We sent 23 car packages out to Lcpl Elizabeth Gill and her unit on Friday, November 23rd and they arrived ON THANKSGIVING!!! How awesome is that? Here is her thank you letter to the class:
Miss Ventura,
I want to thank
you and your students for all the things you've sent us. The luck we had with
receiving them led them to be opened on Thanksgiving. It is wonderful to
receive care packages such as these at any time, but during this day when one
starts to miss ones loved ones, it is an amazing surprise and it lifts the
spirits of all the Marines who receive a gift.
To Valena, thank
you for the the sweets, snack foods and hygiene products. We're going to make
the food last because of what a treat it is over seas. As for cavities, you
don't have much to worry about. We have
toothbrushes and extras thanks to you and your classmates. :-)
To Kayla, I've
never played basketball. Is it fun? I was a swimmer in school.
Mussie, you'll
be happy to know that my entire squadron knows about your boxes and every shop
has been able to get something out of them. I'm glad to here about what you
want to be, but before you decide, make sure you really want to join an armed
force group. You have to feel it in your heart if you want to be a Marine and
then you have to earn the right to call yourself one.
Ahmed, I have
to tell you, when my Staff Sergeant saw
the raisins you packed, he was so excited. He said they reminded him of what he
would make his sons when he's home. Don't worry, my teammates always know if
they want something that no one else has or if they didn't get something that
day to come to my shop because people like your teacher, classmates, parents
and yourself care enough to give us things that we really don't have access to
out here.
To Alex, thank
you so much for the games. We have a Marine out here with an XBox but for some
reason, he only brought one game. So
thank you for giving us more options.
For Jaden, I
give a big thank you to since some people were looking for something specific.
You and your partner, Bailey, took the time to write them all down which helped
us get the boxes distributed faster. We all hope our deployments are safe, but
my squadron is with the jets so we don't venture out the wire like the
Infantry(grunts as we call them) and the Combat Engineers (They blow up bombs)
do on a regular basis. When I see them, I try to give them things that you and
others send us.
Bailey, again
as I said for Jaden, thank you for the list. It just helps us with time. As for
color I have three; black, gold, and scarlet. If you are still interested in
the military and would like to know a
little more, write me either an email or a letter and I will try to
answer every question you have and do my best to explain the military life.
Hannah, we had
everyone trying to get your cookies. That's the one thing everybody here has
with their families during Christmas. We decided to keep them in the tins until
it's closer to that time before we split all of them in half and share them as
a Squadron. We might be away from our
loved ones, but the Marines are very close-knit and we become a second family.
Trail mixes are amazing gifts because they really don't go bad and they have
little goodies in them while we're working on whatever we do. As for your dad,
I'm sure you are very proud of him. Mine
was a Marine and Grandpa was in the army. Tell him my squadron also says thank
you for his service to our country and the gifts he helped with.
To Sherrdonna,
thank you for the snacks. The stuffed animals you sent we don't keep. I give
them to the grunts so they can be given to the children they meet. And as for the toothbrushes, noted.
Nallelie, Thank
you for the candy and all the hygiene products we found in your box. It really
does help us all out when we get stuff like that.
Linda, granola
bars are the best. They are the ultimate snack food. They can be eaten anytime,
anywhere and they give us some of the
nutrition we need on a regular basis. The mashed potatoes arrived right on
Thanksgiving. Give you a guess what my shop is sharing tonight.
For the first
graders' drawings, we would like it if you would tell them thank you from us.
We have them hung across our hanger so everyone can see. Thank you for adding
color to the desert.
Finally, to
Christy. In your letter you thanked us
for serving the fishes and animals. Granted, me might take care of them we
don't serve them. When you enlist to become a soldier, airman, seaman, or
Marine, you take an oath to serve and protect the United States of America and
her people. We serve the country and, in turn, serve you and the rest sitting
in the classroom to the left and right of you.
Thank you all
so much for these gifts. even if it seemed weird as a school project it still
makes a difference out here in the middle of a combat zone for those who
received it.
Sincerely,
LCpl Elizabeth Gill
Semper Fi!
