Courtesy Photo | Mary Pierce, mother of Senior Airman Jennifer Cianfrocca, a member of 354th...... read more read more
By Capt. Nora Eyle
455th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan -- Senior Airman Jennifer "C-10" Cianfrocca, 354th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron Intelligence, may get the most mail at Camp Cunningham's post office, but her care packages are not just for her alone - they are also for everyone she works with.
Cianfrocca's mother, Mary Pierce, from Las Cruces, N.M., has made it her mission to care for her daughter's entire squadron, sending up to four boxes a week to ensure that the A-10 pilots and their team have enough Cajun Trail Mix to hold them over until the next shipment.
"I always knew I'd send care packages but didn't know what to send, said Pierce. "I'd wander through Wal-Mart thinking 'How about this?' and just throw things in the basket. Did you know that the post office has two sizes for flat rate boxes that you can stuff up to 70 pounds into? And the boxes are free! It's an incredible savings and benefit that I utilize to send more boxes of goodies."
"They know my mom by name at the post office back in Las Cruces," Cianfrocca said with a smile. "Some days I've even received three packages from her."
Pierce, an American with Disabilities Act coordinator for Dona Ana County, spends her own money on the packages she sends to Afghanistan and asks her daughter constantly about what the squadron needs to make their deployment a little easier.
For the fourth of July, she sent holiday decorations and fireworks so the squadron's Airmen had a reminder of home during the holiday.
"The decorations were great, we convinced a lot of people to try on the party hats," Cianfrocca said.
Food-wise, Starbursts are a big hit with the crowd and most people enjoy the Cajun Trail Mix because they can't make their famous jalapeño popcorn mixture here due to the simple fact that they don't have a popcorn maker.
"Two or three times a week, I pack up a couple of the flat rate boxes, go to the post office and mail them off," Mary Pierce said. "I know that Jennifer shares with her squadron, the maintenance units and the Special Forces units, so I need to send a lot of stuff. Actually, the post-office clerk tells me that there are several other local mothers who also send lots of care packages to entire units stationed in Iraq and Afghanistan."
Pierce was elected as "Best Squadron Mom" by majority vote a couple of weeks ago and as a thank you for all she has done for them, the Bulldogs sent her a beautiful arrangement of flowers.
"We recently awarded Pierce the 'Best Squadron Mom' award because her incredible efforts have been great for our morale, especially for our first-time deployers," said Air Force Lt. Col. Kevin Anderson, 354th EFS commander. "These reminders of home make the deployment easier and the fact people are thinking of you while you're away is a good feeling.
| Date Taken: | 07.13.2007 |
| Date Posted: | 07.11.2007 14:04 |
| Story ID: | 11230 |
| Location: | BAGRAM AIR FIELD, AF |
| Web Views: | 58 |
| Downloads: | 37 |
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