Hafa Adai KUAM,
My name is Patty Manalisay Harris, a Chamorro who was born and raised in California, but with strong heart-ties to the beautiful island of Guam and its people.
I came across your website last night while cruising the internet in search of Guamanian soldiers serving in Kuwait/Iraq. My husband army reserve unit, based in Pleasanton, California was activated/deployed in January and we are both very involved in the 91st Division HHC’s FRG (family readiness group). We are fortunate, however, that my husband is still doing duty in the continental USA, but we are supporting our troops worldwide. While helping to support family members of deployed solders during the last few months, we discovered that there is an organization called “Operation MOM” that originated from northern California. Operation MOM was founded by two mothers who sons are in the Marine Corps, currently serving in Iraq but also served in Desert Storm. They send “a little bit of home” in a really nice care package to our soldiers serving overseas. However, due to the DOD (Department of Defense) restrictions imposed during this war, they are only able to send care packages to soldiers that they have actual addresses for.
I have spent the last few weeks gathering items and money to help with the Operation MOM effort. I have approached businesses and individuals and was able to purchase over $500 worth of hygiene and snack products (nothing in comparison to what Operation MOM has in their warehouses already!) and about 200 shoe boxes from local shoe stores. Yesterday I spent 5 hours assembling care packages (about 150 or so) and am about to leave to help do more this morning. Care packages that we sent yesterday included: socks, tshirt, washcloth, sunscreen, chapstick, bandaids, batteries, shampoo, soap, razor, shaving cream, aspirin, baby wipes, antibacterial gel, snack items (jerky, gum, granola bars, powerbars, candies, corn nuts), a small nerf football (to play with and then pass on to an Iraqi child), crossword puzzles, playing cards, a handmade card by an elementary school child and a note from Operation MOM with a poem about how much they are missed.
Why am I writing to you? I want to find out if you can post a message to the families of Guamanian soldiers to inform them of this awesome group. We need more names and APO addresses of soldiers to send packages to. It does not matter which branch of the service, Operation MOM just wants to send them a little reminder that we care about them. Operation MOM WILL NOT sell the names nor will they give to any other organizations. This is strictly a way to reach more solders overseas. They have received numerous calls and emails about how much this means to the troops and have been requested to send more, and often! I would love to include soldiers from Guam in the list of recipients.
Addresses can be added directly on Operation MOM’s website (www.operationmom.org) or sent to me via email. If they are sent to me, I can forward directly to the Livermore group leader (that is the group I have been helping). Operation MOM has a section on their website that allows anyone to sponsor a package (only $10 for shipping, care items have already been donated) and, I believe, indicate who it should be sent to.
Let’s tell our Guamanian/Chamorro soldiers that we are supporting them all the way!
Kind regards,
Patty Harris
510-441-7240 (home)
P.S. I am attaching a card that my son, 8 years old, made for one of the soldiers. I hope you can view it.
Patty@AsaSystems.com
My name is Patty Manalisay Harris, a Chamorro who was born and raised in California, but with strong heart-ties to the beautiful island of Guam and its people.
I came across your website last night while cruising the internet in search of Guamanian soldiers serving in Kuwait/Iraq. My husband army reserve unit, based in Pleasanton, California was activated/deployed in January and we are both very involved in the 91st Division HHC’s FRG (family readiness group). We are fortunate, however, that my husband is still doing duty in the continental USA, but we are supporting our troops worldwide. While helping to support family members of deployed solders during the last few months, we discovered that there is an organization called “Operation MOM” that originated from northern California. Operation MOM was founded by two mothers who sons are in the Marine Corps, currently serving in Iraq but also served in Desert Storm. They send “a little bit of home” in a really nice care package to our soldiers serving overseas. However, due to the DOD (Department of Defense) restrictions imposed during this war, they are only able to send care packages to soldiers that they have actual addresses for.
I have spent the last few weeks gathering items and money to help with the Operation MOM effort. I have approached businesses and individuals and was able to purchase over $500 worth of hygiene and snack products (nothing in comparison to what Operation MOM has in their warehouses already!) and about 200 shoe boxes from local shoe stores. Yesterday I spent 5 hours assembling care packages (about 150 or so) and am about to leave to help do more this morning. Care packages that we sent yesterday included: socks, tshirt, washcloth, sunscreen, chapstick, bandaids, batteries, shampoo, soap, razor, shaving cream, aspirin, baby wipes, antibacterial gel, snack items (jerky, gum, granola bars, powerbars, candies, corn nuts), a small nerf football (to play with and then pass on to an Iraqi child), crossword puzzles, playing cards, a handmade card by an elementary school child and a note from Operation MOM with a poem about how much they are missed.
Why am I writing to you? I want to find out if you can post a message to the families of Guamanian soldiers to inform them of this awesome group. We need more names and APO addresses of soldiers to send packages to. It does not matter which branch of the service, Operation MOM just wants to send them a little reminder that we care about them. Operation MOM WILL NOT sell the names nor will they give to any other organizations. This is strictly a way to reach more solders overseas. They have received numerous calls and emails about how much this means to the troops and have been requested to send more, and often! I would love to include soldiers from Guam in the list of recipients.
Addresses can be added directly on Operation MOM’s website (www.operationmom.org) or sent to me via email. If they are sent to me, I can forward directly to the Livermore group leader (that is the group I have been helping). Operation MOM has a section on their website that allows anyone to sponsor a package (only $10 for shipping, care items have already been donated) and, I believe, indicate who it should be sent to.
Let’s tell our Guamanian/Chamorro soldiers that we are supporting them all the way!
Kind regards,
Patty Harris
510-441-7240 (home)
P.S. I am attaching a card that my son, 8 years old, made for one of the soldiers. I hope you can view it.
Patty@AsaSystems.com