"Operation Gratitude" at the Rock
Program to send care packages to soldiers in Iraq to begin at SRU
By Kate Canan
Rocket Copy Editor
Issue date: 10/3/03 Section: Life
For some people it seems like 9/11 occurred a long time ago, but for others, it feels like only yesterday. One of these people is Amanda Errington, a senior SRU student whose husband is serving overseas. This is the reason Errington is bringing "Operation Gratitude" to Slippery Rock.
Operation Gratitude was founded by Carolyn Blashek, a teacher and mother in Encino, Calif. Blashek was motivated to start the organization after talking to an Army officer at the Bob Hope Hollywood USO, where she volunteered and talked to soldiers who were preparing to go overseas.
This particular young man was about to return to Korea after attending his mother's funeral. His wife had left him and the officer wasn't sure if he would make it back alive or if anyone would even care. She began to wonder about other officers that felt the same way and how they found the strength to continue in battle.
As the war intensified in Iraq, Blashek began to find names and units on a Florida-based armed forces support group Web site, then proceeded to shop at discount shops and drug stores for items she thought the troops might need and appreciate. She put all of her purchases in cardboard boxes and shipped them halfway across the world.
Blashek has footed the bills herself, spending nearly $150 a week. She has personally sent 596 care packages to date to the soldiers in the Middle East, each one including a personalized letter.
Inspired by Blashek, Errington has just gotten SRU's chapter of Operation Gratitude approved by the ROTC.
Along with the comfort of knowing that she is benefiting her husband and other soldiers, Errington finds the task helpful because it keeps her busy.
Operation Gratitude was founded by Carolyn Blashek, a teacher and mother in Encino, Calif. Blashek was motivated to start the organization after talking to an Army officer at the Bob Hope Hollywood USO, where she volunteered and talked to soldiers who were preparing to go overseas.
This particular young man was about to return to Korea after attending his mother's funeral. His wife had left him and the officer wasn't sure if he would make it back alive or if anyone would even care. She began to wonder about other officers that felt the same way and how they found the strength to continue in battle.
As the war intensified in Iraq, Blashek began to find names and units on a Florida-based armed forces support group Web site, then proceeded to shop at discount shops and drug stores for items she thought the troops might need and appreciate. She put all of her purchases in cardboard boxes and shipped them halfway across the world.
Blashek has footed the bills herself, spending nearly $150 a week. She has personally sent 596 care packages to date to the soldiers in the Middle East, each one including a personalized letter.
Inspired by Blashek, Errington has just gotten SRU's chapter of Operation Gratitude approved by the ROTC.
Along with the comfort of knowing that she is benefiting her husband and other soldiers, Errington finds the task helpful because it keeps her busy.
