Several soldiers stationed in Iraq will get something extra this Christmas thanks to donations from the staff at the Cox North Emergency department.
In late October, unit secretary Sherry Phillips (left, alongside unit secretary Jen Brunner) began an effort to create a Christmas surprise for her son’s Army unit. Phillips’ son, Sergeant First Class Shane Johnson, is stationed with 29 soldiers at a patrol base in Iraq. Phillips saw a list of commonly needed items for soldiers at a local bank, and soon she and the staff knew what they needed to do.
“Not every soldier is in Baghdad,” Phillips says. “They’re in an isolated patrol base – it’s desert, rocks and them. They don’t have access to the things people might assume they do.”
The department collected eight large boxes full of supplies – including an assortment of personal and hygiene items not readily available where the unit is stationed. Items include envelopes, paper, toothbrushes, hand sanitizers, razors, soaps and sunblock.
The ED also donated $120 to cover shipping for the boxes, which were sent on Nov. 1. Phillips says the donations have been a great way to offer support to a cause that’s affecting many employees.
“There are a lot of our own employees who are in the reserves and are over there,” she says. “Everyone knows someone who has family in Iraq.”
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