Far from home and engaged in a conflict they didn’t start, knowing that citizens at home are thinking of them can provide a boost to troops on NATO missions.
It’s common practice for people in the US and Britain to send care packages to their troops but it’s something that hasn’t caught on as widely in Canada. Rick Thomas and Catherine Kahler hope to change that.
They’re the force behind the Marching for Veterans Campaign, a Huntsville-based organization that began three years ago, gathering and sending shipments of care packages to troops overseas. Every three to four months they send care packages to a different locale, like Egypt, Iraq, Kuwait, and Latvia.
“It’s a morale-booster for the troops,” says Thomas, a NATO veteran. “It’s not supplies that they need, it is additions to their supplies like toiletries, towels, underwear, socks, snacks, games they can play in their downtime. It’s all extras. Judging by the letters of thanks we have received back from the troops after each shipment, they really appreciate Canadians supporting them this way.”
The Huntsville community was invited to show their support by dropping off items at MP Tony Clement’s office on King William Street. The response was wonderful, says Thomas — more than 20 boxes have been packed to send to troops. Thomas will drive the care packages down to CFB Trenton next week where they’ll be added to a service flight headed for Latvia.
Among the items dropped off were dozens of letters and cards from students at Huntsville Public School, Riverside, and St. Mary’s. “It’s outstanding,” says Thomas. “That’s what the troops like to read and occasionally, if there’s a return address, the troops will write back.”
After Marching for Veterans sent the first shipment to Egypt, they heard how grateful the troops were because until that point they’d been getting the leftover care packages sent to troops from other countries.
Above: Some of the thanks Marching for Veterans has received from troops who have received care packages
“It’s not so big with Canadians and it should be,” says Thomas. “It’s no great chore, but it is a duty.” He says the Bowmanville Legion followed their lead and have sent more than one shipment over. And the Oshawa chapter of NATO Veterans of Canada has sent some shipments as well. He hopes their efforts spread to other communities across the province and Canada.
“I’m a firm believer in veterans helping veterans and a firm believer that every Canadian has an obligation to someway, somehow stand beside our troops who are deployed overseas,” says Thomas.
MP Tony Clement agrees. “They are doing a great job here getting the word out and hopefully this can be a template for other communities to get involved, too,” he said. “It shows the troops that there are people, total strangers, communities that they may not be involved with, that care about them, care about the mission, and want them to live more comfortably in a trying environment. It’s also a great educational tool for people here. We’ve got all these letters and cards from school kids who are learning how Canadian troops may be involved in NATO missions or other activities.”
(From left) Jan and Dave MacDonald, Rick Thomas, MP Tony Clement, Catherine Kahler and Bernice Greenfield packed care packages for troops at Clement’s office on April 12
For more information or to get involved as a volunteer, follow Marching for Veterans Campaign – Muskoka on Facebook or leave a message with contact information at 705-571-3292 or 705-789-1512 to be notified of upcoming events. They also hold fundraisers like t-shirt sales to help offset the costs of transporting the care packages to Trenton.
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Hey you guys! Great job. Even in this social media age, a little touch from home has got to be a big morale boost for our troops.