A Taste Of Home For U.S. Troops In Afghanistan

Special surprises are in store for some U.S. troops in Afghanistan. A local family is pooling donations to send troops overseas a little taste of home in a box.

Nancy Miller is assembling care packages to thank the troops on Thanksgiving. Her son-in-law, Nicholas Doe is helping her out. He understands that a small gesture has a big impact.

?It?s just terrible being away from home so many months at a time,? said Nicholas Doe. ?(There is) the constant danger of something happening.?

Doe served in Afghanistan in 2003 as part of the British Army. During that time he never received a care package.

?We never got anything like that,? said Doe. ?I can imagine it would be a real morale boost to receive care packages back from home.? Doe has since joined the United States Air Force, based out of Peterson Air Force Base.

They are filling shoe boxes with items like candy bars, beef jerky, ramen noodles and hot chocolate.

?They greatly appreciate it when they receive these boxes and open them up,? said Nancy Miller. ?It’s like opening up home.?

Toiletries like shaving cream, razors and foot powder make life a little more bearable.

?The troops over there, wear the same boots day after day,? said Miller. ?They don’t have the luxury of changing their shoes like we do.?

The gifts are a welcome surprise for men and women who have been away from loved ones for so long.

?The best thing you could get is candy, magazines, and actual letters from people, whether you know them or not just letting you know that you appreciate what you’re doing out there,? said Doe.

For those interested in making donations, a donation site will be set up at the Lowe?s near Constitution and Powers (2945 New Center Point, Colorado Springs) on Oct. 22 and Oct. 29.

For more information contact Nancy Miller at nancymillerthankyou@yahoo.com or 719-963-8135.