|
Kits for the Troops – The Craig Hewitt Chapter and the 82nd Airborne Division |
|
During the past year, my company’s (Bank One) site in Lexington, KY has been corresponding with soldiers of the 82nd Airborne Division in Iraq. Their correspondence has included letters and packages containing things the soldiers requested and other items designed to boost morale. Toward the end of November, I realized that any packages scheduled to arrive in Iraq by Christmas would have to be sent out soon. With an idea in mind, I contacted a fellow employee at the Bank One Lexington site and asked her if the soldiers were interested in receiving models to build while deployed. She answered with a resounding “Yes”, stating that it was something they had specifically asked for. The yes answer started everything in motion. The Craig Hewitt Chapter’s monthly meeting would was scheduled for November 24th. I wanted to broach the idea at the next meeting of having the club members donate kits to the troops. I contacted the chapter president, Rick Marshall, to ask for a few minutes at the meeting to discuss the idea. Rick thought it was a great idea and agreed that it should be brought to the club’s attention. Our November meeting took place on November 24th at Cutter Aviation. During our update discussion, I announced the idea to the club. The idea was to have each member donate one, unbuilt kit that was currently sitting on their shelves to the 82nd Airborne Division. I also asked the club to donate $50 for the purchase of supplies (glue, sand paper, paints, brushes, etc.) in order to build the kits. Rick Marshall amended the motion to a $200 donation! The club unanimously approved the idea. I informed the club that this unit of the 82nd was currently stationed in Fallujah; a dangerous area and a scene of frequent anti-American attacks and this would provide a welcome break from their hectic daily duties. Since the club’s annual Christmas party was scheduled for a few weeks away, I offered to collect the kits at the party on December 20th at Red Devil Pizzeria and work with my company to send them to Iraq after the holidays. Local hobby store, Avalon Books & Hobbies (40th St. and Thomas, Phoenix), owned by Keith Pieper, was asked to coordinate the ordering of supplies. The day of our Christmas party, club members brought a wide variety of kits to donate. Every genre of kits was represented from armor and aircraft to sci-fi and cars. All totaled, club members donated 56 models for the soldiers! Club members also donated model magazines, reading material and other personal items for the soldiers. The center of the restaurant was piled high with all of the donations. In addition to all of the models, Avalon Books & Hobbies owner, Keith Pieper asked his patrons to donate items for the soldiers. Keith was able to accumulate scores of books, multiple packages of beef jerky (a incredibly precious item in Iraq) and other items from his patrons, including Rick Webber who personally donated nearly a hundred books. Many club members remarked how they would have appreciated a similar display of generosity when they were deployed overseas in prior conflicts. To ship the models and other items overseas, 17 boxes were needed to pack everything. We did not make the Christmas shipment, but the club was still glad to participate in the next scheduled delivery. The Bank One Lexington site shipped all of the items overseas to the 82nd Airborne on Monday, January 26th. The boxes should arrive within 3 weeks for the soldiers to enjoy. What a tremendous effort by everyone! With luck, the soldiers will be able to enjoy the kits before they are rotated home. Bank One has inquired as to if we would like to continue our model donation program by sending kits to Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington DC. At the January 26th meeting, we collected over a dozen kits (with more to come at the February meeting) in order to send to those soldiers who are recuperating from wounds received in Iraq and elsewhere. The club was also kind enough to donate $50 for supplies in order to build the models. Those soldiers who are admitted to the Medical Center arrive with only the clothes on their backs. Anything that can allow them to take their minds off their situations or offer a diversion from their therapy and recuperation is a welcome relief. The kits will be sent to Washington DC along with other items donated by my company’s Lexington site in the coming weeks. If you would like to have a similar program within your chapter you can. A website www.operationmilitarypride.org has been set up where an individual can sign up to correspond with a soldier. If an individual or club would like to continue on the program that the Craig Hewitt chapter has started, feel free to do so (please include some basic supplies if possible). A club could request to be put in contact with a soldier in a particular area or unit, within reason. Also remember that our troops are deployed all over the world, so you can request someone who is in Iraq, Afghanistan, Kosovo, etc. The site also contains a list of practical and food related items that soldiers have requested. I would encourage all IPMS members to continue what has begun. Our soldiers, sailors, airmen, marines, and coastguardsmen would appreciate your kindness and generosity. I have asked the soldiers to provide pictures if they can. Those that I receive, I do my best post them on the web. On a personal note, I would like to thank many of the individuals who made this whole effort possible: Rick Marshall, Ethan Dunsford, Ralph Harrington, Ryan Bork, Keenan Chittester, Vince Welsh, Mike Ronwau, Jan Madsen, Bruce Briggs, Dick Christ, Phillip Park, Carl Armelin, Bill and Lucy Sanborn, Charles Swanson, Kevin Wenker and Larry Grapentine. Also, special thanks to Pam Ozanick and Mitzi Stojsavljevic at the Bank One Lexington site for coordinating and sending the boxes. Without everyone’s contributions, the Craig Hewitt chapter would not have been able to pull it off. Mike Pabis Phoenix, AZ
|
|
February 2004 |