thedrifter
06-28-07, 07:42 AM
Moms nurture soldiers, one care package at a time
12:00 AM CDT on Thursday, June 28, 2007
Two months ago, a dozen Park Cities women were enjoying a relaxing "Moms' Spring Break" at a ranch near Glen Rose when the conversation turned to our nation's young people fighting in Iraq.
These women all have sons or daughters in their 20s. One mom, Laurie Aldredge, has a son in the military. (Russell Aldredge, a Navy Seal liaison, is a 1999 graduate of Highland Park High School.)
Tammy Reyna mesmerized the group when she told them about her son-in-law, 1st Sgt. Aaron McDonald, who is in Iraq commanding almost 200 Marines in the weapons unit of the 1st Battalion, 2nd Marines.
The unit is in an area that is too dangerous to be accessed by the mobile Post Exchange convoy, or PX. So these Marines have no access to basic needs such as toothpaste, soap and toilet paper. They left their base camp with a month's supply of these basics, and they've been out in the Iraqi desert for more than three months now.
For them, a shower consists of one bottle of water held overhead.
While it's too dangerous for the PX to come to them, an armed Marine gunship slips through every week or two with care packages from home. Meals Ready to Eat and water rations are included on these helicopters. Obviously, these Marines – more than half of whom are younger than 22 – love the sound of those chopper blades coming.
If a young man didn't get a care package from home, he simply had to do without. No toothpaste, no soap, no toilet paper, Ms. Reyna said.
These women looked at her, stunned. This wasn't a second- or third-hand story. This was her daughter's husband and 190 of his men. And they were U.S. Marines in desperate need of the basics.
That's when these women's maternal instinct kicked in and their patriotism took flight. They resolved to help these soldiers. All of them.
Using skills they developed on PTA committees, Junior League events and charity fundraisers, these 12 women organized themselves and developed a battle plan. They created "Teams for Marines" and held an Adopt-a-Marine event May 17 at the home of Margaret and Doug Hunt.
At the event, there were specific boxes required for military mail and instruction packets on how to ship them. Plus, there was a guest of honor. The ladies had pooled their airline miles and flew in Sgt. McDonald's wife, Beth, from Camp Lejeune, N.C., for the Adopt-a-Marine Kickoff.
University Park police Capt. Robert Flood handled traffic for the event. The former Marine got caught up in the spirit of the effort and signed himself and his wife up to adopt two Marines.
Beth McDonald couldn't believe her eyes as more than 200 moms swarmed the sign-up tables. All 190 Marines in her husband's unit were adopted twice, and donations of more than $5,000 came in.
Ann Swope volunteered to be the group's accountant.
Susan Sepulveda donated 400 Interstate batteries.
Laurie Aldredge and Mary Fly have been out buying items such as T-shirts, socks, underwear, DVDs, CDs, sports magazines and soccer balls for their guys.
Linda Earnhart, whose father was a Navy officer, has been moved to lead the effort. So far, she has shipped 41 boxes.
"I think my dad would be proud," Ms. Earnhart said.
The weapons unit will come home in September but will go back to Iraq in April.
When the Teams for Marines ladies learned of the black-tie Marine Ball the military wives will put on in November, they kicked their efforts into overdrive.
"These women are already stressed," Ms. Earnhart said. "We wanted to take a little off their plates. Peggy Newman has offered to do their decorations. They were planning to have a DJ play for a 1,200 person black-tie ball at Myrtle Beach. We have stepped in and offered to get them a live band."
The battle cry for the Teams for Marines is the reaction from one of the young men who was handed his care package in the Iraqi desert. He yelled out in joyful wonderment, "Who knows me in Texas?"
Kirk Dooley is a University Park writer. He can be reached at kirk@texmexbook.com.
Ellie
12:00 AM CDT on Thursday, June 28, 2007
Two months ago, a dozen Park Cities women were enjoying a relaxing "Moms' Spring Break" at a ranch near Glen Rose when the conversation turned to our nation's young people fighting in Iraq.
These women all have sons or daughters in their 20s. One mom, Laurie Aldredge, has a son in the military. (Russell Aldredge, a Navy Seal liaison, is a 1999 graduate of Highland Park High School.)
Tammy Reyna mesmerized the group when she told them about her son-in-law, 1st Sgt. Aaron McDonald, who is in Iraq commanding almost 200 Marines in the weapons unit of the 1st Battalion, 2nd Marines.
The unit is in an area that is too dangerous to be accessed by the mobile Post Exchange convoy, or PX. So these Marines have no access to basic needs such as toothpaste, soap and toilet paper. They left their base camp with a month's supply of these basics, and they've been out in the Iraqi desert for more than three months now.
For them, a shower consists of one bottle of water held overhead.
While it's too dangerous for the PX to come to them, an armed Marine gunship slips through every week or two with care packages from home. Meals Ready to Eat and water rations are included on these helicopters. Obviously, these Marines – more than half of whom are younger than 22 – love the sound of those chopper blades coming.
If a young man didn't get a care package from home, he simply had to do without. No toothpaste, no soap, no toilet paper, Ms. Reyna said.
These women looked at her, stunned. This wasn't a second- or third-hand story. This was her daughter's husband and 190 of his men. And they were U.S. Marines in desperate need of the basics.
That's when these women's maternal instinct kicked in and their patriotism took flight. They resolved to help these soldiers. All of them.
Using skills they developed on PTA committees, Junior League events and charity fundraisers, these 12 women organized themselves and developed a battle plan. They created "Teams for Marines" and held an Adopt-a-Marine event May 17 at the home of Margaret and Doug Hunt.
At the event, there were specific boxes required for military mail and instruction packets on how to ship them. Plus, there was a guest of honor. The ladies had pooled their airline miles and flew in Sgt. McDonald's wife, Beth, from Camp Lejeune, N.C., for the Adopt-a-Marine Kickoff.
University Park police Capt. Robert Flood handled traffic for the event. The former Marine got caught up in the spirit of the effort and signed himself and his wife up to adopt two Marines.
Beth McDonald couldn't believe her eyes as more than 200 moms swarmed the sign-up tables. All 190 Marines in her husband's unit were adopted twice, and donations of more than $5,000 came in.
Ann Swope volunteered to be the group's accountant.
Susan Sepulveda donated 400 Interstate batteries.
Laurie Aldredge and Mary Fly have been out buying items such as T-shirts, socks, underwear, DVDs, CDs, sports magazines and soccer balls for their guys.
Linda Earnhart, whose father was a Navy officer, has been moved to lead the effort. So far, she has shipped 41 boxes.
"I think my dad would be proud," Ms. Earnhart said.
The weapons unit will come home in September but will go back to Iraq in April.
When the Teams for Marines ladies learned of the black-tie Marine Ball the military wives will put on in November, they kicked their efforts into overdrive.
"These women are already stressed," Ms. Earnhart said. "We wanted to take a little off their plates. Peggy Newman has offered to do their decorations. They were planning to have a DJ play for a 1,200 person black-tie ball at Myrtle Beach. We have stepped in and offered to get them a live band."
The battle cry for the Teams for Marines is the reaction from one of the young men who was handed his care package in the Iraqi desert. He yelled out in joyful wonderment, "Who knows me in Texas?"
Kirk Dooley is a University Park writer. He can be reached at kirk@texmexbook.com.
Ellie