Thank You to Local Companies

A huge "THANK YOU" to Spectrum Management and Daisy Brand Co. for your generous contribution to our organization. These contributions allow the Airborne Angel Cadets of Texas to continue sending those much coveted care packages throughout the year to our American soldiers serving in harm's way. With the help of our 12 adopted platoons, many of which are chaplains and helicopter pilots, we now have a reach of over 5000 soldiers! Many of those soldiers are in the more remote locations with no running water, no hot meals and no access to purchase basic necessities such as deodorant, razors or toothpaste, so these chaplains and pilots unselfishly deliver the goods via convoys or helicopter drops on our behalf. It warms the heart to hear of our soldiers looking out for their "brothers in arms".

God bless them and keep them safe this holiday season!!
Merry Christmas

Airborne Angel Cadets fetaured in Dallas Morning News

Thanks to Lindsey Bever and the Dallas Morning News for today's newspaper article (below) on the Airborne Angel Cadets of Texas.

Local nonprofit sends Christmas to troops overseas

More than 5,000 soldiers are beginning to receive their packages from home — ones filled with stuffed stockings, phone cards, boxes of blank Christmas cards to write in and small toys to send home to their children.

These holiday reminders were sent by Airborne Angel Cadets of Texas, a local nonprofit that ships care packages to soldiers and troops serving in the United States Armed Forces in Iraq, Afghanistan and Kuwait.

"We’ve basically become their family away from home," said Nancy Carter, founder of Airborne Angels. "We build a relationship with them. They become my sons and daughters."

Eight times a year, the group of about 50 volunteers gathers donated items coveted by the soldiers, such as snacks, coffee, batteries, beef jerky and basic toiletries, and they have a packing party.

Currently, Airborne Angels is shipping much-needed socks, hand warmers and knit hats, Carter said. "You don’t realize the simple things they miss," she said.

Just after Capt. Billy Watkins of McKinney was deployed to Bagdad in July 2008, he began to receive boxes from home. He said the most memorable package he received contained a pair of NASCAR bed sheets. "They sent Tony Stewart NASCAR sheets," said Watkins, who is returning to reserve status in the Army. "I took those sheets and thought that was just the coolest thing. It meant a lot. It was a big morale boost."

And that’s just what these men and women need, said Watkins' wife, Julie.  "The soldiers feel like life has been put on pause, but the rest of the world keeps going," she said.

"Airborne Angels helps the soldiers feel like they’re not forgotten — that the rest of the world hasn’t gone on without them."

Julie Watkins was elected head of the family readiness group for her husband’s unit shortly after he was deployed. She became a focal point, sending care packages to the soldiers. She said it was rewarding to be able to send the soldiers a piece of home, but her personal resources were limited. That’s where Airborne Angels came in.

Julie Watkins began volunteering with the group, shipping packages to her soldiers. "For me, [Airborne Angels] was the avenue to make sure my soldiers over there were taken care of," she said. "It gave me a way to take care of them I couldn’t have done otherwise."

Carter said the real reward comes when the volunteers get to meet their adopted soldiers. When Lt. Steven Deputy of The Colony came home from Kabul, Afghanistan, for leave a few months ago, he went to an Airborne Angels packing party. Deputy’s wife, Heather, said he was amazed by the support from people he'd never met. "I'm glad we found the Airborne Angels," she said. "It's been a huge relief to have them helping Steve out. It's taken a lot of pressure off. I’m doing well to get a box out every month. It’s been a huge relief to know he’s not just relying on me for contact from home."

And Carter said Airborne Angels don’t stop until the soldiers come home. "One thing I’ve heard over and over from these soldiers is, 'Wow, you guys were here for us till the very end,'" Carter said. "The best part is hearing their feedback and [when the get back] collecting on my long-awaited hugs."  Watkins said Airborne Angels is the soldiers’ connection to home. "I just never felt like home was far away thanks to those guys," he said.

How to help

Make a money donation to Airborne Angel Cadets of Texas online or donate toiletries and nonperishable food items. Canned or boxed food that needs to be cooked, pork products and aerosol cans cannot be accepted.

