wrbones
03-25-03, 07:47 PM
Defense Dept. Drowning In Donations
COLUMBIA, S.C., March 25, 2003
Paige McMillin, left, and Aaron LeBrun, right, and other students in Katie Skelton's third grade class at Oakview Elementary put the finishing touches on their letters to the U.S. troops in Iraq. (AP)
"To bolster force protection, the general public is urged not to send unsolicited mail, care packages or donations to service members forward deployed unless you are a family member, loved one or personal friend."
DOD Memo
(AP) The U.S. Department of Defense is facing a new threat: drowning in donations.
Legions of well-meaning church groups and schoolchildren have overwhelmed the military with unsolicited care packages and letters for troops fighting in and around Iraq. The worst part is that because of security concerns, the packages cannot be accepted.
The Pentagon began sending out advisories this week asking people to quit mailing packages and letters to random members of the military.
"To bolster force protection, the general public is urged not to send unsolicited mail, care packages or donations to service members forward deployed unless you are a family member, loved one or personal friend," Defense officials said.
In addition to opening troops to threats such as anthrax, unsolicited mail competes with mail being sent by friends and relatives, the Pentagon said.
"There's great support across South Carolina for the deployed servicemen - not only for National Guard but for all the services - and believe me, the people who are deployed need that support, but the support needs to come in the forms that have been approved by the Department of Defense," said Lt. Col. Pete Brooks, spokesman for the South Carolina National Guard.
"The problem comes in not knowing what is in the prepackaged packages, and of course that comes from the anthrax scare," Brooks said. "The Department of Defense is very cautious about what they're actually letting be delivered to the deployed soldiers."
Phillip Reavis, principal at Oakview Elementary in Simpsonville, said his students already had begun writing letters when word came that they might not be delivered.
"The news report is actually pre-empting our attempts to do a direct mail," Reavis said. "We have been looking at some other opportunities, such as electronic mail."
Children at Newington Elementary in Summerville aren't heeding the advisory. They collected items to fill more than 270 shoeboxes for the soldiers, and teachers took the boxes to nearby Charleston Air Force Base on Monday.
"These packages are all inspected here by our people and then sealed up," said Lt. Col. Bruce Adkins of the 701st Airlift Squadron. "We are trying to do the best we can to get them distributed."
The Department of Defense is referring troop supporters to the USO, which is accepting $25 donations to assemble a DOD-approved package for soldiers headed overseas. The packages contain items that service members have requested - such as CDs, books, toiletries, sunscreen and, the most popular, calling cards – along with a message from the person who provided the $25 contribution.
"Security is a big issue now," said Sandy Levine, public outreach committee chairwoman for the USO of Metropolitan Washington, which distributes the packages at Baltimore-Washington International Airport.
The overwhelming majority of the packages are given to departing troops because delivering items to members of the military in the middle of a battle is a logistical nightmare, said Elaine Rogers, president of the USO Metro group.
"There's a war going on," said American Red Cross spokeswoman Stacey Grissom. "Right now may not be the best time. ... In the future, there will definitely be a call."
Grissom said her office is encouraging people to contact their local Red Cross to determine where their support is needed most. Volunteering time at local veterans' hospitals and helping the military families left behind is often more important – and probably more successful - than trying to send cookies or shaving supplies to the front lines, she said.
Rogers and Levine said their organization also needs cash donations to support other programs.
"We're starting to get the wounded (in Washington) now," Levine said. While soldiers are hospitalized, the USO provides housing for family members.
Brooks was quick to say that the military doesn't want to seem like it doesn't appreciate the thought that comes with packages and letters.
"We're very grateful for all the support that is going on, it's just that the support needs to come in the way that the Department of Defense has approved," he said.
By Mona Chamberlin
©MMIII, The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
•
COLUMBIA, S.C., March 25, 2003
Paige McMillin, left, and Aaron LeBrun, right, and other students in Katie Skelton's third grade class at Oakview Elementary put the finishing touches on their letters to the U.S. troops in Iraq. (AP)
"To bolster force protection, the general public is urged not to send unsolicited mail, care packages or donations to service members forward deployed unless you are a family member, loved one or personal friend."
DOD Memo
(AP) The U.S. Department of Defense is facing a new threat: drowning in donations.
Legions of well-meaning church groups and schoolchildren have overwhelmed the military with unsolicited care packages and letters for troops fighting in and around Iraq. The worst part is that because of security concerns, the packages cannot be accepted.
The Pentagon began sending out advisories this week asking people to quit mailing packages and letters to random members of the military.
"To bolster force protection, the general public is urged not to send unsolicited mail, care packages or donations to service members forward deployed unless you are a family member, loved one or personal friend," Defense officials said.
In addition to opening troops to threats such as anthrax, unsolicited mail competes with mail being sent by friends and relatives, the Pentagon said.
"There's great support across South Carolina for the deployed servicemen - not only for National Guard but for all the services - and believe me, the people who are deployed need that support, but the support needs to come in the forms that have been approved by the Department of Defense," said Lt. Col. Pete Brooks, spokesman for the South Carolina National Guard.
"The problem comes in not knowing what is in the prepackaged packages, and of course that comes from the anthrax scare," Brooks said. "The Department of Defense is very cautious about what they're actually letting be delivered to the deployed soldiers."
Phillip Reavis, principal at Oakview Elementary in Simpsonville, said his students already had begun writing letters when word came that they might not be delivered.
"The news report is actually pre-empting our attempts to do a direct mail," Reavis said. "We have been looking at some other opportunities, such as electronic mail."
Children at Newington Elementary in Summerville aren't heeding the advisory. They collected items to fill more than 270 shoeboxes for the soldiers, and teachers took the boxes to nearby Charleston Air Force Base on Monday.
"These packages are all inspected here by our people and then sealed up," said Lt. Col. Bruce Adkins of the 701st Airlift Squadron. "We are trying to do the best we can to get them distributed."
The Department of Defense is referring troop supporters to the USO, which is accepting $25 donations to assemble a DOD-approved package for soldiers headed overseas. The packages contain items that service members have requested - such as CDs, books, toiletries, sunscreen and, the most popular, calling cards – along with a message from the person who provided the $25 contribution.
"Security is a big issue now," said Sandy Levine, public outreach committee chairwoman for the USO of Metropolitan Washington, which distributes the packages at Baltimore-Washington International Airport.
The overwhelming majority of the packages are given to departing troops because delivering items to members of the military in the middle of a battle is a logistical nightmare, said Elaine Rogers, president of the USO Metro group.
"There's a war going on," said American Red Cross spokeswoman Stacey Grissom. "Right now may not be the best time. ... In the future, there will definitely be a call."
Grissom said her office is encouraging people to contact their local Red Cross to determine where their support is needed most. Volunteering time at local veterans' hospitals and helping the military families left behind is often more important – and probably more successful - than trying to send cookies or shaving supplies to the front lines, she said.
Rogers and Levine said their organization also needs cash donations to support other programs.
"We're starting to get the wounded (in Washington) now," Levine said. While soldiers are hospitalized, the USO provides housing for family members.
Brooks was quick to say that the military doesn't want to seem like it doesn't appreciate the thought that comes with packages and letters.
"We're very grateful for all the support that is going on, it's just that the support needs to come in the way that the Department of Defense has approved," he said.
By Mona Chamberlin
©MMIII, The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
•