OPERATION CARE & COMFORT: Collecting Goodies until Dec 15th for Our Marines this Holiday Season
Dear Supporters of our Troops,
This is your "Call to Action"
T
he Dana Point 5th Marine Regiment Support Group will be collecting Holiday Goodies until Wednesday, Dec 15, 2010 for our troops in Afghanistan. The boxes will arrive "In-Country" in time for Christmas.
These holiday goodies for our troops will be packaged by the volunteers of the Dana Point 5th Marine Regiment Support Group, Monarch Beach Sunrise Rotary Club and Interact Club students from Dana Hills High School.
As the holiday season approaches, we ask you to remember our Fighting Fifth Marines who are deployed in Afghanistan. We will be gathering for Thanksgiving and Christmas with our friends and loved ones, sit by the fire, and enjoy the comforts of home. Our Marines, however, will be far from their families and many will be "outside of the wire" in crude and unsafe circumstances.
Our Military Care Package Program will be especially important this year. Marine casualties have increased recently and we have lost 14 of our brave defenders. There are over 20 injured 5th Marines in the Bethesda Military Hospital; many of which are single and double amputees. Our goodies, cards, support and appreciation for their service will let them know we are here for them. Morale support for those still fighting is so important. The troops are penetrating new and very hostile territory in Afghanistan and good wishes from home will mean so much.
HOW CAN YOU HELP?
Below is a list of goodies that are most appreciated by our Marines while "in country." We also need your help with the following:
- Write a holiday card to a Marine from you and your family and send them to:
Dana Point 5th Marine Regiment Support Group
Attn: 2010 Operation Care & Comfort
P.O. Box 471
Dana Point, CA 92629-0471 - At your church or school please ask children make cards... remember, these men will not be with their children for the holidays and these homemade cards really put a smile on their faces.
- Put a collection box in your place of business and ask your fellow-workers to contribute
- Ask your neighbors to shop for our Marines.
- We are also collecting GIFT CARDS of any type and value for our state-side Marines, their children and family at Camp San Mateo just before Christmas.
HAVE A QUESTION?
WANT TO SEND A DONATION CHECK BY POSTAL MAIL?
CONTACT US:
If you have any question, please contact the Dana Point 5th Marine Regiment Support Group's Director of Support Outreach, Terry Rifkin, at 949-495-5007. Or if you would like to mail a gift card or donation by check, please make your check out to "Dana Point 5th Marine Regiment Support Group" and memo the check for "2010 Operation Care & Comfort" and mail it to:
Dana Point 5th Marine Regiment Support Group
Attn: 2010 Operation Care & Comfort
P.O. Box 471
Dana Point, CA 92629-0471
DEADLINE FOR DONATIONS: WEDNESDAY, DEC 15, 2010
Below is a list of the goodies that we are looking for. It is easy while doing your family shopping at the grocery store, Costco or Walmart to pick up something for our Troops who will be away from their families for the holidays.
View Dana Point 5th Marine Holiday Donation Drop-Off Locations in a larger map |
|---|
Starting Tuesday, Nov 23rd, there will be collection baskets all over Dana Point OR you may call our Dana Point 5th Marine Director of Support Outreach, Terry Rifkin, at 949-495-5007 to find out where you can deliver your donate items for our Marines.
DONATION DROP-OFF LOCATIONS & MAP:
- Coffee Importers
- Dana Point Chamber of Commerce
- Dana Point City Hall
- Harbor Grill
- Jack's Restaurant
- Pacific Western Bank
- South Shores Church
- Tutor & Spunky's Deli
- Union Bank
Remember, holiday cards from kids and heart-felt letters from you are always well received from our Marines.
Once all these items are collected, the Dana Point 5th Marine Regiment Support Group along with the Monarch Beach Sunrise Rotary Club and the Interact club students from Dana Hills High School will be packaging these up and shipping them to our 5th Marines in Afghanistan.
It is a special time of year to stop and give thanks to all our Armed Services for their dedication, service, and sacrifice.
WE ALSO NEED GIFT CARD DONATIONS FOR STATE-SIDE MARINES:
We are also collecting GIFT CARDS of any type and value for our state-side Marines, their children and family at Camp San Mateo just before Christmas. Gift cards in any denomination would be extremely helpful so that our Marine's families may shop and purchase the gifts they really need for their family members to make their holidays brighter. Stores that are retail chains would be best since most of the families live in the South Orange County and North San Diego area. Some suggestions for GIFT CARDS are:
- Walm
art - Target
- Sears
- Gas Cards
- Movie Tickets
- Fast Food/McDonalds, Carls Jr. etc.
