Holiday Wish List For Our Troops
The aircrew on duty at dinner: Nobody gets a long weekend.
On Thanksgiving Day, while folks in the States were still asleep, military personnel at an airbase in the Arab Emirate of Qatar were sitting down to a dinner that sounded just like the one back home. The difference was, instead of being surrounded by their families, they were surrounded by thousands of other troops for whom this was just another active-duty day.
Franciscan friar Chaplain Col. Bob Bruno, OFM, reports,
Staff Sergeant Norma Johnson and Chaplain Col. Bob Bruno serve the troops on Thanksgiving Day.
“The observance of holidays is primarily by means of a very festive meal. Otherwise, it is a standard duty day. There are no four-day holiday weekends over here. Most everyone gets one day off a week – when they can. A standard crew day is 12 hours, sometimes up to 14 hours depending on mission requirements. The days are very long, and the weeks are even longer. Periodically, the troops can get off base to experience the local culture and cuisine. These service personnel are young, highly motivated, dedicated and self-sacrificing. They keep us older guys young in spirit!”
Fr. Bob will be home for Christmas, but more that a million other Americans at military bases around the world will not. All of them love getting mail and packages, especially around the holidays. We asked Fr. Bob what items are most in demand among service personnel. Some of the most popular gifts are:
- Pre-packaged cookies/candy/hot chocolate/coffee
- Toiletries: shaving gear/hand cream/toothpaste/tooth brushes/floss/tissue/
bar soap /deodorant - Canned soups
- Writing stationery
- Phone cards
- Magazines
- NO BOOKS
“ In addition to the stable population assigned here, this installation is also a transient center, which means that we get lots of folks passing through here in route to somewhere else,” Fr. Bob says. “Because of that, we go through tons of the items recommended above.”
If you would like to send a gift to service personnel in Qatar, the mailing address is:
379th AEW/HC
APO AE 09309
And of course, they always appreciate your prayers.
Fr. Bob Bruno, OFM, is the Senior Staff Chaplain for the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado. He recently was deployed to an air base in the Arab Emirate of Qatar for four weeks this fall.
Photos © Master Sergeant Brendan Kavanaugh, USAF
Holiday Wish List For Our Troops was an excerpt from the SJB News Notes by Ms. Toni Cashnelli
British troops joined American allies for the feast.
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