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Wednesday, Nov. 28, 2007

Thinking inside the box: Troops find TLC in parcels

Using a dolly she called "Old Bessie," Linda Dash carted about four large boxes into the Winton Post Office on a Friday afternoon.

Nothing new for Dash. The postal clerks were familiar with her visits and greeted her by name. "I don't have too many today," she told them cheerfully, handing over her customs form. "They are all going to the same place." The boxes of socks and Christmas stockings filled with little goodies were going to Merced County soldiers in Afghanistan. Other days the boxes are sent to Iraq.

The point is, she sends boxes to soldiers -- a whole lot of them.

She's been doing this since the spring of 2004 under the name Operation Adoption. So far, she's sent about 3,400 boxes overseas. "I think when this war started, they weren't really prepared," Dash said.

Since then, deployed troops have learned what extras they need to stay safe and somewhat comfortable in desert, mountain and other war zone terrain and weather. But necessities such as toiletries and socks can fall in short supply. And "luxury" items, such as games and snacks, are always appreciated to perk up spirits and tease bored palates. There's a reason many MRE (meals ready to eat) contain a tiny bottle of Tabasco sauce.

"This is the hardest time of the year of our deployment because this is the time of the year people tend to get together and celebrate the holidays with family," Army Capt. Robert Braughton, 37, wrote in an e-mail Nov. 21. He is now stationed in Vicenza, Italy, after spending 15 months in Afghanistan. "To be honest, it is a good feeling to know that people are so willing to adopt a soldier or unit to help spread some feelings of home and comfort. Especially so close to the holidays when we are not able to spend the time with our families back home."

The Atwater native and his unit were feeling down, so Braughton's grandmother -- Atwater resident Vella Maddix -- spoke to Dash about sending goodies to them. With Dash's help, Maddix and her friends sent a total of 12 boxes between August and November. "Everything was useful," Braughton wrote. "The biggest hits were the white socks because our PX does not always have them, the toiletry items and the snacks ... the magazines they sent us let us know what was going on in the entertainment and news world. We got books to help us escape for a little while and get some downtime."

People from all over the county bake, sew, shop and hold fundraisers for items to bring to Dash's office near the former Castle Air Force Base. Using money donated for postage, she and co-worker Helen Rodriguez put the items in used cardboard boxes from Jack in the Box and mail them to the Middle East.

These former fast-food supply boxes have the words "seasoned curly fries" printed on them. What's packed inside is far more valuable to soldiers. "Snacks -- they love their snacks," Dash said. "They love their beef jerky, Power Bars and Gatorade -- you can only have so much water, it gets boring. Cookies, nuts, cans of Chef Boyardee, packages of cheese and crackers, nuts ... things they can't get over there."

And there's a darned strong demand for socks.

Soldiers and Marines are on their feet many, many hours a day, sometimes hiking or running miles in stiff boots over sand -- sand that gets everywhere, including inside their boots. A new pair of socks might not sound like much, but to those guys and gals it provides the comfort to avoid at least one more blister and hike one more mile.

"It means a lot -- I know my brother gets lots of sores on his feet," said Cathryn Cooper, 10, a fifth-grader who participated in John C. Fremont Charter School's fundraiser "Sox for Soldiers." She took the effort to heart -- she says her brother, Shawn Gutierrez, 25, is on his third tour in Iraq with the Army. "His feet hurt from the sand," Cooper said. "He has to train, run. The socks will help."