America Supporting Americans
Support our brave troops!
Update on Chip and Charlie Company
Dear St. Xavier Lacrosse Family:
We hope everyone is enjoying the start of summer. As we all move forward with our summer plans, we ask that your support, thoughts and prayers for Lt. Chip Heidt and his platoon not be diminished.
Below is an email from his mother Julie, updating us on Chip and his very important and dangerous work. Please encourage your son to drop Chip and his platoon a few notes over the summer. We know that words from home are GREAT morale boosters.
We would also encourage and be grateful for any donations made toward Chip's Foundation account. Chip uses these funds to buy tactical items for his platoon. These purchases are VERY important to Chip and his men.
Chip's mailing address is:
Charlie Co/3509th In
FOB Curry, APO
AE, 09311
Chip's Foundation Account is:
First Platoon Charlie Company
US Bank Account # 130112695213 Routing # 042000013
Or send a check to:
Platoon Charlie C/3509th Foundation
C/O Becky Ledford, RPG
Northmark BLDG 1, Suite 110
10101 Alliance Road
Cincinnati, OH 45242
Thank you in advance for your generosity toward one of our own. Please feel free to contact me with any questions.
Melinda Bogner, melinda@bogners.com
Julie's e-mail:
Thank you all for your support for Chip, and his platoon. His platoon has moved to a new FOB. The only thing that changes on his address is BORIS changes to FOB CURRY.
He has been very preoccupied. Activity has picked up. He apologizes for the lack communication but wishes to send his thanks for your kind words and items sent.
The 3509th Foundation account has been drained down and he will be making more purchases for military tactical items for his men to replace items that had to be left behind at the previous FOB. The good thing is the soldiers there will make good use of those items.
Thank you all for being there for the soldiers and for their families.
--Julie
Below is Chip's initial post from Afghanistan.
Chip Goes To Afghanistan
Dear St. Xavier Bombers,
I appreciate the overwhelming response and support that we are receiving. It really goes to show how great the St Xavier family really is. Having gone to West Point, I was part of the Long Grey Line, but I also know that I am part of the Long Blue Line that runs parallel, and this support really proves how strong and long that line really is. My Soldiers are doing well and thankful to have people back in the States that care enough to think about them during this deployment.
We are working hard to keep everyone informed with information, but if there are any questions, please do not hesitate to write or email. My Soldiers enjoy getting mail and, more so, enjoy taking pictures. I will ensure that there are plenty of pictures of my Soldiers and what they do in their daily life.
| HOW YOU CAN HELP |
|---|
We would like all St. Xavier Lacrosse families to know that there is a 501-3c bank account for the soldiers at FOB Boris. The money from this account is used by Lt. Heidt for the purchase of tactical and military items, which he can procure at a better discount than civilians.
The name of the account is "Platoon Charlie Company 3509th." Please send your check to Resources Planning Group, Attn. Becky Lensford, 10101 Alliance Rd, Suite 110, Cincinnati, Ohio, 45242. |
Being an Airborne Infantry platoon, we are very busy doing our job in the mountains of Afghanistan. There are 38 Soldiers in the platoon and they are doing great. Right now, we are in the middle of the rainy season. It limits what we can do, but allows us to prepare and train more. During this time, the mountain passes are still thawing from the winter and so the fighting season is not upon us just yet. We have been doing a lot of missions to the different villages around our FOB (Forward Operating Base), just getting to know the people and gaining their trust. This fight is won not on the battlefield, but in the villages gaining the respect and helping them to fight and protect themselves. Therefore, it is important to get out and assist the locals in any way we can.
The local population has an interesting culture that surrounds them. They have been fighting wars for hundreds of years and the country-side shows it. Everywhere we go, there are fighting positions that have been there for decades. There are destroyed tanks and artillery from the Russian occupation and a culture of warriors that is easy to observe. The people here are very brave and are not afraid to show it. It is a great experience working with the National Police, Border Patrol, National Army, and other Afghan organizations. Each of them brings something different to the fight and it is a real experience working with them. Having lived in this country their entire life, they scale these mountains as if they were ant hills. Many times I will look around the mountains that we are climbing and they will appear as mountain goats, moving up the hillside and maneuvering with great agility. The Afghan Soldiers and people in the area are some of the friendliest people I have ever met. They follow a code called Pashtunwali in which hospitality is one of their major cornerstones. No matter how rich or poor the local person is, they will invite guests into their home and give them all of their food and Chi. It is actually considered rude to say that you do not want any more food. I will tell you that this makes it hard to leave sometimes. There have also been times where I have been fed so much that I have had trouble leaving on my own, but the good news is that the food is delicious and they take great pride in hosting guests. The culture here is definitely one that I wish more people could emulate.
