LIHU‘E — In addition to missing family, friends and the beauty of this island, the Kaua‘i men and women fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan also develop instant cravings for local foods they can’t get over there. Kaua‘i veterans Frank Cruz
LIHU‘E — In addition to missing family, friends and the beauty of this island, the Kaua‘i men and women fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan also develop instant cravings for local foods they can’t get over there.
Kaua‘i veterans Frank Cruz and Adam Britto are out to change all that.
Working with other members of the Kauai Veterans Council, whose commander is Cruz, Britto and Cruz have launched Operation Morale, and have plans to ship regular morale packages, commonly known as “care packages,” to Kaua‘i and Hawai‘i troops either already in Iraq or Afghanistan, or destined to be there soon.
In fact, plans are afoot to have packages waiting for members of the Hawaii Army National Guard’s Company A, 2nd Battalion, 299th Infantry Regiment, when they arrive in Iraq early next year, Britto and Cruz said.
“When they hit the desert, there will be boxes waiting for them,” said Britto, 56, a veteran of both Vietnam and Persian Gulf conflicts.
And this is not just a one-time shipment. “We’re here for the duration,” Cruz said. “We won’t give up after one or two shipments. We want to show the men and women we’re still thinking about them,” he added.
“Operation Morale will end when all of our men and women come home,” Britto said.
Cruz, who served in Vietnam, recalls receiving care packages from family members once a month, and how receiving local foods and other items boosted his morale.
Britto, morale and welfare chair for the Kauai Veterans Council, concurred that the boxes will be well-received by the Kaua‘i fighters. “The word ‘morale,’ when it comes time for mail call, that’s what it is,” he said.
Among the food items suggested for donation are beef jerky, canned sardines, cans of Vienna sausage, saimin, Pop Tarts, Pringles, assorted chips and gum, Gatorade in the small boxes, granola bars and similar snacks. Chocolates and similar foods that could either melt or spoil should not be donated, they said.
Batteries, pens and pencils, notebooks and envelopes, baby wipes, Q-tips, deodorant, skin cream, shampoo, bar soap, razors, feminine napkins and other items are among the non-food items the fighters would appreciate, they said.
The baby wipes will allow troops to freshen up during long missions. “By personal experience, I know it’s difficult to get to the commissary,” said Cruz.
“We want our men and women to be as comfortable as possible in the situations they’re in,” he added.
Officers and members of the Kauai Veterans Council are working with representatives of other organizations within the community to donate, receive and send items, Cruz said. “We would like the community involved in this thing,” Cruz said.
Items may be dropped off at the Kauai Veterans Center state Department of Defense Office of Veterans Services on Kapule Highway in Lihu‘e weekdays (except holidays) from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
For recognition purposes, those donating items should include their names, Britto said.
A Hawaii Air National Guard cargo plane will be making monthly runs to Iraq from Hawai‘i, and the men have arranged for space for the morale packages, they said.
“We do this for duty, honor and commitment to country, and to thank the troops who are serving,” Britto said.
While the main focus is on the 100 or so Kauaians in the 299th called to active duty and eventual action in Iraq, the Kaua‘i veterans will send morale packages to any active-duty Kauaians in Iraq and Afghanistan if they have their mailing addresses, said Cruz and Britto.
The first shipment of packages for the 299th is scheduled to depart Kaua‘i in January, but the Kaua‘i veterans will send morale packages earlier to active-duty Kauaians in Iraq and Afghanistan sooner if they receive their mailing addresses, Cruz and Britto said. “This is the best that we could do for them, in addition to continuing to keep them and their families in our prayers,” Cruz said.
Additionally, the Kaua‘i veterans are planning on extending invitations to the annual veterans’ Christmas luncheon to spouses and dependents of those deployed or about to be deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as those 299th members expected to be home for the holidays before returning to the Mainland and eventually flying into Iraq.
The tentative date of the annual Christmas luncheon is Sunday, Dec. 19.
For more information, please call 246-1135 and leave a message for either Cruz or Britto.
Paul C. Curtis, associate editor, may be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 224) or pcurtis@pulitzer.net.
