January 22, 2004
'Through a Soldier's Eyes' to be shown a second time"
The Union staff
The Union will sponsor a second presentation of "Iraq: Through a Soldier's Eyes," by Marine Col. Sean Metroka of Nevada City.
Publisher Jeff Ackerman said Wednesday that the free event, including slides and commentary from Metroka's eight months in Iraq last year, will be held at 6 p.m. Tuesday at the Grass Valley Elks Lodge at West Main and School streets.
"So many people were turned away from the first show that we felt obligated to do it again," said Ackerman.
As many as 450 people attended Jan. 14, bringing items to be sent to men and women serving in Iraq. An estimated 400 pounds of items were donated, from paperbacks to beef jerky.
The Placer County chapter of Operation Mom - family and friends of military personnel - has offered to help get the goods to Iraq. For security reasons, the items must be in four-pound boxes, with shipping costs at about $10 a box.
Operation Mom representatives will be at the Jan. 27 presentation, and donations to defray shipping expenses will be accepted then or by mail to Operation Mom, P.O. Box 1262, Alta, CA 95701. Also, the group will be packing boxes Feb. 17 from 6 to 9 p.m. at the VFW building in Colfax. Those wanting to help should call Bobbi Park for more information at 906-4112.
A videotape of the first presentation by Metroka - who was assisted by another area veteran of the Iraq war, Dr. Michael Curtis - was shown Wednesday night on local public-access television (Comcast cable channel 11) and is scheduled for reruns. Those wanting a copy of the hour-long video should contact Ackerman at The Union, 477-4299.
In addition, The Union plans to make Metroka's slides available on www.theunion.com.
