Packages for the Troops

The Poverello Society support our troops in Iraq. We have sent many packages to our men and women serving in Iraq. Below are copies of several letters of appreciation that we have received.

This is a letter from Ray Reynolds, a medic in the Iowa Army National Guard, serving in Iraq:

As I head off to Baghdad for the final weeks of my stay in Iraq, I wanted to say thanks to all of you who did not believe the media. They have done a very poor job of covering everything that has happened. I am sorry that I have not been able to visit all of you during my two week leave back home. And just so you can rest at night knowing something is happening in Iraq that is noteworthy, I thought I would pass this on to you. This is the list of things that has happened in Iraq recently: (Please share it with your friends and compare it to the version that your paper is producing.)

* Over 400,000 kids have up-to-date immunizations.
* School attendance is up 80% from levels before the war.
* Over 1,500 schools have been renovated and rid of the weapons stored there so education can occur.
* The port of Uhm Qasar was renovated so grain can be off-loaded from ships faster.
* The country had its first 2 billion barrel export of oil in August.
* Over 4.5 million people have clean drinking water for the first time ever in Iraq.
* The country now receives 2 times the electrical power it did before the war.
* 100% of the hospitals are open and fully staffed, compared to 35% before the war.
* Elections are taking place in every major city, and city councils are in place.
* Sewer and water lines are installed in every major city.
* Over 60,000 police are patrolling the streets.
* Over 100,000 Iraqi civil defense police are securing the country.
* Over 80,000 Iraqi soldiers are patrolling the streets side by side with US soldiers.
* Over 400,000 people have telephones for the first time ever.
* Students are taught field sanitation and hand washing techniques to prevent the spread of germs.
* An interim constitution has been signed.
* Girls are allowed to attend school.
* Textbooks that don't mention Saddam are in the schools for the first time in 30 years.

Don't believe for one second that these people do not want us there. I have met many, many people from Iraq that want us there, and in a bad way. They say they will never see the freedoms we talk about but they hope their children will. We are doing a good job in Iraq and I challenge anyone, anywhere to dispute me on these facts. So If you happen to run into John Kerry, be sure to give him my e-mail address and send him to Denison, Iowa. This soldier will set him straight. If you are like me and very disgusted with how this period of rebuilding has been portrayed, e-mail this to a friend and let them know there are good things happening.

Ray Reynolds, SFC
Iowa Army National Guard
234th Signal Battalion

BOTH A MOTHER AND A SOLDIER

A frantic camel spider scurries along the floor of my dusty tent.

I wonder if your newest deicoveries, your fears, your joys are scurrying past me too.

I daily hold to faith, remind myself of comforts which are heaven sent,

Yet you're in my restless thoughts, and I want to be home to you soon.

Shades of beige, sand and dust

Blinding winds of nothingness

Hues of emptiness, guilt and sorrow

Perhaps blue breezes of hope tomorrow.

Once again I'll kiss you goodnight on your forehead.

I'll squeeze your hand when you're hiding teenage heartaches.

I'll try to soften the blows of the words others said,

But I worry you'll be beyond any need for my hugs, back scratches or pats of thanks.

Do you look older in your young eyes?

Do tears still need to be dried?

Has your laugh changed?

Have your interests rearranged?

Iraqi children sit in the dirt.

Can you see the thirst, poverty, eyes of hurt?

A corrupt regime stole from their mouths

Greedy factions still to the north and the south.

Please never doubt my love for you or be afraid by me being gone so long.

Sometimes choices made by us, and those made by governments, affect our family.

But my unconditional love for you is unwavering, and you are strong.

I reach for you through the miles and months, remembering, imagining, smiling softly.

I can't leave Iraq yet.

I'm caught in the haze and sweat.

The heat is draining life dry,

But my longings will not shrivel or die.

I have to cling to a greater purpose than ourselves, bigger than our dreams.

God has me here for a reason, maybe to grow in courage, maybe to encourage another.

God has you there for another reason, maybe to grow in self-sufficiency, maybe to glimpse "freedom isn't free".

I think of you proudly, hold to hope in my soul, and pray it won't be much longer.

Leanne Weldin, 1LT

Army National Guard

May 2003

Greetings from Iraq! I just wanted to say hello and to thank you for your support. Your Prayers are greatly appreciated! May the peace and love of the Lord be with you also and always. Merry Christmas and wishing you a wonderful New Year. Take care and God bless you!

