TreatsForTheTroops.US

From 2009

From: Armstead, Richard J II SFC MIL USA FORSCOM
Subject: Re: MERRY CHRISTMAS
Date: Monday, December 28, 2009, 9:22 PM

Merry Christmas to you all too. We did receive your package. Thank You so very much. It was most appreciated. We sent a small token of our appreciation for all that you do and have done for all Soldiers currently deployed. Thank you again and Merry Christmas.

The New Year is upon us

Doc Armstead

From: Matthew Torries
Subject: Re: MERRY CHRISTMAS
Date: Friday, December 25, 2009, 4:54 AM

I have recieved the boxes sorry I didn't write sooner its been busy over here but the guys loved all the treats and they really enjoyed the hats. All the guys were wearing them. I enjoyed the beef jerky. I appreciate all the gifts. Thank you so much for it all!! I hope I can set an example for teenagers all over the world I am only 18. I got recognized by the commander of the base for being the youngest airman on base. It is hard being away from all of my friends and family on Christmas and new years and thanksgiving and missing so many birthdays but I do it for my family. It really touches me when I see the cards the kids make because I have 3 nieces and 2 nephews that love drawing pictures too. Thank you once again. Merry Christmas and Happy New Years! May God Bless you all for what you do for the troops. We all thank you for supporting us.

I did receive the box right on time the day before X-MAS. I would like to take time out to thank you all from the bottom of my heart, it means so much to receive some thing from people who care so much. God will truly bless you and all your family, I hope you all keep me in your prayers on this most special time of the year.

Rec'd 12/4/09

From: Josey's Nephew in IRAQ

We leave here on Sunday. It is going to be a long arduous trip home. It will take about 10 days or so.. ugh. My replacement is here and his name is SFC Richard Armstead. His e-mail is ...I also have a request to help out a friend of mine from my team who is staying behind for an extra 6 months to be with his wife that is deployed right now as well. His name is SFC Robert Ford and email is ...We did get all the boxes and wow was that a lot of candy. hehe It was used and enjoyed to it's fullest though. Anyway I still hope to be home just before x-mas. Wish me luck and keep those fingers crossed. Talk to you all soon and as always Thank you!

Rec'd Dec 4th, 2009

Mr & Mrs Dorr,

This is SGT Paul M. Mahoney. I would like to take this time to thank you for the packages that you have sent and will send in the future. The men and women in my unit appreciate the thoughtful gifts. I will tell you a little about myself so you know who you are sending these packages to instead of just a name and rank....but understand some certain things will be withheld for security purposes.

I am originally from Chicago, IL. I joined the Army when I was fresh out of high school. I was 18 with 2 kids and heading into a an economical disaster. There was little opportunity for my situation. This was just after 9-11. The sensible thing to do was join the Army. It is a great family organization. You might ask yourself why because they send us overseas, but until you in and experience it you learn it isnt as bad as people make it to be. So here I am 7 years later and I find myself on my 4th overseas deployment and I plan to make this a career. I am now 25 years old with an ageless, beautiful wife, and 4 awesome kids. I have 2 girls and 2 boys. They are 11, 7, 6, and 5. I am glad that I had them early because I wont be broken down and brittle when it comes time to start the football and baseball. I do hope to get a Business Degree and my Realtor License in order to start flipping houses. That is my dream for when I retire. As for things I like or like to do...Well I am what most people would call a sports nut. I am a die hard Bears fan and will be until the day I die!!!! I love comedy movies and stand up. Dane Cook is my Favorite. Have you heard of him? Growing up I always wanted to be a comedian or a comedic actor. It was my dream but I had to put that on hold to take care of my responsibilities. But....I live with no regrets!!!! I love my kids and if I had to do it all over again, I would not change a thing!!!! Overall, I live for sports and love to hear people laugh. That is me in a nut shell.

About our mission here in Afghanistan, all I can tell you is we are looking to stop the Taliban from implacing IED's. (Improvised Explosive Devices) Overall we are here to instill peace and rid this country of Insurgents. I just play a small part in that. Mostly I am trying to do my job, to the best of my ability, and make it home safely to my family. I dislike it when people protest against us but really we are all the same. We are all trying to support our family the best way we know how and to give our kids a better life than we had....Am I right? Were all human and most of us try to do the right thing in life.

Well, I will be in contact and if you have any more questions dont hesitate to ask. I will answer it to the best of my ability. Thank you again for the packages and i hope to hear from you soon. Take care and God Bless!!!!!

Your Friend,
Paul M. Mahoney
SGT, USA
Field Artillery

From: Taylor, Lisa L. 510th CLT
Subject: RE: HAPPY THANKSGIVING (UNCLASSIFIED)
Date: Saturday, November 28, 2009, 1:32 AM

Classification: UNCLASSIFIED
Caveats: NONE

Thank you, how was your Thanksgiving? Well mines was alright considering
I'm in Iraq. We can't wait to get the cookies and cards. Thanks you Abby
and Sarah for everything.

