Elwood Barker, a U.S. Army veteran from Arlington, remembers brief escapes from the bleak and brutal days of fighting on the front lines during World War II.
Relief came with the letters, photos and packages he received from the states.
“I don’t think there’s anything better,” said Barker, 91. “It’s a taste of home.”
Student leaders in Snohomish are working to bring that comfort to U.S. troops serving overseas this holiday season. The teens are stuffing packages and writing messages as part of the Adopt a Soldier program at Glacier Peak High School.
In Barker’s day, parcels had to be mailed months ahead of time to reach GIs for the holidays. He recalls receiving Christmas cookies in February of 1946.
“I think the mailman must have played basketball with that package,” he said.
The cookies were crushed. But Barker and his fellow soldiers scooped up crumbs and ate them anyway.
They relished anything from home, even stale cookies, he said.
The students at Glacier Peak are motivated by stories of how receiving something from home matters to those serving abroad, said Teri Corwin, the teacher overseeing the Adopt a Soldier project. She teaches leadership classes at the school.
Volunteers are readying nearly 100 packages and hundreds of cards to send to troops this year.
The contents of the packages can be as simple as a fresh pair of black socks to change into on a hot, humid day or a book of puzzles to pass the time.
Soldiers have asked for Tabasco sauce to spice up their meals. They want eye drops to flush away sand or dust and paperback books to read in their down time. Jerky, hard candies and powdered drink mixes such as Gatorade and instant coffee are also hot commodities.
The cards, though, might be the most important piece of the packages.
It was word from home that kept Barker going during the war’s darkest days. That connection meant so much, he gave one of his letters to a fellow soldier who didn’t get mail.
“He had nothing,” Barker said. “Can you imagine that?”
The Snohomish students are focusing their effort on reaching service men and women who don’t get much, if anything, from home. Jeanette Gagner, a Snohomish parent, coordinates with the military to make sure the cards and packages end up in the right hands. They usually are sent to a commanding officer to be distributed among a company of soldiers. The students don’t have direct addresses for individual soldiers due to security concerns.
“Being able to give something, even if it’s just a little something, to the people who serve us means a lot to us and to them, I think,” said senior Claire Soucy, 17.
The teens take pride in their volunteer effort, she said. They raised money and collected donations to fill the packages and pay for postage, printing and supplies. The project costs about $2,000.
Students started stuffing boxes Friday, lining the back wall of the leadership classroom with packages. They go through two cases of packing tape every year to get the job done.
Freshman Daniel Geiszler designed cards with a large red heart and the word “Brave” on the front. More words surround the heart: leadership, care, teamwork, service, sacrifice. Leadership students recruited about 1,800 classmates to sign the cards.
“The cards have words of encouragement and meaningful messages,” said student body president Drew Forman. “We want each person to get as much inspiration as possible.”
He and other students check to see that each card has at least four messages. They also read carefully to make sure the teens wrote appropriate notes to send to people who are putting their lives on the line.
Forman, 17, said the group wants to thank troops for helping protect their freedom to do everyday activities, such as attend church, play sports or go to school.
The service the teens are doing pales in comparison to the courage and selflessness of the soldiers who receive the packages, senior Steven Whitman, 17, said. The work helps students see that troops give up a lot, including being with their families for Thanksgiving, Christmas and other holidays.
“I think that’s unimaginable for some students,” said Whitman, 17. “They should understand the sacrifices that are made by people fighting for our freedom.”
The Adopt a Soldier project started at Glacier Peak High School in 2010. Since then, students have received letters from troops thanking them for their work.
U.S. Marine Corps Capt. Jason Copeland wrote that it took his breath away when he opened a box full of hand-written messages the students sent to his company.
“Okinawa lit up with joy” when troops stationed on the Japanese island unwrapped packages from Glacier Peak, another soldier wrote in 2012.
Students have learned through the project that serving others has ripple effects. There’s no telling how far it might reach. A short message in a card and a small gift like socks or Tabasco could make a big difference to soldiers overseas who won’t be home for Christmas.
“I just hope that they get a sense of worth, that it’s all worth it and someone out there appreciates them,” said senior Ana Reyes, 17. “You don’t have to support war to support a soldier.”
Amy Nile: 425-339-3192; anile@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @AmyNileReports
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