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thedrifter
07-15-05, 05:58 AM
Courtesy of Mark aka The Fontman

Care packages to go to local Marines
By Naomi Schemm, Journal Staff Writer

RAPID CITY - Art Jansen knows what it's like to serve your country halfway around the world. The Marine served in the Pacific theater during World War II from 1943 to 1946.

Now, he wants to make sure the Marines serving in Iraq and Afghanistan know that a community in South Dakota supports them.

Jansen and about a half-dozen members of the Marine Corps League are working to collect the names and military addresses of Marines in Iraq and Afghanistan who have local connections so they can send them care packages.

"There's little we can do, but this is something we can do to let them know people back home are concerned," Jansen said.

Local league commandant Tom Greene said that the group found listings of Marines on the Internet but that the league wanted to send packages first to those with ties to South Dakota or neighboring states.

"I know there's people with sons and daughters and uncles and aunts and friends (in the Marines) from this area," Jansen said.

People can send their Marine's name and military address to either Greene or Rusty Dobson. Greene's telephone number is 342-6943, and items are being collected at his home at 6975 Prestwick Road. Dobson's number is 343-1444. They ask that the Marine not be returning home soon so that he or she will still be overseas when the package arrives.

The league also is accepting donations from businesses for the care-package items. Jansen said they prefer that businesses donate in bulk items that the league knows it can use, rather than receiving a flood of individuals' private donations that might or might not be usable. But any business or individual can donate money to buy items or pay for postage.

"It's been very gratifying because everyone I've gone to has wanted to help," Jansen said. "There are a lot of people like me who want to do something."

Packages can include such things as nonperishable food, hard candy, powdered drinks, games, cards, entertainment items, dental and personal hygiene items, aspirin, pens, notepaper and envelopes.

Jansen said many area businesses, from insurance agents to banks to a printing company, have donated money or goods. For example, a local dentist contributed enough toothbrushes, paste and floss to last about six months, Jansen said. Each box will include a list of the supportive community businesses.

The U.S. Postal Service provides the boxes and will ship each care package at a rate of $7.70 regardless of weight. That is the cost for any care package as long as it's packed in the box from the USPS, according to Marjorie Adams, window supervisor at the Rapid City post office.

"We've sent two, but that's all the names we've been able to come up with so far," Jansen said. "Our goal is about ten boxes a month."

Jansen and Greene can tell about the packages of support — or lack thereof — that they received while serving overseas. "We'd get them from home, but care packages weren't something people were thinking about in those days," he said.

However, Greene, who served in Korea, said the project is meant to help and show support for the current troops. "Not so much what we missed as what they need," he said.

The Black Hills Detachment of the Marine Corps League has about 40 members consisting of mostly retired but some active-duty Marines, Jansen said.

"We're pretty small, so we can't handle much more than the Marines," he said, but he hopes some other group might handle the other military branches.

Small or not, Jansen plans to send the care packages for as long as necessary. "As long as we have names and have support," he said. "We're in it for the long haul."

Ellie