No soldier left behind: A Watertown family's mission to bring a little piece of home to U.S. troops

Operation American Soldier awarded $5,000 grant

Throughout history, mail has bridged the distance between deployed troops and their loved ones. Living overseas, in often dangerous conditions, can cause soldiers to feel isolated from the world they left behind. Receiving a letter or package, can help keep troops connected to their families and friends back home. While the digital age has made instant communication from one corner of the world to another possible, physical mail can provide a more tangible connection to a loved one than an email.

With this in mind, Watertown residents, and power couple, John and Wendy Rocca, began Operation American Soldier (OAS). OAS is a nonprofit organization that sends care packages to deployed U.S. troops. Their mission, said Wendy, is to serve all U.S. deployed troops and to ensure no one walks away from mail call empty handed.

The organization meets at the Marine Corps League on Mt. Auburn Street every four to six weeks. Each session they mail between 125 to 160 packages. The packages contain items such as instant food and clothing, like socks and T-shirts. Volunteers make up 100 percent of the operation. They donate money and supplies, and help put together the packages for shipment. Some volunteers also write personal letters to the troops.

Origins

The idea of OAS took shape after John’s daughter, Tracy, joined the Army. Tracy was deployed to Kuwait in 2003. When she arrived at the base, she found supplies at the Army store were limited.

“We got a communication from [Tracy] saying we just hit boots on the ground and they are not set up for us, and I need everything,” Wendy said.

Wendy and John assembled the essentials and mailed a care package to Kuwait. A couple weeks later, Tracy sent the pair a letter thanking them for her package. She also told them about a few troops in her unit who had not received any mail, and passed along their names.

What the Rocca’s did next, later became the framework for OAS. Wendy and John sent each troop their own care package. Inside the package, they included a letter asking the troops to send them the names of any others who were not receiving mail. As troops passed along more names, the duo continued to send more packages. Using their own money, the Rocca’s filled the boxes with provisions and shipped them to soldiers all over the world.

“The lowest part of your tour is when you come back in from a mission, and you go look at the board, and if your name is not up there you don’t have any mail,” Wendy said. “We don’t want that to ever happen.”

The stems of OAS had begun to take root. Soon the Rocca’s had to move their operation from the kitchen table to their basement. When that became too small, the local Marine Corps League offered Wendy and John a free space at their Mount Auburn Street headquarters. OAS has been located at 215 Mt. Auburn St. ever since.

Making an impact

Many of the soldiers, who receive packages from OAS, send letters back to thank the organization. One marine from Tewksbury even came to help pack boxes during one of his two weeks off.

“We get a lot of people who have come back, if they are local, and they want to speak to the group, and they want to show their appreciation for how much it meant to get a box,” Wendy said.

On their website, OAS features some of the letters they have received from grateful soldiers. In one of the letters a commanding officer, who identifies himself as Christopher K., described two soldiers’ reactions to receiving a package. Both soldiers had been deployed for two months, but had not received any mail until that point.

“One of them, a 19-old PFC on his very first deployment, was almost able to get the words “thank you” out before his eyes welled up. I nearly shed a tear myself when he was out of the office,” wrote Christopher K. “The other, a 23-year old SP4, was so selfless when he received it that he immediately told me he didn’t deserve it, and he had not done anything special.”

Wendy also told a story about a soldier in her son, Nick’s, unit. Nick had been deployed to Iraq. One day, a girl he did not even know came flying up to him and started crying. When Nick asked her what was wrong, the girl said she had just received a package from his parents. She was overjoyed, because the box was the first piece of mail she had gotten since being deployed. Later that night, Nick called his parents and told them how much of impact the package had on this girl.

The impact of OAS has not been isolated to deployed troops. According to Wendy, OAS never has a shortage of people volunteering. Often, volunteers include personal letters in the packages with a return address. Troops have started communications with volunteers and have even flown flags for them in appreciation. Local business have also gotten involved and have donated supplies or money for postage. What began as a small family effort has blossomed into a community affair.

“The community spirit has been fabulous,” Wendy said.

OAS receives a grant

In November, OAS received a $5,000 grant from the Tufts Health Plan foundation. With this money, Wendy said, OAS plans to pack and ship even more boxes.

The organization does not have much in overhead, maybe a couple hundred in shipping supplies each year, according to Wendy. It costs $10.61 to mail one package, and all of the money the organization raises goes to postage and product. Without receiving grants from great companies, said Wendy, OAS would not be possible.

Looking forward

Both the Rocca’s work full time. While Wendy hopes to continue growing the organization, she and John will need much more support to achieve this goal.

“I need some logistical help,” Wendy said. “I need people who can help with PR. I need people who know how to mess with our website and can send out newsletters.”

Right now, the pair are working together to form an official board. Wendy would also like to hire a grant writer.

“The more grants we get, the more people we can serve,” she said.

In the meantime, the Rocca’s will continue to pursue their mission, ensuring every U.S. troop walks away from mail call with something special in-hand.

To help Operation American Soldier in Watertown or make a donation, visit their website operationamericansoldier.org/

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