In March of 2003, a soldier came into the office asking for a chaplain and broke down at her desk. He was on leave from a war zone for his mother’s funeral, his wife had left him, and his only child had died as an infant—he had no one else in his life.

Summer signals a time for fun, family and Fourth of July festivities. With summer season in full swing, now is a great time to get the whole family involved in our inaugural Jot-a-Note in July nationwide challenge. We’re challenging you, and a friend, to write four notes in honor of the Fourth of July!

For Deployed Troops, sometimes reminders of home can be few and far between, so letters and Care Packages from people who care are tremendously valuable and can help reduce the stress of a tough deployment and being far from home.

The royal blue t-shirt that we wear proudly is not just a Blue Shirt, it represents the family of volunteers that Operation Gratitude has built nationwide. This grassroots movement has become a massive community of volunteers across the country, who not only believe in our mission but who take action every day to say thank you to those who serve.

On October 26, we celebrated the National Day of the Deployed. Operation Gratitude did what we always do to recognize those who are currently serving and those who have served in our military -- we took action. This October, we will assemble and deliver more than 26,000 Care Packages to veterans in all 50 states and DC. Many of these recipients will be isolated and homebound on Veterans Day. Just a few weeks later we will assemble and deliver our signature, Holiday Care Packages to 20,000 Deployed Troops around the world in the midst of a global pandemic.

My career in the Marine Corps was marked by two bookends — from my first deployment as a young Second...

The story in today's post is very personal to me, and I am sharing it with you because it illustrates so clearly what many young men and women experience when they are deployed — many of them separated from their families for the very first time.

Every Care Package delivery will include our signature paracord “survival” bracelets, because we have learned over the past decade that it is not just a paracord bracelet... it is a symbol of appreciation and the strong bonds that Operation Gratitude forges between Americans and their military and first responder heroes.

I’ve heard it hundreds, if not thousands, of times since I started as the CEO of Operation Gratitude three years ago — handwritten letters are the most cherished items in our Care Packages. As a Marine who deployed to more than 50 countries -- from the first Gulf War in 1990 -1991 to my time in the Middle East during 2008 -- I can tell you nothing boosts morale while you are deployed more than receiving handwritten letters.

Each year Operation Gratitude receives tens of thousands of Beanie Babies from grateful Americans across the country, and one goes in every single care package we send to service members deployed around the world.

I want you to know, it’s not just a care package… It is an opportunity to go beyond saying “thank you for your service” and build understanding, empathy, and ultimately bridges between civilians and our military, veterans, and first responders.

September 9 is National Teddy Bear Day, and I wanted to share a few stories that demonstrate Operation Gratitude’s Battalion Buddies are much more than just stuffed bears — and give you an opportunity to bring smiles to thousands of military children whose parents will be deployed this September 11th.