IN THEIR OWN WORDS – RECEIVING CARE PACKAGES FROM HOME THIS INDEPENDENCE DAY

At Operation Gratitude, our favorite time of the month is ‘mail time,’ when the thank you messages start rolling in — via email and on social media — from the recipients of our Care Packages. Following our Assembly Day on June 23, 2018, Operation Gratitude shipped 5,879 Care Packages to deployed U.S. Service Members, for delivery just in time for Independence Day.  Here are just a few of the responses we received:

Thank you very much for the thoughtful care package you put together. I received it yesterday on the 4th of July.  I really enjoyed getting some letters of support from home, as well as the other reading material. The girl scout cookies went especially fast as I shared them with allied soldiers of different countries who had never tried them before. All of the hygiene items will certainly be very useful as well especially the compact sizes which are great for when I’m traveling between different bases.

Thank you on behalf of the Directorate of Logistics staff in Area Support Group Qatar.

E.H., CPT, LG

 

Operation Gratitude:

Your group has sent us so many things and we are so appreciative!! We are thankful for those back home that don’t forget about us over here. May God bless you and we ask for you to keep us in your prayers.

With a grateful heart,

Lt Col A.S.

It is difficult to put my feelings of extreme gratitude into words. Thank you very much for the care packages you sent to the Marines of 115. Deployments are physically and mentally demanding. The care packages we received made these trying times more bearable. Your kind gifts have been distributed to the Marines to enjoy. Some of these Marines would not receive care packages otherwise. These items allow us to feel a bit closer to home even though we are far away. Your gesture of support is deeply appreciated and will not be forgotten.

Thank you for your patriotism,
SSgt J. S.

 

Dear Operation Gratitude,

I received one of your care packages today, about 30 minutes ago to be exact. I was most excited about two things. Not just any Girl Scout cookies, but my favorite (Do-Si-Dos)!  The other thing was the O’Kee​f​fe’s skincare kit. As you can imagine, it is much needed in Kuwait with the sand, heat, and hard water.  

Another Soldier on my team was really excited about the black socks and Combos. As you can see, it’s the little things and everything that we greatly appreciate.  

Thank you from the bottom of my heart,

MSG T.T​.​​

 

Hello,

I just received one of your care packages recently and wanted to let you know how much it meant to me. A LOT! Please keep it up and continue to encourage my fellow service members in what they are doing and how they are serving. We constantly think about everyone back home and why we are over here so it is always appreciated getting a reminder of home, and those we love and the country we miss.

SrA K. C​.

 

Dear Operation Gratitude:

I just received a care package from Operation Gratitude. I really appreciate all the love and support you give to the military and from the bottom of my heart, I thank you everyone at Operation Gratitude. Weather here isn’t always great and sometimes may have harsh weather conditions. But I am doing well, and I thank everyone back home for your love and support and for your prayers for us. It is a great privilege to be able to serve my God while I am still on deployment, and I surrounded myself with other brothers and sisters here, and it’s been a blessing. Keep doing what you’re doing, uplifting the morale for our soldiers overseas. Thank you and God Bless you all!


Sincerely,
Specialist M. Y​.​
NY National Guard

 

My name is V.G. and I am currently deployed at an undisclosed location in Southwest Asia.  I am part of the Oasis Council. The Oasis is a quiet hang out area the Chapel has graciously provided for all of the deployed Airmen, Soldiers and Civilians we have here.  The Oasis provides us with free food, snacks, toiletries, movies, books, games, and anything else that gets donated by amazing people and organizations like yours! With that being said, we wouldn’t have an amazing Oasis to spend time in if it were not for your contributions!

We really appreciate the handmade scarves, 5-Hour energy shots, socks, olives, and toiletries! It’s incredibly kind of you guys and we want to thank you for sending so many boxes!

From everyone on the compound, we are so thankful for the package that you and your community has put together for us!  I know that doing all of this must be very time consuming and even stressful at times, but please know these things truly make a difference for us and we appreciate it very much!

Again we are all so thankful for what you sent us, it helps us to feel a little more at home here at the 332 AEW!

Blessings,
V/R
V.G., MSgt, USAF

 

My name is SPC T​. currently deployed in Afghanistan. I wanted to express how thankful I am for the wonderful care package that was sent. Again thanks for your support and everything that everyone does for our troops.

God bless and have a great day.

V/R SPC T.

 

Good morning Ladies and Gentlemen,

I would like to personally thank each every one of you for the care packages that you sent to me and my fellow sailors. The things you guys do for us are amazing. Once again, thanks for the gifts.

V/r

MAC M.W.

 

We got our goodies! I would like to thank your organization and all the volunteers for taking time out of their busy schedules to prepare these care packages. We are truly blessed to have such an amazing group of people willing to support us! GOD Bless you all.

V/R

A.S., SSgt, USAF

 

Dear Friends at Operation Gratitude,

I just wanted to write a short note to let you know I got your care package yesterday! What a blessing! Thank you so much! That O’Keeffe’s​ stuff is excellent. I have dry hands and feet. I started using it right away and have noticed a difference already. Thanks again and keep up the good work!

For God and Country,
SGT R.​M.

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