Troopathon 7: The Journey of a Care Package

Earlier this year, Move America Forward proudly celebrated its ten year anniversary of supporting our brave men and women of the military and their war on terror. Over the past decade, we have shipped over 315 tons of care packages to our troops serving on the frontlines of Iraq and Afghanistan.  

Today, we want to share the journey of a care package to the troops through the eyes of someone who has helped us deliver them to some of the most remote parts of Afghanistan.

While we rightfully praise the heroic actions of the members of our military, the sacrifice and good deeds of our civilian contractors serving in Afghanistan often goes unrecognized and unappreciated. Lacy Castleberry is one of those heroes that is deserving of admiration and thanks. When Move America Forward was having a hard time getting care packages delivered to some of the more desolate Forward Operating Bases in Afghanistan, Lacey volunteered to help find a way to make it happen. Not only was she successful in finding and organizing flights to deliver care packages to the troops on the front lines, but she often escorted the shipments and hand delivered them herself.

Lacy is pictured above. This is her letter.

In 2011, I had the great opportunity to become involved with Move America Forward which has continued ever since. While working as a civilian contractor in Afghanistan, I volunteered in helping receive and distribute care packages MAF sent over. The difficulty was getting care packages out to the smaller bases where they are most needed.

Fortunately, I was able to make aviation connections to distribute the care packages filled with goodies and thoughtful messages. As the operation began to grow, MAF always exceeded the demand for the Service Members.

As a helicopter dispatcher, I had many opportunities to fly around Afghanistan and personally deliver the care packages. It was an incredible feeling seeing how excited the troops were to receive them. Not only were they ecstatic about the snacks as a break from MRE’s, but also about the messages from Americans back home. It is a reminder that they are thought of, prayed for, and cared about. It was incredible bringing a little comfort to the troops while they were in terrible conditions far away from their family and home.

I am very grateful to have seen firsthand the positive effects and be a part of something very special for our military. Whether you are the one paying for the package, packing the boxes, or delivering the packages it is all significantly important. It all begins with Troopathon which makes the whole operation possible. The Troopathon is a perfect opportunity to actively show support for our military.

Lacey Castleberry has appeared on our Troopathon care package drive regularly and will be joining us again this year. For more information on Troopathon – “Care Packages for Our Heroes”, visit www.Troopathon.com or watch it live on Breitbart.com on June 25.