In response to the thread by Ariadne, the MoD DOES NOT want people
sending gifts to our troops.


http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7660389.stm

The Ministry of Defence is asking the public to donate to military
charities instead of sending surprise Christmas parcels to troops they
do not know.

In recent years, many well-intentioned people have sent gifts to combat
zones in Iraq or Afghanistan, asking that they are passed to service
personnel.

But the MoD says this deluge has stopped personal letters and gifts from
friends and family arriving in time.

Last Christmas, the public sent 21,000 sacks of mail to troops in
Afghanistan.

The Mod said this volume of post caused problems with its "logistics
chain".

This Christmas, the British Forces Post Office will limit its free
postal service to friends and family, only accepting mail addressed to a
named serviceman or woman, to ensure their cards and gifts get through
on time.



**** em...

If those tight-fisted jobsworths can't handle a few thousand parcels
because of their "logistics chain", then they should outsource the work
to some company that can.

Iapetus wrote:
In response to the thread by Ariadne, the MoD DOES NOT want people
sending gifts to our troops.




**** em...

If those tight-fisted jobsworths can't handle a few thousand parcels
because of their "logistics chain", then they should outsource the work
to some company that can.


Ah yes, so how long have DHL been running helicopters to the front?

On 9 Oct, 14:55, Iapetus wrote:
In response to the thread by Ariadne, the MoD DOES NOT want people
sending gifts to our troops.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7660389.stm

The Ministry of Defence is asking the public to
donate to military
charities instead of sending surprise Christmas
parcels to troops they
do not know.

[...]

**** em...

If those tight-fisted jobsworths can't handle a few
thousand parcels
because of their "logistics chain", then they should
outsource the work
to some company that can.

I'm sure some of the donors would
willingly go. Support our Soldiers
seems to have covered itself with
the MOD.

http://www.supportoursoldiers.co.uk:...8homepage.html

"...to avoid overwhelming the system we will be placing a limit on the
number of parcels sent to 12,000. It is very important to note that
once this limit has been reached, any further donations, parcels or
parcel fillers received will be used in alternative ways but still, of
course, for the benefit of our Servicemen and women or their
families.


This is our official announcement, as advised by the MOD –


"The MOD has made it clear that every single box donated to our Xmas
Parcel Appeal, up to the limit stated, each one a demonstration of
the huge public generosity and support for our soldiers, will go
overseas to a serving serviceman or woman. However, due to this
fantastic support shown generally this year, the MOD has also had to
reconsider how such mail is handled. The sheer volume of donations is
causing difficulties with personal mail getting through and also
impacting on the important supply chain. Representatives from SOS will
be meeting with the MOD in the near future to discuss ways in which we
can continue to support our soldiers in the New Year and beyond
without creating such impacts."

The parcels mean much more than a box filled with seasonal goodies –
they represent the support and good wishes of the British public, and
show our brave soldiers that we are thinking about them.

[...]

Much greater detail is provided on the How You Can Help page, but the
key points to note are as follows:

We will be limiting the number of parcels sent this year to 12,000

Any parcels, parcel fillers or donations received once this limit has
been reached will be used in the best way possible for the benefit of
our Servicemen & women

Made up parcels or parcel fillers can only be accepted by our area
coordinators, they cannot be sent to our PO Box address

Donations will be managed through our Just Giving page

£1 for every parcel sent will be donated to BLESMA

----

Just looking around the web I can see lots of
less organised requests, appeals and offers to
donate...

Blah wrote:
Iapetus wrote:
In response to the thread by Ariadne, the MoD DOES NOT want people
sending gifts to our troops.




**** em...

If those tight-fisted jobsworths can't handle a few thousand parcels
because of their "logistics chain", then they should outsource the work
to some company that can.


Ah yes, so how long have DHL been running helicopters to the front?

They could modify one of these to do an air drop. :-)

http://widebodyaircraft.nl/a300dhl.jpg

Blah wrote:

Iapetus wrote:

**** em...

If those tight-fisted jobsworths can't handle a few thousand parcels
because of their "logistics chain", then they should outsource the work
to some company that can.

Ah yes, so how long have DHL been running helicopters to the front?

They'll give it to India or something. They give everything else away,
why not the armed forces?

On Oct 9, 7:49*am, White Spirit wrote:
Blah wrote:
Iapetus wrote:
**** em...
If those tight-fisted jobsworths can't handle a few thousand parcels
because of their "logistics chain", then they should outsource the work
to some company that can.
Ah yes, so how long have DHL been running helicopters to the front?

They'll give it to India or something. *They give everything else away,
why not the armed forces?

From a Canada Free Press artcle by Judi MacLeod.

What a let down that 1,700 care packages lovingly prepared by Montreal-
area residents and community groups destined for Canadian troops in
Afghanistan, won’t be getting there.

