This fall, about 1,100 New Hampshire National Guard soldiers will be deployed to Kuwait. The troops will likely be assigned to manage U.S. bases, according to the Monitor. Additional duties include patrolling bases, checking vehicles and keeping convoys of soldiers and supplies safe as they travel between Kuwait and Iraq.
The mission isn't set in stone, but the deployment is, which means many families will be spending a year without one or both parents present. It's a sobering thought, one that gave high school student Olivia Patsfield pause. A Sandown resident and senior at Timberlane Regional High School in Plaistow, Olivia plans to join the U.S. Air Force after graduation.
Because of her interest in the military, she wanted to do something to help families affected by the deployment. After a bit of research, she determined that what military members want most is the knowledge that their families are cared for – it's stressful enough being away from home without also having to worry whether family needs are taken care of in their absence.
The cause Olivia chose offers Concord residents the opportunity to help, too – she came across the program Operation: Military Kids, a nationwide-effort coordinated locally by The New Hampshire Cooperative Extension and 4-H Youth Development of Durham. Through the program, children with a deployed parent receive a “hero pack” containing a handwritten letter of appreciation; toys, passes to movie theaters and museums, stickers and other fun items; communication tools like phone cards, photo albums, stationery and scrapbooks; and a packet of information for parents. The materials are packed in a backpacks and given out on deployment day.
Jim Hinson, friend and neighbor of Olivia who works for the state Department of Education, is helping with the project. He spent 22 years in the Coast Guard, and knows firsthand what it's like to leave family behind. He says the project is an opportunity to do something now: “You never know how much comfort a single item can make. . . . I don't see how any of us can miss this one.” The packs, he says, help keep families connected – the stationary someone donates for letter writing could become a family heirloom.
Charlotte Cross, who directs the Operation: Military Kids effort, estimates that about 2,000 children in the state will need one of the packs – Olivia is helping to coordinate an effort that will fill 1,000 of those.
Though the idea of filling that many hero packs sounds daunting, Jim doesn't doubt for a second that it will get done.
“The volunteerism in the state is incredible,” he said, and he should know – he lived all across the country during his military career.
Collection sites will be arranged in Sandown, Epping, Manchester, Portsmouth and here in Concord. The Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce is hosting a collection site from Feb. 16-19 at 40 Commercial St. Office hours are 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
If you miss the donation period at the chamber, don't worry – you can donate items anytime. Call Jim at 247-3143 or e-mail jbjhinson@comcast.net. Schools, offices and other groups are encouraged to put collections together, too. Jim can give you all the details, and will arrange to pick up the donations.
For more information on Operation: Military Kids, visit operationmilitarykids.org. You can get to the local website by clicking “state information” and selecting “New Hampshire” from the map. You can also join the project's Facebook group at http://apps.facebook.com/causes/387142.
