Freedom Isn't Free

I wanted to share an excerpt from the first letter I ever received from Operation Gratitude back in 2016 when I first heard of their care packages to deployed Troops.

"On behalf of Operation Gratitude and the heroes who receive our care packages, I thank you for your generous donation. Your contribution will enable us to send over 200,000 'chock full' Care Packages this year to the tens of thousands of brave men and women still deployed overseas in harsh and remote areas; to their children anxiously awaiting their return; and to Veterans, New Recruits, First Responders, Wounded Heroes and their Care Givers. . . . 

As one former Navy Sailor and current New York Police Department Officer recently wrote: 'Every box, every piece of paper, every cloth, every book, every pen, every pencil, every notebook, every brush, every tooth paste, every shower gel, every puzzle, every magazine, every letter, every piece of candy . . . means a lot to us when we are away from home. It gives us Hope, Confidence, Happiness, Strength & Pride that somebody thinks about us, that someone is there for us. Thank You all. God Bless America.' . . .

Thank you again for your thoughtfulness and wonderful patriotic spirit. Every single donation we receive furthers our mission of saying 'Thank You' to those who serve. The recipients of your generosity will remember your kindness forever. . . ."

Last month I received the tenth letter from them with similar words, made possible by your purchases from my shop. Every Memorial Day I like to write a blog post to encourage Americans to support our Troops. Operation Gratitude even makes it easy with an Amazon wish list to send directly to their assembly station in CA. Check out their needed items here! Let's not forget that freedom isn't free. We should think of them as they think of us, as individuals with families and loved ones and dreams that they risk their lives for day after day.