Army Mom Brings Cheer and Gratitude to Army Outposts in Afghanistan

While her son has been deployed to Afghanistan, one Army Mom created a cause called “Operation Hooah!”  Operation Hooah! sends care packages to soldiers deployed to the Forwarding Operating Bases (FOB) in the rugged outer reaches of Afghanistan, where they have no access to facilities.

Here’s the cool part: for the past year, every package sent through Operation Hooah was personally delivered by her son, an Army Chinook pilot.  He ensured that every package got delivered. She is hoping to continue these package deliveries when his deployment ends, but will need pilots to be Santa Claus(s) for Operation Hooah.

And, getting those packages and flying them out truly enriched her son’s time in Afghanistan. As you can imagine,  he was a pretty popular guy with the soldiers out there.

Thousands of brave soldiers are deployed to FOBs in rugged conditions. Some in remote outposts live in dugouts or hand built fort-like structures of timber and rock/mud sandbags. In the WINTER, it is very cold and wet, and in SUMMER it is beastly hot, dusty and dry over there in Afghanistan. Soldiers deployed to outposts and firebases are often dirty, hungry, bored, lonely, very cold, or miserably hot, and much of the time, in harm’s way. Many do not have any laundry facilities; the only water is what the Chinooks can deliver, so some only get a shower once a month. Often, sanitary conditions are quite dispiriting. Though the platoon FOBs and outposts are resupplied by helicopter, it is no small task to keep them completely supplied and able to function and keep morale high when their surroundings are unsanitary, crude, hostile… and… WAY in the HECK out in the wilderness so far away from comfort, safety, and loved ones!

What an awesome job Operation Hooah is doing! There are 2 simple ways that you can help. Visit Operation Hooah! to find out how you can help! – http://www.operationhooah.com/

HOOAH!