. tee shirt) He asked: “Do you, by chance, have a military rate?” A smile lit up the clerks face. “Just a minute,” he said.
He came back with the manager, who shook his hand and ...
the results were that they got a top story, $498 room, for $98.
And when he got to the airport yesterday morning for the trip back, he was taken out of line by the airlines reps - he asked: “Is there a problem?”
“Yes,” they said: “You do not stand in line. Come with us.”
And they put him in First Class! He was stunned. But what a wonderful “icing on the cake” moment for him as he heads back to hell.
I tear up just thinking what this all meant to him as he feared the worse before he came stateside, what with what they hear in the media.
(an aside: he has one of his guitars with him at the Korengal and is their “official” entertainer..)
Note: Just talked with one of my son’s who is a long-hauler. He was driving through Colorado today and was on the highway side by side with a convoy of troops who were head and shoulders visible to motorists.
He said every vehicle going past was cheering, waving and high-fiving them. He said the soldiers were waving back and grinning ear to ear.
Eat your black hearts out, you traitorous liberals. America is with our troops.
For heart warming info about Battle Company, see maine-iac7’s post above.
Thanks for the summary/information/education and for your tremendous work, Patty.
America’s finest, FReepers directly connected to America’s finest, and FReepers supporting America’s finest!
All-in-all, the finest people the rest of the world may never know.
~~AWESOME ..... BTTT!!
God bless you and your family, maine-iac7,
and protect and guide your outstanding,
incredible grandson!! What an amazing man.
Tears and cheers.
Thank you for pings to main-iac7’s grandson’s wonderful reception, especially in Austin - one of our more liberal cities.
I pray for our military each day.
Wow, great stories! I’m glad your grandson felt the love that we have for our soldiers! God bless him and his fellow soldiers.
Congrats on Sean’s graduation! Please give him a salute and a hug from all of us!
Thank you for the Ping, Patty, to this Uplifting and Encouraging Read. Maine-iac7, God Shower your Grandson with Awesome Blessings!
What a wonderful story!!
You should have warned me about getting a box of Kleenex.
Maine-iac7 .... Thank you grandson for his service. God Bless him and keep him safe.
Where do we go to donate to this project?
Update:
Three of our adopted units are in transition, and I have new APO’s for a new unit at Bagram air field, Afghanistan, and for a new NPTT unit at Baghdad.
I have requests from our Stryker unit at Baqubah and from the other two new units.
Stryker at Baqubah requested a Nintendo Wii (among a list of suggestions), and I have shilled for the troops Big Time; but it wasn’t hard to get my optometrist to volunteer to supply one to the new base of our forward Stryker unit. They also asked for Tiger Woods gold game to go with it, and I will order that from Amazon with a donation that came from PigRigger last month.
The new NPTT unit requested some movies and summer supplies. With donations from jtill, SwatTeam, and manna I got them Blue Ice gel packs and requested DVD’s (TV series Scrubs 1 & 2, Tin Man, and movies I am Legend, Omega Man, Good Luck Chuck) with some canisters of Gold Bond body powder.
Anyone who can send sun block/sunscreen with high SPF, high SPF chapstick, and more body powder, please let me know. I’m sure drink mix powder would also be received with great joy.
Also, if bjcintennessee or JustAmy are able to make any more of the cooling neck scarves, please let me know. Other suggestions for summer supplies will be appreciated.
The new unit at Bagram has asked for “Most of what we crave are snacks that are on the healthy side. We’ve been so overwhelmed by candy that we are still trying to eat it. Dried fruits, jerky, granola, oatmeal, and anything in between would be most welcome. We could also use some drink mixes, like Kool-Aid, and some flavored creamer for coffee. The guys go through that stuff faster than we can get it in.”
Nina0113 normally handles Bagram, but she has been ill for some months now. So I am asking for volunteers to send packages to Bagram while we pray for her to finally get well.
******
Email from Stryker:
Dear Patricia,
Tell the one donor [Enterprise] the shaving gel did arrive, along with the other various packages the I ended up sharing with the entire company and they are so appreciative of all of them. Things have been really busy here, .... the guys would love to have a WII with games such as the Tiger Woods gold (the guys are really playing their gaming systems a lot these days. I want to thank you for everything you guys have done over the past months. .... Thank you for all the prayers and packages, as we pray the Lord continues to protect us ... Talk to you soon and God Bless!
CPT H [He was just promoted]
****
Email from new NPTT unit at Baghdad, with a great deal redacted:
We took the hooah picture today. My executive officer will download the digits on to his computer and email them to me. I’ll send it as soon as I get it.
My grandmother is a little older than your mother and is going into senility as well. She has had numerous strokes and has lost use of one of her arms. It is very saddening to see a loved one in such condition.
We will probably end up moving ... at some point in our deployment, however no one can give us any answers as to when that might be.
Right before and after our missions, my team gathers to pray. I will use the passage you sent [a couple verses from Isaiah that Kitty Mittens posted]. It was very powerful. Thank you.
Fear not: for I have Redeemed thee:
I have Called thee by thy Name;
Thou Art Mine.
When thou Passest through the Waters,
I will be with thee;
And through the Floods,
They shall not Overflow thee.
When thou Walkest through the Very Fire,
Thou shalt not be Burned;
Neither shall the Flame Kindle Upon thee.
For I am the Lord thy God,
The Holy One of Israel,
Thy Savior.
(Is.43:1-3)
Hi Patty.
I didn’t send any cooling scarves but I did send some scarves for the ladies.
I should be able to send some drink mixes. I’ll let you know what I get next week.
Mailed April 18, 2008, to MRC, NPTT at Baghdad
1 12x12 box, insured $149.07, postage $13.40
3 TV series:
Scrubs, Season 1
Scrubs, Season 2
Tin Man (new SciFi Channel series)
3 DVD movies:
I am Legend (Will Smith)
The Omega Man (Charlton Heston)
Good Luck Chuck
28 Ice Blue flexible gel packs, lunchbox size
5 canisters 4 oz Gold Bond body powder
Oh, they love drink mix!
Good ..... I will get some out to them.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for Thou art with me.
Finally got some packages mailed today.
Sent to NPTT:
Box #1 ...
8 qt size Lemonade Mix
8 qt size Kool Aid Mix
2 15oz Flavored CoffeeMate
1 8oz bag beef jerky
12 4oz cans fruit
Box #2 ....
25 4oz. cans fruit
8 qt size Strawberry Lemonade Mix
Sent to Psyop:
Box #1 ....
1 Box of 50 Kudos Granola bars
2 15oz Flavored CoffeeMate
1 8oz bag Beef Jerky
Box #2 ....
34 qt size Lemonade
1 15oz Flavored CoffeeMate
3 8oz bags Beef Jerky
Box #3 ....
2 box of 28 Hershey Energy Bars
20 Granola bars
I will get two or three more boxes mailed in a couple of weeks.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.