 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
||
|
|
||
The Parcels Arrive! Below are some great pictures of the parcels being handed out over the Christmas period, and extracts from thank you letters received too. Please do scroll down, the letters are wonderful to read... From 1 Medical Regiment...
24 Commando, Engineer Regt ...
11 Platoon 7th Armoured Brigade 1st Royal Regiment of the Fusiliers...
"Hi Marie, thanks for the parcels, they arrived yesturday to me so i gave them out to the lads and they really do appriciate you taking time out to send us these parcels thanks again and have a nice xmas." "Hiya Marie. thanks for the parcels. they arrived yesterday at our patrol base. im in camp bastion now waiting to fly back for 2 weeks RnR. ive left the parcels with my troop to share over xmas and new year, thort it wud be greedy to take one wen im now at slipper city with a pizza hut on camp. haha. very much appriciated, letters will be sent in the post soon. " From 22 Signal Regiment, Op Herrick... " Merry Crimbo Pauline, here is some pics hot of the press. Pass on our thanks for all the hard work that you all do for us over here. The parcels are really appreciated by everyone. Kenny & Alex aka Santa"
From the Equipment Support Group, Op Herrick... "Dear Karen, This is just a very short note to say thank you to you and all the team at Support Our Soldiers. I write on behalf of the Equipment Support Group deployed in Afghanistan as part of Op HERRICK 9. We have been out here for a few months now and some of the lads discovered your website and have sent in for welfare packages. As Christmas drew near, we held on to the boxes to make sure that everyone here in the ES Gp had something to open on the day. I really can't thank you, your team and all the people and organisations that have supported you enough. The kindness of all those involved is quite humbling and to know that there are people at home thinking of us at this time means a lot to us all. Of course we miss our families, but things like Support Our Soldiers help so much to keep morale up. I have attached a couple of pictures showing us all meeting Santa on the Big Day and there are a few of your parcels in the bottom right hand corner of at least one of the pictures. Anyway, you asked us to let you know that your parcels got through and I can certainly confirm that they did. The contents were VERY well received and as I say, your kindness touched us all. Thank you once again, Major Mike Jeavons"
From KAF... "Hi Agnes, I just wanted to take this opportunity to pass on my heartfelt thanks for all of the parcels we have received here at the Geospatial Cell at Kandahar Airfield. Words can not express how reassuring it is to know that what we are doing over here is being supported back at home, and for that I am very grateful. Pleas pass on my thanks to all involved with the Support Our Soldiers campaign and wish you all avery Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Kindest Regards John Rigby MBE, Capt GBR Army Chief Geospatial Officer"
From TSW Detachment, Falkland Islands... "Just a quick e.mail to say thanks for the brilliant gift boxes that your organisation sends out and to thank all the companies and individuals for donating. We greatly appreciate your efforts, more than you will probably know. Keep making a difference and once again thanks, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you, your colleagues and families and loved ones. Cheers Mick, Rob and Pete " Christmas Lunch & The Lads attached to JHF...
From the Deputy Squadron Commander, 1 Sqn RAF "Just a quick note to thank you and the people of Sunderland and South Shields for your combined kindness and consideration at this special time of year. The contents of the parcels were great; you must have thought long and hard as to what would be valued out here - let me tell you that you hit the nail on the head. Christmas was a quiet affair, although some of us were able to have a Christmas lunch in aproper dining facility, which turned out to be pretty good. Most of the squadron were out on the ground and spent their Christmas Day in a bivvis; however, some will come in today (Boxing Day) and the rest, who are in the local mountains, will come in tomorrow, so they will be able to open your parcels then. Even though we are thousands of miles away from our families and friends, the British humour (and stiff upper lip) came through and, although a quiet day, it was as good as it could be made. Once again, thank you very much for all the thought, time and effort that went into sending the parcels at Christmas. More importantly, thank you so much for all of the parcels that you have sent to my squadron as a whole. It must have been a tremendous task to organise it all, but rest assured, they were all very much appreciated." From Warrant Officer, 1 Sqn RAF "A letter of thanks to SOS. By the time you get this letter, we should be 19 weeks into our 6.5 month tour of duty. The support that you give cannot be underestimated as it helps with the lads morale which is so important for all the members of the squadron, but especially the younger members. Your support has been extremely well received by all of on 1 Sqn, RAF Regiment, SAC ****** has given out the parcels you sent to the lads, they were thrilled. Just knowing that there are people back home that are supporting us is just brilliant and the gunners really do appreciate it. From all the members of 1 Sqn RAF Regiment, we thank you all." From Corporal, Logistics Group "Happy Christmas to you all back in Blighty. Thank you for your parcel, it is greatly appreciated at this time of year. We all shared the goodies out and they are all a little bit of morale and they cheered us up. All you back in the UK are supporting us in the greatest way possible. Thank you very much. God bless, Scott." From WO2, 45 Commando, Royal Marines "Hello and Merry Christmas to all those who support the Armed Forces. We had a great lunch and film night on the 25th, a little bit of normality for my lads, at this time of year who cannot be home with their families. Each parcel gets a reply written in between work and patrol, just to show our appreciation to all you back home. Each parcel makes you feel wanted and honoured by the general public. Thank you again, Rob." From RAF Regiment "Please can you pass on my sincere and heart felt thanks to the people of Devon & Cornwall and the people of Weymouth, Poole and Bournemouth for their kind gifts and parcels that I, and my team, received on Xmas Day. The gifts were most appreciated and very well received and the fact that people back home are thinking of us at this time of year was heart warming. You are both doing a fantastic job and long may you continue.Regards and thanks.FS John Griffiths RAF."