I will continue to give you updates and let you know how things are going. I have been asked what specific items my Soldiers need and I will work to create a list of things that my Soldiers could use. My platoon is extremely grateful for anything that can be sent. I have a website, Chipgoestoafghanistan.com, in which some of the items that we would like are outlined. I will strive to get a list of specifics, but a simple note or a bag of candy can go a long way for morale. Furthermore, we are in the process of getting a company flag made up and sending one to the Bombers as a thank you for your support and sponsorship of the platoon. Thanks for everything and take care. Be excellent.
Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam,
Chip Heidt
1LT, IN
Geronimo
2008 ARCHIVE
What follows below is the communications from the 2008 season.
Support our troops
Please join us on April 23, 2008 when the St. Xavier Bombers take on the Indian Hill Braves. We will be honoring our “Adopted Unit” from the 101st Airborne HHD MP, currently stationed in Iraq. We will also honor all of our military personnel on this special evening of lacrosse and patriotism.
From: Cpt. Brookshire
Coach,
All is well here in Sunny Baghdad; we just received a ton of Girl Scout Cookies from the Team. We have a system in place now, as we receive the packages they go to Chaplain Hamlin next door at our "Religious Fitness Center" and he distributes them to all of our Soldiers. The Battalion supports over 1200 Soldiers, some of which are stationed in remote areas.
As a token of our appreciation for everything that you have done for the Battalion we would like to send you an American Flag that has been flown over our Headquarters. Please send an address and we will get it in the mail.
Air Assault!
Nate Brookshire |
Please invite all veterans and active military servicemen/women to be our guests. In exchange for admission we will be accepting care package items (listed below) and/or cash donations to be sent to our 101st Airborne unit in Iraq.
Some ideas for donations:
Pens, Paper, Envelopes: Pens get lost and stolen, all these items can be hard to come by. Also, occasion greeting cards to send home.
Drugs: Motrin, Alka Seltzer, allergy/cold tablets, Imodium, Neosporin, Tums, aspirin, Tylenol PM (or generic), foot powder, athlete’s foot medications, etc.
Other Practical Items: Pre-paid global phone cards, Chapstick, hand sanitizer, AA/AAA batteries, dental floss, hand lotion, flashlights, disposable cameras, good quality/warm socks, hand warmers, Odor Eaters/cool gel insoles. Eye drops, bandanas, nail files/clippers, sewing kits, shoe polish kits, eyeglass repair & cleaner kit, Shout stain remover sticks/towlettes, high-SPF sunscreen, Icy-Hot pain relief compress, Ben Gay ointment, Febreeze fabric odor eliminator.
Books & Magazines: Anything to read will be appreciated by your GI and his/her buddies
New or used DVDs: drama, action and comedies – they watch everything!. Also, any kind of music CDs.
Other entertainment: Crossword/Find-a-Word puzzles, model car & airplane kits, jigsaw puzzle, Rubik’s Cube, sidewalk chalk, squirt gun, yo-yo, Frisbee and Nerf football, harmonica, kazoo, playing cards & chips, dice.
Read the latest e-mail from our troops in Iraq.
Hello Bomber Lacrosse players and parents,
I wanted to take this opportunity to share with you some very exciting and important news in regard to our sponsorship and support of our “foster unit” of soldiers. Coach Collura has established our relationship with the “Elite Famed Division,” the 101st Airborne, home-based in Ft. Campbell, Kentucky. 
Their unit is HHD, 716th Military Police Battalion, and their headquarters supports Military Police performing a wide range of functions from detainee operations to Joint Operations with Iraqi police.
The unit deployed in mid-December, first stopping in Kuwait and then traveling to Iraq. The relationship was made possible through ASA (America Supporting Americans). They have set up a separate link just for Lacrosse teams at www.asa-usa.org.
We feel this is a great opportunity for both our players and extended Lacrosse families to show our gratitude and support to these brave men and women fighting for our freedom. So far, we have gathered lacrosse sticks, game tapes, and rule books. We also plan on including some Bomber Lacrosse spiritwear. Hopefully, this will brighten the spirits of these soldiers and lighten their days.
The unit is very excited to be partnered with us and, most importantly, looking forward to communicating with the players. Captain Nathan Brookshire has been our contact and is planning on providing bios of each soldier so we can pair them up with the players and of course anyone interested. Cpt. Brookshire has also ordered 101st Airborne decals for the helmets and is sending a unit flag.
