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Vienna sausage, tuna, dried fruit, nuts, cookies, crackers, candy (no chocolate), magazines, newspapers and microwavable popcorn are some of the items on the Christmas list for 43 men serving in a National Guard Reserve Unit from the Statesville area.

The unit is stationed in Iraq.

The unit does not have a mess hall. Its food is shipped in from another country, and its living quarters are in a former chicken processing plant.

One of the reservists, Wayne Thomas, happens to be the grandson-in-law of a High Point woman, Julia Cotner, and her husband, Bill.
Julia Cotner asked Thomas what she could do, and he asked her to send food. Cotner’s aquatics teacher, Teresa Smith, suggested this might be a good Christmas project for her aquatics class at the YWCA.

Cotner’s church, Hayworth Wesleyan Church on Westchester Drive, is also participating.

Cathy Vernon, aquatics director at the YWCA, got the name from the church of Reservist Brian T. Login, and boxes are being filled for him, as well.

Cotner’s goal was to fill and mail 12 boxes. A list goes on each box detailing the items inside, including Gideon New Testament Bibles.
Boxes usually take two weeks to get to Iraq, but remembering that one package took a month, Cotner plans to mail the boxes by Nov. 15, with Dec. 15 as the latest arrival date.

Thomas and other members of his unit received cards from Jackie Albertson’s kindergarten class at Wesleyan Christian School.

When Thomas was home in August, he wanted to visit the students, who are now in first grade, and thank them for the cards.

“The children had heard about Iraq on the news but Sgt. Thomas’ visit really made it personal,” Albertson said. “He wore his work clothes. It was an experience for them to see someone from Iraq with whom they had actually communicated.

“He did a PowerPoint presentation for (kindergarten through fifth) graders that showed where his unit was in Iraq and gave our students a good idea of what his daily life was like. They were amazed to hear, when he flew out of Iraq in August for a leave, he left at midnight, and it was 130 degrees.”

“His visit moved our students to think and talk about freedom and our flag. We discussed and practiced good flag etiquette,” Albertson said.

Thomas told his grandmother-in-law that it was so hot sometimes that the men sweated through their boots and that the sand in Iraq was finer than confectioner’s sugar.

“Sgt. Thomas’ job is to man the big guns on top of the vehicles,” Cotner said. “He is the only one who shoots, but another soldier loads the gun. Another man in the unit watches when a missile is shot by hostile forces. He has to figure exactly where our weapon should be aimed. Keeping this in mind, Thomas always tells students to learn their math. They may use it someday in their job.”

Cotner showed me a picture of Thomas’ family — his wife, Jennifer; son, Tyler, 14; daughter, Katy, 10; and youngest son, Will, 9. They all look forward to their father’s return.

“We just want them all home. Pray for them,” Cotner said.

One item Sgt. Thomas requested on his list was “anything from home.” Cotner remembered how he liked Eight O’Clock Coffee Beans.

“Oh, no, I forgot to put Eight O’Clock Coffee Beans on the list,” she said.

Sandi Staton, a member of Cotner’s church, designed bookmarks to include in the boxes. These bookmarks had patriotic scenes and sayings on them.

“Being married to a man who served in the Navy and survived the horrific fire on the USS Forrestal in July 1967, I have a great respect for our service men and women,” Staton said. “I designed bookmarks to encourage and remind our troops that because of them our country remains free. The bookmarks are a small token of appreciation for the sacrifice they make each day. May God bless them all and bring them safely home.”

For information about this project, contact Cathy Vernon, aquatics director at the YWCA in High Point, at 882-4126 or cvernon@ywcahp.com.

If you have information about High Point people or events, contact mjohnson2@triad.rr.com.