Desert Messenger

10 www.DesertMessenger.com May 18, 2016 FREE CLASSIFIEDS Desert Messenger offers FREE Classified Ads! HERE'S THE SMALL PRINT: Items for sale under $1000. Private Party Only. 1 per month. Yard/Ga- rage/Craft Sales, Wanted, Give-a-ways, Free, Lost & Found, etc. (non-commercial) For more information, contact Rain at 928-916-4235 or Email: Editor@DesertMessenger.com SEE HEROES PAGE 11 QUARTZSITE COMMUNITY THRIFT STORE 177 W. Main St. (end of Showplace Lane) Behind Silly Al's Pizza SUMMER HOURS April thru October Thurs. Fri. Sat. 9am-1pm Call us and schedule a donation pickup 928-927-6039 or 928-916-7338. 100% of our proceeds remain here in Quartzsite! WINTER HOURS November thru March Mon- Sat 9am-1pm READER'S OASIS BOOKS 690 E. Main - Quartzsite (one block east of Family Dollar) 928-927-6551 Operation Hero Comfort receives honor from special units by Joanne Winer May is Military Appreciation month, and it is a time for everyone to show their appreciation for all branches of the military and to cel- ebrate Armed Forces Day (May 21) and Memorial Day (May 30). One group from Quartzsite showing ap- preciation for the troops every day is Operation Hero Comfort. Operation Hero Comfort has been based in Quartzsite since 2006, although Doc and Anita Carlson had already been sending care packages to the troops from their home in Minnesota for many years when they had family mem- bers who were deployed. It became an official non-profit when they started it in Quartzsite. Since then they have sent over 2000 packages to hundreds of "adopted" units. Doc, who was a Corpsman in Viet- nam, passed away in November of 2008. Anita has kept the organiza- tion going on her own since then with the help of family and friends. Several months ago she received a call from a Chaplain from Des- ert Center who asked if the group would adopt five Marine Units be- ing deployed on special assignment, and that was all the information she was allowed. Packages were sent to the Chaplain and he made sure they were sent on to who-knew- where. She was not even allowed to know how many were in the unit, or where they were being sent. The Chaplain was able to tell her that they really needed some morale boosting since they were going to places that no one else was. Operation Hero Comfort sends out at least two packages to each unit twice a month, and more for holidays like Christmas and Easter when lots of candy and decorations are asked for. There is always one food box and one non-food (toilet- ries, books, etc.) every two weeks. Lots of items are donated, but a lot also has to be purchased. This is done by donations to the group of money or items for the boxes. It costs over $16.00 for each box, which really adds up too. Each year Anita holds a Silent Auction for the Troops, a fundrais- er where many businesses, indi- viduals and vendors donate items to be auctioned off by silent bids. The events have grown and now are at the Quartzsite Improvement Assoc. (QIA). This December 12 is hoped to be even bigger and better, thanks to the support from the do- nations and the people who come to bid on the items. It's always a lot of fun! This past week, Anita received a special letter, along with a certifi- cate and a piece of a flag that was sent to Operation Hero Comfort by the Chaplain and one of the Detachment Commanders of the five Marine Units. The certificate stated, "This is to certify that the accompanying United States Flag was flown on a combat mission over Iraq the 5th day of March 2016 by MQ-1C Gray Eagle 101 in support of Operation Inherent Resolve resulting in the finding and destroying of those who threatened our way of life. With great appre- ciation for your support, we pres- ent this representation of all that is free to: Anita Carlson" The letter written by the Chap- lain reads, "Thank you for your kind support of the Marines, Sail- ors, Soldiers, and Airmen located in Al Asad, Iraq. You have made our temporary home at "Camp Havoc" a little brighter. The care packages that come in to the Chaplains office are either classi- fied as undesignated or marked for the Chaplain (i.e. they know we will distribute). We then make sure that everybody here has access to the provisions sent from home. In addition, everybody knows they can go to the Chaplain's office if they have some particular need that they did not receive from home. The office is almost a social event, people come in grab a snack have a cup of coffee and just relax for a moment--then they go back to work. I wish I could explain what a huge impact this is and you have helped to make that possible. On behalf of all the Marines, Sol- diers, Sailors, and Airmen that are here let me say thank you! signed Chaplain Klint Johnson." I have been involved as a volun- teer for Operation Hero Comfort since I first met Doc and Anita when I brought the Vietnam Wall to Quartzsite in 2005. I'm usually the one boxing the food and writing the notes that go in all the boxes. This is a lot of work, along with all the fundraising and shopping it takes to get everything needed, but it is such a rewarding thing to know that these brave men and women who receive our boxes are happy that we are supporting their

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