From Basra Signal Squadron AKA 200 Signal Squadron... "Dear Sonia, Firstly many apologies for the delay in writing to thank you for your sterling support. My name is Major **** and I am fortunate enough to be in command of approximately 200 soldiers here on Operation TELIC. Thanks to Support our Soldiers we were able to ensure that every individual soldier received one of your parcels on Christmas Day. To ensure we made it a special day all those not on essential duty were given the day off and a hectic programme of events was planned. The officers and seniors of the Squadron woke the soldiers on Christmas morning with a tradition called ‘Gun Fire’! You will be pleased to hear this sounds more aggressive than it is – we actually wake the soldiers with a cup of tea with a very small dash of rum – the only alcohol for the whole 7 months. We also took the opportunity to exploit one of our soldier’s talents and we had a piper escort us through the camp. After a leisurely wake up for the soldiers we gathered in the Squadron Bar where an area had been decorated as Santa’s Grotto and one of my Sergeants, dressed as Santa, gave out your presents. The rest of the day was scheduled with games, activities, Christmas Dinner culminating in a quiz. Although it was difficult to be apart from our families over the festive period we made the most of the day which was greatly helped by all the parcels sent to us. You will be pleased to hear that I also received a parcel but unfortunately I had no card. So a personal thanks from me to whoever’s generosity made my Christmas that bit more comfortable. Many thanks again for all your support. Please be fully aware that it made a massive difference to my soldiers and I am externally grateful for yours and your supporters’ efforts. Yours ****." From 39 Regt RA… “Hi There, I'd just like to say thanks for the box I received and hope your hand didn’t get too tired writing all those cards out!! I hope you had a great Christmas and New Year. Take Care”
“Dear Nicki, How are you? Just a short letter to say thank you for the welfare parcel that you sent to Afghanistan. I received it recently and greatly appreciated it. Thank you! Take care. Tom x”
From Fob Armadillo… “Dear Nicki, Thank you for your support over this period of the year. I hope you and your family had a good Christmas and a good new year. Keep up the goodwork and thanks again for your support”
“To Nicki, My Name is ***********, sounds Ccottish but I'm not, and I'd like to say a special Thank you toall of you. The Lads out here are grateful for the gifts you send. Its people like you that make this tour a lot easier for us knowing we have people who are grateful for our work. Thank you.”
From UK Log Tn “Dear Karen, Thank you all at Support Our Soldiers for the Christmas gifts that you have gathered, prepared and sent out to myself and my colleagues. It’s great to get support and kind wishes during times like this on tour. The gifts and letters really boost all our morale, and on behalf of my comrades I wish you a belated Merry Christmas and the happiest of New Year! Many thanks…”
From 51 Sqn RAF Regt “To all at SOS, Thanks for the parcel that was handed to me just in time for Christmas. The support given to us all here is much appreciated. I have been in Iraq since October and won’t get home until Spring. It’s always difficult being away from the family at this time of year and your unexpected parcel helped lighten the mood of myself and the other guys. Thank you one again. Best Wishes…”
From ECM(FP) Troop BFPO 641… “Dear Amanda, i am writing on behalf of the troop and myself to say thankyou for your kind and generous xmas gift boxes that we all recieved from you,we were deeply heartened by the time and effort that you put into the sending out to us. I would like to know that you helped in spreading a little cheer to so many of us and also the outbreak of santa hats that appeared around the COB on xmas day.”
