Only a few days remain until the submission deadline for Operation Gratitude: Iraq Edition, and organizers are encouraging everyone to pen a letter to the soldiers from the 168th Infantry Regiment who are currently on deployment in Iraq. It has been nearly six months since 168th’s Alpha Company departed from the Carroll Athletic Field for their 12-month mission in Iraq. Jeff Dentlinger with the Carroll County Farm Bureau, who is an Army veteran himself, says it is remarkable how a letter from a complete stranger can boost morale, especially around the holidays.
Dentlinger says the letters do not need to have perfect prose or be particularly lengthy. He says all the notes need to do is remind soldiers of home and let them know people in Iowa are thinking of them while they are overseas.
Operation Gratitude: Iraq Edition’s stated goal is at least 1,000 letters. Dentlinger says they’ve received quite a few so far, but they have a way to go yet before reaching their goal. He requests that each person, household, or business set aside 10-20 minutes in their day to pen their submission. Dentlinger says other units deployed alongside the 168th heard about the effort and also wanted in on the program, so letters are in high demand.
Dentlinger says they are focusing on the local soldiers first, but another round of letters for all Iowa soldiers deployed will come soon. For now, letters and photos to the 168th Infantry Regiment should be dropped off by Friday, Nov. 14, at the National Guard armories in Carroll Denison, Red Oak, or Council Bluffs, the nearest Farm Bureau Office, or here at the Carroll Broadcasting front office. Dentlinger joined KCIM live on Monday morning to talk about the program, and that full interview is included with this story on our website.
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