Affleck, Other Celebrities Help Volunteers Assemble Care Packages

American Forces Press Service ^ | Sharon Foster

[SandRat]

WASHINGTON, Dec. 18, 2008 – Actor and director Ben Affleck and other celebrities joined more than 1,000 volunteers over the weekend to put together care packages for deployed troops at the National Guard Armory in Van Nuys, Calif.

Actor and director Ben Affleck helps Operation Gratitude volunteers assemble care packages for deployed troops in the National Guard Armory in Van Nuys, Calif. Courtesy photo  
(Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available.

Operation Gratitude, a California-based troop-support group, organized the event that also included actress and model Kathy Ireland and “Days of Our Lives” soap opera stars Deidre Hall, Jay Kenneth Johnson and Leanne Hunley.

"Every time we reach a milestone package, it is an acknowledgment of the immense generosity of the American people, and ultimately a tribute to our brave men and women in uniform who inspire each of us to be part of something greater than ourselves,” Carolyn Blashek, Operation Gratitude’s founder, said.

Community volunteers stuffed, taped, labeled and transported thousands of care packages, not stopping until Charlie Othold, director of operations, announced that the 400,000th package had hit the assembly line.

“This milestone package represents 20 million individual items, more than 2.8-million pounds and $40 million worth of product that Operation Gratitude has sent to troops deployed overseas since 2003,” Othold said.

During the event, Los Angeles City Councilman Greig Smith presented the organization with a check worth more than $11,000, and Ireland thanked the volunteers for their “extraordinary devotion and hard work.”

On Dec. 14, Blashek presented Affleck with an American flag flown over Multinational Corps Iraq headquarters in honor of his support of Operation Gratitude.

Affleck stressed the importance of thanking U.S. servicemembers, especially during the holidays, when they are far from home and loved ones.

Related Sites:
Operation Gratitude

[jagusafr]

I wish I felt better about this. I suppose any help for deployed members is good...

Colonel, USAFR

[Kadanne]

I’m with you Colonel. Anything that helps the troops is a good thing but Ben Affleck leaves a bad taste.

[lilylangtree]

H’weirds helping our military with their liberal leftist RAT bent. Scary!

[Right Cal Gal]

If they did it all for the troops and really cared, they would have simply done it and not had it captured as a Kodak moment. They know the average American hates them - their movie revenues are going down the crapper - time to get on the “We support the troops” train.

In any event, if it gets care packages and things to our men and women fighting for our freedoms, I don’t care who puts them together.

[gargoyle]

...Any help for the troopers in “Harms Way” is good, what ever motives they may have. Attention, Present Arms, Colonel, USAFR...

[freekitty]

They came for a photo op and that’s about it.

[Niuhuru]

” their movie revenues are going down the crapper - time to get on the “We support the troops” train.”

And like the vermin they are they left immediately I’m sure.