Netroots For The Troops (NFTT) is about more than sending soldiers goodies and gear. It's about sending hope as well.
Sending any kind of comfort can make a big difference to the men and women in uniform who - whether in Iraq, or Afghanistan, or elsewhere - think often of home, and getting back home.
Even little gestures can bring some daylight to darkened hearts, by bringing a little bit of home a little bit nearer tothem.
Sending hope. It might even save some lives.
I know through my brother what it means to get care packages from home. You'd be surprised how grateful soldiers can be for things as elementary as... Oreo cookies. Cans of Tang. Books. Magazines. DVDs. CDs. Just news and words of any kind from home. Things as banal and unmistakably home as you can imagine.. because all a soldier eight through eleven time zones from home can do is .. imagine them.
And NFTT sends more than just goodies. We send equipment that soldiers need to do their jobs as well.. thinks that you'd think that a near-trillion dollar defense budget would take care of, and yet...
You'd never imagine all the needful things that budget can't pay for.
And what of all the things of war you cannot imagine at all? Soldiers don't have to. They are living it. Endless hours of agonizing boredom punctuated by episodes, some measured in seconds, some in days, of bone-grating exertion and heart-bruising adrenalin. Yes, you might call it fear, after the fact. But while it happens it's just biochemistry.
That, and hours upon hours to reflect on what just happened or find duties and diversions to keep the accumulation of war stories out of the consciousness or through talk and dark humor, turning the episodes of horror and chaos into meaningful, digestible anecdotes.
An anecdote such as one that happened to a kid under my brother's command.
Consider a soldier
He has been in the war, up close and personal. He does his duty, he goes on patrol, he stands watch, he keeps his gear as dust-free for about five minutes as he possibly can.
He misses his parents. And he misses her. They want to start a family someday. It is the only hope he has.
Lately he drives a truck, making the runs from base to base, delivering what needs to be delivered. A lot of time on the road alone... no one but the constant wonder if an ambush or IED is out there waiting to say hello. I imagine he had lots and lots of time to think about life while he made his rounds.
And he had a lot to think about. A lot to live for. Hopes, dreams, loved ones, strong support from friends and comrades in his unit. He got mail, he got music and eventually he would get to see family and friends and his sweetie back home.
He is becoming resigned that he is in Iraq for the long haul. All he wants to visit home badly. Perhaps it's all that keeps him going. But he he can't get there soon enough and it's breaking his heart.
So one evening, he made sure to get home the only certain way available that his despair would allow him to see.
I can't say if a few more cookies or magazines would have mattered. Yet this was not an especially troubled kid. Quite the opposite. And he perished by his own hand regardless.
It is my own hope that, in time we bring those who despair home. For now, it is in our power to bring a little of home to the troops and through doing, so perhaps buy a few of these soldiers time to get home to those they love, in the places they yearn to be again... before they can see no other way home than the one our new and newly departed friend chose.
NFTT is about more than shipping goodies and gear. We are sending hope to the troops as well. "Support our troops" is more than a magnet. It is delivering on a clear and pressing need for care and connection, kindness and compassion.
I for one believe that sometimes the difference between life and death can be just one more ray of daylight in an otherwise endless night.
A magnet on a car will never help a soldier in need. It won't provide comfort, or needful gear, or support. Or hope when one of our own in uniform needs it the most.
That's why I am writing this diary, and giving to NFTT, and asking you to do so as well.
Thank you for your time in reading this. And thank you for your kindness and consideration on behalf of the NFTT team.
Our goal for Netroots For The Troops 2009 is $50,000.00 (cash or in-kind donations).
PLEASE DONATE HERE
We realize that you would like to donate something tangible to go inside the packages that will be mailed to the troops. Unfortunately, accepting in-kind donations from individuals is not practical in terms of storage and handling of the items. The Pittsburgh Convention Center is a union shop so we have more stringent rules that need to be followed. Instead, we will only be accepting corporate donations or cash from YOU to purchase items for the care packages this year.
Here’s how YOU can help:
- Please contact Donnamarie or VeloVixen if you know someone who might be helpful in securing the corporate in-kind donations. To help you think of companies who could donate products, see below* for a list of potential items. Put your thinking caps on and let us hear from you. It takes time to get through the corporate processes so we need to hear from you ASAP!
- We are accepting cash from individuals and
beg ask that you DONATE HERE to contribute to this worthy cause. Your donation will enable us to purchase the things that we are unable to obtain through corporate donations, and will help to pay the costs of shipping them to our troops. This year your donations will be tax deductible, thanks to Netroots Nation and their partner Netroots Arts and Education Initiative, a California 501(c)3 corporation.
- Sign up for a diary! Our goal is to post two diaries per day until NN09. That’s a lot of diaries! Don’t worry---we’ve made it easy for you. We’ve got a template set up, and all you need to do is add a small introduction telling us why you are donating, sharing a story of someone you know who has served or is serving, or any other thing you want to share that might help motivate others to donate. Please contact politik if you are interested in posting a diary.
- Do you know a service member who would like to receive a care package? Email a request to: NFTT.request@gmail.com before July 31, 2009.
Please include all of the following information. Unfortunately we will not be able to process any incomplete requests:
Rank:
Last name:
First name:
APO Address Line 1:
APO Address Line 2:
APO Address Zip:
- Help us assemble the packages in Pittsburgh. It's fun! More information will be forthcoming for those of you who are going to be in Pittsburgh and would like to help there.
- Please consider joining the NFTT FaceBook Group. Invite your FaceBook and non-FaceBook friends.
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*The following list contains some of the things we would like to include in the packages. Please let us know if you know someone who might be helpful in securing these corporate in-kind donations. (Please DO NOT send these items yourself! We have no way to accept them. Instead, your cash donation is the very best way to help make this happen on the ground in Pittsburgh.)
- Baby wipes
- Mechanix gloves
- Language translation books or CDs (Rosetta Stone as an example)
- LED flashlights
- Gel shoe insoles
- Goop Cleaning Gel
- Powdered energy drinks
- Gel energy food packets
- DVDs and CDs
- Letters to the soldiers
- More suggestions coming soon
Books for Soldiers
Soldiers love to receive books, but due once again to the logistics of collecting and storing them prior to NN09, books will not be included in the packages that NFTT will put together this year. Other organizations are more specialized in the collection and distribution of books to Iraq and Afghanistan. If you are interested in sending books, please consider checking out the Books for Soldiers Website. It is run by DKos's very own StormBearand is a great resource for giving.
Important Note about Successful Online Donations
PLEASE DONATE HERE
When you make your online donation, the screen indicates that you are donating to Netroots Nation. This is the right screen! Rest assured all donations WILL go to NFTT. If you wish, feel free to use the comment area provided to note that your donation is intended for Netroots For The Troops. It isn’t necessary to do this however, as this is the only fundraising activity being conducted for Netroots Nation at this time. For further information about online donations, please read TexDem's diary on the subject.