Lake residents send greetings to soldiers
Lake residents send greetings to soldiers
Staff Report
A lot of soldiers and sailors in the Farah Province of Afghanistan are having a Merry Christmas today thanks to kindness of Lake County residents.
The Provincial Reconstruction Team -- made up members of the U.S. Navy, U.S. Army, the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Agency for International Development -- is in Afghanistan to train, advise and assist local government leaders at the municipal, district, and provincial levels in the Farah Province.
One of those members is Lt. Laura Cook of Tavares, the team's physician assistant. Her good friend, Lt. Matthew Stroup, said the team is happy that Cook wrote home on Veteran's Day.
"She wanted to tell family and friends what she did here in Farah, and how things were a month into deployment," Stroup said. "She didn't receive many responses, as it was a holiday weekend, and as we get here sometimes, she was a little bummed. But, despite a lack of response, people back home were interested."
Stroup said people back home shared Cook's email and discussed it among friends, and things started happening. The response started show but Cook has now received more than 70 letters and 85 care packages.
"The support has been so tremendous that just the other day, Laura and her friends set up tables... so that our security force team could go through and select items that they wanted," Stroup said. "The boxes are still coming in, and at least a few more boxes are still in transit to us..."
Cook shared with her team one letter she received from a 79-year-old Lake County couple who were irritated about a difficult move to a new home. After hearing about Cook and her team, the couple changed their outlook about the move and even promised "they wouldn't feel sorry for themselves anymore," Stroup said.
He wrote about Cook's email response in a recent newsletter for the Defense Video and Imagery System, not to solicit more letters and care packages, but because it is "indicative to me that there are still good things going on in this world.
"There is plenty of tragedy to share -- here in Afghanistan, in other countries around the world, and as we saw last week, even in the United States. And while a few care packages might not fix the world's problems, the thought, care and concern for another human being, someone you don't even know, is a staggering reminder of how we should all act year round.
"Treating others as we would like to be treated is certainly a good start on fixing some of our problems. It's even better when we can brighten someone else's day before we worry about our own."
Friday, December 28, 2012 - www.dailycommercial.com/28dec2012greet