thedrifter
12-12-06, 07:01 AM
A forest of Christmas gifts
December 12,2006
Joe Miller
Monday, Gunnery Sgt. Troy DeRuise still had a lot of work ahead of him.
Dozens of vehicles snaked through the parking lot at the Camp Lejeune Main Exchange to get one of 800 free Christmas trees being given away. And DeRuise was waiting to help load those trees — it was sweaty work, but he enjoyed taking part in the giveaway.
“I think it’s a great gift for everyone who can come out here and say this tree was donated to us this year,” he said.
FedEx and the Christmas SPIRIT Foundation of Chesterfield, Mo., teamed up to give out the 800 trees to Marines and sailors on base. It’s part of a larger effort to give away 11,000 trees nationwide and overseas, including Iraq and Afghanistan.
Lance Cpl. Tamall Spurlock and Lance Cpl. Keisha Mitchell each got a tree and tied them to the top of their minivan.
“It means a lot to me,” said Mitchell, a mother of two from Atlanta. “I’m sure my children will love the tree.”
This is the first year the program provided trees to Marines at Camp Lejeune. Trees have also been given out at Cherry Point Air Station and Fort Bragg.
Tree growers donated the trees, and FedEx employees donated their time to bring the trees to the base.
“It’s a real pleasure for us to be here,” said Jim Mowrer, service center manager for FedEx Freight in Leland. “It makes you really feel good.”
Steve Drake with the Christmas SPIRIT Foundation said he has heard stories like a woman who hadn’t had a tree in about five years but wanted one to greet her husband who was about to return from Iraq.
“One of them said, ‘I don’t care which tree I get. It’s just so neat to get it for Christmas,’” Drake said.
Spurlock, who is from Wilmington, Del., spent last Christmas in Iraq.
“It was real hard but we came together and we made the best of it,” he said, agreeing that getting the free trees this year was a real nice change.
“It’s real good that I actually can come out here and the military actually take care of us like that,” he said.
Contact staff writer Joe Miller at jmiller@freedomenc.com or at 353-1171, Ext. 236
Ellie
December 12,2006
Joe Miller
Monday, Gunnery Sgt. Troy DeRuise still had a lot of work ahead of him.
Dozens of vehicles snaked through the parking lot at the Camp Lejeune Main Exchange to get one of 800 free Christmas trees being given away. And DeRuise was waiting to help load those trees — it was sweaty work, but he enjoyed taking part in the giveaway.
“I think it’s a great gift for everyone who can come out here and say this tree was donated to us this year,” he said.
FedEx and the Christmas SPIRIT Foundation of Chesterfield, Mo., teamed up to give out the 800 trees to Marines and sailors on base. It’s part of a larger effort to give away 11,000 trees nationwide and overseas, including Iraq and Afghanistan.
Lance Cpl. Tamall Spurlock and Lance Cpl. Keisha Mitchell each got a tree and tied them to the top of their minivan.
“It means a lot to me,” said Mitchell, a mother of two from Atlanta. “I’m sure my children will love the tree.”
This is the first year the program provided trees to Marines at Camp Lejeune. Trees have also been given out at Cherry Point Air Station and Fort Bragg.
Tree growers donated the trees, and FedEx employees donated their time to bring the trees to the base.
“It’s a real pleasure for us to be here,” said Jim Mowrer, service center manager for FedEx Freight in Leland. “It makes you really feel good.”
Steve Drake with the Christmas SPIRIT Foundation said he has heard stories like a woman who hadn’t had a tree in about five years but wanted one to greet her husband who was about to return from Iraq.
“One of them said, ‘I don’t care which tree I get. It’s just so neat to get it for Christmas,’” Drake said.
Spurlock, who is from Wilmington, Del., spent last Christmas in Iraq.
“It was real hard but we came together and we made the best of it,” he said, agreeing that getting the free trees this year was a real nice change.
“It’s real good that I actually can come out here and the military actually take care of us like that,” he said.
Contact staff writer Joe Miller at jmiller@freedomenc.com or at 353-1171, Ext. 236
Ellie