‘Troop Buddies’ sew for soldiers
Plano Star Courier, TX - 2 hours ago
By Phoebe Wu, Staff Writers Every Thursday in Plano, a group of five women get together to sew neck coolers for soldiers in Iraq. These volunteers, who have ... |
Every Thursday in Plano, a group of five women get together to sew neck coolers for soldiers in Iraq.
These volunteers, who have been sewing together in other circles for two years, formed their own group, the Fort Hood Troop Buddies, over a year ago.
Sharon Hogue, who sews for the Troop Buddies, heard about other sewing groups making things for soldiers and thought it was a great idea. Both Hogue and her husband were in the Air Force and knew how important it was to have support from home.
“I wanted to get involved, because (my husband) had gone to Saudi and Bahrain in the first Gulf War,” said Hogue. “At that point, we could still send letters to any soldier.”
After Sept. 11, getting care packages or letters through to the right person was a much more difficult process, she said.
Fran Pannell, who also sews for the Troop Buddies, agreed. Not only is it expensive to mail something to Iraq, but care packages also require a real name, rank, and address, she said. Since the Troop Buddies wanted the neck coolers and other items to be distributed out to multiple soldiers, this presented a problem.
Pannell, whose husband is retired from the Army, had worked with many army chaplains while her husband was still in service. She found Deputy Installation Chaplain Jon Tidball at Fort Hood, who acts as a liaison between the Troop Buddies and the soldiers in Iraq.
Every four to six weeks, the Pannells drive what the Troop Buddies have made and accumulated down to Fort Hood. There, Tidball sends the items on military transports to another chaplain in Iraq. This chaplain distributes the items to the soldiers there.
“He is so wonderful,” said Pannell. “He’s so proud of every soldier at Fort Hood.”
Last month, the Troop Buddies sent more than 1,000 neck coolers, 300 pocket dolls, 25 soaps-on-a-rope, 49 blankets and 25 curtains for Fort Hood.
The lap blankets, made for the wounded soldiers in Darnall Army Medical Center, and curtains, which get distributed out to soldiers’ families living in the barracks, stay at Fort Hood. Pocket dolls, pocket-sized stuffed bears soldiers hand out to children, and neck coolers go overseas.
With a population of more than 33,000, Fort Hood is the only post capable of training two Armored Divisions in the U.S. This location is used to train and deploy heavy forces.
Because of the number of army personnel, family members, and other civilians, the Troop Buddies are kept busy sewing.
“We feel we need to give something back to these guys and gals who are over there fighting,” Hogue said.
Although the Troop Buddies receive private donations from time to time, they are always looking for more. In addition to buying fabric for all of the projects, the crystals that go inside the neck coolers are slightly expensive.
To make a contribution or learn more about the Fort Hood Troop Buddies, call Sharon Hogue at 972-517-0959.
Tags: Fort Hood, Iraq, Plano, Soldiers
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