News & Events

12/29/2009
Ex-POW heads effort to supply troops with care packages

By Jeff Frank, North County Times

Neither Les Tenney nor other residents of the La Costa Glen retirement community in Carlsbad are noted for dressing like Santa Claus. But when it comes to giving gifts to troops on the front lines, they're right up there with the man in red.

Tenney had an idea a few years back after reading several stories about service members in Iraq lacking things that would make their lives more comfortable.

The 89-year-old Tenney understands what life in a war zone is like. An Army veteran of World War II, he was stationed in the Philippines in 1942 when that country was overrun by the Japanese army.

He survived the Bataan Death March and spent 3 1/2 years in a prison camp in Japan doing forced labor — 12 hours a day in a coal mine — a story he told in a book titled "My Hitch in Hell," published in 1995.

Realizing how important it is for troops to feel connected with people back home, Tenney asked some of his friends at La Costa Glen what they thought about sending gift boxes to military units serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.

They decided to float the idea in a letter to residents of the community. Within a day, Tenney received $18,000 in contributions toward the project.

"What a surprise that was. People here are very generous to a good cause. We have a lot of World War II, Vietnam and Korea veterans here," Tenney said. "They just rallied around what they were doing."

What they were doing evolved into a project called Care Packages From Home. Community residents, led by Tenney and his wife, Betty, have put together what resembles a small store from which they stock boxes sent on to the troops.

The community has shipped more than 5,500 boxes overseas since the program began 2 1/2 years ago. The costs of purchasing and sending the items are covered by donations from residents and others that have climbed to nearly $300,000.

"We started with an idea. It just flew from there," Tenney said.

The idea is now practically a part-time job for the Tenneys and the approximately 50 La Costa residents who help with everything from making contact with military members, filling shelves, packing and stacking boxes, wrapping gifts, filling out customs forms and taking boxes to the post office.

A garage lent to Tenney for the project by La Costa Glen officials is a near-constant source of activity.

"Every day, someone is in the garage packing. I was over at the garage at 8:30 (on a recent) morning and two of them were over there packing boxes," Tenney said.

The project is organized now practically to a science. It begins with Tenney or another resident visiting a military Web site such as anysoldier.com to get the names and addresses of troops overseas. Members of military units post requests on those sites for small items that they have run out of or that aren't supplied by the services.

Most of the requests are for boxes of supplies that can be shared with their entire units. Tenney and company maintain an inventory of more than 100 items ranging from applesauce and baby wipes to women's briefs and Ziploc bags.

Toothpaste, Pringles, razors, magazines, condensed soup, flashlights and feminine hygiene products are frequently requested by the troops overseas.

Once the list is obtained, a label is created with the address of the unit. A volunteer then begins packing a box or two with the requested items. Also inserted is a letter explaining the project and providing contact information from the La Costa Glen residents.

At the bottom of the letter it says, "This box packed by a proud American," with a space left for the signature of the person who packed it.

Residents transport the finished boxes to the post office, which has made special arrangements with the group because of the volume of packages it sends. The postage bill is around $800 a week.

"There's no limit on weight. Whatever fits in the box goes," Tenney said.

Residents organized a special Christmas effort with a goal of sending 500 boxes for the holiday. Their total exceeded 750. Around 135 people volunteered to wrap gifts and write letters to the troops. One letter was placed inside each package. Tenney estimates that perhaps 8,000 military members will be touched by those boxes.

The special deliveries are much appreciated by the recipients. The Tenneys have a drawer filled with more than 2,000 letters from soldiers, sailors and Marines. Many send photos of themselves and their units and detail how the gifts in the packages were divided.

"The best reward is those letters from the kids. Some are so touching," Tenney said. "The care packages truly make a difference. They do improve morale, which improves the readiness of Marines."

The effort of Tenney and the complex's residents in putting together the project is amazing, said Michael O'Connor, director of marketing.

"I'm a real fan of Lester Tenney," O'Connor said. "He has true compassion for troops overseas. He carries this out with great enthusiasm. He's quite an inspiration to the people at La Costa Glen.

"These people are really with it. They're on the computer and the Internet. They may be over 80, but they're as up to date as anyone out there. ... They're not sitting home watching TV. They're actively trying to make a difference in the world."

Read Original Article