Posted: Dec. 23, 2009 |(0) Comments

In spending this past Thanksgiving with friends and family, I couldn't help but think of soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines unable to do the same. Since 2003, I've deployed to Iraq, Pakistan and Qatar, twice missing Thanksgiving and once the holidays in their entirety. Throughout these deployments, I've received unwavering support from my hometown and I felt a word of thanks was well overdue.

In September 2003, I deployed to Camp Victory in downtown Baghdad. As the holidays drew near, care packages started arriving and as is customary, service members shared their contents. One day, to my surprise, five large packages arrived all with my name on them. Upon opening them I was amazed at the number of items ranging from toiletries to snacks, but it was what I didn't expect that had the greatest effect on us - drawings and letters from children thanking us for our service and wishing us safety.

Unbeknownst to me, my mom had shared my mailing address with a Mequon co-worker who knew of a local elementary school looking to support the troops. As it turned out, Milwaukee families had donated their time and resources to send us those packages, the contents of which reached not only U.S. forces, but allies from Australia, Great Britain and Poland as well. I can't put into words the effects those drawings had on us, coalition partners included, except to say that they were taped and tacked to more desks than I can recall. I can't thank you enough for sending them.

Care packages of baked goods and well wishes flooded in throughout my time in Pakistan and Qatar as well, boosting our morale and uplifting our spirits. The impact of those packages is immeasurable. Beyond the most welcome addition of a tasty treat to an otherwise mundane diet, the arrival of the packages represents the support of the American people back home, and that is an incredibly powerful thing.

Today's service members are humbly grateful for the unwavering support our fellow Americans have shown us these past eight years. As for me in particular, I fully expect to deploy again. And when I do, I hope to not only bring with me my personal expertise, but just as importantly, the backing of an exceptional community of people as well. With utmost respect and sincerity, please accept my profound thanks for all your support.

 

Maj. Dave Joerres

Fort Leavenworth, Kan.

 

Maj. Dave Joerres attended Indian Hill Elementary and Maple Dale Middle School before graduating from Nicolet High School in 1993. He earned a USAF commission in 1997, and is currently attending the U.S. Army's Command and General Staff College in Fort Leavenworth, Kan.

EDITOR'S NOTE: As I began reading this letter from Nicolet alumnus Maj. Dave Joerres, I could hear "I'll Be Home for Christmas" playing in my head. We wanted to share Maj. Joerres' appreciation in a special way. Happy holidays to all, with a special thank you to all of our military personnel and their families for their sacrifices for our country. - Susan Nord