For more information, visit www.airborneangelcadets.com.

Lindsey Bever is a reporter with neighborsgo and can be reached at 972-436-5551 ext. 3004 or via e-mail at lbever@neighborsgo.com.

Certificate from NATO Training Mission-Afghanistan

The Airborne Angel Cadets of Texas received a Certificate of Appreciation from William B. Caldwell, IV, Lieutenant General, US Army, Commanding, noting our recent shipment of 67 boxes to one group of soldiers in Afghanistan ... (click on Certificate to enlarge). Thanks to all the donors and helpers that assisted with this shipment.




In addition to the Certificate, we also received a letter as below:

Phone cards arriving overseas!

Here's the response from one of our Airborne Angel Cadet phone card recipients overseas:

"Well, it took some time before I could get to the phone center but I did it tonight. I got to the phone center around 8 pm and there were about 30 folks in there waiting in line to use the phone. I borrowed a Santa hat from my friend Mark and we walked in. He had the camera and I had that hat with a stack of phone cards.



I interrupted everyone and told them that you sent me some phone cards and if they wanted one, to raise their hands. Everyone raised their hands. It was a huge hit. I gave one out to everyone and after I was done, I still had a few more so I gave them each another one.

I still have four more envelopes in my possession and I will give them out the same way but on different days and different times so that I can increase the chance of giving it out to different people. One person made the comment "Wow, you just made a whole bunch of new friends!". Yup, we sure did...you and me both! lol.

... I'm always at work at different times of the day. I know that the phone center is always busy so just about any time I walk in there, I can expect to see a bunch of different people in there. I think we've stumbled on something interesting here. Girl Scout Cookies work...and phone cards work! Cool.

Cell Phones for Soldiers Certificate

Thanks Cell Phone For Soldiers for helping our troops overseas!
(click on photo to see enlarged version of photo)

Christmas care packages arriving in Afghanistan and Iraq

Below are some photos and comments from our 2009 Christmas care packages arriving in Afghanistan.

1) From Stephen (Afghanistan) ... "The number of boxes that came in over a two day period overloaded our little container office ... I have an entire wall between my desks and the other desks now. I didn't want to start handing out stockings until after Thanksgiving, so I will start walking around tomorrow to hand them out."



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2) From Princeton (Afghanistan) ... "I spent the entire day flying. I managed to drop off a bunch of boxes to a fairly large, but remote base in south Afghanistan. I can't tell you much more than that but please be assured that the boxes will be well received and make lots of people very happy.

I still have more to give out. The next day that I'm not on the flight schedule, I'll try to give out some of the phone cards to the soldiers.

I've also set aside some of the blankets and gloves to give out to the women's and children's hospital at a nearby base."




Boxes at point of arrival in Afghanistan:




"Attached (below) is a picture of a couple of Marines that we dropped off about 100 stockings to. Their small patrol base is located somewhere in the very south eastern portion of Afghanistan. They are very remote and I'm sure they don't get many luxuries. I would guess that they were very happy to get the stockings."



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3) From Jerry (Iraq) ...

We received the remainder of the boxes you shipped today! They really got here fast! We're waiting on giving the stockings and phone cards until Christmas but we've already started handing out the candy, magazines, books, toys, Christmas cards, snacks, and all of the other goodies!

The soldiers here are very appreciative of all you have done! I'm sure you will be receiving more emails of thanks from them! A lot of them were really excited about the toys because now they can send some to their children for Christmas as we really don't have any toys we could get here to send them.

I think some of them might stay with the soldiers and the rest in the hands of Iraqi children when we go out on missions. We are all amazed by your generosity and thoughtfullness. It's starting to get a little chilly here so the hand and foot warmers will definitely come in handy!

Most of the candy, snacks, and microwaveable food you sent is also not available here so people were very excited to receive these. I cannot thank you enough for all you have done. We are very grateful and we wish you the happiest and most blessed holidays!

Sincerely,
Jerry