WONDERING IF THERE'S A WAY TO ACTUALLY HELP THE TROOPS?

listener writes:

Soldiers in Iraq must be having a very scary week, with the situation there deteriorating so rapidly. And the medical units must be running on exhaustion.

I am thinking these days of my friends' son Aaron who left for Iraq in November when his firstborn daughter was only two weeks old. He's younger than our youngest, so about age 21. I've been wishing we knew how he is, and wondering how to ease the strain on our friends here in Vermont.

Well, I just got word through my sister Patti, who is now an Air Force Captain, that there are some specific items that a medical unit serving injured soldiers could use. It might take a little of the strain out of this time to do something which is kind and useful, at least to add a little balance to the Universe.

If you would like to send something, here are the particulars, which come from Capt. Maureen A. McCann, Life Skills Nurse. Typical of a nurse, Maureen says, "Many of you are asking what you can send, do we need anything? Well, we don't, but our patients do."

She elaborates, saying: Many can't continue to wear the uniforms they come in with and do not have anything else. Here is a list of what we can use (many of you are connecting with your church or job, but even one set is great!).

• Large size:
  
  • Sweat pants
  
  
  • long sleeve T-shirts
  
  
  • T-shirts
  
  
  • gym shorts (blue, black, gray only; they need to be conservative due to the area we are in)
  
  
  • mens underpants
  
  
  • small pillows (great for stuffing under or around the patient's injuries/casts to make them more comfortable for their long flight while they are on a litter.)
  
  (We get tons of socks and toiletries.)

THANKS SO MUCH!

Mailing address for packages:
Capt Maureen McCann
332 AEW/CASF
APO AE 09315-9997