Holiday Cards For Vets A First Year Success

Lots of people came out to create holiday cards for active duty service members. The event was hosted by the VFW and the American Legion.

Oskaloosa, Iowa – For soldiers and veterans, the holidays can be an especially tough time of the year. Many are stationed around the world, unable to be a part of the holiday festivities at home.

Julie Wells with the Clarence C. Cook Veterans of Foreign Wars Post #2237 said the plan was to send the cards to current service members and is similar to the Valentines for Vets program the two organizations, the VFW and the American Legion, have helped to sponsor in the past.

“It’s just that the holidays we know can sometimes be lonely and even harder to be away from family. We’re hoping that this will maybe make them feel a little more loved and appreciated,” said Wells.

Wells knows that feeling as she was away from home during her time of service. “When I was in Desert Storm, they had any service member mail, and I took those sometimes, even though I did get mail from family. They had it available, and I made a lot of friends and wrote to a lot of children through that,” explained Wells. “It really, really helps. Mail call was something very special.”