From: patrick mackey
Date: Wednesday, November 18, 2009, 4:16 PM

Hey Aunt Josie, I am leaving in about a month. No exact date yet and no replacement yet. I will have to let you know on that later on. I did get the big box with the pretzels and the stuffed animals. I am sure the others will make it in time. Thanks for everything you do... Talk to you all soon.... Pat

08 Oct 2009:
To all the supporters,
It has been great at the Agape Store. The support for the troops continues to grow. The Chaplain and I have traveled to some remote FOB's and begun the process of setting up smaller stores in another 8 locations. Again, a reminder that all items you send are placed for use in various locations. Nothing is wasted and everything is appreciated. We have a continued need for towells, Shampoo (full size bottles), shower shoes, snacks, body wash, canned food items (Ravioli, Spagetti, tuna, Vienna Sausage, Cheese dip,....) that can be carried on mission. Single serve chips are always a hit. There is also a demand for chocolate. The weather is cooling fast in the mountains and the chocolate should travel well. Remember, the store services both male and female. Winter is on the way and there will be an increased demand for Coco mix and coffee. Soldiers are asking for Beanie Babies for comfort. There is something about a stuffed animal that brings joy to the biggest of kids. The snow will arrive soon. We are still looking for sleds for soldiers. The sleds will bring added relaxation. Christmas is coming and there is a call for christmas lights and extensions cords to plug them in. They may not be able be on all the time, but if only for a couple of hours they will be appreciated. The free movie rental is continuing to be a big hit and if you have used or new DVD's, please send them also. Remember, no pornography. It is prohibited in country. I will post pictures in the next update. The Agape Store in renovation for expansion and when it is done I will post some pictures.
God Bless.
For God and Country,
SPC Miles A. Anderson, Chaplain's Assistant

From: Alexander, Theiring R USA CPT USA 595th TTG
Subject: [UNCLASSIFIED / FOUO] Troop_Request (UNCLASSIFIED)
To: josey@treatsforthetroops.us
Date: Wednesday, September 30, 2009, 9:09 AM

Hello Josey,

I am amazed at what you and your team do for the troops. I am a chaplain,
stationed in Kuwait and would like to request
Support. I have an office where soldiers come in all the time asking for
treats and snacks. We try to keep up with the demand, but it's rough.
Can you assist us. We accept all types of treats and snacks to take care of
the Soldiers in Kuwait and when we go to Iraq and Afghanistan. Thank you
again for your great support to the troops serving in our Armed Forces.
Theiring R. Alexander
CH(CPT) USA
595TH Group Chaplain

From: McNeill, Patrick SrA 732 ESFS DET 2
Subject: Troop_Request (UNCLASSIFIED)
To: josey@treatsforthetroops.us
Date: Thursday, October 1, 2009, 12:24 PM

Hi,

I am the MWR NCOIC for my unit. I would like to submit myself as the POC to receive care packages from your organization. Our deployed address is added below this message. We currently have approx. 200 in out unit. (Not the exact number for OPSEC). Approx. 20 of our personnel are females. We arrived in country Jan 2009 and are scheduled to return home NLT 15 Jan 2010. Thank you in advance for you support.

23 Oct 2009: SGT Beeler
sorry time flies when your working hard. We have been on commo black out alot so I have not been able to update this as much as I would like. We are all hanging in there we have lost a few that are close to us but we are doing this for them now. My they RIP and keep us safe by watching our backs from up above.
Well its getting cold here and if you all could send stuff to decorate the tents and work area we would like that Chirstmas this year with are best buds. We also got some awsome wool caps they help keep us warm. Also its starting to get cold and the wounded soldiers need some blankets and some slippers if at all possible that would be awsome. I would like to thank everyone for all of the support that we are getting out here we have been doing alot of missions and I have been taking all of the stuff out to the soldiers on post that have nothing so anything is great.
If you all could send some water heaters for hot cocoa, tea, hot apple cider and if you could send anything that we can add hot water to, to heat us up that would be so cool.
thanks again
SGT Beeler

From: Cobb, Richard R Jr 1LT MIL USA
Date: Saturday, March 28, 2009, 2:42 AM

Hi all,
Thank you so much again for you support.
I just came back from mid tour leave so i got to see my family and made myself
a fiance. It was a great time. When i came back... i found out that we are
about to go home earlier then expected. Right now we are rushing to pack up and get things ready to move back. As much as i appreciate the things you send us, i think they could be sent to Soldiers more in need.
Thank you again so much for your support. When I landed in Dallas for my
connecting flight, we were in our uniforms and as soon as we hit the terminal,
we recieved massive applause from everyone in the airport.... it was really a
very very proud moment. It was fantastic to see supporters for all the work we
try to do... People like you are some of the best. Its been a pretty rough year
for my platoon and we could always count on that massive care package to show up in an appropriate time. Thank you again for everything in the past year.

1LT Richard Cobb

hey i recieved your second package a while back andi just wanted to get back to you and say thank you very much
SGT Ebel

Dear Josey: Thank you so much for the nice email. I did get your box
and I divided it up between a few convoys who were getting ready to roll
out. Things have been pretty hectic here lately. We actually had to
move our whole battalion area to the other side of the base. It was and
still is a mess!!!! I hope you and your family are doing well and
having a prosperous new year. I have 2 more months and then I get to go
home for 2 weeks to see my wife and kids. I am so excited about that.
Have a great day and I will talk with you again soon.

