Imagine being more than 6,000 miles away from home, away from loved ones, in a foreign land facing danger. And to top it off, it’s Christmas.
Our soldiers in Iraq don’t have to imagine this scenario, they’re living it as the U.S. military nears the end of its third year in the liberated Middle Eastern nation.
Diane Giroux wants to make sure 141 Army National Guardsmen from Michigan, including her son Ryan, don’t feel lonely or forgotten this holiday season.
That’s why the Oxford resident has launched ‘Operation Christmas? to collect material and monetary donations for 141 care packages, which Giroux will mail to those serving in Michigan’s 125th Infantry.
‘Each guy will get a package for Christmas. That’s our goal,? said Giroux, an employee at Coldwell Banker Shooltz Realty in Oxford.
To make that happen, she needs 141 of each of the items listed to the right (in the shaded box), plus $1,086 to pay for the postage, which works out to $7.70 per package.
All donations must be received by Tuesday, Nov. 1.
‘Each package will be individually addressed,? she said. ‘I got security clearance to have all 141 names.?
Giroux got the idea after speaking with her son via e-mail.
Specialist Ryan Giroux, 21, is a humvee driver with Michigan’s 125th Infantry.
The 2002 graduate of Oxford High School joined the Michigan Army National Guard in 2003 while attending Western Michigan University where he was pursuing a degree in Criminal Justice.
He and the 125th were deployed to Kuwait in June where they spent three weeks before heading into Iraq to begin their mission. The 125th is scheduled to return home at the end of August 2006.
Giroux said her son isn’t ‘hurting for love and attention? because the family has ‘been really diligent about sending packages to him.?
Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for every soldier serving over there.
‘I guess what broke my heart the most was the fact that there are some guys in this unit that haven’t even received a card yet,? Giroux said. ?(Ryan) was telling me there are some guys that don’t hear from home.?
‘There’s a lot of reasons kids join the military,? she explained. ‘Some of the kids that maybe had a bit of a troubled past are not getting support from home.?
‘That really bothered me? and as a result, Giroux wants to help change things with these care packages.
‘We want them to know they’re being thought of and loved during the (holiday) season,? she said. ‘I think a little bit of home once and a while is a good thing.?
‘For a lot of these kids, this will be the first time they’ve ever been away from home at Christmas. It’s Ryan’s first time.?
Most of the items on the package list were requested by the soldiers and are basic necessities they can’t get over there.
‘Where they are (somewhere outside Baghdad), they don’t have a big base or big PX,? Giroux said. ‘A lot of it is basically on us to send them stuff when they need it.?
Giroux said she’s trying to find some ‘fake snow? to put in the packages ? a little reminder of the Winter Wonderland that is Michigan.
‘I know they’re all going to miss snow this year,? she said.
Besides making 141 soldiers? Christmas a little merrier and daily lives a little more comfortable, Giroux said launching this package drive is a way to help her cope with Ryan being so far from home.
‘I love him and I worry about him everyday,? she said. ‘Being proactive is helping me get through it. The busier I stay ? e-mailing, sending packages ? the easier it is to get through this.?
Technology and faith are playing vital roles in helping Giroux stay strong.
E-mails and web camera images let her know Ryan’s okay. ‘Even though they’re e-mailing you saying they’re good and fine, I can’t tell you the relief I feel when I see his face.?
A woman of strong Christian faith, Giroux prays for her son everyday. ‘We know that God will take care of him.?
‘These kids are smart,? she said. ‘They’re very well trained. They’re not going to put themselves in a situation they feel they can’t handle.?
Although she worries about her son as any mother would, Giroux said she still fully supports his decision to join the military and the reasons why U.S. soldiers are in Iraq.
‘I think if you allow terrorists to take an inch, they’re going to take a mile,? she said. ‘You can’t back down.?
It was the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks that motivated Ryan to later enlist in the Michigan National Guard through the Grand Valley Armory based in Wyoming, Michigan.
‘He was very, very taken aback by the attacks,? said Giroux, noting her son’s decision to enlist was not a ‘rash? one since he didn’t join until 2003.
‘He said, ‘Mom, I feel a calling. I feel like I can make a difference for these people.??
Today, Ryan still feels that way.
‘He says you’ve got to see the faces of the people that are really glad to see you,? Giroux said. ‘You would not believe how grateful the (Iraqi) people are.?
Despite all the bad news the public hears through the media, Giroux said, ‘There are some wonderful things happening there? such as the fact that ?80-some percent of Iraq’s schools are now open.?
But to Giroux, the most wonderful thing is the Iraqis now have the freedom to govern themselves and decide their own destiny. ‘I think everyone deserves a chance to make their own decisions.?
Politics aside, Giroux is concentrating on getting these 141 slices of home to our soldiers in the trenches and she needs the Oxford area’s help.
‘I’ve never done anything like this before,? she said. ‘I need some help.?
For more information or to donate, contact Steve and Diane Giroux at (248) 628-0095.

What’s needed
Each of the boxes will include the following:
? 3 oz. Old Spice or Speedstick deodorant
? Toothbrush
? 6 oz. toothpaste
? Chapstick
? 10 oz. prepackaged dried fruit
? 3-4 oz. prepackaged beef jerky
? 3 oz. medicated foot powder (non-aerosol)
? Chewing gum
? 10 oz. prepackaged Christmas candy (no chocolate please)
? Ziploc bags
? Prepackaged wet wipes (no baby wipes please)
? Cotton athletic socks
(sizes 10-13)
? Journal (141 are already being supplied by Diane Giroux)
? Mechanical pencils
Also needed:
? $1,086 to pay U.S. Postal charges to mail 141 packages