Groups ask you to show overseas troops you care
By LEE PROCIDA
Staff Writer, 609-457-8707
Published: Friday, November 28, 2008
Every year, while families are crowded into living rooms across the United States to observe the annual tradition of watching Thanksgiving Day football, American soldiers get a few seconds of airtime to wish everyone at home happy holidays via satellite.This year, those holiday wishes are especially poignant for the families and friends of nearly 3,000 N.J. National Guard members who are about six months into their 18-month tour of duty in Iraq. "It's a hard time for them between now and Christmas," said Ronnie Micciulla, the director of American Recreational Military Services, one of the largest non-profit volunteer groups in the state that collects, wraps and sends care packages to military personnel overseas. "The big thing is to just remember our troops over there."For those inspired to do more than just remember, Micciulla said soldiers have plenty of things on their wish lists this year, especially since the sour economy has made donations slump lately. Since 2003, ARMS has sent supplies to U.S. soldiers in foreign wars, who often send letters back with requests.
As she relaxed with her family Thanksgiving morning, Micciulla rattled off some of this year's popular items."Top on my list is coffee," she said, since soldiers often put in 18 hours a day. "I was just speaking to one wife who said her husband said it's much easier to make a pot of coffee and sit and enjoy it, rather than have to walk an hour to the mess hall, then rush back and not enjoy it."She said any snacks are good, from cookies and candy to power bars and granola bars, since it's convenient for troops to just grab a quick bite to eat while they are working. This includes microwavable foods, such as popcorn and ready-to-eat meals.Another top item this year is hand warmers and lip balm. Although winter in the Middle East isn't as cold as it is here, she said when they are used to 140-degree weather, even 50-degree days can seem freezing. Scarves, socks and hot chocolate are also helpful.Micciulla said she's always looking for eye drops, mouthwash, Q-Tips, razors and batteries. Powdered-drink mixes are another favorite, since drinking plain water can get old after a while. Calling cards are great, too, but Micciulla recommended to give only AT&T cards. She said in her experience, they provide the most minutes per card for calls from Iraq. Items with compressed air, like cans of shaving cream, cannot be sent.Cash donations are another way to help, since they are integral to groups like ARMS' ability to ship to the Middle East. Boxes can cost anywhere from $10 to $22 to mail. This past Saturday, Micciulla said ARMS wrapped and shipped about 500 boxes, which cost them more than $5,000.Around the holidays, ARMS not only collects for soldiers, but for soldiers' families, making sure spouses and children have everything they need while their loved ones are away. Called "Project Little Soldier," the effort collects new, unwrapped gifts and distributes them to families throughout southern New Jersey and anywhere else they need to go. "There's not a toy out there that a child has not asked for," Micciulla said when asked what she needs. From now until Friday, Dec. 12, the group will have a toy drop box in the lobby of Trump Plaza Hotel and Casino, where last year more than 400 toys and more than $4,000 in cash donations to Project Little Soldier was collected from Trump Plaza employees and community members. The group also accepts donations at National Guard armories throughout the region, which should be marked to go to ARMS, and it will even pick up the toys if a donor lives close to a volunteer. In these economic times, Micciulla said gift cards for supermarkets can be a huge help for soldiers' families, who are struggling to even get basic supplies like baby formula and groceries. Providing these simple things can really help a struggling mom or dad, and will make sure a soldier won't also have to worry about his or her family while they're away. Micciulla said the deadline to get supplies to the troops in time for the holidays is Dec. 12, because any time after that the mail service overseas simply gets too overcrowded."I've heard horror stories," she said, "so we try to get it out there as soon as possible."E-mail Lee Procida:LProcida@pressofac.comHow To Help:ARMS: www.supportarms.org or call Ronnie Micciulla at 732-890-4914.Department of Defense links to support groups: www.americasupportsyou.comAmerican Red Cross's "Holiday Mail for Heroes": http://www.redcross.org/email/saf/Army and Air Force Exchange Service links: http://www.aafes.com/docs/support.htmAny Soldier, a Web site with tons of resources for helping soldiers: www.anysoldier.com
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