American Troop Support Team

Hello everyone. This is Joe Natale. Not a forwarded email, but an original. I would like to share with you something that happened to me while I was away over the weekend.

I met Staff Sergeant Peter Torruella, from the U.S. Army. I’ll try to make this a short reading.

When I learned that Pete was a soldier on leave from Iraq, I approached him to thank him for his dedication to our country and our freedom. He thanked me for showing him my appreciation. I could not believe it when he told me that while he has been on leave, since Thanksgiving, most of the people he has encountered have shunned him, as if blaming him for the war in Iraq.

Here is a little background on Pete. He is 42 years old. He is from Brooklyn, raised in the Bronx. He stands about 6’ 2” and 210 lbs., 18 years in the Military. He served in Dessert Storm, Grenada (and other places I cannot remember), and he has been in Iraq since the war began. They forced him to take this leave against his wishes. He cannot wait to get back to his troops ( he flies back Monday, 12-13). He has seen it all. The good and the bad. He loves his country. He is a man of character and dedication. He is the epitome of a soldier, as are most of our troops.

One more fact. He lost six family members on September 11.

I asked Pete if there was anything I could do for him. He said that it would be great if I could send him some items, such as odorless baby wipes, powdered Gatorade, cigarettes, etc. He mentioned that most of the care packages that some support groups send over, sit in a warehouse until they either go bad, are tampered with or pilfered. He said that if I send the items directly to him he would receive them and distribute to his troops. It got me to think. I know I can send Pete the items myself and take care of him and maybe a few of his troops, but it would be magnificent if WE could send him a great deal more.

That is why I am writing this letter and sending it to everyone on my email list. If anyone would like to get involved with me in any way, just let me know. If you do not have time, and you wish to donate money to these soldiers, also let me know or just mail it to me. Rest assured that 100% of anything collected will be used to buy and deliver needed items directly to Pete and our troops. He said he would get it directly. The military is very strict about getting mail to the troops. He told me that once he was in a foxhole involved in crossfire with insurgents and they delivered a letter to him. If you have family members or friends in the military, we could do the same for them, as well. If you do not wish to get involved, that’s ok too.

I am doing this because I enjoy the freedoms I have. I want my children and grandchildren to enjoy them, also. The soldiers, past, present and future, are the reason we have these freedoms.

If anyone wants to email Pete directly or write him a letter, let me know.

You can email me or call me.
OK, that’s the story.

Thank you for taking the time to read this.

Joe Natale
Email: jpnpete@yahoo.com