Give Troops a Gift They Truly Need: A Safe Return Home

[MountainLaurel]

During a recent trip to a shopping mall, I saw dozens of trucks and cars adorned with magnetic U.S. flags and yellow ribbons that read "Support Our Troops." The symbols were fastened to some of the biggest gas guzzlers ever to roll off an assembly line, including a Hummer, which our troops are giving life and limb for us to operate.

God bless 'em. Freedom to shop till we drop, then drive off with carloads of junk, does come with costs. And for all that the troops do to make that possible, we thank them with a $1.50 purchase of a ribbon that cost less than a penny to make in Taiwan.

Visit the Web sites of some private, nonprofit organizations that support the troops in Iraq, and you'll have to wonder whether we've deployed soldiers -- or orphans.

"You may want to donate some of the following items," reads a request from one adopt-a-soldier site. Items listed include head lamps ("like miners used"), hand sanitizers, bug repellent, boxer shorts, T-shirts, vitamins, protein-drink mixes, sunscreen, playing cards, gum . . . lots of gum.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A37849-2004Dec5.html

Wow. Just wow.