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Greetings from Sylva 'brought hope' to soldiers deployed in KosovoBy Rose Hooper |
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Holiday greetings from members of the Jackson County American Legion Auxiliary "brought hope during a difficult time" to soldiers of the 557th Ambulance Company deployed in Kosovo.
When Ila Parker sat safe and secure at the kitchen table in her Monteith Branch home, she had no idea the cards she addressed would end up in war-torn Kosovo. They arrived as a "sweet breath of air," according to 1st Lt. Geraldine Lubkeman, platoon leader, who received them. Lubkeman is in charge of 10 ambulances and 20 soldiers and transports all soldiers within the peacekeeping service in Kosovo to the Combat Surgical Hospital. She wrote Parker a touching letter, thanking her for being "a sweet angel during our most difficult time in our lives." In a project called Military Mail Call, Parker and other members of the auxiliary mailed 951 Christmas cards to service people oversees. "Each member addresses 50 cards and writes a personal message in it. Then I bundle them all in one box and ship them to Fayetteville. From there, they get distributed all over the world," said Sue Jones, auxiliary president. When Lubkeman received Parker's greetings, the platoon leader said she was "touched by the sentiment and caring. My entire platoon of 20 people read your letter. It changed our outlook and brightened our day." That day had consisted of bringing in two Polish soldiers who stepped on a mine. "One of them was 18 and had his entire hand and leg blown off. My soldiers gave him first aid care but what was so tragic was looking in his eyes and hearing his cries. It is so difficult to handle situations like this and every soldier killed takes a part of you. I suppose we realize that this could be us laying there in pain, taking our last breath." Lubkeman told Parker the holiday time is especially difficult. "Many of my soldiers are just 18 and have been in the army less than six months. Most have not received any mail or packages since they have been out here, which is very difficult. "I find now most of the soldiers come to the military for a variety of reasons but their family structure many times is not very stable (dysfunctional families, orphans, etc.) Basically, they come to make a new start in life. The truth is we have no one but ourselves." The lieutenant told Parker about traveling through the towns with burned buildings and seeing Albanian children waving. "It makes you realize how precious life is. Oftentimes me and my soldiers sit down and talk about the situation we are in and how one day we will be back in the sates enjoying life, having a family and relaxing in our back yard with the sun on our shoulders. It is sad, but this is all we have to hold on to." That and the mail. Lubkeman urged others in Sylva to write to them and suggested that some hometown group may even want to adopt them. If you would like to write Lubkeman and her platoon, the address is: Lt. Geraldine Lubkeman |
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