Remembering soldiers: Forgotten Soldier project sends care packages to servicemen

Every week, 28-year-old Spc. Zachary Ivie, a soldier with the Army's 73rd Engineer Company, looks forward to mail call, knowing there will be something waiting for him. Whether it's a letter from a family member or a package from his wife, he knows there are people back home thinking about him.

But for every soldier who is fortunate enough to receive something, there are many more who don't.

Ivie has been fighting in Afghanistan since May. His 21-year-old wife, Britanny, has made it her mission to make sure none of the soldiers are forgotten.

"My husband sees the guys who get packages and he sees the ones that don't," Brittany Ivie said. "There are a lot more who don't because there are a lot of people who aren't as fortunate or who don't have families that can afford to send things to them. That's one of the reasons I want to reach out to them, so they know that they aren't doing this alone."

Ivie recently started the Forgotten Soldier, an operation that sends letters and care packages to men and women fighting alongside her husband in Afghanistan. Using her own money, Ivie purchases personal goods, including everyday items most people take for granted, and creates care packages to help boost moral of soldiers fighting overseas.

Vicki Swafford, Ivie's mother, said her daughter realized there was a need after speaking to her husband.

"After her husband got sent over to Afghanistan and he had been there for a few weeks, Zachary kind of gave Brittany the hint that people had stopped sending packages to a lot of the soldiers," Swafford said. "There were things they needed, so she got the idea to start the Forgotten Soldier project."

For $10, Ivie can purchase 13 items, including a toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant, razors and snacks to send in packages to her husband to distribute among his fellow soldiers.

"My husband gets so excited when he gets a package," Ivie said. "I know that they need items there and they can't buy everything they need. My husband told me 'I need underwear,' so I know he was really excited even just to get a package of underwear that I sent him. It really is just the basics and the things we can run out to the store and buy. They don't have that luxury over there."

In addition to the comfort her husband gets from her packages, Ivie said sending them helps her take her mind off the strain of being the wife of a soldier. Ivie said her husband won't tell her what he does on a day-to-day basis in order to keep her from worrying about him, but not knowing causes her more stress.

Swafford said her daughter's inability to talk to her husband on a daily basis often leaves her to worry about his safety.

"It's difficult," Swafford said. "I think she's trying to keep busy. In the first week her husband was over in Afghanistan, three soldiers in his unit were killed. Brittany didn't hear from Zachary, so she didn't know for about a week if he was one of the soldiers who had been killed or if he was safe."

Since then, Ivie said her husband tries to call home more often, but she usually only hears from him once every few days, either by phone or email.

Ivie said her husband is expected to be deployed for a year, which makes sending packages regularly more of a necessity, but the fact that she is working alone makes sending packages more difficult, especially considering it costs $30 to send a single box to Afghanistan.

"I would love to make the project bigger," Ivie said. "Right now it's just me doing this, but I would like to reach out to other cities and possibly other states."

Ivie and her mother are enlisting local churches and businesses to help with the project, but Ivie said she wants everyone to have the opportunity to help, even if they can't afford to donate.

"People can help out by sending just a toothbrush or toothpaste," Ivie said. "They can even just write a letter to one of the guys to tell them how proud they are about what they are doing over there. I had one woman who told me she couldn't afford to donate anything, but she could write a letter. You can write them an inspirational story, or if you have a small child, they could draw them a picture and we can send them those. Anything helps."

Swafford said the length of the wars has caused a lot of people to forget how many men and women are still fighting and the fact that they still need our support.

"This war has gone on for so long, and I know a lot of people wish our soldiers weren't still there, so they've backed off sending packages and things to them," Swafford said. "What people don't realize is that it's the simple everyday things like toothpaste and soap that we take for granted that are luxuries to the soldiers because they don't have access to them. Sending those things is just a small thing we can do to help make their experience a more comfortable one."

For Ivie, showing soldiers that people back home still care about them is the most important thing she can accomplish with Forgotten Soldier.

"I really want people to remember that, without these guys over there, who knows where we could be," Ivie said. "We put our lives in their hands and it almost feels like we've deserted them in a way. We need to bring attention back to them and let them know that they're not forgotten and that there are people who still care about what they do."

ssemmler@semissourian.com

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How to help

For more information about Forgotten Soldier, email Brittany Ivie at op.forgotten.soldier@gmail.com. To send letters or donate items, mail them to Brittany Ivie, P.O. Box 8, Millersville, MO 63766.

Pertinent Address:

P.O. Box 8, Millersville, MO