From 20 Armd Bde HQ… “Thank you very much for your generous xmas gifts. I shall enjoy all the goodies very much although i will have to go for an extra long run after the xmas pud ! i dont know if father xmas will make it to my tent so its very kind of you to have done the job for him.Everyone here really appreciates you thinking of us and your support. Merry Christmas”
From 59 CDO SQN RE… “Thank you for your Christmas card and parcel and support, it is a great morale boost to get cards and letters off anonymous people and to know that people are thinking of us at this festive time of year,my sqn sends our thanks. i wish you,your family and the whole of Leicester a very happy Christmas”
From FOB Delhi “Thank you very much for your ongoing support for soldiers on tour. Your support is much welcome and very appreciated out here. Thank you again for everything.”
“Thank you very much for the parcel. It’s great to know that so many people in the UK support the troops on operations. Every little helps as there are no shops out here. Wishing you a happy Christmas and a merry new year”
From Camp Alamo “Hello from Camp Alamo. On behalf of the British contingent here – which is a mixture of Royal Navy, various Army Regiments and Corps, and the Royal Marines – please accept our sincere thanks for being so thoughtful as to send us a parcel. All the parcels we receive from wellwishers at home are shared out amongst the troops, and they are most welcome indeed. It is very comforting to know we are in your thoughts. Once again, thanks very much for your time, trouble and expense. We wish you all the compliments of the season”
From B Coy, 1PWRR “Dear Karen, I write to thank you on behalf of my soldiers for the Christmas parcels that you so kindly sent. I am stationed in Camp as the CQMS, my job is to re-supply my company with whatever they request in the field. Supplies are then despatched by helicopter. My living conditions in the camp are relatively comfortable compared to my soldiers who live in quite arduous conditions. Cards and parcels are always a welcome morale boost. Once again, many thanks and Merry Christmas from Afghanistan”
From 24 Cdo Engr Regt “I’m in the Royal Engineers based in one of the remote patrol bases. Today I received one of your SOS parcels which was great as I only have a small family and mail can sometimes not come that often. Thank you so much for the work you and your team have been doing for us out here, it’s always nice to have a parcel to open and to share among the section. Thanks again guys, and keep up the good work!”
From 24 Cdo Engr Regt "Please continue to support our soldiers as you bring a little bit of light to a very dark place".
From 24 Cdo Engr Regt “I received your parcel today and I would like to say a massive thank you. It was lovely. It is so nice to think that people like yourself have sent such lovely parcels and are thinking of us at this time of year. This is my first Christmas on tour. I’ve been in the Army 9 years but it doesn’t make being away at this time of year any better. But knowing people are thinking of us, and caring, does make it better. Take care and thank you once again.”
From HQ Bastion Joint Support Unit
From 74 Bty, 39 Regt RA “Hello to all at Support Our Soldiers. Thank you very much for the parcesl u sent for the serving soldiers at Christmas time. It was very much a morale booster on what was a very emotional day for everyone. I myself have a wife and three young daughters in the UK so the parcel was a very welcome cheer up. Thank you very much on a personal note, and also thank you for soldiers as a whole for all the work u put into supporting us”
From 5th Regt RMP “I’m currently stationed at Kandahar and have today received your very generous welfare parcel. Part of my duties are to distribute welfare packages, like your own, to members of my unit based at the FOBs within Helmand Province. Although the facilities here are excellent, the facilities within the FOBS are very minimal. Therefore the items you’ve sent will go a long way to improving the morale of our troops out there. Thank you so much for your continued support, it is very much appreciated.”
From 2 RGR “”Your remembering us has given us strength and a reason to be here”
From Medical Centre, Kabul
From 74 Bty 39 Regt RA
From JF Med Group “Thank you for the boxes you sent us… the selection boxes lasted about 30 seconds!”
From 42 Cdo Group “We don’t get much post here as we are away from our Unit so it was very nice to receive the parcel. It said not to be opened until Christmas Day, but I couldn’t resist. I opened it straight away and it made my day. You and your friends do a great job, if only there were more people like you it would make our lives that little bit easier.”
From HQ MDN (SE) “A short note to thank you very much for your generosity. Your parcel was very well considered and an excellent morale booster. It was good to have a surprise gift to open on Christmas day. We all gathered in the dining facility, had Christmas dinner and opened our boxes – everybody got one! Some found pants and socks, others face cream and even one bra – in a blokes box – not sure if going to keep it!! The generosity of the British public has been overwhelming. It was also nice to hear the Queen give the troops and families a mention. Karen, thank you again for your generosity, it is very encouraging to know that the British public is supporting us, it is after all for the security of them that we are willing to guard the gate with guns! Have a very happy new year, and good look with your future.”
