SUPPORTING OUR TROOPS
Post 183 POW/MIA Table
This year we have adopted Seth Mayer and Sean Flynn's unit currently deployed in Iraq. The plans are to send 140 dozen home baked cookies, phone cards, and some convenience items. We will be buying everything in bulk thus there are no plans on providing any drop or collection boxes.
Seth was home this week (11/11/06) on emergency leave. He was gracious enough to stop by the Post and let us know items they could use. Everything must ship by December 4. 2006
Update: 1/4/07 Seth and Sean's unit haven't yet received the Christmas packages. They received mail only twice a week. Soon I will try to trace the shipment. However, I just received this from Seth:
Hey ED, The Box of Cards came on Mon. Thank you very much. I passed out most of the
Prayer cards and pennants. St. Michael is the patron saint to the airborne, so those were hot items.
Other possibilities are books.
These people are current Post #183 members serving and protecting America:
Task Force Spectre - Seth and Sean's Unit currently in Iraq. See Operation Cookie
1. Seth Mayer - Seth is currently on a tour in Iraq. Before leaving, Seth was commander of our rifle squad. Seth is joining Sean Flynn for Operation Iraqi Freedom.
2. Sean Flynn - Sean started his military career as a United States Marine. After his stint was over, he joined the National Guard where he was activated and deployed to Guantanamo Cuba. He is currently on a tour in Iraq with Seth Mayer.
3. Will Watkins - George J. Morin is pleased to have as our 2006 Memorial Day Honorary Parade Marshall, William (Will) Watkins. Will is a member of the Shirley American Legion and is an excellent representative of the current generation soldier, not only because of past service to his country, but because he is still serving America in the National Guard as well as being an active participant in the American Legion. Those of us older legionnaires are very proud of our younger comrades.
Will was born in Scranton, Pennsylvania. He joined the U.S. Army in January 2000 and went to Fort Benning Georgia, home of the infantry. While at Fort Benning Will also went to Airborne school. His first duty station was Korea with C co 1-503. A year later he went to Fort Drum NY to be with A Co 2-14. Will was deployed to Kosovo in 2001. In 2003 Will was in Iraq for Operation Iraqi Freedom. After his return from Iraq and separation from the Army in May 2004 Will joined the Massachusetts National Guard and is with B Co 181 Infantry. Will was most recently sent to Louisiana in September 2005 to aid in the relief of Hurricane Katrina.
The above picture is from opening day 2006 of our Legion baseball season.
Will is holding JR
4. Diane Fox - Our Adjutant. Diane Fox served her country in the United States Army and is currently in the National Guard. Diane has obtained the high enlisted rank of Master Sergeant!
5. Kimberly Church - Kimberly is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy and is currently serving aboard the aircraft carrier John C. Stennis, CVN 74
6. Steven Grant - Steven is currently a recruiter for the USAF. He has been a crew chief on the Pave Low IIIE when he was in Special OPS. Steven served in Kosovo as well as in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
7. Kevin C. Hayes Jr. - Kevin is from Shirley, MA and is serving with the United States Marine Corps.
TROOPS THAT WE ARE SUPPORTING:
Men and Women of the 3/126 Aviation Battalion, Massachusetts Air National Guard
Sending Christmas to Iraq
By Ed Orr, commander, American Legion Post No. 183
Nashoba Publishing
Although the holidays may now seem a distant memory, we would like to share with
the Town of Shirley and our neighbors information on a Support Our Troops
project The American Legion and The Shirley Middle School just completed. Just
last week we received confirmation from the Army that our mission was
accomplished. By the way, the last of the packages arrived Christmas Day. In
early November, the American Legion family of Post No. 183 put in motion a plan
to send a touch of home to some of our troops stationed overseas. We decided to
send cookies and prepaid phone cards and, if at all possible, maybe include some
Christmas cards. We contacted Shirley Middle School Principal Dan
Schauben-Fuerst, who immediately gave his support.
We were able to find a unit from Massachusetts, the 3-126 Aviation Battalion,
that is supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. Our goal was to send 180 dozen
cookies and hopefully 180 Christmas cards, one for each member of the 3-126th.
The cookies: It takes many hours to shop, prepare for and bake180 dozen cookies.
Also think how hard it is to shop and find 180 cookie tins, but the auxiliary
came through, including the packing. The cookies were ready to ship.
The phone cards: Since September the post ran several fundraisers including
donations from Friday night card players which raised enough money to purchase
over 3,700 minutes of prepaid phone cards. If you play cards on Friday night at
the Legion and read this, you should now know how much brighter you made the
holidays for the 3-126th.
The Christmas cards: The cookies and phone cards were important to the plan, but
maybe the most effective was the Christmas cards. The students of Shirley Middle
School hand made cards which were personally delivered by principal
Schauben-Fuerst.
We at the post read several as we were packing them with the cookie tins. The
cards were so impressive. I wish I had made photocopies to share with the public
but, trust me, they hit home. Imagine reading a card from a student whose father
is stationed in Iraq, and him or her asking the recipient of the card to please
keep their father safe. Very touching.
Post 183 thanks the Shirley Middle School students and Schauben-Fuerst for, as
the major said, it filled the hearts of the soldiers.
The letter from Maj. Stephen J. Bethoney, reads, "On behalf of the men and women
of the 3/126 Aviation Battalion, I would like to thank you and the American
Legion for the cookies, the Christmas cards and the phone cards. Your assistance
helps us feel more at home in a very big way. The Battalion is doing very well
at this point. The soldier morale remains high through the holidays. It warms
our hearts whenever agencies like the American Legion and people like you and
Elizabeth Grant work to improve the quality of life for us during these
difficult times. "Please send our sincerest thanks to the principal of the
Shirley Middle School, Dan Schauben-Fuerst, and all the students. We appreciate
all the hard work that the children did."
