Think of troops when Christmas shopping
COMMENTARY
Emily Baker

Only 63 shopping days until Christmas. Have you decided what to get America’s soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines and Coast Guardsmen?

A recent poll by Stars and Stripes newspaper found morale in Iraq to be at an all-time low. Our military personnel seem to think we don’t care about them any more. The care packages that once clogged the mail service are no longer coming in. The support for the war effort has been replaced by finger-pointing and protests. Since they do their duty to keep each of us safe, we each have our own responsibility to remind them how special they are.

There are lots of ways to brighten up a service person’s day, and all it takes is a spare second and some pocket change. Even college students have enough time and money to help out.

Here are a few ways you can make a real difference in the lives of our uniformed protectors:
• Visit (www.fisherhouse.org) and make a donation. This organization provides housing for military families while their service member is sick or injured. Think of this as the Ronald McDonald House for military families. You can make a single donation, or you can sponsor a family.

• The VFW Auxiliary is collecting items for care packages for female soldiers. They need things like pre-sweetened drink mix (individual packages); serving-sized packages of chips, crackers or cookies; something for the sweet-tooth that won’t melt; batteries; writing paper, envelopes, pens and stamps; pre-paid phone cards; personal items like toothpaste, shampoo, tampons, soap and high-quality toilet paper; and fun items like small hand-held electronic games, puzzle books and small water guns. If you have a little extra money, soldiers love to receive a soft, fluffy towel. Mail your items to Ladies Auxiliary VFW, 406 W. 34th St., Kansas City, MO 64111, and they will be forwarded on to a soldier who needs them. The VFW must mail items by Nov. 13 for Christmas delivery, so keep that in mind when planning.

• Gift certificates are easy to buy and fun to spend. You can send gift certificates to our troops by visiting (www.aafes.com) and clicking on “Gifts from the Homefront.” Gift certificates can be used at the military exchange stores where our troops buy their supplies and occasional goodies. Gift certificates will be sent to someone deployed in Iraq or Afghanistan. All it takes is 10 bucks and the time it takes to warm your lunch in the microwave.

Got a tight budget? Instead of buying a family member a gift that will go straight to the junk drawer, make a donation in his/her name. That’s the kind of Christmas gift anyone will enjoy receiving.

For more suggestions, including how to send a free e-mail greeting to the troops, visit (www.defendamerica.mil/support_troops.html).

Emily Baker is a senior news/editorial journalism major from Midland.