A Warm Thank You

          This letter is long overdue, and my only excuse is the turmoil that my wife and I have gone through in the past few weeks. I have been remiss in not thanking you all on behalf of my unit for your little packages of Christmas Cheer that were sent out to us in Afghanistan. Let me first say that all the packages arrived and that they were distributed among the soldiers in my unit. No one was left out and in fact, we had a few extra that were made gifts in a "Secret Santa" game.

          The attempt to bring some New England Christmas cheer to those of us, men and women, serving our country in an environment such as this succeeded far more than I am sure you expected. Many of the functional gifts (like the toothpaste and hand washing lotions) were among the most popular of the items. As you can imagine, everything over here is dirty or is in the process of getting dirty and these small gifts went a long way in helping us to maintain our areas just a little bit better. Our base exchange over here basically has the bare necessities for the most part, but to have things like the chocolate and q-tips and special amenities that would not be readily available over here made all of us smile a little. There was even a little bartering going on between the soldiers for their favorite particular item and it was nice to hear a little laugher and joking around in an otherwise somber environment.

          Holidays in the military are difficult but many of us find Christmas to be the hardest of all as it is such a family oriented holiday. It makes you focus on what you do not have with you right now. Make no mistake though, we are proud to serve our country in the manner that we have volunteered for. It is just unfortunate that many have missed too many of these holidays, separated from loved ones, as I was from my wife of three months. But in all this, your congregation has brought us a little joy, a little Christmas Cheer, and a reminder of the great country that we serve.

          My thanks to you all. I am sorry I don't have fifty thank you letters to send to you as many of the soldiers wanted to write and say thank you.

          As luck would have it good or bad, I have been allowed to return home to be with my wife as she goes through medical problems. But having been over there for a time and witnessing first hand the generosity of your congregation and others, I know that the gifts and cards with the well wishes makes the time away from your family seem a little more worth it.

          Peace to all of you. My deep heartfelt thanks for your prayers and thoughts.

Capt. Kurt Nordman