Dear Operation Care Package,
We just recieved your care package & we are very grateful for your generous gifts. The snacks were great choices, they were gone in an hour!! We appreciate your time & consideration that the care package took. Thank-you again!!
Sincerely,
GM2 Rebecca

My name is Captain Tim ******,
I am an Engineer officer in the U.S. Army, and I want to thank you very much for the care packages and letters you sent which arrived here in Afghanistan just the other day. The troops over here greatly appreciate your generosity and support. It means a lot to know that people back home are thinking of us, especially people we do not even know. It truly lifts the spirits of all the Soldiers here.
Your care package was sent to my location. We're up in the mountains and share the base with a lot of Spanish military. My job is to work with the Afghan National Army here and help prepare them for taking ownership of all the buildings and facilities on their base camp. I have three people on my team and every day we go over to the Afghan base and advise and assist the Facility Engineers. We're helping teach them important trade skills like how to be an electrician, plumber, carpenter, mason, welder, generator technician, as well as management. These skills are necessary for them to be self-sufficient in the future when the Coalition Forces withdraw from Afghanistan and the Afghan Army is responsible for taking care of themselves.
Please let everyone at Operation Care Package know how great they are for their support. Thank you so much, and take care.

I would like to thank you for the box I received today!!! It is such a joy to get these boxes!!! Thank you everyone for your support!!!
Jason
190th

Debbie and the OCP Gang,
I would like to personally thank you for your generous donations. Your time and dedication has reminded us that what we do is not forgotten and that we are remembered so far away from home. The faces of my shipmate light up when mail arrives. Your support for what we do is appreciated.
If you ever make it out to San Diego when we get back, please contact me and I can arrange for a personal tour of our ship. If there is anything we can do for you as well, please let us know and we will do our best to accommodate. Again thank you for your prayers and good wishes. We need them.
Sincerely,
Fire Controlman First Class,
Goeffrey

OCP Gang,
I just wanted to take the time to say thank you for the continued support. These care packages serve multiple purposes; besides giving us the necessities we need to continue to fight the global war on terror, it also serves as morale boosters for junior and senior servicemen and women. To know that we have the support from family members, friends and supporters such as yourself make it all worth it.
I personally appreciate what you do for us and for your country.
Semper Fidelis!
Captain ***
I attached a few pictures.

I just wanted to write and thank everyone for everything you do for us over here. I think the most important thing you provide us is the knowledge that we have such strong supporters who recognize all that we do over here. We can tell by the letters and the careful thought you put into the care packages we receive.
Thanks again from all the Marines and other service members serving overseas.
Semper Fi,
SSgt ********

I just want to say THANK You and ALL the volunteers for the care packages and the wonderful letters. This team here and I work on a Koreans base here in Afghanistan and they loved the goodies I passed down to them also.
I had a good tour, met a lot of new friends, and ate some different kind of Korean food, some good, some I don't even want to talk about. Again the packages are a God sent to us in the field - especially when we start missing family and friends, the packages sure make our day.
God Bless you and your team and anyone I missed that we all said thank you.
Sincerely Kreg USACE
Army Corps of Engineers.

Debbie,
You honestly keep getting more and more awesome.
The packages that you send keep getting better and better.
This package kicks ass.
Everything from the snack packs, to the football bowls was great.
The PATS Towel was funny.
The Fat Head football stickers were funny.
The best was the 'Shit Happens' flag.
This made the entire room laugh.
I am pretty sure this will be our motto until we finally leave Afghanistan in May.
Thanks for being so cool and thanks for supporting us while we are here.
Take care,
Derek

I would like to say thank you for the package that you sent me and my troops. We will enjoy everything that you all sent us.
I am originally from Rockford, Il. I am 39 yrs old and I am married and have 3 kids. I am planning on being back in the states in August, not for sure if I will make to Joliet then, but thank you for asking. I been in the military for 16yrs now and I am retiring in less than 4yrs. In my spare time when they are on I like watching the fighting ILLI, and I am a big Chicago BEARS and CUBS a fan.
JAMES
HURRICANES LEAD THE WAY!!!!!!!

Dear OCP Volunteers,
All I have to say is, Thank you.... You may already know this but a soldier getting any sort of package be from whomever, is one of the nicest things that we have to look forward to out here. I thank you for you kindness, generosity, and time that you all put into this. I do plan on writing the two third graders from Frankfort when time permits just so you know. :0) I really needed the socks because some of the nights here lately have been getting pretty cold, just like back in Illinois. I'm originally from Peotone, IL and when I saw that the Joilet OCP sent me a package I have to say I got excited because it was so close to home. Well, it's almost been a month and a half here so time is starting to go by a quick as it can. I can't wait for these next 8 months to finish up!
Once again Thank you, and God Bless.
Sincerely,
Greg USN

Afghanistan, first snow - 11/2011

Hello,
I received the package from you yesterday. It's really something for me. I don't have any families nor friends left behind in states. So nobody sends me anything. That is my first care package I recieved in my deployment. It's mean a lot for me. I really appreciate to you guys. I'm hoping a lot of letters also. I don't care what is in the package. Now I feel like I have a family back in the states. Thank you again.
Sincerely, Ko Ko

Hi,
My name is Robb. Thank you guys for the awesome gift boxes. Everything you sent made dozens of guys happy. We received them on xmas eve. It was a great surprise. Sorry it took so long to respond. We've been pretty busy lately. I wish I could've wrote you guys, but we have limited access to mail. I hope some email and photographs of the platoon you've made happy will suffice for now.
We are a group of 9 soldiers stationed in western Afghanistan. The fob is named shindand and is near the Iranian border. We live in tents, we eat in tents and we use porta-johns for our business. I imagine that you are aware of these things, because chances are you have family and friends that have been through this kinda stuff.
What you do for guys like us is rarely recognized, so I just want you to know that YOU GUYS ******* ROCK!. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.
Robb

