thedrifter
04-28-09, 07:47 AM
SO TO SPEAK
Moms know: Box from home is gold to soldier
Tuesday, April 28, 2009 3:02 AM
By JOE BLUNDO
The Buckeye Military Moms are seated around a big table at the Sharon Township Hall in Worthington, busily making flag pins.
A plaque on the wall notes that the room is dedicated to soldiers killed in the Vietnam War. The moms need no reminders of the costs of war.
Just below their lighthearted chatter lies the anxiety of having children in the military.
Tears well in the eyes of Barbara Forsythe of Westerville as she talks about her 25-year-old son, Sean, who will soon leave for his second Army tour in Iraq. He hasn't told her all the details of the first.
"They never open up 100 percent," she says. "They've seen too much."
The mothers are on a mission: to fill 500 boxes with stuff that soldiers covet -- foot powder, baby wipes, sunglasses, phone cards, DVDs, trail mix -- and send them around the globe.
Providing care packages is something that the Buckeye Military Moms have always done. But they've decided to become more conspicuous about it.
On May 3, they will station themselves on the lawn of the hall, 137 E. Dublin-Granville Rd., from 1 to 5 p.m. and invite people to stop by and fill a box. (Donations are welcome: The cost just for shipping is nearly $11 a box.)
The idea is to keep soldiers in the public's consciousness and give people a way to say thanks, says Trina Dunlap of Hilliard, the group's president.
"We've been packing in private ourselves," she says. "I wanted to go beyond that."
The Buckeye Military Moms are a chapter of the Blue Star Mothers of America, a support group that started in Michigan during World War II.
Every mom in the room on this night has a story.
Dunlap's 25-year-old son, Michael, was nearing graduation from Elon University in North Carolina when he announced that he was joining the Army. He's headed for Iraq.
"I'm strong," she says, "but, inside, I'm getting mushy."
Karen Lovett's son, Kevin, was 17 -- in high school at Worthington Kilbourne -- when he decided to join the Marines. At 19, he's headed to Afghanistan.
"It's exciting and scary and difficult," she says.
Having a mission helps, the moms say. And never underestimate the power of a package from home. With a catch in her voice, Barbara Scalise of Westerville recalls how her son, Michael, returned from a tour as a medic in Iraq with every letter from home carefully bundled.
The 500 boxes won't go to just these mothers' children. The moms are seeking addresses of others -- especially those for whom boxes seldom arrive.
Marine Capt. George Stegmiller, who is in Iraq, said by e-mail that previous shipments from the Buckeye Military Moms have come in such quantities that his unit organized a "Wal-Mart" from which anyone in his unit could pick up a toothbrush or a package of ramen noodles. In harsh conditions, little gifts loom large.
"They're outstanding morale-builders," said Stegmiller, son of Carol Stegmiller of Upper Arlington. "We are all very grateful."
Joe Blundo is a Dispatch columnist. His blog is at blog.
dispatch.com/blundo.
jblundo@dispatch.com
• For more information about the Buckeye Military Moms box-packing event, visit www.buckeye bluestar mothers.org.
Ellie
Moms know: Box from home is gold to soldier
Tuesday, April 28, 2009 3:02 AM
By JOE BLUNDO
The Buckeye Military Moms are seated around a big table at the Sharon Township Hall in Worthington, busily making flag pins.
A plaque on the wall notes that the room is dedicated to soldiers killed in the Vietnam War. The moms need no reminders of the costs of war.
Just below their lighthearted chatter lies the anxiety of having children in the military.
Tears well in the eyes of Barbara Forsythe of Westerville as she talks about her 25-year-old son, Sean, who will soon leave for his second Army tour in Iraq. He hasn't told her all the details of the first.
"They never open up 100 percent," she says. "They've seen too much."
The mothers are on a mission: to fill 500 boxes with stuff that soldiers covet -- foot powder, baby wipes, sunglasses, phone cards, DVDs, trail mix -- and send them around the globe.
Providing care packages is something that the Buckeye Military Moms have always done. But they've decided to become more conspicuous about it.
On May 3, they will station themselves on the lawn of the hall, 137 E. Dublin-Granville Rd., from 1 to 5 p.m. and invite people to stop by and fill a box. (Donations are welcome: The cost just for shipping is nearly $11 a box.)
The idea is to keep soldiers in the public's consciousness and give people a way to say thanks, says Trina Dunlap of Hilliard, the group's president.
"We've been packing in private ourselves," she says. "I wanted to go beyond that."
The Buckeye Military Moms are a chapter of the Blue Star Mothers of America, a support group that started in Michigan during World War II.
Every mom in the room on this night has a story.
Dunlap's 25-year-old son, Michael, was nearing graduation from Elon University in North Carolina when he announced that he was joining the Army. He's headed for Iraq.
"I'm strong," she says, "but, inside, I'm getting mushy."
Karen Lovett's son, Kevin, was 17 -- in high school at Worthington Kilbourne -- when he decided to join the Marines. At 19, he's headed to Afghanistan.
"It's exciting and scary and difficult," she says.
Having a mission helps, the moms say. And never underestimate the power of a package from home. With a catch in her voice, Barbara Scalise of Westerville recalls how her son, Michael, returned from a tour as a medic in Iraq with every letter from home carefully bundled.
The 500 boxes won't go to just these mothers' children. The moms are seeking addresses of others -- especially those for whom boxes seldom arrive.
Marine Capt. George Stegmiller, who is in Iraq, said by e-mail that previous shipments from the Buckeye Military Moms have come in such quantities that his unit organized a "Wal-Mart" from which anyone in his unit could pick up a toothbrush or a package of ramen noodles. In harsh conditions, little gifts loom large.
"They're outstanding morale-builders," said Stegmiller, son of Carol Stegmiller of Upper Arlington. "We are all very grateful."
Joe Blundo is a Dispatch columnist. His blog is at blog.
dispatch.com/blundo.
jblundo@dispatch.com
• For more information about the Buckeye Military Moms box-packing event, visit www.buckeye bluestar mothers.org.
Ellie