By Andy Smith
Staff writer
As the war against terror marches through its fifth year, there is a battle on the home front to keep American soldiers in the public consciousness.
Like magnetic ribbons stuck to the back of cars, there is still widespread support for the troops. But with the passage of time, the ribbons have faded. And local military advocates say that likewise, the public's passion has started to fade.
Ed Mitchell, North Andover's director of veterans affairs, said that last year the town sent about 400 pounds worth of care packages to soldiers overseas. However, he said, this year there is not enough money and manpower to keep that up. Instead, he is focusing on helping the men and women coming home adjust to civilian life.
"With the other things that are going on, whether it's political wrangling or budget deficits or other concerns, there's plenty to keep us Americans preoccupied, that's for sure," Mitchell said. "I suppose people have gotten a little complacent, but we never want to forget that every day our loved ones are going into harm's way."
Atkinson, N.H., has also stopped its care package program. In the early stages of the war, the Lions Club, Board of Selectmen and Town Hall employees collected items in three boxes that were kept in Town Hall.
Lions Club treasurer Richard Magoon said the club still buys Girl Scout cookies to send overseas. But the collection boxes are gone, and Magoon said that's unfortunate.
"We had those containers, but we removed them," said Magoon, an Air Force veteran. "Shame on us, even myself. We really should pick it up again. But I think most communities have slowed down now that it's not on everyone's minds as much."
Army Lt. Col. Dan Gregory, a Groveland native who's been in Iraq for about a year, said there has been a noticeable decline in outward public support.
As an example, he wrote in an e-mail, USO events are now "extremely rare." When there is a show, it is usually held at one of the larger military bases.
"We get occasional small-name acts out this way, but that is still only once or twice a year," he wrote. "It is no longer 'cool' to come over and support the troops like at the beginning of this mess."
Gregory said most soldiers still feel that America supports them. But he also thinks people are starting to forget there is a war going on. He said that receiving something as simple as a picture drawn by a schoolchild can be "priceless" to morale.
Gregory speculated that the flow of care packages may have been discouraged by the military's policy of not accepting items sent to just "any soldier." That was instituted to protect the soldiers shortly after the commencement of fighting in Iraq. But Gregory said there are still several agencies that coordinate mailings to specific individuals.
James Sereigo-Wareing, 47, of Methuen has the contact information for about 2,000 soldiers. His nonprofit group, New England Caring For Our Military, aims to collect care packages from schools and businesses, and then covers the packaging and shipping costs.
He said he has sent out about 1,400 packages so far, which include clam chowder, phone cards, magazines and snacks. But his job has become more difficult with time.
"Everybody was gung ho in the beginning, and there's still a lot of people like that. But it's a little different than it was in the beginning," he said. "Organizations were calling me before, asking for help with fundraisers. We were getting checks left and right. But that has stopped."
Sereigo-Wareing said part of the difficulty is due to the sequence of global tragedies in 2004 — from the tsunami to Hurricane Katrina to the Pakistan earthquake. When he asked if schools were interested in doing troop drives, many said they were already trying to help out Katrina victims.
Mark E. Lewis, 42, of Haverhill assembles care packages with three fellow Marines who call themselves the Semper Fi Four. When an article about their efforts ran in The Eagle-Tribune last summer, they received support from people as far away as Michigan.
Since then, Lewis said, "Interest has kind of dwindled down a little bit."
"I think people's attention went to the immediate needs of helping people in those dire situations like Hurricane Katrina," he said. "When they weighed that against trying to improve soldiers' comfort levels, they felt that was more important."
Lewis said there will always be a core group of people who make sure the packages still get out there. Thomas Merrill, 45, also of Haverhill, agreed with that statement. But he also said the group is shrinking.
Merrill sends out packages through www.anysoldier.com. He collects cards and letters, which still come steadily from local seniors and a classroom at Bradford Elementary School. But not everyone continues to participate.
"The first year when I began this, I got 50 or so letters from co-workers," he said. "But now it's just not on their minds anymore, and that's the sad part. Everybody has their own charity, so I can appreciate that. I just do my part, and I'm not going to stop until they're all home."
Merrill also said he was "amazed" when he attended the burial of Marine Lance Cpl. Nickolas Schiavoni, who was killed in Iraq in November. Though there were about 100 family and friends in attendance, Merrill said, there should have been more for someone who made such a sacrifice.
Not everyone is having difficulty maintaining the momentum of these troop drives. Shauna Trahan, 49, a manager at Curves in Bradford, said that in three years, the club's members have sent about 4,000 care packages to more than 600 soldiers. The club has a wall of honor with photos sent from the soldiers, and Trahan said that they continue to get names from soldiers overseas of what fellow soldiers want.
"It's important to support the guys over there," Trahan said. "It's not whether you believe in the war or not. It's so our guys know that we're there for them."
Michael Ingham, Haverhill's director of veterans services, said supporting the troops has become more of an individual effort.
"At first, a lot of people thought these guys had nothing. There's still certain things they could use, and it's always nice to send something. A lot of times it's nice just to send letters," said Ingham, 51. "But as the bases are becoming more permanent, there's more facilities and more ability for them to get things."
Sereigo-Wareing said it is important that people continue to acknowledge the work being done by men and women in the military.
"It's a sad thing, because I'm old enough to remember Vietnam, and I see a parallel between that and what's happening now," he said. "As the death toll rises and the mission gets a little clouded, people tend to lose interest. But they still need care packages, they still need the phone cards, and they still need to hear from people."
Andover's director of veterans affairs, John Doherty, said he does not think the American people will forget about the troops. A Vietnam veteran himself, Doherty said these are different times. Even if people are distracted, he said, they will ultimately step up and take care of the soldiers.
"I still sense that there's unanimous support for the troops," he said. "There's certainly not for the war. But I have yet to meet anyone who doesn't understand the difference between the war and the warriors. These kids didn't start it. They didn't choose the rules, the places, or the time."
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