WGN Morning News Blog

I could write about dancing the polka, the holiday windows at Macy's or even pocket puppies, all stories that I've covered in the last week, but I would rather talk about Support Our Troops Illinois. Last Thursday, Around Town took me to a small warehouse in Lisle, IL were parents, relatives, veterans volunteer to prepare care packages for soldiers who are currently in conflict zones, primarily Iraq and Afghanistan.

The group was created by soldiers' parents working from their own kitchens, but the outpour of support has been so great that group is currently in a warehouse where they receive all sorts of supplies and goodies for the GI's. Peanut butter and slim jims are the most requested items but these perfectly packed boxes include everything from socks to cds.

The assembly line works like a charm and the thank you notes from appreciative soldiers decorate the warehouse walls. School groups and individuals are constantly dropping by with donations. But what touched me the most is that Support Our Troops, Illinois has also become a support group for awaiting families that, many times, are fearing the worst. Mother after mother, father after father told me how packing these boxes next to other people in their same situation was incredibly comforting.

In that Lisle warehouse there is constant laughter, except when a nosy reporter with a hard name to pronounce starts asking about the kids or the husbands that are away. Tears come pouring out just thinking about the loved one you haven't seen in almost a year, or the one that has been to Iraq twice and is getting ready to leave for a 3rd tour. That's when I saw the support first hand. Just with a certain look these men and women tell each other "we are in this together and we understand your pain". One mother told me she is scared to death but proud as hell. A mixed emotion that only a relative of a GI understand. For these worried folks it's not about the war being wrong or right, it's about getting to see your first born alive again and making sure he or she has all the support they need while living in combat.

So when you help Support Our Troops Illinois, which I hope you do, you're not only helping those in harms way but the many families left behind in constant vigil. Their website has all the info you need, www.osotil.org
By way, last year five thousand GI's received a care package from Support Our Troops, Illinois.