08/30/05
Group shows support for local troops
By
Katie Duffey
A local division of the national Operation Interdependence organization is sending soldiers overseas a little TLC, one box at a time.
Operation Interdependence, whose Indiana headquarters is located in Winamac, is the premier Civilian-to-Military Delivery System, providing a means by which civilians may furnish support and services to deployed armed forces without impacting military resources.
Enough individual civilian rations, or c-rats, are delivered to the frontlines to cover each entire platoon or fighting unit with no one left out.
For some, the c-rats from OI are the only communication from home that they receive.
“We support entire units, not just individuals,” said Kathi Lange-Brown, OI area manager. “From our headquarters in Winamac, we have been sending the boxes directly to the troops since November, 2003.”
Operation Interdependence is a nonprofit organization, run and financed entirely by the American people, volunteering their time and resources, supported by organizations, corporations, public bodies, and the media to provide the means for one person at home to say thank you directly to one person on the frontlines.
Each month Lange-Brown sends out around 35 boxes to units stationed all over the world. Each box contains 50 quart-sized Ziploc bags filled with an assortment of items for the troops to enjoy. The bags include anything from chewing gum to sunblock, the only real requirement being that it fit in the bag.
“I always tell people to think small as far as the items go,” said Lange-Brown. “All the donated items we received are important, but the most important thing for us to send the troops really is a letter.”
Participating in OI is done most simply by writing a note and placing it in the Ziploc bag. The bag is given to a local OI coordinator, along with $1 towards postage, to send to the troops. Most people also toss in a selection of small treats, and the bags are boxed and sent on to an OI Area Manager like Lange-Brown. The box is inspected and forwarded on to the designated platoon.
“We are a unique organization in that we inspect everything here before it is sent out, which saves the military from going through it all once they receive it,” said Lange-Brown. “Once we get the OK from each individual unit we want to support, we are able to ship the boxes directly to them.”
One unit the local organization will soon be supporting is the recently deployed 738th Medical Company out of Monticello upon their arrival in Iraq.
According to Lange-Brown, the program’s greatest strength is in the moral support it lends the troops overseas.
“It is kind of like Christmas when they receive the packages,” said Lange-Brown. “Knowing that someone at home is supporting you, whether you know them or not, is a huge morale booster.”
Donations can be dropped off at the following locations: Monticello – Sugardog (Harrison St.); Winamac – PACE Office (U.S. Hwy. 35), Gilman TV and Appliance (Hwy. 35), Smith Motor Service; Francesville – People’s State Bank (Montgomery St.) For more information contact Kathi Lange-Brown at 219-869-1831 or klange@sugardog.com.