Greensboro couple find way to thank troops overseas
GREENSBORO — As the United States was in the process of closing down a military base in Iraq, one of the soldiers who had become online friends with Amanda Flickinger of Greensboro told her it was shame his platoon didn’t receive their promised care packages.
In their online chats, Amanda told the soldier she and her husband, Joe, had a plan to send over 50 packages of toiletries and non perishable food.
“Up to last year, I’d been an over-the-road truck driver for seventeen years and was away from home a lot,” said Joe Flickinger. “On January 25 of this year, I took a job driving a truck for an oil industry supplier, am home every night and now have time to follow through with our care package project.”
Uncertain how to organize and implement the project, Amanda Flickinger went online and found Operation Interdependence®, a nationwide non-profit that provides a means for community members to support troops serving on the front lines, military families and veterans.
After contacting the organization in mid-August, Amanda Flickinger received a list of company commanders who were eager to receive the care packages filled with things like Ramen noodles, pork-free Slim Jims, sardine tins, hard candy, razors, soap, shampoo and hand sanitizers.
“We made sure that we didn’t include anything in an aerosol can that might explode on a plane at a high altitude,” said Amanda Flickinger.
The Flickingers purchased many of the items themselves, but much of the inventory was donated by Joe Flickinger’s co-workers, the local VFW, private individuals and students at both Carmichaels Area and Waynesburg Central Elementary Schools.
“We put out donation boxes at both schools and intend to leave them there until the end of the school year,” said Joe Flickinger.
Starting around the first week of November, the Flickingers stacked the food items in their kitchen where it eventually took up a third of their floor space, and the toiletries eventually took over much of their dining room.
This month the couple amassed enough inventory to send packages to not 50 but 500 soldiers in Afghanistan and Germany. The plan was to pack up their van on Monday, Dec. 21 and take the boxes to the post office in Greensboro where the Flickingers hope they would arrive in time for Christmas. The couple picked up the cost of most of the postage, which amounted to around $600, but they also received some financial support from individuals to defray some of the shipping costs.
“We have enough food items left over to send packages to an additional 150 soldiers and are saving them for our next shipment at the end of February,” said Joe Flickinger. “Some of the things we haven’t been able to use, we’re donating to the Salvation Army. Amanda and I don’t keep any of the items for our own personal use.”
While the military supplies many of the items in the care packages, Amanda Flickinger said the reason they’re sending them is to thank the soldiers for their sacrifices to the nation. However, something the military doesn’t provide are the Christmas cards and letters included in each package.
“A lot of soldiers are posted in remote areas far from a PX, so our operation is our way of letting them know people back home care,” said Joe Flickinger.
Joe Flickinger also has a personal reason for participating in Operation Interdependence®. Right after 9/11, when he was living in Arkansas, his 17-year-old son, Joie, wanted to join the National Guard. Joe Flickinger signed the papers, but Joie didn’t make it through basic training because he had bad feet. However, one of the soldiers who had become a friend and with whom Joie would be serving with in Iraq was killed during the early days of the conflict.
“When I heard of his death, it was like losing one of my sons,” said Joe Flickinger.
As the daughter of a Vietnam War veteran, Amanda Flickinger also had a person reason for joining Operation Interdependence®. The couple’s patriotism comes thorough in other ways as well. If you drive past their house, you’ll find a large wooden American flag outside made up of 300 red, 50 white, 100 blue lights plus an additional 300 gold lights on the staff.
“We built the flag for Christmas in 2001, renovated it this past summer, then had a relighting ceremony at our house,” said Joe Flickinger.
With the care packages now on their way, the Flickingers said they would like to thank the 14 volunteers who helped sort the items and package them in large zip-lock bags.
“We’d also like to thanks the community, schools and my co-workers who helped us make our goal of sending the packages to 500 soldiers,” said Joe Flickinger. “County Commissioner Archie Trader was very supportive of our efforts, and all three commissioners even helped make the Christmas cards that went into the packages.”
Also on the Flickinger “Thank You” list are the members of the Greensboro town council, who made available at no cost the town’s historic log cabin and the White Covered Bridge Committee of Garards Fort who gave them the opportunity to have children make some of the cards during the annual Covered Bridge Festival.
“Amanda and I plan on continuing sending care packages to our troops until they put us in the ground,” said Joe Flickinger. “Next Christmas, we want to double what we did by sending out 1,000 packages.”
Those wanting to make a financial contribution to their efforts should send a check made payable to Operation Interdependence®, and mail it to P. O. Box 277, Greensboro, Pa. 15338.