Letters... really help pass the time away and you can reread them when you get home sick.
The one thing you could send though are blankets. Last year, in the village right next to us, over 300 people died because of the cold. It's really sad but when the guys go out on patrol when it's cold, they find someone dead almost every day. The sky is always filled with smoke because they burn anything they can find to stay warm including tires and plastic. I didn't even realize I was surrounded by snow capped mountains until a wind came one day and blew away all the smoke. The Afghan winters are brutal and some of our outlying posts already have three feet of snow.
... if you have any extra blankets, socks, gloves, scarves, or stocking caps, please box them up and send them to me. Try not to send anything with American Flags on it. It sort of sets them up to be a target for bad things to happen. Any size jackets from infant to adult.
So that's what I need for people to send me while I'm here. I would love for you to send me snacks and things, but I couldn't enjoy them knowing that there are people just outside of my gate freezing to death. Here's my address: Chris Heck, HHC 634 LTF, Camp Phoenix, APO AE 09320.
In response, some Illiopolis area folks have already sent out some boxes, and are planning to send more. If you would like to help, donations (blankets, socks, etc...) may be dropped off at the Illiopolis Post Office during regular business hours. A monetary gift to help cover the cost of postage may be sent to Jan Heck, PO Box 204, Illiopolis, IL 62539.
-The Sentinel Illiopolis-Niantic-Harristown, Illinois
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