Soldier's mom ships real Montana evergreen to Iraq
In the expansive, desolate desert north of Baghdad, eight American soldiers in a helicopter repair shop will have a green Christmas.
By LYNNETTE HINTZE
The Daily Inter Lake
In the expansive, desolate desert north of Baghdad, eight American soldiers in a helicopter repair shop will have a green Christmas.
A 4-foot Douglas fir, donated by Snow Line Tree Co., arrived at their base in Iraq just before Thanksgiving. Tucked inside were a few branches from a grand fir, added to deliver the fragrance of a Montana evergreen. A big care package accompanied the tree, compliments of the Flathead Valley.
Cindy Russell, the mother of Sgt. Ronald Russell, got the idea to send a live Christmas tree from a Vietnam veteran who assured her there was a way to send a tree overseas.
"He told me it would be the best present they could get, and he was right," Russell said.
She knew it was worth the effort and the money when the e-mails began pouring in from the troops in her son's unit, a group of eight Army maintenance technicians who work on some of the military's biggest helicopters.
"We were surprised to receive a live Christmas tree in the middle of the desert," wrote Lt. Cpt. Justin Dalglish. "We had a blast decorating the tree and hanging the stockings while listening to the CDs of seasonal songs. I learned an important lesson on why you don't plug 120-volt lights into a 240-volt outlet!"
Russell canvassed the community for donations of Christmas gifts and decorations, and was overwhelmed with the support she found.
The Strawberry Patch, Herberger's and Glacier Hallmark donated ornaments for the trees. Games, puzzles and other items came from Imagination Station, Wal-Mart, Rosauer's, Northland Hobbies and LeRoy's Plumbing. Moose's gave T-shirts, socks came from Snappy Sport Senter, Sportsman & Ski Haus chipped in gloves and Montana Coffee Traders donated many bags of coffee. Michael's Exxon and Albertson's also pitched in with donations, and cash came from a number of sources, including Glacier Bank, American Legion Post 7, Carole Conklin and Best Bet Casino. The Elks, VFW and Eagles lodges supported the project, and students from Elrod and Hedges schools made cards for the soldiers. Master Monograms stitched the soldiers' names on Christmas stockings.
"They opened some of the packages right away," she said. "They're like little kids, and there's a lot of down time where they are. My son said it's like being in the movie 'Groundhog Day,' where it's the same thing, over and over again."
The e-mails from the soldiers made one thing clear - the appreciation they felt when they received the generous outpouring of gifts. All of them specifically asked Russell to thank everyone involved with the care package.
"You must have a lot of special people up there in Montana," wrote Cpl. John Ledbetter. "It makes us feel good out here to get little things from home. It lets us know that we are thought about, and makes us feel that much closer to home."
The shipping bill came to $290, but was worth every penny, Russell said. She spent about $150 for candy, food, puzzles and other gifts.
"I had those boxes crammed," she said.
Fleece blankets were especially welcomed by the troops because of the chilly winter nights in Iraq.
Lt. Cpl. Felicia Cinatl, the only woman in the mechanic unit, said the blankets and warm clothes arrived at the right time.
"I definitely underestimated the weather," Cinatl wrote. "It is a lot colder here than I thought it could be, so that blanket and those gloves make all the difference in the world."
It's the second tour of duty in Iraq for Russell's son, and the second time she's been on the front line of drumming up community support. When the war started, Russell led a local campaign to put photographs of area soldiers and yellow ribbons in the back windows of vehicles.
"I had a hard time with it that first time he went," she said. "This time hasn't been as bad, but I do stuff like this to keep busy."
Her son and daughter-in-law, Jennifer Turner Russell, are 1999 Flathead High School graduates. Russell is looking forward to having her daughter-in-law and grandchildren, Tanner, 3, and Jayden, 5, who live in California, home for the holidays.
She's talked to her son only twice during the latest tour of duty. Phone connections in the remote area aren't good. Soldiers can make calls via computers on the base, where 800 troops are stationed, but it takes hours of waiting for a turn to use the equipment, she said.
"I wasn't able to do something for all 800 soldiers on the base, but I figured I would make eight people's Christmas really special," Russell said.
Daglish assured her the mission was accomplished.
"Thank you again for giving us a Christmas while we are thousands of miles from home," he said.
Features editor Lynnette Hintze may be reached at 758-4421 or by e-mail at lhintze@dailyinterlake.com