Issue link: https://imageup.uberflip.com/i/1439364
| LIFE IN SOLERA | JANUARY 2022 | 25 Here we are starting 2022. Just think, with your help, we started sending care packages back in 2005. Our first packages went to Iraq and Afghanistan, as that is where the action was. It wasn't long, before we were supporting our military in many of the Middle Eastern countries. Later on, it was literally all over the world and ships at sea. We have even supported two husbands and also their wives, all four were in the military. The wives were serving in different countries than their husbands. We supported an Army Captain in Kuwait and his Army Sergeant First Class brother, in Iraq, at the same time. My favorite combination is three fathers, and then their sons. Two Army fathers, nearing the end of their careers had sons in the Marine Corps. We had supported an Air Force NCO, on two tours. We later supported his Army son, serving in South Korea. After Korea, he was posted in Texas. His grandparents are Solera residents. At the time of writing this article, I just learned that instead of the young man being sent to Germany, as thought, he may have been sent to Romania. I have sent him a message, and hopefully we will be supporting him and his unit, wherever he is. Russia keeps encroaching on the neighboring countries she gained control of at the end of WWII, but lost when the Soviet Union broke up. We once supported a Marine unit that had to be placed in the Republic of Georgia, to keep the Russians out. Poland, ever fearful, has requested to have our troops in their country. Romania would be a similar situation. Two of our smaller Coast Guard Cutters, in Bahrain, have been decommissioned and replaced by new, larger ships. The two small cutters were just donated to the Ukraine Navy. The Ukraine has already had a part of their country grabbed by Russia. Note the two photos with the two cutters, aboard a large cargo ship, arriving in the Ukraine. Here are the stats from our Christmas card writing campaign: We have sent cards to six Coast Guard Cutters, three Navy ships, three African countries, Iraq, Japan, Jordan, Kuwait, Okinawa, Poland and Syria. We are mailing to 36 units, and sending an unbelievable 3,085 Christmas cards. We aren't slacking on our regular packages either. Thank you Solera. ~ Jesse Donardt SUPPORT OUR TROOPS