Quilt made by soldiers thanking Troop Box Ministry for its sevice.
Twenty-three years, two wars and about 10,000 care packages sent to deployed American service members later, Troop Box Ministry of Hamersville is standing down.
“It was a hard decision to make,” said co-founder Diana Lawrence. “It was so much fun. But after a lot of thought, prayer and talk, we decided it was time to end it. We want to thank all of our donors, volunteers and especially all of our troops who served in Afghanistan, Kuwait, and Iraq,” Diana added.
What began as a single box sent to a family member in Afghanistan, grew into a substantial operation. TBM started in the Lawrence’s garage. It expanded to two sheds-one for packing the boxes and another for storage. TBM collected the names and addresses of the deployed, gathered the donated items, packed the boxes, and took them to the post office.
What kinds of things were sent? Each box contained a Gideon New Testament and a deck of cards. Personal items such as toothbrushes and toothpaste, hair shampoo, socks, and wet wipes (sometimes it could be three weeks between showers) were very popular. Beef jerky and cans of chicken and tuna were prized as fill-ins between visits to the chow hall.
TBM often received special requests. Every effort was made to fulfill those requests. GIs asked for helmet liners to protect their faces in the brutally cold Afghanistan winters. TBM volunteers knitted dozens of the wool liners and sent them over. Cans of spray for the bottoms of combat boots were supplied to give our troops a better grip on snow-slick mountain trails. One soldier received a guitar case to replace the one he broke.
Diana learned that one unit took the extras from the boxes and opened a “food pantry” in the headquarters for anyone to use.
TBM partnered with the Milford Schools nine years ago. “Milford was always very generous. One year the school donated 400 boxes, enough to cover us for six months. The students also raised money to help pay for postage which was always a major expense,” recalled Diana. (Postage went from $7.00 per box to the current charge of $18.00 per box.)
Milford Superintendent Bob Farrell noted that the troop boxes were an important part of the district’s Veterans Day program. “The students were always very excited about this project,” Farrell recalled. “They included letters and drawings for each box. The kids were thrilled when they received a return letter from their trooper.”
Diana said getting letters from their troops were “blessings.” Officers wrote to TBM to thank it for the donations and to underscore how important the boxes were to boosting platoon morale. Several troops stopped by TBM headquarters after coming home to personally thank everyone for the boxes they received. There was one incident that Diana will never forget.
Diana got a call on her cell phone. It was from Iraq. A young Marine from Georgetown told her that he was on patrol and was under heavy sniper fire. His squad was pinned down. He didn’t know if he would make it. Though wounded, he survived the skirmish. He gave his purple heart to Diana. He left the Marines, came home, got married, and is living in the area.
For twenty-three years the volunteers at TBM sent a little piece of home to thousands of Americans serving in the mountains and deserts of the Middle East. The “goodies” stuffed into each box made life a little easier for our troops. Perhaps more importantly, each box told them someone at home cared and appreciated the sacrifices they were making.
Troop Box Ministry: Mission Accomplished – Job Well Done!