I am Cpl ****, USMC. Today our platoon received Christmas stockings filled with goodies. I wanted to thank you personally for the things you sent. To take the time out of your lives to prepare a gift for a stranger is a very unselfish and commendable act. May God bless you for thinking of others during the holidays. My Marines and I appreciate you for it. Some of us(including myself) have children and spouses that we could not share the holidays with. My wife(Navy Dental Tech) at the moment is due on January 27 with our 2nd baby girl. It's rough without them but it's something we volunteer to do. So again, thank you for lifting our spirits with your thoughts and gifts. I wish you a happy New Year and may you spend it with those you love.
Semper Fidelis,
Cpl *****

Dear Operation Care Packages,
I wanted to personally thank you for the Christmas cards and care packages you sent to us. They have been distributed during our Christmas Eve and Christmas Day service. It warms our hearts to know that there are many others back home who care for and love our Soldiers as much as we do. There are now well over 900 Soldiers in the area that I cover and they have all benefited from your program.
CH Paul

Hi,
My name is David and I received a care package from your organization for Christmas. It was great. I put the decorations up, shared the goodies and saved the present until Christmas morning and opened it with my family on Skype as they were opening their presents. It was very appreciated.
I also read all the cards and letters and thank you letters. It makes me feel good because you are from Joliet. I lived there for 10 years from 1988-1998. My mother lives in Mokena, I went to Lincoln-Way high school, my kids went to grade school in Joliet. I left for a job in Sterling,Il and still miss every day my old neighbors, the food and the area.
Again, thanks for making my Christmas a little better.
Dave

I wanted to wish you a very Merry Christmas. I attached the pic my team took. I am the one wearing the green antlers. Things are going well over here. I will be going on leave soon for my eldest son, Brandon, Birthday. Thank you so much for all of the support you have provided to my team and I, through letters and care packages, I cannot thank you enough.
Justin

A big THANK YOU to everyone who participated in the contents of the care package I received today. Smiles were shared around my room as I distributed its contents among my brothers in arms. We are all pretty much safe over here.
I'm sure you all would be interested to know that we are in Kosovo of all places on a mission called 'k for 15' you can you tube some videos or search news and read up on whats going on over here if you are unfamiliar with the serbia/ kosovo entanglement. However the amenities we find back at base are hard to come by out on missions. Simple things like plumbing, toilets sinks and showers and hot meals are a nonentity for a couple weeks at a time. The snacks pack easily in a ruck and babywipes replace a shower of any fashion. Here at base we come back for a week to refit and shower, hit the gym, receive mail and packages, internet, and enjoy a hot meal.
Luckily, we will be at base for Christmas so we are all thankful for that.

I would like to thank you for sending the packages to the guys. Many said it was the only package they have gotten..so it really boosted their spirits. Again Thank You!!

Greetings!
The Soldiers in my company (about 130) just received their care packages and are ecstatic! Thanks so much for what you do for us! Have a great Christmas and New Years!
STEVEN D.******
1LT, TC

All, I wanted to thank you so much for all the care packages you sent. They arrived just in time for me to play "secret" Santa. The stockings and snowman soup were a very clever idea, and a big hit with everyone. Was nice to see a smile on everyone's face as I handed out items. You are a very considerate group of people who support us after so many years, which makes what we do have purpose. I'm sorry if I missed an email address off of the letters you sent. Had trouble reading a couple even with my bifocals on.
Right about now I think all of us could use one of your "little attitude adjustment" drinks as well.
Once again thank you so much! Hope all of you have a wonderful Holiday season.
MAJ *****

Good Morning,
My name is PFC Jason. I recieved a care package from your orginization 2 days ago. I was quite supprised to find all the wonderful goodies and cards. What i noticed was all the love that was put in the box. I want to say thank you from the bottom of my heart for doing what you do for us out here in the sand box. It means alot to us. For some of us that will be all we get for the holidays, it was more than i could ask for. I wish I had more time to write, but time is pressing at the moment. I would like if you could do me a favor and thank all the wonderful people that work with you and help put everything together. From one Hero to another, Thank you so very very much. Happy Holidays!!

All,
Good morning from Afghanistan! I just want to say thank you for all that you do. I received a care packagelast night which caught me by surprise. I wasn't expecting anything, and it always makes your day that much better when you receive mail. I wish I had the opportunity to personelly shake the hand of each and every one of you for taking the time out of your day and sending out "goodies" to complete strangers. God bless you all.

Dear OCP Volunteers,
Hello, my name is Sergeant C..... Im in the United States Army deployed in Afghanistan. im 23 years old and stationed in Alaska. In the Army im called a Flight Engineer on a CH-47 Helicopter. Fancy for me being the guy in the back of the helicopter that gets to fly around. (you might want to google Chinooks if your not familiar) First off, my disclaimer.. Im from Kentucky so my grammar sucks, and im going to start typing like it because i dont like being proper :). just being honest. Ok, so i wanted to thank each and every volunteer, i read your letters and cards and was very grateful of what you have all done. to the people at walgreens supporting us by buying a candy bar for a soldier, to make sure he's still fat overseas! joking. to the kids in highschool taking their time out of your busy early lives to support us. Its because of people like you, like everyone in your group/organization that gives us the willingness to do our jobs. the sacrifices i make in my life to be here, is all worth it when i think about people like you. I see your from the Chicago area if im correct? if so its sad its a little far away from home because i would like to come and visit places that support us to give thanks in a more proper way. But thank you very much for all the efforts you do. Your sacrifices help each and every one of us and gives us good motivation. Merry Christmas to all of you, i hope you have a good one.
One of your Soldiers - Corbin