More for the Troops...

T-Bonetooter's owner Diane Rankin meets Mike Flook for the first time after he stops by Monday night to help pack more boxes to be sent to the Troops in Iraq & Afghanistan. Mike has been serving in Iraq working for the Department of Defense as a Firefighter with a crew stationed in Kalsu Iraq which is 45 miles South of Baghdad. Mike's unit has been receiving packages from the "From Our Hearts" program http://fromrhearts.blogspot.com for sometime and he made it a point to stop by and meet those responsible for these gifts from home for the troops.

Mike also took the time to meet with TV-3 who stopped by to cover the packing of boxes to be sent out this week. During this time Mike spoke about how the members of his unit have shared the contents of their packages with as many people as possible. He spoke of how the guys treasure each item and are sure to pass some of the "essentials" on to servicemembers who may not get packages from home. He also spoke of driving their fire apparatus along the fenceline so to be able to throw candy and toys to the children that gather to see them. In fact Mike made a request from his teammembers that any items sent to them during the holidays should be toys or items for children for they wish to have something to pass onto the children in the area. Flook also said how much it is appreciated to get packages from 9,000 miles away and from home and people who took the effort to send them something.

Awhile back I ran into Arin Sime at the Shad Planking event and learned that he was running for State Senate in 2007 in the 24th district. I have seen him several times during the past year and enjoy talking with somebody who agrees that both the State and Federal government is taking too much of our hard earned money and not spending it wisely. I was gald to see Arin join in Monday and help pack boxes for the troops and I believe he was very impressed by the amount of effort and supplies that go into these packages. It was great to see him join in and help out in this very special and worthwhile project...

"This was a wonderful evening of community and a great example of neighbors coming together to help neighbors, especially when those neighbors are a world away defending our nation. The little touches and heartfelt appreciation that were put into every item prepared and packed was impressive. It was a real honor for me to be there and contribute in some small way." Arin Sime www.arinsime.com

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