Valentine’s Project Members Rally For Afghanistan Troops

By Eliza Hallabeck

St Valentine’s Day Project Chair Donna Monteleone-Randle was pacing her backyard on Saturday, November 13, waiting for an e-mail response from an army chaplain in Afghanistan.

Later that day, Ms Randle made her rounds to gather support for the chaplain’s troops in Afghanistan, newly stationed at outposts in the mountains. The eventual e-mail response she had finally received started a “busy, crazy,” weekend for her.

“Here’s this e-mail from this chaplain who had been around visiting all the outposts, because a lot of these guys are situated on outposts,” she said. “And they are kids.”

The unit is the third unit the Valentines For Troops project has written to for three years in a row. Ms Randle said she had started contacting the unit to begin this year’s Valentines For Troops project.

Most of the unit is made of 18- and 19-year-old male soldiers, Ms Randle explained. Ms Randle learned from the e-mail that the unit’s post-exchange, a general store for military personnel commonly called a PX, is closed, and the troops had been warned to bring enough personal items for one month.

“The guys are running out of personal care items,” Ms Randle said. “I was just shocked when I read this. He said the guys have bar soap, but they are out of shaving cream and all sorts of other things.”

Ms Randle responded asking for the unit’s address and a list of supplies needed.

“It wasn’t a surprise the PX was closed when they got there, they knew it would be closed,” she said. “They were told to bring enough personal care items for at least one month, but they are 18 and 19 years old. How many of them have lived away from home before? How many of them have taken care of themselves without a safety net of a family, friend, or relative before?”

As a mother, Ms Randle thinks the troops misjudged the amount of toiletries and other items they would need.

“Is it anyone’s fault? Yeah. It’s the individual troop’s fault, but they are kids,” Ms Randle said. “So what do you do when you are a parent and your kid makes a mistake?”

Valentines For Troops is responding with help for the unit, Ms Randle said, and anyone else who wishes to send a care package would also be appreciated by the troops.

Valentines For Troops is a letter-writing project that began with one second grade class in 2005. Last year, 2,200 students wrote more than 3,300 letters and cards expressing appreciation for the service men and women serving the country.

Ms Randle sent her package out Monday morning from the Hawleyville Post Office. Hawleyville Postmaster Mark Favale told Ms Randle he will personally help people send packages for the Valentines For Troops project. He will also be placing a box out to collect items for the full Valentines For Troops project, and resident Laurie Borst plans to place jars at local stores to collect change to pay for the shipping fees.

“Basically, what we are trying to do for this one particular group, is bring them Valentine’s Day early,” said Ms Randle.

Personal care items the troops need include shaving cream, deodorant, baby wipes, hand lotion, and lip balm, according to Ms Randle. She said the troops enjoy the two-ounce shaving cream cans most, because they can store them and go.

Ms Randle said not to send anything in an aerosol can or hotel or travel-sized items.

“Somebody said to me, ‘Whose fault is it?’ Well, fault doesn’t factor in here, it is what it is. The PX is closed and some of them, the young troops sitting out on a mountaintop, do not have enough stuff,” said Ms Randle. “So do you leave them there without stuff, or do you help them? That’s the point. And Valentines For Troops said we’re going to help them.”

The Lions Club of Newtown has also stepped up to help the unit, according to Ms Randle.

To protect the unit’s safety, Ms Randle said the address will not be given out unless someone does want to send a care package or letter. To find out more information on the unit, contact Ms Randle at 203-364-9772 or ndrandle@charter.net, or Laurie Borst at ljwdborst@hotmail.com or 203-270-1415, Jennifer Peterson at jdmp7896@charter.net or 203-270-8804, or Karen Pierce at kcpierce@aol.com. When e-mailing Valentines For Troops project members, Ms Randle said to say “For Troops” in the subject line.

Ms Randle also encourages anyone who sends a care package to include a note with an e-mail or address for the chaplain to respond back to, so people know the package has arrived.