Hello Neighbors,

My name is Dan Hulbert and I am a Persian Gulf Veteran. I was a driver in a combat engineer unit. Although I did not see any combat, I did experience the fear of war. I had to use my gas mask, drive through mine fields, see POW's and I saw death. I know the fear of being in the range of a scud missile. When I was over there I received a lot of support from home. Just before the ground war started I received a cassette tape from my nephew and the rest of his third grade class. On it, they told me that they appreciated what I was doing and sang me a song. It meant everything to me at that time.

Now, my nephew is a Marine in the infantry and he is stationed in Kuwait. I felt that it was my turn to support him. I also had some co-workers who had family members stationed over seas and I thought that if we combined our efforts we could make an even bigger impact on their lives.

Since the 9/11 terrorist attacks, things have changed drastically for our service members serving overseas. During the Persian Gulf War, we were able to receive packages and letters marked "to any service member". Now, you have to know a service member by name to ship anything over. This is to prevent terrorist attacks on our service members. Unfortunately, our service members now are receiving a lot less support than I did. Also, the families of the service members are feeling alone in supporting their loved ones.

When I asked some friends if they wanted to help ship care packages to some local service members I was overwhelmed with support. In less than two weeks I raised around $3000 of support. Companies like Albertson’s donated products and individuals donated money. Some supporters said that they were against a war with Iraq but they appreciated our local service members. With all this information and support I felt that I needed to share what I knew with the community.

I have spoken with several organizations and have gained their support. They include the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the Central Oregon Veterans Council, and the Disabled American Veterans. Together with other supporters we wish to unite the community in the effort of supporting our local service members who are away serving our country, and supporting the family members who they left behind.

As individuals we have no chance of making a significant difference, but as a community I believe that we can. My purpose in writing you this letter is to gain your support. A fund has been established that people can donate to. We also have the use of the old Learning Game space at The Bend River Mall.

On March 22nd, we hope to ship out packages to 50 local service members serving over seas. We are looking for donations from various stores and distributors. Some stores and distributors have told us that they would sell to us at cost. Because of that we hope to receive monetary donations from the general public. Whatever you can donate is appreciated. If you have questions about us you can call us at 330-4677 or write us at:

Caring For Troops
1128 NW Harriman
Bend, Oregon 97701

Phone:

541-330-4677

Thank you for your support!