With months of saving and sorting behind her, Erin Deschamps of Everett knew it wouldn’t be long before a big pallet loaded with care packages would be delivered to her son in Iraq.
Although Army National Guard Pfc. Chase Deschamps knew his mother was sending some care packages to him at Camp Anaconda, just north of Baghdad, she thought the 20-year-old would be flabbergasted when the pile of presents arrived.
There was a big switch in surprises, though.
A few weeks ago, with her care package project complete and wanting to unwind from the rigors of moving, Erin Deschamps went camping. But her trip was rained out, and she was welcomed home with a hug from her son’s girlfriend, Tiffany Gariss, after she walked through her front door.
Something stirred behind her, and she turned to see her soldier son standing there.
“I about had heart failure. It was wonderful,” Erin Deschamps said.
Chase Deschamps breaks into a big grin when he thinks about the surprise visit home. His expression changes to a grateful yet almost speechless smile when he thinks about the care package project his mother and her co-workers tackled.
Erin Deschamps works in the orthopedic center at Virginia Mason Medical Center in Seattle. Chase, the younger of her two sons, enlisted at age 17 and went straight into the National Guard after graduating from Mariner High School in 2002.
Chase Deschamps was called to active duty in October and was sent to Iraq in early March. He’s now a military policeman with the headquarters company of the 81st Armor Brigade.
The care package project began after a friend heard that Erin Deschamps’ son was leaving for Iraq, and a small group of co-workers started collecting items, from wet wipes, gum, decks of cards and candy for the soldiers, to Beanie Babies they could pass out to Iraqi children.
They packed dozens of care packages as the effort quickly snowballed.
Scores of other employees at Virginia Mason got involved, departments started having collection contests and care boxes began piling up in Deschamps’ office.
All told, workers at the hospital helped prepare 250 care packages.
“I think it’s awesome,” Chase Deschamps said.
Usually, he said his fellow soldiers only see about one care package a month, or two if they’re lucky.
“When we get packages, it’s a lot like Christmas,” he said. “It gives us the feeling that, ‘Oh my gosh, somebody is really thinking of us back home.’”
His mother was equally impressed by the encouragement her co-workers have shown for her son and his fellow troops.
“It’s overwhelming, the support I’ve received,” she said. “I worry about him daily – about 50 thousand million times.”
Likewise, Chase Deschamps said his unit’s tour in Iraq has brought its soldiers closer together. They’re like a family now, he said.
“There’s hard times, there’s danger. But we keep each other safe,” he said.
The soldier stands to be pretty popular when he returns to Iraq this week.
Each care package was sent to the Chase Deschamps’ unit with his name on the label. That means his fellow troops won’t be able to break into the boxes until he returns to hand them out.
“They’re probably all piled up on my bed,” he said with a laugh.
Reporter Brian Kelly: 425-339-3422 or kelly@heraldnet.com.
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