Happy Holiday--Nicolas Sablan

What a wonderful surprise today to "meet you" by mail and to receive your wonderful packet. I believe my father was once stationed in Jacksonville, FL, if there's a Navy Base there. He was a Chaplain and was stationed in FL around 1988 (the year my daughter was born in Flagstaff, AZ). I visited there twice to their house in Orange Park I believe and remember the beach and green trees were lovely..

I shared the package with other soldiers in our company and it was greatly appreciated. We have a post exchange here on our post which is not stocked well. But I will send some of your supplies up to another post where some of my soldiers are which does not have a PX.

Temperatures have cooled quite a bit finally. I had a few weeks of 130-140 degree days without A/C units in our tents, so it was miserable. But now highs are 90-100 degrees and a breeze most of the time. Nights are getting chilly so next we'll be whining for tent heaters--soldiers love to complain about what we don't have. But love to brag about what we survive!

We are deployed in Feb. and really planned on pacing up and going home soon. But looks like the Army's now keeping all National Guard Reserves in country for one year so will be lucky to be home late next spring. Thank you for making us feel as if we're not forgotten! I can't think of anyone in the unit who has no family, but I'll ask around and see if anyone is in that situation and would like a letter. Thank you for your thoughtful offer!

Sincerely--First Lt. Leanne Weldin

It was such a sweet surprise to receive both the giant thank you card and the wonderful box of favorite foods. We displayed the card near our "command post" (meaning our company's office/work tent!). Many of us shared and enjoyed the Mexican food, summer sausages, and other treats. Thank you for your thoughtfulness and generosity! Thanks to the Poverello's also!

We are anxiously awaiting our replacement unit so we can then go to port in Kuwait and load equipment. It will still be a few months until we get home, but we are starting to pack up and head that direction.

Weather here is usually 60s in the days and 40s at night, sometimes a bit colder. It's still the "rainy season" so rains about once a week and makes everything a muddy mess. The dirt is like clay when wet so doesn't seem to absorb much.

We had a nice, little unit party for Christmas Eve and the dining facility had a good turkey and ham traditional dinner on Christmas Day. I wasn't here on New Year's Eve because I was able to go home on R&R leave for 2 weeks on December 28th. It was a wonderful time with my husband, kids, and extended family who all came to visit.

Hope you and your family and church also had a blessed holiday season. It's going to be difficult for us to receive mail the next couple months as we move into Kuwait then to Texas to demobilize. (I'm sure it will be delayed and often misrouted with all the units coming and going overwhelming the military mail system). It was nice to have bee a "pen pal" with you and wish you all the best!

Take Care--Leanne Weldin

Let me thank you for your prayers, over here in Iraq. We need all those prayers. I want to thank yo all for the package as well since, as you probably know, life over here is quite different from ours back home. Let me tell you here a little bit about me and the unit I belong to and the job we are doing here in Baghdad.

I am a member of the 32nd Military Police Company from the Wisconsin Army National Guard. We are over a hundred and fifty men and women that are working hard to restore the law and order and return the Iraqi people their right of self determination. We are working closely with Iraqi Police members, by training and supporting them so they can be a little safer on the streets of this dangerous city. Here animals are armed with machine guns, assault rifles, and granades and other explosives. We patrol the streets along with police officers at all times of the day and night. We will continue to do our jobs the best we can. As members of the National Guard we are all volunteers with families back in Wisconsin and many of us have jobs or universities to come back to, as soon as we complete our mission. I will be back soon with help of God. Right now it is difficult to be away from my family and friends. Here we don't have much. We can buy some items at the Post Exchange (PX) like toothpaste, munchies, some canned food and just a few CD's. The PX is merely a trailer with shelves in it. The PX is serving thousands of soldiers. Thank God we have running water and just two weeks ago a dining facility.

Thank you again, I'm looking forward to seeing you photograph. We are working hard to keep you all safe back there, I pray for you too. Take care!

Thank you much. SPC Erick Dalma. Iraq.

Greetings from Iraq! The troops and I salute you and thank you for all them snacks and CD's . I am sure we will put them to use before we depart by the end of February. If not, we will definately leave some for our replacement. In the same token, our commander has told us to inform our friends and families to stop sending mail to us by the 20th of February because the mail takes awhile to get to Iraq!

Again, thank you for everything!! May the Lord continue to watch over you and bless you for all you do.

Take care, its been a pleasure writing to you!

God bless America!

Happy belated Valentine's Day!

Peace be with you!

Nicolas Sablan

Webmaster--Gary Weirich