YOUR FRIEND
SSG DANNY LINDSEY

Hello Joesy and Jeff. Thank you for the box. We did recieve it. We are all delighted and very thankful. Hope you guys are doing well- thanks again. Greatly appreciated!

PFC. RIVERA, ALYNN G.

Classification: UNCLASSIFIED

Greetings Josey and Jeff!

We want to thank you for the box filled with home-baked goodies, Valentine’s candy, cards, sermons, and stuffed animals! The dips and chips are already gone and I can’t even remember what kinds of home-baked cookies were in the box because they were gone within a few minutes of putting the word out! Thank you SO much! We are at a point in the deployment where your care package made all the difference in morale. Thank you for your support and encouragement to the Sweathogs! Unfortunately, our web-site has been taken down. However, we will be putting together an account of the deployment and I will make sure you receive a copy. We will not be able to receive mail out here after 1 March. Any packages received will be sent back to our ‘home’ in Beaufort , SC. Thank you again. I will keep in touch as we move closer to our return home and appreciate your contributions to this deployment!

Have a blessed day!

Jen

LT Jennifer D. Bowden, CHC, USN

MWSS-273, Chaplain

From: Cobb, Richard R Jr 1LT MIL USA USAREUR 7A
Subject: hi
Date: Friday, February 6, 2009, 4:13 AM

Hi all
Its been a while since i've written ya... sorry for that..... we've
been incredibly busy up here with all sorts of things. You may have seen a
couple of events on the news that we participated in like the elections. That
task (to help the Iraqis protect the polling sites) fell on us for our entire
province.... it turned out to be a 39 hour mission. It was brutal... but the
night before we had to go out on it, i got a box from you for the super bowl....
well, since we got the mission last minute, none of the soldiers had what we
call Pogey Bait (snacks). I put that box out for the soldiers and i've
never seen them move so fast. While we were out on the mission, i saw them
snackin down on all the chips and treats.... they loved it. Thank you so much
for contributing and supporting us the way you do. Means alot. We had a decent
super bowl (at 0100). The Army actually let us have 2 beers to enjoy during the
event. Needless to say, your snacks were already gone! hahaha. Thanks again
for your support. Thought you might enjoy that lil true story.
1LT Cobb

It was really nothing compared to all you guys have done for our troops.
Please let me know if there is some one in particular that you'd like to
recognize the same way. Our command here will be more than glad to do so.

WE ARE GOING HOME!!!

Thank you for being the kind of people that you are. I truly believe
that is because of people like you, that America is such a wonderful
country. God bless her, you guys and those like you for ever.
Regards,

Pedro
V/R
PEDRO A. RIVERA
JPOTF HQ First Sergean

From: Scott Ebel
Subject: THANK YOU
To: josey@TreatsForTheTroops.US
Date: Thursday, January 22, 2009, 1:41 PM

I WOULD LIKE TO THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THE PACKAGE I SPLIT OT UP WITH MY PLATOON AND WE ALL GOT TO ENJOY IT. THANK YOU VERY MUCH I APPRECIATE IT SO VERY MUCH
SGT EBEL, SCOTT .A

1/10/09

It took a few days because of the time difference between Japan and TN where he lives but we did connect. And I was finally, after all these years, able to thank him for his service and tell him I have always been so grateful he returned alive. He told me how much it meant to him as a young, 20 year old soldier to receive something from someone he didn't know back home and to know that someone was thinking of him and appreciating what he was doing. I'm sure the fine service men and women we have today who are receiving packages from people like Susan feel the same. I guess some things never change.

I heard from Chaplain Michael Tomlinson today as did some of you. He sent photos of their current location (cold and wet) in Iraq. They are about to move to a location even more desolate but the good news is -- won't be long and they will be back in the USA. Please continue to hold the 1/2 in your prayers. No more mail though, by the time they receive it they will be back home.

And I heard from Gunnery Sgt. Ben Alicea today. These words are taken from his email "
"I need you to tell all that are supporting us that we have been receiving packages and appreciate them all. ....... Wanted to paint a picture for you on the package situation. The platoon and I have received so much stuff that we have started sharing with H&S and Kilo company. Kilo company has a couple of good friends of mine, so I look out for them and they do the same for me."
It's rough in Afghanistan, I'm sure that you know that. 3/8 has lost 2 Marines and we pray that the rest of the battalion will return safe and sound in the spring. Please hold them in your prayers. From Ben: CAAT platoon is fine except for a couple non-combat related injuries. (sprained ankle and eye infection)
If you are shipping to 3/8 do keep it up -- our letters and packages must continue even though Christmas is over. And if you are shipping to a specific Sailor or Marine remember to enclose paper, pens and an envelope addressed to you (no stamp required). It is much more likely that your Marine will write back to you if he has the supplies needed to do that. Ben tells me the internet service at this FOB is horrible.
They are out for days at a time on lengthy patrols and are exhausted when they return to the FOB so please understand if they do not write back to you. They are grateful, your efforts are much appreciated.