From 3 Bn Reme “Thank you so much for your parcel that we received yesterday (Christmas Day). It was greatly appreciated that we have so much support from back home even though we are thousands of miles away. We miss home dearly and you would not believe how much it helps us to receive items that remind us of that. Once again, many thanks for your kind gesture, any reminder of home, especially at this time of year, is a welcome diversion from the routine.”
From TMWDSU “I would like to take this opportunity to thank you and the whole team at SOS for the kind and thoughtful parcels sent out to us here in Afghanistan. I know that my soldiers are eternally grateful for anything sent to them from the UK, and so your parcels have ensured a few more smiles on the way and added a few of those home comforts that can make all the difference as they go about their daily tasks. We hope that you all enjoy a peaceful but festive Christmas.”
From 200 Signal Sqn “I would like to say thank you for your Christmas present…. It’s nice to know that people are thinking of us at Christmas back home.”
From S02 Counter Threat “I would like to thank you for your kind works, and the good people who provide the boxes. I cannot stress enough how much I and the British soldiers appreciate the thoughtfulness and generosity of the British public when they continue to put their hands in their pockets to cheer the morale of Tommies in Iraq and Afghanistan. Many thanks again, and keep up the good work!”
From Int Section, KAF “Thank you ever so much for the tokens of appreciation, the benefits from small things sent in small packages have bigger morale effects than you can know… I am writing a short story of my tour, your heartwarming thoughts will surely be added in to the pages.”
From Joint Forces Workshop “I would like to thank you all at SOS for everything you are doing and in particular the great welfare package I received during the Christmas period. It really put a smile on my face…”
“Just a quick note to say thank you for the Christmas parcels that you sent. It means a lot to all the soldiers serving in Afghanistan to know that people are thinking of us over Christmas along with our families. I would be grateful if you could pass on our thanks to everyone involved in the parcels to us and we would like to wish you and your family a very Happy New Year for 2009.”
“I am writing to thank you for the parcel I received on Christmas Day. It is really appreciated by myself and the rest of the men and women who I serve with. It makes our Christmas away from our families just that little bit better.”
From Op Herrick “Please continue to support our soldiers as you bring a little bit of light to a very dark place".
From RSG Fir Sc 54 Cos Eng Reg “Please accept our heartfelt thanks for the welfare parcels you sent to Afghanistan it was gratefully received by myself .........chalky on behalf of the lads It is a difficult time for some here, not only because of the challenging climate and terrain, but more so because for the younger ones it may be their first time away from friends and family over Christmas and New Year. The single fact is that by sending parcels you have boosted our morale significantly.”
From Capt 1 Rifles, CSS OMLT Herrick “I am writing to say tThankyou for your kind generosity in supplying my soldiers with such kind gifts from back home. Your support and devotion to these young men is a testament to your support of all of us, and I thank you. We have all grown up in the short time we have been here, we focus on aour jobs and constantly thgink of our loved ones and yes people like you who never stop surprising us with your boxes of love. I hope you will get chance to visit us when we return to Chepstow in the spring”
From 24 CDO Eng 26 ACS Herrick “Hello from Afghanistan, Just wanted to send a quick but heartfelt thanks for the welfare package you sent. It was well received and the treats have been shared out to a great many smiles. My name is Shy and normally based in Germany. We are about half way through our tour Believe it or not We are usuallyhaving a good time and hard at work. Thanks again for the goodies and your support We hope you enjoy a great start to the New Year "
From 2AES 24 CDO Eng “Thank you very much for the welfare package It was very much appreciated We had quite a few sent out to us over Christmas so loads of cjhocolate and sweets to get through. It's nice to know there's people out there that care about us and what we do. Thanks again the lads really appreciated it.”