- Toys R Us
- Albertsons
- Ralphs
- Best Buy
- Starbucks
Shopping List for Holiday Goodies Box Donations
CLICK HERE for a printer friendly PDF file of this shopping list.
1. tooth brushes
2. tooth brush holders
3. unscented baby wipes. (large resealable packages)
4. unscented soap
5. Q tips
6. deodorant
7. dry skin cream (facial)
8. germ hand lotion (small and large)
9. disposable razors
10. shaving cream (small and large)
11. towels and wash clothes
12. white cotton socks
13. sun screened lip balm
14. tuna/chicken salad etc meals
15. protein bars
16. granola bars
17. dried fruit (snack packs and larger)
18. zip lock bags
19. beef jerky
20. sunflower seeds
21. nuts
22. chewing gum
23. peanut butter/cheese crackers
24. candy
25. instant hot chocolate
26. ground coffee (1 pound bag or can)
27. instant coffee
|
Interact Club from Dana Hills High School Collected over $1,000 in donated holiday goodies for our Marines in Mid November 2010!! |
Below is a list a soldier in Afghanistan wrote:
28. Envelopes small, writing gear like note books (no stamp required)
29. Foot powder
30. Deet - Sand flea and/or mosquito repellent
31. Sanitizer bottles,
32. Socks
33. Bottle water misters are a luxury item, but feel so good in this dusty, hot, humid infested place
34. Heavy duty belt suspenders
Further Requests and Suggestions
When we send things forward to Marines that are outside the wire and in the fight it is best to think of quick meals and snacks that one could throw in a cargo pocket and take with them. So snack packs and sealed protein bars were the best. If it is high in protein and carbs it is perfect and acts as an extra meal or a missed meal in many cases. Some of the tuna meals that come with crackers, mayo and small utensils are really great. Canned food is o.k. but I know some of the tuna pack comes without water. No mess and you can eat right out of the pack.
As for soap etc please provide unscented because scented clogs pores and can make the skin very uncomfortable. Hygiene products are not replaced as often as they should be due to supply. Marines still shave most days, but should dispose of razors more frequently than you would at home. This goes for anything that comes in contact with your skin, tooth brushes etc.
Some people don't send these things but lets be honest they are young Marines. Maxim, car magazines etc are very popular. Dip (chewing tobacco) is big especially when guys can't smoke and need something to keep them awake. We don't promote it, but it is purchased widely.
Some people like to send clothes. From Oct to Feb it can get extremely cold and down below zero at night. Also for a young Marine color can be an issue if it goes under clothes. Should be Marine grey or green. Cotton is fine, but nylon is not recommended for underwear/shirts. Not to be too graphic but if you travel in vehicles a great deal it's not allowed by many units because it will melt to the skin in the instance of a fire. This goes for under armour gear etc.
THANK YOU!
"Merry Christmas from Afghanistan"
"Merry Christmas from Afghanistan"
Merry Christmas from Afghanistan, oh man, it's that time of year,
and the birth of Jesus doesn't seem to please the terrorists down here;
I'd like to take a moment for you folks at home to make it clear;
Merry Christmas from the Eastern Hemisphere.
Merry Christmas from Afghanistan, way back in the USA,
You've got mistletoe and falling snow, we've got sandstorms and grenades
But what the hell, it's just as well we celebrate it anyway,
Merry Christmas from 5,000 miles away.
And I remember many Decembers, sitting 'round that tree,
And now I'm in an outer cordon sitting 'round an IED,
I've traded yams and roasted ham for a chicken noodle MRE,
Merry Christmas from out here in the middle east.
So merry Christmas from Afghanistan, from our AO to yours,
I'll be watching illegal DVDs and defecating out of doors,
Put my pedal to the metal man, I'll settle for that medal of honor when I win the war,
Single-handedly from my armored drivers door.
Yuletide salutations from our vacation in the sand,
from this E-3 Lance Coolie and up the whole chain of command
Between Al Qaeda, Al Jazeera, Mujahadeen, and the Taliban,
It's a very merry Christmas in Afghanistan.
From south Montana, to northwest Indiana, to the shores of North Caroline,
From NYC to LA's beaches and down the Mason-Dixon Line,
It's that season where we're freezing, but all in all, we're doing fine,
So merry Christmas from Afghanistan tonight.
It's that season where we're freezing, but all in all, we're doing fine,
So Merry Christmas down the Final Protection Line!
