Support Our Troops: Part II

Support Our Troops: Part II

I have previously written about Soldiers’ Angels, an outstanding and well-run volunteer organization that has been such a blessing to our men and women in uniform, especially those deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan. The truth is that there are many fine groups supporting our deployed Armed Forces.


One of these groups is AdoptaPlatoon (www.adoptaplatoon.org), founded by Ida Hägg while her son was an Army Soldier deployed to Bosnia. Similar to Soldiers’ Angels, AdoptaPlatoon was started as a personal effort that blossomed into a national "Moms Across America" effort in support of our troops.
Mrs. Hägg is tireless in her efforts to bring a little bit of hometown USA to the men on the front lines of freedom. With the support of thousands of Moms, she sends things the troops need, as well as "comfort" items they would like to have, on a platoon by platoon basis. 

One of the most popular items sent by AdoptaPlatoon has been sun glasses—cool sun glasses. After all, these macho men want to look cool as well as tough, especially when they are off duty and have to face the hot sun each day. The more practical items are notes of encouragement from home and even stuffed Christmas stockings. The letters, like the one that follows, make you proud of our American men and women in uniform:

"I just wanted to send you a sincere thank you for the packages that were sent from AdoptaPlatoon and your supporters. My troops and I enjoyed the thoughtfulness of the packages. It is nice to have the support from home. This is my second tour to Iraq. For some of my troops it is their first tour over here. It is nice to have a package waiting for you after a mission. My troops and I want to thank you again for the packages, we enjoyed them very much. My soldiers wanted me to express their appreciation; it was obvious there was much time, thought, consideration, support and love packed into each box. Especially heart-warming were the cards and letters you included expressing your support for our service here in Iraq. You all have touched our hearts with care packages filled goodies, bringing a satisfying smile! Rest assured your message of support has been received by many and has certainly inspired positive influence on our platoon morale. Again, please pass on our sincerest appreciation to everyone involved with you and your organization and to the great citizens of the United States of America supporting our Armed Services. God bless you all."--SFC Jordan, GSE Platoon.

It’s hard to add to those sentiments. It is truly a privilege to have AdoptaPlatoon as a client. It’s the kind of organization we love to work for.