Army Sgt. First Class Luis Green talks to Their Angels volunteers at the Military Appreciation Month ceremony held at Hilltop Church of Christ in Richmond, Calif., May 2, 2009. The volunteers expressed their gratitude to Green for his service.
(Courtesy photo) |
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WASHINGTON, May 15, 2009
For the last five years, the
California-based troop-support group, Their
Angels, have met every first Saturday, monthly,
to pack civilian care packages and write letters
of support to send to deployed troops.
On May 2,
the volunteers brought together 100 people in
honor of Military Appreciation Month.
“We decided to extend an invitation to our
active-duty military personnel, their families
and veterans to come and be our honored guests,”
said Marva Lyons, president of Their Angels. “We
also offered a special prayer on behalf of those
that have paid the ultimate price for our
freedom. We just wanted to salute them all for
their service.” |
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Nearly 100 people gathered at the Hilltop
Church of Christ in Richmond, Calif., for the celebration.
Contra Costa County Supervisor John Gioia spoke to the group
about the importance of being involved with troop-support
groups.
Students from Tara Hills Elementary in San Pablo recited a
poem, "The Pride of Our Country." Military families gave
updates on their deployed family members and veterans had
the opportunity to introduce themselves and tell when and
where they served.
“I really enjoyed the event,” said Denise Marshall-Thomas,
whose son participated. “It was a good learning experience
for the students – to meet the troops and the veterans, to
hear about their experiences. I was so happy the event
included young people. My son, Isaiah, loved it.”
Army Sgt. First Class Luis Green, who served a tour in Iraq,
along with others, was welcomed with hand shakes, tears,
hugs and thanks as the guests waited in line to express
personal gratitude for their service.
“As a special surprise, we prepared special notes of thanks
that were distributed to the veterans,” Lyons said.
Following the reception, about 80 attendees gathered to pack
500 care packages, each with a special note tucked inside.
The packages included razors, Band-Aids, wet wipes, pencils,
candy, Kool-aid, cookies, crackers and granola bars, among
other things.
“We work tirelessly each month to continue this tradition,”
Lyons said. “While the work we do on behalf of our troops is
appreciated, we continue to look for ways to fund our
monthly packing.”
For the groups' efforts in arranging the Military
Appreciation Month program, the Diablo Corvette Club
presented them with a $750 check for their continued support
of deployed troops.
Their
Angels has assembled and shipped more than 14,000 care
packages to deployed troops since 2004, according to the
group's Web site. |