The Christmas care packages for soldiers have been grounded after the
military said they could not be sent overseas.
Claiming security concerns and a lack of space on transport aircraft
as reasons for blocking the packages, Canadian Forces brass informed
nonplussed members of the Roxboro Legion, who spearheaded the drive
that they cannot accept the packages. Parcels must be addressed to a
specific soldier, the military said, and not “Any CF member”.

While citing security concerns would take some of the sting out of the
snub, lack of space seems plain callous.

Organizers are naturally devastated, especially Jean Bisson, whose son
Capt. Mike Bisson of the Royal Canadian Hussars was a catalyst in
launching the drive.

“A peacekeeper in Bosnia, he told local legion members how touched he
was to receive a care package from Ontario while he was overseas.
(CanWest News Service, Dec. 11, 2007). “Not so much the contents, but
just the fact people were thinking of him,” Jean Bisson said. “It was
a touch of home.”

Her other son, David, has been serving in Afghanistan since June, also
with the Hussars. Aiding in the collection helped t o take her mind
off her worries.

A lot of heart and work went into this project. Indeed, members
started canvassing back in June, collecting from community centres,
churches, schools, and other legions to fill boxes with shaving cream,
toothpaste, deodorant, shampoo, wet wipes, playing cards and letters
or cards sending messages of comfort and thanks.

“We had children, some as young as five-year-old, making pictures to
send over,” Bisson said. “Members from a veterans hospital also
submitted messages and gifts.”

The generous Montreal-area town of Dollard-des-Ormeaux also donated
funds. Mayor Ed Janiszewski expressed regrets that the project has
been derailed.

It’s the Christmas season when anything can happen and Bisson was
holding out hope that a solution could still be found, if not in time
for December 25, then perhaps New Year’s or even afterwards. “The
soldiers will still be there,” she said.

The balking at sending the care packages to soldiers in harm’s way is
mysterious, given that officials had guaranteed delivery when
originally contacted.

Richard Shannon, a former vice-president of the Roxboro Legion who
spearheaded the project, said he was livid after the military had
given their assurances they would accept the boxes when the project
was getting off the ground.

“I’m not well, and I’m very upset about this,” said the ailing
veteran.

“They said all the way along, this project is guaranteed, he added.
“It was okay, everything was good, and all of a sudden they pulled the
plug.”

Perhaps it’s time for the Roxboro Legion to call on Christmas angel,
Gabrielle Eckhardt, wife of senior Canada Free Press (CFP) columnist
Klaus Rohrich.

A “Santa Mom” of the Canadian troops, last year Eckhardt spearheaded a
Christmas campaign that gave a package to every single Canadian
soldier in Afghanistan—no matter how lonely their outpost.

And the lesson she learned, firsthand was one that showed the love of
our troops by small-town Canada.

The “Goodies for Soldiers” campaign could never have happened without
the communities of Cobourg and Port Hope, two small towns less than an
hour east of Toronto. The towns’ combined population is just over
25,000. Yet, during the three-week campaign, the townspeople managed
to put together enough packages to give every Canadian soldier in
Afghanistan a package to make them feel closer to home at Christmas.

Gabrielle’s was a campaign that involved young and old working against
the clock to make sure that personal care packages for Canadian troops
would arrive in time for Christmas.

At the time her son, Jonathan Rohrich, in the Canadian Armed Forces
was soon to be stationed in Afghanistan.

“The idea that chap sticks, deodorant, razors or candy bars were hard
for our soldiers to get dismayed me,” she said. “That’s when I
decided I wanted to do something to help.”

She started the ball rolling with the assistance of the Cobourg Fire
Department and the Port Hope and Cobourg Police Services, who agreed
to act as collection centers for the campaign. Local townspeople
threw their full support to put together packages from a list obtained
from soldiers who had been to Afghanistan.

Packing, organizing and preparation for shipping to Afghanistan was
done with the assistance of the local Army Cadet Corps. The result
was nine skids of care packages, each containing roughly 220
individual goody bags.

When it means that Christmas 2007 will be more than just another day
for courageous Canadian troops protecting our freedom in faraway
Afghanistan, the 1,700 care packages sitting in Montreal, should be
delivered to the troops.

As Gabrielle Eckhardt would say, “Where there’s a will, there’s got to
be a way.”

Iapetus wrote:
In response to the thread by Ariadne, the MoD DOES NOT want people
sending gifts to our troops.

And how exactly is that 'the MOD says don't support our soldiers'?
Imagine that you're a terrorist so decide to send a parcel bomb to the
troops. If the MOD doesn't check everything then they'll get blown up by
it, but I suppose (and hope) that they do. Therefore the time taken to
wade through the tons of badly knitted socks sent by well-meaning
grannies will inevitably hold up the transmission of parcels. But then
you are too thick and too keen to rant to think of such an obvious
reason for their statement.

On Oct 9, 4:27*pm, The Highlander wrote:
On Oct 9, 7:49*am, White Spirit wrote:

Blah wrote:
Iapetus wrote:
**** em...
If those tight-fisted jobsworths can't handle a few thousand parcels
because of their "logistics chain", then they should outsource the work
to some company that can.
Ah yes, so how long have DHL been running helicopters to the front?

