Mustangs kick off Holiday Mail for Heroes

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Rick Maricle
  • American Red Cross/Public Affairs Volunteer
OSAN AIR BASE, Republic of Korea --  Members of the 51st Fighter Wing started the holiday season a few days before Thanksgiving with the hustle and bustle of card sorting Nov. 22.

Thirty-five volunteers, hailing from different units throughout the wing, came together over two nights at the Osan Community Center, to assist the Red Cross with the 5th annual Holiday Mail for Heroes program.

The program, facilitated by the American Red Cross, was developed so military members can receive holiday greetings from back home.

The greetings poured in from all 50 states including Puerto Rico, and there was no shortage of appreciation for everything Airmen, Soldiers, Sailors and Marines do for their country.

"Included in the more than 10,000 cards we received for our local Airmen, were numerous cards for many of our Wounded Warriors and we will forward these well wishes forward to reach those American heroes in time for the holidays," said Susanne Harlandt, Osan American Red Cross Station Manager.

Airman 1st Class John Loiselle, 51st Logistics Readiness Squadron Vehicle Operations Section, had the opportunity to read over a very special card that was created in Braille for a Wounded Warrior who lost his eyesight in defense of the country.

"The time and effort put into making a card like this, really shows how much they care," said Loiselle.

Among the volunteers were twenty-three members of the 51st Logistics Readiness Squadron, nine members of the 51st Security Forces Squadron and three Airmen from the 51st Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, who battled the pain of numerous paper cuts and dug out of the snowdrift of homemade confetti and multicolored glitter to finish sorting the cards a night ahead of schedule.

Sorting was only the first phase of the Holiday Mail for Heroes program; the second phase, distribution, will be rolling out in early-December. The Red Cross will partner with the Cookie Crunch to distribute the cards in tandem with the cookie deliveries.

Each year the American Red Cross provides assistance to more than two million service members and to many of our nation's 24 million veterans. At the core of the service to the Armed Forces mission is a commitment to support military families, military and veterans hospitals, and to provide emergency communications across the globe.

For more information on the Holiday Mail for Heroes or other Red Cross programs, call 784-1855.