Christmas wishes

Some of the troops at Camp Nathan Smith in Kandahar send their Christmas wishes home (ht:netnewsledger.com):



I wanted to tell people how to send a care package over to our soldiers in southern Afghanistan, so I contacted the CF to find out what was needed. You don't want to send hot chocolate if what they really need is bug repellant.

What I was told is that the logistics system is being overwhelmed with Canadians' kindness. I asked about Chapstick - they've got lots. I asked about snacks - they can get frozen Snickers bars on base. I asked about Gatorade drink crystals - thanks, but there are crates of them over there.

But I was also told one way we could all help: send a message. Some might think this is a bit hokey - do soldiers really read letters or e-mails from people they don't know? Yeah, they do. The messages get printed off and posted in common spaces, and the troops do get a boost from them. In fact, I was told that a bunch of letters from a classroom of Canadian students recently left some tough troops in Kandahar with tears in their eyes.

Here's how you can contribute: tell them you care.