They'll give it to India or something. *They give everything else away,
why not the armed forces?

From a Canada Free Press artcle by Judi MacLeod.

What a let down that 1,700 care packages lovingly prepared by Montreal-
area residents and community groups destined for Canadian troops in
Afghanistan, won’t be getting there.

The Christmas care packages for soldiers have been grounded after the
military said they could not be sent overseas.
Claiming security concerns and a lack of space on transport aircraft
as reasons for blocking the packages, Canadian Forces brass informed
nonplussed members of the Roxboro Legion, who spearheaded the drive
that they cannot accept the packages. *Parcels must be addressed to a
specific soldier, the military said, and not “Any CF member”.

While citing security concerns would take some of the sting out of the
snub, lack of space seems plain callous.

Organizers are naturally devastated, especially Jean Bisson, whose son
Capt. Mike Bisson of the Royal Canadian Hussars was a catalyst in
launching the drive.

“A peacekeeper in Bosnia, he told local legion members how touched he
was to receive a care package from Ontario while he was overseas.
(CanWest News Service, Dec. 11, 2007). “Not so much the contents, but
just the fact people were thinking of him,” Jean Bisson said. *“It was
a touch of home.”

Her other son, David, has been serving in Afghanistan since June, also
with the Hussars. *Aiding in the collection helped t o take her mind
off her worries.

A lot of heart and work went into this project. Indeed, members
started canvassing back in June, collecting from community centres,
churches, schools, and other legions to fill boxes with shaving cream,
toothpaste, deodorant, shampoo, wet wipes, playing cards and letters
or cards sending messages of comfort and thanks.

“We had children, some as young as five-year-old, making pictures to
send over,” Bisson said. *“Members from a veterans hospital also
submitted messages and gifts.”

The generous Montreal-area town of Dollard-des-Ormeaux also donated
funds. *Mayor Ed Janiszewski expressed regrets that the project has
been derailed.

It’s the Christmas season when anything can happen and Bisson was
holding out hope that a solution could still be found, if not in time
for December 25, then perhaps New Year’s or even afterwards. *“The
soldiers will still be there,” she said.

The balking at sending the care packages to soldiers in harm’s way is
mysterious, given that officials had guaranteed delivery when
originally contacted.

Richard Shannon, a former vice-president of the Roxboro Legion who
spearheaded the project, said he was livid after the military had
given their assurances they would accept the boxes when the project
was getting off the ground.

“I’m not well, and I’m very upset about this,” said the ailing
veteran.

“They said all the way along, this project is guaranteed, he added.
“It was okay, everything was good, and all of a sudden they pulled the
plug.”

Perhaps it’s time for the Roxboro Legion to call on Christmas angel,
Gabrielle Eckhardt, wife of senior Canada Free Press (CFP) columnist
Klaus Rohrich.

A “Santa Mom” of the Canadian troops, last year Eckhardt spearheaded a
Christmas campaign that gave a package to every single Canadian
soldier in Afghanistan—no matter how lonely their outpost.

And the lesson she learned, firsthand was one that showed the love of
our troops by small-town Canada.

The “Goodies for Soldiers” campaign could never have happened without
the communities of Cobourg and Port Hope, two small towns less than an
hour east of Toronto. *The towns’ combined population is just over
25,000. *Yet, during the three-week campaign, the townspeople managed
to put together enough packages to give every Canadian soldier in
Afghanistan a package to make them feel closer to home at Christmas.

Gabrielle’s was a campaign that involved young and old working against
the clock to make sure that personal care packages for Canadian troops
would arrive in time for Christmas.

At the time her son, Jonathan Rohrich, in the Canadian Armed Forces
was soon to be stationed in Afghanistan.

“The idea that chap sticks, deodorant, razors or candy bars were hard
for our soldiers to get dismayed me,” she said. *“That’s when I
decided I wanted to do something to help.”

She started the ball rolling with the assistance of the Cobourg Fire
Department and the Port Hope and Cobourg Police Services, who agreed
to act as collection centers for the campaign. *Local townspeople
threw their full support to put together packages from a list obtained
from soldiers who had been to Afghanistan.

Packing, organizing and preparation for shipping to Afghanistan was
done with the assistance of the local Army Cadet Corps. *The result
was nine skids of care packages, each containing roughly 220
individual goody bags.

When it means that Christmas 2007 will be more than just another day
for courageous Canadian troops protecting our freedom in faraway
Afghanistan, the 1,700 care packages sitting in Montreal, should be
delivered to the troops.

As Gabrielle Eckhardt would say, “Where there’s a will, there’s got to
be a way.”

Copy 'n Paste Waste of Space Plastic Jock says his piece of
plagiarism. Nothing original uttered from HIS brain-dead head. Nothing
unusual in THAT at least.
Hey, are you still weeping, arsehole? I hope so. I LUV it when you do.
hahahahahah ****.