From SSGT ES Gp (female) “I am writing to say many thanks for the Christmas box I was fortunate to receive. Being on tour and away from your family is always hard at Christmas. I have found being away from my 3 children particularly difficult, however such a box as donated by yourself makes the day better and helps make the remainder of the tour more bearable. The guys and gitrls are working hard out here andare 1/2 way through the tour so we feel like the end is in site. It is heartening to feel thart the British public is now supportive of our troops and that certainly helps the morale out here and helps us feel valued and not forgotten”
From Cpl QM JSU “Thank you for the parcel much appreciated Thank you for your support”
From QDG
From Camp Souter “Dear Marie,I am LCpl Nick based Camp Souter, and I was the lucky receiver of your Christmas box that was sent out to Op Herrick. I would just like to say how touched I am that you would take time out of your own lives to do something so special for someone you have never met. I had a really nice Christmas, well as nice as you can being out here which was made much better by your box. I am 25 years old and been in the army for 6 years. I have served in Bosnia, Iraq and now Afghan. This is my first time away from family at Christmas.Christmas day was good we managed to get some down time to watch TV and play some games, which was a nice break. Christmas dinner was wonderful hats off to the chefs out here they really do an amazing job. Merry Christmas and happy new year to you all and thank you so much for your kindness. YOU are our HEROS. Your Friend, Nick”
“Dear Kim, I wish to offer my heartfelt thanks for the wonderful gift box which I received on Christmas day. It was very much appreciated, not least the sentiment behind it, knowing there are fantastic people like you who are so supportive to those of us overseas on operations, and not only supportive just at this particular time of year. I look forward to reading the book, and we have been sharing the goodies from the box amongst our small crew that co-habit. All in all, a lovely surprise, and I do hope you will be able to thank the generous folk who so selflessly donated our gifts. Our morale is fairly good, definitely boosted by such gifts as you have sent to us! Many thanks once again to you and your awesome team! Nic Walker”
“To Kim, Just a quick thank you letter to show my appreciation for the xmas box I received. Your generosity touched me on Xmas day, I hope you had a wonderful time with your loved ones at Xmas time, I was quite busy I’m currently serving a 6month tour in Helmond & the Xmas period was quite difficult to get through, you have put a smile on my face you’re a very special woman, thank you! Your’s thankfully, Jason N. ( 23yrs )”
“Dear Kim, I am just writing to say thank you for the parcel you sent me and also the parcels my opos received. They were gratefully received. We are serving in Afghanistan and we are 3months into our tour. For many of us we have been serving over-seas at Christmas before and no matter how many times you do it, it never gets any easier. I personally love Christmas and love being with my family and friends, I’m just gonna try not to think about it. Thank you again for the parcels, you are all doing a fantastic job, take care, Chris A.”
“Hiya Kim, Just a quick thank you letter for the parcel we received today in our office. I especially enjoyed my first flake in 2months J it was the highlight of my day as we are out in a place where we don’t get much in the way of facilities as there is a smaller number of soldiers so we don’t have a NAFFI etc. Anyway Kim thanks again and have a great Christmas and an excellent New Year. Adam”
“Kim, This is really a letter saying a big thank you for coordinating the parcels for the troops in Iraq. Could you please pass on our thanks to everybody that assisted and donated items for the parcels.We are all away from our families for Christmas and many months which means that gifts like what you are organizing are very much welcome. It’s good to know that people back in the U.K. support their soldiers and think of them over Christmas. We are the brothers, sisters, mums and dads of normal everyday people. I hope you have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Pete *******”
“Merry Christmas Kim, Thank you for the parcel we received from Support Our Soldiers. It has found its way to two Gunners on the border. We appreciate your support, it’s nice to know that it’s not just our family and close friends that care. Please thank everyone for their donations, as we and our mates are very grateful. Many thanks Matt and Si, R.A.”
“Hi Kim, I hope you had a good Christmas, as you can imagine I had lots of soldiers wishing they were not here but at home. Your parcels did however go down very well, the guys thought your parcels were really good so thank you. We woke up the guys at 06.30hrs on Christmas morning with your packages and a phone card from the Reg. We then went down to the outstations to do the same and serve them breakfast, it all went down really well. We managed to serve the guys lunch together and give them free time to call friends and family. Take care, Alan x”
“Hi Kim, I would just like to thank you sincerely for all your hard work and kind thoughts this Christmas. The excellent parcels you put together for so many soldiers serving in Iraq made huge differences on Christmas Day, I write both from a personal perspective & on their behalf, we are all truly grateful. The parcels were obviously well thought out & must have involved considerate hard work and effort from so many, please pass on our thanks to all those involved. They brought smiles all round & have certainly saved a number of visits to the NAFFI for many. The public support in conjunction with many organisations like ‘Support Our Soldiers’ keep the military going both at Christmas and throughout the year so thank you! All the best for 2009, Kind Regards, John”
“Hi Kim, This is just a quick bluey to say thanks for my parcel on Christmas Day. I think it’s brill what you do for the lads & lassies on Op tour, it is very much welcomed by all of us. It’s nice to know that people back in the U.K. are thinking about us. It didn’t feel much like Christmas in the sun and sand here in Iraq but everyone made as much effort as they could. Walking around in our uniforms and Santa hats on, I even saluted an officer with one on, that was funny! Thanks again, Shauna x” |
