Members of the USACE Afghanistan District volunteer to serve their country; To be deployed away from their family, friends and everyday co-workers, to support the future of Afghanistan; To be a part of something bigger than themselves.
Another volunteer organization has made these deployments a little easier by showing their support to the troops and civilians, by providing “We Care” packages containing basic necessities, goodies, and games. This all-volunteer, non-profit organization For the Troops is dedicated to providing this service.
The sister of James Fielden, Engineering Technician at Kandahar, is associated with the For the Troops and had asked her brother to provide names of people within USACE so they could send out care packages. Through coordination of all USACE platforms in Afghanistan, Fielden was able to forward the names and more than 50 care packages were delivered between Kandahar, Bagram, Kabul and Marmal.
Fielden arranged to have a flag flown on Veteran’s Day 2018, dedicating it to the organization through the help and support of his sister.
On February 15, 2019 his sister sent him a message that read, “Would you be able to get a certificate for Rosemary Allison, she just donated $10,000 for postage to mail care packages to our Troops and she is volunteering as chairperson for an upcoming fundraiser?”
A week later Fielden received another message from his sister stating that on February 23 the For the Troops organization was having a gala event and dinner at the Reagan Library in Simi Valley, California with a military tribute honoring World War II and Korean War Veterans, and that Rosemary just donated another $10,000 for postage!
The Volunteers at the Kandahar Delivery Platform once again flew the American Flag at the compound in Afghanistan. That along with a certificate is being delivered to the woman who has donated the funds to help pay the postage for the more than 100,000 packages year-round that are mailed out to the troops serving in Afghanistan and Iraq.
It’s a small gesture from a grateful USACE team in Afghanistan who has been the recipients of many of the care packages sent out.