At this time, the only request of items needed for the soldiers were magazines, movies, books and music. As Christmas time is here, please remember these great soldiers when you are out shopping and maybe pick up some of these items. Also, if anyone has any ideas or items to be donated, please contact me and I will make arrangements to pick these items up and ship them out.
In closing, I urge you to add this unit of soldiers to your prayer list and keep them close to your heart as they are deployed. I will update you all as I receive more information. Please support (remind) your player to stay in contact with the soldiers. We will be getting that information to them as soon as it is available. Thank you and Happy Holidays!
Sincerely,
Mary Lynn Laugherty
Contact Representative with the 101st Airborne 716th MPB
St. Xavier Lacrosse Board
Click here to view a larger version of this photo.
The men & women of the 716th shipped out just before Christmas.
Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers this holiday season.
Mail bag
Below are some letters we've received from our troops in the 716th:
To: Coach Pat Collura
From: Cpt. Nathan Brookshire
Coach,
The shirts have arrived and were well received. The unit had a
motivational run this morning (Santa Hat Run) and we gave the shirts
out. We have identified a Lacrosse coach for our unit. She is our S2
(Intel Officer). She played Lacrosse at West Point. I also found out this
morning that one of our Majors was an ROTC instructor for Xavier University.
Thanks again for the support!
Below is a close-up of the t-shirts they're wearing.
From: Brookshire, Nathan CPT MIL USA FORSCOM
To: Coach Pat Collura
Subject: Re: Merry Christmas
Date: Mon, 24 Dec 2007 10:29:47 +0300
Coach,
All is well, we are here in Kuwait getting ready to celebrate Christmas.
We will move North shortly and I should be able to send the team a detailed update. Hopefully you and Mary Lynn got the packages.
We have a vendor for the Stickers, just figuring out the process on getting them paid for and sent to you.
The morale in the unit is really high and we are conducting some pretty intense training. If Melanie hasn't sent you pictures from here, please let me know and I will get them out to you.
Thanks again for your support!
All the Best and Merry Christmas,
Nate Brookshire
Merry Christmas and God Bless!
Click here to view a larger version of this photo.
Mary Lynn,
Thanks! I have some recent photos for you. Soldiers are getting settled in. We live on a FOB (forward operating base) here in Baghdad. We have most of the comforts home, however imagine living at a construction site with loads of gravel and dust. We are not complaining, we are living like Kings compared to some Soldiers. We are also in close proximity to some of Saddam's Palaces...so the environment can change from dust and mud to Palatial Grandeur in a few minutes. Of course the palaces are pretty restricted, but we do get to see them from the outside....
Items that Soldier always need are hygiene items, razors, shampoo, toothpaste etc. We have access to those items but there is about an hour wait for Soldiers to buy them, plus about a mile walk.
Books, movies, magazines are always a favorite. Snack items, such as pringles, oreos or mixed nuts go pretty fast.
What I am doing is putting Care Package items in the Religious Support Team area (which is right next door). Soldiers will have access to the items 24/7. Also, if players want to send an individual note I can get those to the Soldiers, I Iwill personnally send them pictures and notes through you and Coach Pat.
I sent a couple of packages before I left, not sure if you rec'd them.
One to Coach Pat was a shirt and our Flag and the other was just a couple of pins. If you did not receive them I can follow through.
All the Best,
Nate Brookshire
[Click to zoom]
Here's a new photo added February 2nd.
[Click to zoom]
From: Brookshire, Nathan CPT 716th MP BN
Date: Mon, 18 Feb 2008 09:34:25 +0300
To: <LacRef@aol.com>
Coach Pat,
Hope this finds you and the team well! We received the packages this week and the Soldiers had a blast passing everything out. The Lacrosse sticks are in the hands of the Soldiers and the team is forming. We have several Soldiers that have played lacrosse and as soon as the weather clears (it has been raining) we will be out figuring the sport out together.
We are pretty much settled in now and Soldiers are staying pretty busy with missions. We are getting prepared to conduct our Special Olympics Run here in April; I am still waiting for all the details for the Final Leg of the run in Richmond, Kentucky. It was in June last year and was an event that our Unit was honored to participate in.
I will watch the game tapes this week, any photos you have of the team we can display here in the unit?
All is well, thanks again for your support!
Attached photo is of one our Soldiers on Mission.
Go Bombers!
V/r
Nate Brookshire
CPT Nathan E. Brookshire
HHD, 716th MP BN CDR
Camp Liberty
"Air Assault"
GO BOMBERS and GOD BLESS THE USA!!!