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| 2011
Thank You Notes |
I can't tell you how happy I was to be on the receiving end of
boxes of stuffed Christmas stockings we received from Operation
Santa! What a great surprise, not just for me, but for many of the
Soldiers stationed here at Bagram Airbase, Afghanistan. Here downrange
we work every day: including weekends and holidays. We don't get
days off. So when I received a note on Thanksgiving of all days,
that I had a few packages waiting for me at mail call, I couldn't
hide my excitement.
But it got even better! These packages came from Central Illinois
of all places, and the notes inside were written by residents of
the Buehler Home in my home town of Peoria, Illinois! I cannot understate
how proud I was to be handing out these incredible stockings to
everyone here considering they came from my hometown and were sponsored
from an organization from Central Illinois. Growing up in Peoria,
and being a member of First Federated Church across the street,
I recall many Holiday Seasons walking over to the Buehler home to
sing carols or make decorations and it looks like this time the
Christmas cheer has gone full circle. I couldn't be more proud.
Thank you so much for doing this for us. These were the first Christmas
boxes we received so our stockings are already finding their way
all over the walls of the base. I have attached a few pictures of
us opening them and standing in front of the 9/11 monument at Division
Headquarters. Feel free to show the pictures to the great people
of Operation Santa and the Buehler Home.
It means a lot to us to not only receive these things from home,
but more importantly, these packages give us the reminder that people
are still thinking about us back home and appreciate what we are
doing regardless of their thoughts on the particular fronts. Believe
me, there are many of us ready to get home to our friends and families,
but these sorts of things make the job a little bit easier all around.
I know how much trouble and time it takes to do this, and this effort
does not go unnoticed by those on the receiving end. You put a lot
of smiles on a lot of faces today, especially mine, and for that
I was always be thankful.
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!
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Hi, I hope you had a wonderful time with your family. By the
way, I attached some pictures what I do with your supports. This
is called CAV Café. People come and find what they need. It is for
everyone in this FOB. Again I appreciate your supports so much,
Thank you & God Bless
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Just wanted to day thanks for making our Christmas special by
sending gifts. You are all great Americans and your outpouring of
generosity is humbling. WE are proud to serve for folks like you!
Merry Christmas from all of us at 325 Combat Support Hospital!!
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I want to thank on you behalf of the Servicemembers I have been
able to hand the stockings out to already. Each of the staff members
carry a box in the car and as we drive the gates of our respective
bases, we hand them to those on duty guarding the gate & checking
our ID's. We are unable to take photographs at the gate due to security
reasons but I was given authorization for two photos when Public
Affairs was with me.
Please feel free to post these photos on your website and share
them with others at your organization.
We have setup a large bin loaded with stockings and are currently
handing them out as Active Duty folks come into our center. We are
expecting some large groups to come in over the next two weeks so
I will take & forward more photos to you.
Again, thank you from the USO at Osan Air Base, South Korea, for
fulfilling our order as they are making for some happy individuals.
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Dear Members of Operation Santa,
On behalf of the over 100 men & women of the Joint Information Support
Task Force (Special Operations), currently serving in the middle east,
thank you so much for all of the stockings you so graciously bestowed
upon us this holiday season. We handed them out to every Soldier,
Sailor, Marine, and Airman working in this unit and their faces lit up
with disbelief. Originating from all over the US & even some from
outside the country, many had never heard of Operation Santa... myself
included. But the caring, kindness, and support of all the people
you've gathered together to make the holidays a little brighter for
every one of us. Sometimes we get so focused on the work at hand or how
much we miss the ones we love that we forget how much people truly do
appreciate what we are doing. However, all of the folks there across
Blooomington-Normal and the surrounding communities who were a part of
your efforts found an amazing way to remind us. It a great feeling for
me especially being that I grew up there and enlisted from Bloomington
and I'm proud to tell everyone about it, now they can see why. We are
working to collect more pictures to send but that's not always the
easiest thing to do so please be patient. However, here is the J6/IMO
staff with a big thank you.
Thank you, and Happy Holidays to each and every one of you.
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Dear Operation Santa,
We here at HHT, 1-13 CAV, 3/1 AD currently stationed at FOB Airborne, Afghanistan would like to greatly send our thanks for the package we just received. It is incredible to know that many people besides our families are thinking of us during this time of the year. You do not know how much we appreciate everything you do for us. The stockings were distributed and we immediately commented on all the effort that was put into Operation Santa. Speaking on the behalf of my unit, we wish each and every one of you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Lastly, is there anyway I could get the address of Robbie Prince? He sent me a drawing and I would like to send him something special from Afghanistan. If you cannot disclose his information, could I send it to your address? Pictures will be on the way very soon.
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My name is Mona Moreno and I am the Donations Coordinator for the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center (LRMC) chapter of the American Red Cross.
I am writing to express my sincere thanks for your recent donation of "Operation Santa" Christmas Stockings to the LRMC Red Cross. The hospital received 29 boxes.
Generous gifts from donors like you provide comfort and moral support to our wounded soldiers and enable us to continue our mission.
Your selfless gifts and treats are being enjoyed daily by the numerous Wounded Warriors receiving care at our facility.
Without donors like you this would not be possible.
I wish you all a very Happy Holiday Season and thank you and your organization again for your steadfast support in providing compassionate care to our healing heroes away from home.
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Thank you for the wonderful handmade, stuffed stockings. My Sailors greatly enjoyed receiving them for Christmas. Hopefully you received my Christmas card I sent in response to receiving the boxes initially. I wanted to wait until closer to Christmas to distribute, but I have attached a few pictures (they’ll come in separate emails due to size) for your enjoyment. Thank you again for volunteering and your selfless support of the military. We have less than a month to go before we return home to our families. You helped us get through the holidays with your generosity!
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You send out “Thank You” to all of us. However, as a mom of a solider overseas, I want to say “THANK YOU” to all of you. Years ago our soldiers did not get any positive recognition for their sacrifices. I appreciate the support from this organization and thank you all for all you do.
Diane
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