Letter from SPC Edmond Crystal. Click image to view larger.

Read more letters from our soldiers.

Hope you all had very happy holidays. Things over here are going as well as can be expected. Things are starting to slow down a little, its getting to cold for the bad guys to come out and play. I have been living in western Afghanistan, about 28 miles from the Iranian boarder. There aren't many of us here, we started with 12 a few months ago and are finally up to 28.

I'll try to write more later.

Mike Lehl

Read more letters from our soldiers.

Dear Ms Knotts,

On behalf of the men and women of the 407 Expeditionary Communications Squadron at Ali Base in Iraq, I wanted to thank you for the kind and generous gifts you sent for the holiday season. We received a package that as best I can tell had items donated from all over. I apologize for not singling out anyone in particular who contributed to the package, my folks went through it pretty quick, especially the single folks that are not getting a lot of other packages. Let me say thanks again, so you know how much your gifts are very much appreciated. I obviously found your business card and decided to send an email and attach a photo for you to share with everyone involved.

A quick snapshot of us. We are a 65 person squadron tasked with providing all the communication needs to about 500 AF personnel here at Ali Base, Iraq. We just rotated in and are beginning a 6 month tour. The majority of personnel are from Tinker AFB in Oklahoma, but we do have a few from a mixture of other locations, as well, to include my duty station in Germany. Much to our excitement we received your gifts just a couple days before Christmas and they were gone before I knew it. The goodies and treats are appreciated, but even more than those, simply knowing that folks back home are thinking about us means more than you can imagine. Getting cards and letters from back home is a real morale booster, especially during the holiday season. For a lot of my folks, this is their first deployment, and first time away from family and loved ones during the holiday season. I've attached a photo of us gathering in our common area where I place the care packages for the folks to sort through.

I am the First Sergeant for this small group of folks and this is my second deployment. My job is simple.....people. I'm charged with ensuring that the health, morale and welfare of those under my supervision are taken care of. My job is pretty easy when we get packages like that from "home".

Once again thank you very much for the kindness shared.

Proud to Serve,

Kevin

///signed///
KEVIN D. ERNE, SMSgt, USAF
First Sgt, 407 ECS

Read more letters from our soldiers.

Feb 17,
Hi HOME,
Due to recent activity the roads were black (no travel) but today they made a postal run and I got all your boxes. Question, is there anything that will go bad? I did want to get some pictures for you but I am leaving for a conference in Qatar in the morning. I was going to wait and open them when I got back on the 28th.

Holy crap, another truck just came in with more! Okay, just opened the box with the knife sharpeners...told you we were fine! Nothing quite as creepy as a room full of people sharpening knives.

SETH HENDERSON, Capt, USAF

Read more letters from our soldiers.

Letter from a soldier. Click image to view larger.

Read more letters from our soldiers.

Mission Statement

HOME - Help Our Military Endure was organized for charitable purposes to send care packages to United States servicemen and women serving in far off countries. This effort is solely supported by monetary and non-monetary donations collected from the general public throughout the year.

Latest News

3rd Annual HOME Golf Tournament - 05/11/2012

Christmas Packing Party - 12/01/2011

What do you want for Christmas?

My Christmas list consisted of everything from baseball gloves to hand sewn Christmas Stockings, lots and lots of beef jerky and plenty of Girl Scout cookies. I wanted drink packets by the dozens, toothpaste, toothbrushes and lots of candy. I wanted it all and I got my wish!

On Thursday, December 1, my Christmas wish was answered. I received not only everything I asked for, I was blessed to receive 2 1/2 tons of merchandise that will be going to many US bases around the world. I didn't even feel guilty asking for so much since it is all for our military so they may have a blessed Christmas so far from home.

That's right, I said 2 1/2 tons of goodies for our military. THANK YOU to everyone that donated items. THANK YOU to everyone that wrote Christmas cards and letters. THANK YOU to everyone that came out to pack boxes in a controlled chaotic environment. THANK YOU to my HOME Board that helped make all this possible. I hope you all had a great time, I know I sure did. The boxes that were packed are heading out the door as we speak. Everyday HOME will be shipping out boxes till they are all on their way to brighten a service member's day. Can you imagine what they will think when they see 10, 20 or 30 boxes show up at their living quarters? MERRY CHRISTMAS MILITARY!

More items are coming in BY THE TON! I think HOME may need to look for a bigger warehouse, anyone have an empty building that HOME could use? If you do I sure hope you contact me soon. We are a nonprofit and sure could use the space.

I deeply wish you all a Merry Christmas and the best possible New Year ever. Enjoy the video from the packing party and stay tuned because HOME will be preparing for the 3rd Annual Golf Tournament in May 2012.

Stay safe and thank you for your continued support.

Trudy
President of HOME-Help Our Military Endure
Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. John 15:13

Additonal pictures and video coming soon...

Letter from the HOME President - October 17, 2011

Day is done, gone the sun,
From the lake, from the hill,
From the sky.
All is well, safely rest,
God is nigh.

Taps keeps playing over and over in my mind. I know not why, but I just came home after two days at the Houston air show entitled, "Wings Over Houston." I am exhausted beyond exhaustion. It is a good exhaustion though. HOME wasn't there to sit back and relax to watch the astounding feats of the Air Force and Navy. Nor to shop and eat all the amazing foods with smells that wafted by between bouts of jet fuel that seemed to fight for air space. HOME was there in full force to promote what we do. To educate any who would listen on how they can Help Our Military Endure. And yes to ask for donations. And even though we did shop a little,,, and eat a little :) the HOME board did an amazing job in accomplishing everything we set out to do.

I am proud to say THANK YOU to all who donated to HOME. Every single cent is needed to continue our mission of sending care packages to our serving military. What we collected gets us a step closer to sending hundreds of care packages for Christmas to our men and women serving this great country.

Meeting and talking to folks about HOME in the past two days was very rewarding. Educating youngsters that were so thrilled to write a note to a "Military Dude" is a great deal of fun.

With Veterans Day around the corner and being on a military base, there were many in uniform, and many retired from the uniform. Thanking them was the highlight of the day, especially while the Air Force or the Navy flew over our heads and pounded our ear drums.

What a great day!

But with greatness can come despair. I met a young man that was very despondent from fighting the war in Afghanistan. I watched as another that served in war time was wide eyed and filled with stress as the planes in the air show re-enacted the bombing of Pearl Harbor. I lent my ear to yet another that described his time served is nothing like what was told to him by his father. I spoke with many that will be deployed soon and begged them to send me their shipping address as soon as they are settled where ever their deployment takes them.

I pray for these men and women that have these torments and sorrow for serving our country. There are more than we will ever know that hold these feelings in and it tortures them. Regardless of their inner feelings, I thanked them. I shook their hand and thanked them profusely for all they have contributed in keeping our country safe. I hope all that read this will thank any that served or are serving too. If you know of any in need of help please contact or help them to contact David Maulsby, Director of Operations for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder at 281-664-7948, 1-877-717-7873, or www.ptsdUSA.org.

I also hope that all who read this will consider adopting a box or two for $12.95 so HOME can meet the demand of sending 500-600 care packages at Christmas time. And if you know of someone serving our military that is deployed, please share their address with us so that we may send them a little bit of home from HOME.

HOME thanks you for your continued support,

~trudy
President
HOME-Help Our Military Endure
"Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends" JOHN 15:13