thedrifter
07-08-07, 08:39 AM
'A Taste of douglas county'
JOHN GIVOT, jgivot@newsreview.info
July 8, 2007
Sending a care package is a motherly thing to do, and it feels especially needed when the son is in the Army, half-way around the world in Iraq.
"I sent my son-in-law some jerky and he called and said all the guys in his team wanted it," said Samantha Reitenbaugh of Winston.
Determined to fill their needs, she took their request to heart and started fundraising. On June 1, Reitenbaugh sent 25 boxes, over 150 pounds, of beef jerky and other goodies to the unit of her daughter's husband, Spc. Corey Jones, 26, from Green.
When Reitenbaugh started her efforts she met many young vets who helped get her going.
"They were all crying, oh my goodness," she recalled. "The younger ones told me I had to keep doing it. When someone asks you, you have to keep doing it."
Reitenbaugh knows the soldiers have a difficult time in Iraq, which helps put the work she does in perspective.
"The food is kind of a comfort thing -- this is my world here -- sending a little bit of comfort," she said. "I do hope this helps in keeping their morale up because I do believe their morale has a lot to do with keeping them alive."
Reitenbaugh got a great response from her son-in-law in Iraq and decided to continue her efforts and increase the number of soldiers who will receive her packages.
She plans on sending the next round at the end of July, and hopes to be able to send care packages, including jerky, to between 50 and 100 soldiers.
She said she has spoken with people who have sent up to 10,000 packages to soldiers, but only once. She said it is important to her that she continue sending her jerky care packages.
"The soldiers feel like we don't care back here," she said. "We go to McDonald's and to get our hair done and don't even think about it. We take it for granted."
To put it in perspective, she gave an anecdote that her daughter, Devona, 21, told of a soldier in Iraq who wanted something green in what soldiers nicknamed "the sandbox." He had someone send him fertilizer and some grass seed, and was able to grow a little patch of grass where he could enjoy taking off his boots and remember home.
Staff Sgt. Dan Dailey from the Marines said that when he was in Iraq in 2005, getting packages was great.
"I got a couple good pen pals from that," he said. "It always made my Marines feel good to get packages from regular people -- you expect it from your family."
Dailey's comments were echoed by Army Staff Sgt. Isaac Pool, who spent two years in Iraq and said he especially appreciated getting books and personal hygiene products.
"You're well fed over there and you do have the opportunity to buy the same junk over there," he said. "I always liked getting free stuff; it was pretty enjoyable getting that stuff once in a while. Any kind of material they can send over helps out."
Dailey said that his guys used to hang up letters that schoolchildren would send them, although other gifts they would pass on for others' enjoyment.
"When we got Beanie Babies and stuff, we would always give them to the guys going out on combat to give to the kids, and hard candy and what-not," he said.
Reitenbaugh said the community has been generous and helpful. Ray's Food Place in Green discounted jerky, Goin' Postal in Green helped with postage, Fastenal Company in Green donated drink mixes, and Winston donated booth space at their July 4 festivities, where she held a raffle as a fundraiser.
Donations have slowed down though, and Reitenbaugh said help is needed from more than just Winston. She is asking all of Douglas County to pitch in and help. "People don't have to have a lot of money," she said. "They can donate even one dollar."
The care packages cost about $40 per soldier, and so far she has raised about $2,500. Reitenbaugh's mother, Judy Hyatt, also of Winston, recently graduated from accounting school and is working on getting nonprofit status for the project -- to be dubbed "A taste of Douglas County" -- which would allow donations to be tax-deductible.
Reitenbaugh describes herself as a shy woman, but this experience has forced her to reach out to others.
"I just want to get the word out," she said. "I've always been terrified to get out and speak to people, but this made me do it -- this is so important, I have to."
* You can reach reporting intern John Givot at 957-4208 or by e-mail at jgivot@newsreview.info.
Ellie
JOHN GIVOT, jgivot@newsreview.info
July 8, 2007
Sending a care package is a motherly thing to do, and it feels especially needed when the son is in the Army, half-way around the world in Iraq.
"I sent my son-in-law some jerky and he called and said all the guys in his team wanted it," said Samantha Reitenbaugh of Winston.
Determined to fill their needs, she took their request to heart and started fundraising. On June 1, Reitenbaugh sent 25 boxes, over 150 pounds, of beef jerky and other goodies to the unit of her daughter's husband, Spc. Corey Jones, 26, from Green.
When Reitenbaugh started her efforts she met many young vets who helped get her going.
"They were all crying, oh my goodness," she recalled. "The younger ones told me I had to keep doing it. When someone asks you, you have to keep doing it."
Reitenbaugh knows the soldiers have a difficult time in Iraq, which helps put the work she does in perspective.
"The food is kind of a comfort thing -- this is my world here -- sending a little bit of comfort," she said. "I do hope this helps in keeping their morale up because I do believe their morale has a lot to do with keeping them alive."
Reitenbaugh got a great response from her son-in-law in Iraq and decided to continue her efforts and increase the number of soldiers who will receive her packages.
She plans on sending the next round at the end of July, and hopes to be able to send care packages, including jerky, to between 50 and 100 soldiers.
She said she has spoken with people who have sent up to 10,000 packages to soldiers, but only once. She said it is important to her that she continue sending her jerky care packages.
"The soldiers feel like we don't care back here," she said. "We go to McDonald's and to get our hair done and don't even think about it. We take it for granted."
To put it in perspective, she gave an anecdote that her daughter, Devona, 21, told of a soldier in Iraq who wanted something green in what soldiers nicknamed "the sandbox." He had someone send him fertilizer and some grass seed, and was able to grow a little patch of grass where he could enjoy taking off his boots and remember home.
Staff Sgt. Dan Dailey from the Marines said that when he was in Iraq in 2005, getting packages was great.
"I got a couple good pen pals from that," he said. "It always made my Marines feel good to get packages from regular people -- you expect it from your family."
Dailey's comments were echoed by Army Staff Sgt. Isaac Pool, who spent two years in Iraq and said he especially appreciated getting books and personal hygiene products.
"You're well fed over there and you do have the opportunity to buy the same junk over there," he said. "I always liked getting free stuff; it was pretty enjoyable getting that stuff once in a while. Any kind of material they can send over helps out."
Dailey said that his guys used to hang up letters that schoolchildren would send them, although other gifts they would pass on for others' enjoyment.
"When we got Beanie Babies and stuff, we would always give them to the guys going out on combat to give to the kids, and hard candy and what-not," he said.
Reitenbaugh said the community has been generous and helpful. Ray's Food Place in Green discounted jerky, Goin' Postal in Green helped with postage, Fastenal Company in Green donated drink mixes, and Winston donated booth space at their July 4 festivities, where she held a raffle as a fundraiser.
Donations have slowed down though, and Reitenbaugh said help is needed from more than just Winston. She is asking all of Douglas County to pitch in and help. "People don't have to have a lot of money," she said. "They can donate even one dollar."
The care packages cost about $40 per soldier, and so far she has raised about $2,500. Reitenbaugh's mother, Judy Hyatt, also of Winston, recently graduated from accounting school and is working on getting nonprofit status for the project -- to be dubbed "A taste of Douglas County" -- which would allow donations to be tax-deductible.
Reitenbaugh describes herself as a shy woman, but this experience has forced her to reach out to others.
"I just want to get the word out," she said. "I've always been terrified to get out and speak to people, but this made me do it -- this is so important, I have to."
* You can reach reporting intern John Givot at 957-4208 or by e-mail at jgivot@newsreview.info.
Ellie