Volunteers passed a basket of yellow ribbons down the aisles of the Carson Valley United Methodist Church as reverently as if they were accepting communion wafers.
Yellow is the color of hope, and that's why about 100 people gathered Monday night for the first meeting of Project Support: hope that their loved ones would return safely from the war in Iraq and hope that they could make a difference in troop morale.
Organized by Kim Shrum and several other residents of Carson Valley, Project Support promotes practical ways families, friends and concerned citizens can encourage people in the military, regardless of political viewpoint.
"The sole purpose of this group is to support our troops," Shrum said at the meeting. "We want every (service person's) name. We're not just sending out generic cards."
To ensure the safety of the troops, organizers of Project Support want people to bring in letters and supply donations for the project to mail, rather than just handing out addresses.
"This is to prevent hate mail (from being sent)," Shrum explained, acknowledging the controversy surrounding the rightness of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Gardnerville's Dr. Tom Merry, who is also a commander and flight surgeon, talked about the importance of contact with home for the morale of soldiers.
Merry enlisted in the military in 1969.
"I was an enlisted man in the Vietnam era. There were hard-learned lessons in the Vietnam era," he said about the lack of emotional support given troops in Vietnam.
"Our troops will be there for the long haul. They'll be in Afghanistan for the long haul.
"When a soldier knows he's supported at home, when you feel you're doing the right thing, it makes a difference."
Lt. Steve Orr of the Douglas County Sheriff's Office also recalled the importance of mail to troops in battle. As a 19-year-old Marine, he served in Vietnam as a radio operator.
"Any of the veterans out there (in the audience) will tell you that letters, care packages from home meant a lot."
At one point, Orr was surrounded by 40,000 enemy troops for 40 days. Airplanes couldn't land with supplies due to enemy fire, and drops were retrieved by enemy forces more often than U.S. troops. When a helicopter finally landed, the man carrying the red mail bag received the most attention.
Project Support is encouraging individuals and classrooms to send mail to individual soldiers. The Red Cross will send packages without a specific addressee to military units.
Suggested supplies to send to troops include cards, phone cards, lip balm, sunscreen, hard candies, paperback books, Wet Wipes, small games and insect repellent.
Other items, suggested by members of the audience who had heard from family members in the service, suggested underwear because of the difficulty of doing laundry, cooling collars, fly swatters and sunglasses with eye cups to circumvent sand.
Items that cannot be sent to troops due to customs restrictions of the host country, as well U.S. security, include pork products, religious items, baked goods and adult entertainment.
Cards with pictures of the Carson Valley and nearby locales are especially appreciated by soldiers from the area, organizers said.
Project Support plans to continue organizing packages and letters for a long time.
"This is going to be a marathon," said Merry, who will be deployed soon. "We're going to have hard days in what's ahead of us."
YOU CAN HELP
To contact Project Support call Kim Shrum at 782-7025, Joyce Shrum at 267-2642, Kathy Kibby at 782-5445 or Diane Woodside at 265-4154; or e-mail to projectsupport@maxtonvalve.com.
