UPDATE: 

• Thank you to everyone who participated in sending text messages to the "troops".  The final count from DOD's America Supports You program that sponsored the event was over 130,000 text messages received by the troops!!
• Yes! I am still opening my house today from 1:00-4:00pm for anyone who would like to come over to help inventory, sort prep and pack. Call or write if you need directions, 703-327-6628
• Two packing parties scheduled this week and more to come. All are listed on our website but the ones this week are Tues., at St. James in Leesburg, 6:30pm-8:30pm and Sat. at Moe's Southwest Grill in Ashburn, 9:00am-12:00pm.

Hope to see most of you soon.  Thank you again for your continued support and don't forget to scroll to the bottom to read about a Thanksgiving in Iraq.

Mary Hacker

Operation Pinecone.......Thanksgiving in Iraq

 For Thanksgiving we had a luau...with Thanksgiving being of course, such a traditional family holiday, we wanted to steer away from that little fact with a twist.

     I have held these 3 times now in this country.  Just as before, it was a great success and the soldiers seemed to have a great time.  Walking around smiling and laughing at each other with Hawaiian hats, and lei's on.       

We played some goofy games that made all laugh and smile.  Plus we had a ton of candy, (thks Dayna), and of course plenty of beer...ok...fake beer.  But even that was all drunk up by the end of the night.       

A couple of times I ran into a soldier who seemed kinda down.  I could tell.  By answering some of my "tell" questions wrong.  Questions or things that I always ask or say that prompts certain responses.  Plus body language.  It's really not hard to tell using these techniques within a couple minutes how someone is doing, even when they are trying to hide it.     

 Well, I got one soldier I spotted that seemed down in the dumps to walk outside where could have a smoke and talk.  

     After continuing to avoid my questions.  He finally told me he was bummed because he hadn't had a Thanksgiving yet with his 2yr old.  Plus he may even miss next year's with this 15 month extention.       

I told him yeah it sucks, but told him he has got to focus on what good is coming after this is done.  Not the sadness of this moment.  "Do what you can to keep yourself safe here to get back to your family and focus on the good that is coming for you.  Because it will come.       

I told him of a story I heard awhile back. In Italy, many, many years ago they built a bridge to connect Venice to Vienna for the train to come...they built this bridge long before a train ever even existed to travel on the bridge...but they built it anyway.        

Because they knew...they knew one day...the train would come...and one day, many years later, it did.        I told him to keep the faith and do what you can to prepare...and one day...your train will come...       

He smiled and said that was a good story.  He told me thanks for letting him vent, and back inside we went.      

H.C. THOMAS Morale, Welfare and Recreation  Mosul, Iraq