Photo By Master Sgt. Mary Rose Mittlesteadt | Sgt. 1st Class Mark Morrissey (left), provost marshal office operations, and Maj....... read more read more
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By Staff Sgt. Mary Rose
7th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment
CAMP LIBERTY, Iraq – There are many organizations that support the troops in various ways by sending care packages, letters and prayers. After a couple of suggestions from a chaplain, and the work of a firefighter captain, the New Jersey firefighters came up with "T-shirts for Troops," a program to show their appreciation for the Soldiers serving in combat zones.
The 1st Cavalry Division's chaplain section here received 500 T-shirts with the 1st Cavalry Division and the N.J. Fireman's Mutual Benevolent Association logos branded on them.
"The very seed that grew into the effort we call "T-shirts for Troops" was actually planted at Fort Hood, (Texas), by (1st Cav's) own Chaplain Steve Walsh," said Kevin Moore, Captain Engine 13, of New Jersey's North Hudson Regional Fire & Rescue.
Prior to joining the Army Walsh served as a chaplain for the Bakersfield, Calif., City Fire Department.
"During that experience, I learned that everybody loves firefighters and that they especially love fire department-related souvenirs," said Chap. (Lt. Col.) Stephen Walsh, division chaplain for the First Team and Multi-National Division – Iraq.
Moore met Walsh during the dedication of the 1st Cav. Div. Operation Iraqi Freedom Memorial, dedicated to Soldiers who have served and sacrificed in Iraq, Moore said.
Moore was at the dedication with the family of Sgt. Andrew Brown, a fallen Soldier, whose name was chiseled on the wall of the memorial.
"Andy was my godson. He was killed by an IED (improvised explosive device) on October 8, 2004," he remembered.
Brown was a Soldier in the 1st Battalion (Airborne), 509th Infantry Regiment, U.S. Army Forces Command, Fort Polk, La.
"For some time I had been looking for a way to show support for the men and women serving in harm's way," Moore said. "It was Chaplain Walsh that suggested T-shirts. He told me of Soldiers receiving shirts in Iraq – and the value of the tangible."
"I told him if he (Moore) could combine the firefighter's insignia and the 1st Cav's logo on a T-shirt the Soldiers would 'Go crazy' for them," Walsh said. "The reason I believe this, is that Americans relate the two as being the embodiment of our country's greatest values."
With the idea of T-shirts, Moore went back to New Jersey and with the help of Capt. Jim Stelman, Squad 10, and Peggy Dreker of the North Hudson Regional Fire & Rescue, began the effort to send shirts from the fire department to Soldiers in Iraq.
The North Hudson Regional Fire & Rescue was established in 1999 merging the fire departments of Union City, North Bergen, West New York, Weehawken and Guttenberg into one department with 330 firefighters, which is a big station, Moore added.
"When we first began, I had an idea we would be able to get shirts to maybe 300 troops serving in Iraq," Moore said. "I sorely underestimated the support the members of the fire service were willing to give to this effort."
In Moore's department alone they more than tripled his goal.
"My goal was 300 shirts," Moore said. "We ended up sending just over a 1,000 shirts to the 519th MP (Military Police) Battalion from Ft. Polk, La., in Baghdad."
At the annual New Jersey State Fireman's Convention, in September 2006, the members of North Hudson Regional Fire & Rescue were able to seek even more support, according to Moore.
With that support the firefighters were able to send 500 T-shirts to 10th Mountain Division Soldiers and then another 500 T-shirts to 1st Cavalry Division Soldiers, both currently deployed in Baghdad.
"I think that 'T-shirts for Troops' is a worthwhile idea because the present generation of youth speaks to one another in symbolisms and slogans found on T-shirts," Walsh said. "Long after cookies and candy are gone, Soldiers will proudly wear Kevin's well-designed shirt at the mall, gym and elsewhere as a memory of one of the most important experiences in their life – here in Iraq."
With all the support given to Moore's fire department, they are able to spread their support to even more troops deployed in support of the War on Terror.
"We are currently in the process of sending an additional 1,000 shirts to Iraq and are working on securing 500 shirts for Soldiers in Afghanistan," Moore said. "A side project is also to send shirts to U.S. Navy Seabees serving in Iraq."
In the future, Moore hopes to expand this effort to include members of N.Y. Fire Department and the Philadelphia Fire Department.
| Date Taken: | 12.17.2006 |
| Date Posted: | 12.17.2006 16:01 |
| Story ID: | 8600 |
| Location: | BAGHDAD, IQ |
| Web Views: | 306 |
| Downloads: | 113 |
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