thedrifter
12-20-07, 09:08 AM
He sends Christmas stocking to troops
By Erik Olson
Pete Cassell knows how lonely the holidays can feel far away from home.
As a Marine stationed in Japan in the late '70s, Cassell remembers eating meals of raw eggs instead of his traditional homemade sausage.
"The first time you're half a world away from home, that's a hollow feeling," the Longview resident said.
Cassell also remembers the care packages from home, the little treats that bolstered his spirits when Christmas arrived. And he wants to make sure that troops deployed today can enjoy the same feeling.
That's why Cassell founded the Washington chapter of Give 2 the Troops, which has been responsible for sending thousands of Christmas stockings to soldiers, Marines, sailors and airmen stationed in Iraq and Afghanistan over the past four years.
The nonprofit group has already sent 1,500 stockings this year. The items inside are all donated, and they range from jerky to baby wipes to cold beverages to help soothe the troops during the warm desert days.
Before becoming involved in Give 2 the Troops, Cassell said he had helped send care packages to the troops with another group. Until, that is, he became unhappy because he felt too much money was going to administrative costs. He said he heard about Give 2 the Troops, which relies on all-volunteer labor and donations, and then realized the group had no Washington chapter.
Cassell, a de-ink operator at Weyerhaeuser's NORPAC plant, talked to his wife, and she agreed with the plan. That was four years ago.
"It has been much more than I had ever anticipated," he said last week.
Since then, the group has sent thousands of care packages to troops serving overseas each year, not including the stockings made especially for Christmas. The group's goal is to get the packages and stockings to as many local members of the military as possible, and Cassell said he'll sometimes get unexpected feedback from people on leave.
"We'll have troops come up and say, 'You sent us a package. Thank you,' " Cassell said, adding, "We've had them send a U.S. flag that they flew on a mission."
The weekly stocking-stuffing parties attracted dozens of volunteers since they began in the last week of November, and Cassell said he couldn't count the total number of volunteer hours spent on the project.
Sandy Davis, who works at Copies Today in Kelso, became one of those volunteers when Cassell came into the shop one day needing copies of the stocking designs. It was a rush to finish all the stockings, she said, but it was well worth the effort.
"It felt so good to go up there and get it done," Davis said.
Ellie
By Erik Olson
Pete Cassell knows how lonely the holidays can feel far away from home.
As a Marine stationed in Japan in the late '70s, Cassell remembers eating meals of raw eggs instead of his traditional homemade sausage.
"The first time you're half a world away from home, that's a hollow feeling," the Longview resident said.
Cassell also remembers the care packages from home, the little treats that bolstered his spirits when Christmas arrived. And he wants to make sure that troops deployed today can enjoy the same feeling.
That's why Cassell founded the Washington chapter of Give 2 the Troops, which has been responsible for sending thousands of Christmas stockings to soldiers, Marines, sailors and airmen stationed in Iraq and Afghanistan over the past four years.
The nonprofit group has already sent 1,500 stockings this year. The items inside are all donated, and they range from jerky to baby wipes to cold beverages to help soothe the troops during the warm desert days.
Before becoming involved in Give 2 the Troops, Cassell said he had helped send care packages to the troops with another group. Until, that is, he became unhappy because he felt too much money was going to administrative costs. He said he heard about Give 2 the Troops, which relies on all-volunteer labor and donations, and then realized the group had no Washington chapter.
Cassell, a de-ink operator at Weyerhaeuser's NORPAC plant, talked to his wife, and she agreed with the plan. That was four years ago.
"It has been much more than I had ever anticipated," he said last week.
Since then, the group has sent thousands of care packages to troops serving overseas each year, not including the stockings made especially for Christmas. The group's goal is to get the packages and stockings to as many local members of the military as possible, and Cassell said he'll sometimes get unexpected feedback from people on leave.
"We'll have troops come up and say, 'You sent us a package. Thank you,' " Cassell said, adding, "We've had them send a U.S. flag that they flew on a mission."
The weekly stocking-stuffing parties attracted dozens of volunteers since they began in the last week of November, and Cassell said he couldn't count the total number of volunteer hours spent on the project.
Sandy Davis, who works at Copies Today in Kelso, became one of those volunteers when Cassell came into the shop one day needing copies of the stocking designs. It was a rush to finish all the stockings, she said, but it was well worth the effort.
"It felt so good to go up there and get it done," Davis said.
Ellie