During my time as a NAVY Chief Petty Officer serving in Iraq, one of the many great organizations that I was thankful for was Operation Gratitude. They sent care packages to every one of my sailors and ARMY support team – made up of Active Duty and Reservists – who selflessly served during combat. The impact on our morale was immediate and it was nice to be reminded that we have a grateful country standing behind our efforts.
On the 72nd anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor, which launched millions of American troops into World War II, thousands gathered at the Army National Guard armory in Van Nuys to celebrate Operation Gratitude’s One Millionth Care Package. These packages are assembled by volunteers from the surrounding communities, celebrities, Los Angeles City and County Officials, and our very own LAFD members. Six World War II Veterans were honored guests, including a Tuskegee Airman, Lt. Colonel Bob Friend, and Ms. Bea Cohen, the oldest living female World War II Veteran at 103 years old.
Operation Gratitude, a San Fernando Valley based non-profit group, sends out more than 100,000 care packages each year. The parcels are filled with snacks, necessities and handwritten letters of thanks to armed services personnel, veterans, families left behind after the death of a service member, first-responders and caregivers. Everything is assembled at the armory, where supporters applauded the packaging of the organization’s one millionth package.
Hundreds of volunteers worked the event on Saturday, December 7, 2014, manning carnival-like booths in exchange for donations to the nonprofit, setting up vendor tables and a memorial service in front of the traveling Vietnam War memorial. Most said the organization gave them a way to express how they feel for the men and women in the military.
Receiving one of these care packages means so much to our deployed service members – and especially to those men and women who don’t receive packages from home.
In a successful secret mission, Operation Gratitude founder, Carolyn Blashek, accompanied by Board Members Marty Martin and Sue Pollard – both “Navy Moms,” traveled from Los Angeles to Istanbul to Bahrain to connect with the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman to deliver the One Millionth Care Package to a sailor deployed on the cruiser USS Gettysburg in the Gulf of Oman.
Ms. Blashek personally expressed her appreciation for the years of support provided by the Los Angeles Fire Department and its members who have devoted countless volunteer hours to her organization’s effort.
We can be proud that it is our tradition on the LAFD to volunteer and support programs like Operation Gratitude. We continue to serve the public in so many ways beyond Public Safety. It is this spirit of benevolence and charity that reminds us that we indeed make an impact. In this case, a NAVY sailor who was serving over 8,000 miles away, in international waters, felt the appreciation from all of us.
Together we serve.
See more information on Operation Gratitude at http://www.operationgratitude.com
by Dave Danielson, FF/PM, FS 88-C