TSAC is very proud to announce the adoption of our first Marine unit. Allpha Battery, 1st Battalion, 14th Marines, is home based in Denver. In November 2004, the unit began training to serve in their present role as a provisional Military Police unit. Alpha Battery was mobilized in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom on December 1, 2005, and has just started their latest mission in Iraq.

The majority of this unit is from Colorado- and we know of at least two soldiers who are part of our mountain community. We are preparing to ship our first round of comfort items to these soldiers now, and look forward to the new relationships we will create.

We thank all who have contributed, both in service to our country as well as those who donated items.

[center]:USA: First Shipment Sent [/center]


Our first shipment to Alpha Battery is in the mail! Thanks to this community we were able to ship 384 pounds of a wide variety of comfort items, including over 150 boxes of Girl Scout Cookies. Some were donated by individuals, and 140 boxes were from Troop 1132 at West Jeff Elementary as part of the Hometown Heroes program. The girls also wrote letters and made murals that were shipped. Included in the shipment were dozens of razors, toiletries, chapstick, and a varied assortment of snack foods - 19 boxes in all, shippped to 5 different locations.

None of this would have been possible without you, the community. You all are simply amazing. Thank you.

Letters mean a lot. I wrote my first one and TSAC included it in the shipment. I never thought I'd receive a reply! I understand the Sgt thinks I am the contact for everyone who contributed - so to keep things simple, initially, feel free to send your letters to:

Trisha Neimi
c/o Platte Canyon Rescue Service
PO Box 456
Bailey, CO 80421

If you'll include your own address/contact information in your letter, don't be surprised if one of the Marines starts replying to you directly!

I'll forward all letters received - but just adding your own letter along with a goody-bag into the TSAC drop box always works!

Here's the letter (contact information removed on the advice of TSAC):

________________________________________________________

Classification: UNCLASSIFIED

Hi Trisha,

I wanted to drop you a line and say thank you for the wonderful letters and pictures from you and the kids. They have been enjoyed by all. I am writing you an email vice snail mail (regular mail) for the convenience factor, and because my hand writing is extremely sloppy. I could have been a doctor because my writing looks like chicken scratch. I have, however, had several requests, from my Marines, to write back to the kids. Would it be OK for my Marines to do that? If so, where would you like us to send the letters to? Also, can you please send me a list of the kids? first names so I can ensure we spell their names correctly when we send the letters back? I think the Marines will really enjoy the correspondence. I have attached a couple of pictures for you, as you did for us. Although my pictures are not nearly as nice as your were. I?ll close for now.

Semper Fidelis,



David



1stSgt David E. Walters

Company A, TFMP 1st Bn, 14th Marines








________________________________________________________

Bubbles, mylz2go, and everyone with TSAC - Thanks for encouraging me to write my first letter. The response and credit goes to you, and all of Pinceam.

Wow, Rova! Thank you so much for posting the first pictures we have of our unit in Iraq! I

Update:

I've faxed a synopsis of this thread to West Jefferson Elementary and Girl Scout Troop 1132 encouraging those who wrote letters before and who might be interested in continuing a correspondance with these Marines through the summer to get new letters in the mail!

Sgt Walters and his men are probably watching the mail!

Trisha

Classification: UNCLASSIFIED

Hi Trisha,

Sorry it?s taken awhile to get back to you. Things have been fairly busy around here lately. Thanks for clarifying things for me in your last email. I appreciate it. Summer is coming and the temperature is on the rise. It is supposed to reach 106 today, and 108 by Sunday. The Marines are working hard and, as always, making me very proud to be their 1stSgt. As we enter our third month over here, I am thankful for the support of people like you, the Girl Scouts and Pinecam. It?s nice to know people back home remember us and are thinking of us. I have to go, but please write again if you have a chance.

Semper Fi,

1stSgt David E. Walters

______________________________________

Classification: UNCLASSIFIED

Hey Trisha,

I have one more question: Who can I write to thank the Girl Scouts for their great banners and letters? Also, we just received another box of stuff from Pinecam today. It had soap, razors, etc?Can you please pass on mine and my Marines? thanks and gratitude for the wonderful package.

Semper Fi,

1stSgt David E. Walters

____________________________________________

Both of these came in today! I answered his questions about the Girl Scouts (my fax to West Jeff Elementary last week for the Troop aparrently didn't reach them) and posed one of my own:

Question: Does the Company have much access to PX/rear area facilities? I ask as it's easy to imagine a completely unrealistic environment for you and make choices in donations accordingly - resulting in (at best) likely wry exasperation on the order of "What in the world were they thinking!?" Based on what you received from Pinecam recently, what was conspicuously absent?

____________________________

I'll post any answer I receive!

I received an email from 1stSgt David Walters this morning!

Classification: UNCLASSIFIED

Hi Trisha,

I hope this email finds you doing well. Thanks for all the help you have given us, answering questions and getting information for us. I?ve enjoyed our interactions. In reference to the questions from your email below:

1. Phone cards ? The Marines have (surprisingly) plenty of access to phones and internet caf??s. Some of them have access to a sat phone, or DSN phones, and there are many bases that will connect the Marines with morale calls that don?t cost the Marine a dime. I?m sure not all of the Marines have tapped in to the resources available to them and are using calling cards when they phone home, but this is the exception rather than the rule.

2. PX/Exchange ? Each of the bases over here have a PX that we can take advantage of. Some are better than others. They carry a variety of items and have really come a long way since 2004 (that was the last time I was here. I was based out of Ramadi then. It was also my 2nd time here). Some of the things that we can?t buy at the PX are Girl Scout cookies, licorice, coffee (we can get this in limited supply), coffee creamers and sugar. Overall, I?d say the military has stepped into the 21st Century with regards to providing for their troops.

With regards to the package that Pinecam sent us ? we were very grateful for the thoughtful gift. It doesn?t seem to matter what is sent to the Marines, there is always someone who wants or needs the items in the package. It?s amazing how God works in that way.

Well, I?m going to close for now. Stay out of trouble and write when you can.

Semper Fi,

1stSgt David E. Walters

Company A, TFMP 1st Bn, 14th Marines

Just got a letter from the Captain in charge of Alpha Battery, 2nd Platoon:



Juice boxes, chap stick, pringles - they seem so insignificant to us stateside. But look at the caring message you, the community, have sent to our young men and women in Iraq. Thank you.

To see pictures from Iraq, click here.

The first time you click on one of the pics it will be huge - click on it a 2nd time as it's loading and you'll get a much more manageable sized photo. Gunny is working on getting some more pics for us.

This letter came in the mail today:



What we are doing, as a community, makes a difference. Thank you.

I wanted to thank the entire Pinecam community for your active support of our troops. My son Brenton is part of that group of young Marines you have adopted. I can tell you just how much a little touch of home means to each of them. They are scattered a bit through the Anbar Provence, but all are serving their country proudly and their moral and dedication is high. As a story to share, last I was able to talk to Brenton I relayed that the news showed that things were really heating up in Bagdad. As he put it, that is only because no reporter is willing to go where our marines are in Ramadi and Falujah, so Bagdad gets all the coverage. It is a little too dangerous for them. So again, as a father and a member of the community I want to express my heartfelt thanks.

L. Roger Hutson

This is an exerpt from a newsletter for friends and family of Alpha Battery from Commanding Officer Major G. R. Deliberto


I want to add my thanks to all of you in our mountain community who support our troops with your donations. You do make a difference!