America Supports You: VFW, Wal-Mart Team Up on 'Message Books'

By Donna Miles: American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Jan. 6, 2006 – Following an initiative that delivered almost 1,000 binders full of encouraging notes to deployed troops overseas for the holidays, the director of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Foundation is declaring the fourth season in a VFW/Wal-Mart partnership a major success.

VFW Foundation staff members pose with books of encouragement prepared for shipment to deployed troops through the Message Books for Troops program, a joint VFW-Wal-Mart Foundation project. Shown, from left, are Nancy Gordon, Michelle McCarthy and Sandy Brook. Photo courtesy of the VFW Foundation

The "Message Books for Troops" effort teamed the two organizations to help lift the spirits of servicemembers away from home during the holidays through notes of thanks and encouragement, Mike Gormalley told the American Forces Press Service.

The effort began in mid-October, when the Wal-Mart Foundation asked its Wal-Mart, Sam's Club and Neighborhood Market stores throughout the United States to create the message books.

Families, friends, community members and veterans were invited to sign the books and write encouraging messages to the troops. Customers of all ages signed the books, some expressing their sentiments in crayons, Gormalley said. Each binder held "a couple of hundred messages," he said.

VFW Foundation shipped the books to units overseas, with most of them going to Iraq and Afghanistan.
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"The basic premise is to show troops our messages of support from throughout the United States, to let them know that we care about them and are not going to forget about them," Gormalley said.

Wal-Mart is building on this effort through Operation Dear Abby, establishing gift registry kiosks in its superstores so visitors can send messages of support to troops, Kathy Cox, community program development manager for the Wal-Mart Foundation, told the American Forces Press Service.

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[CARRIE COMMENT: I encourage you to read more on this article and the ways that Wal-Mart and the VFW are supporting our troops.]