Soldiers’ Angels has a few special teams that focus on sending care packages to our deployed troops. Two of those teams are the Deployed Adoptions Team and the Ladies of Liberty Team. The only difference between the two is that the Ladies of Liberty team is an all female team that focuses on supporting deployed females and their special health and hygiene needs.

The goal of our Deployed Adoptions Team is to ensure that no service member feels alone while they are deployed. Joining the team means supporting the service member you “adopt” through their deployment by sending one letter and one care package per month. Our service members LOVE getting treats and reminders of home and it really helps brighten their deployment.  

We’ve got 211 service members awaiting adoption so we thought we’d introduce you to a few AND to our team leader, Amanda Jones.

Meet some heroes awaiting adoption

Laduska

*Laduska is signed up for the Ladies of Liberty Program.

Where are you from originally? Sutherlin, Oregon

Do you have a nickname? I have many nicknames but the most common are Dusty and KK (my operating initials).

How many deployments? This is my 2nd deployment.

Married/kids/etc? I am married and have two kids.

What made you want to become a soldier/airman/marine/sailor? Originally I joined because I wasn’t satisfied with the opportunities my town had to offer. The 2nd time around I joined because I wanted to make a difference, to help people, and to be a part of something bigger than myself.

What is your favorite activity? My favorite activity is backpacking. I love disconnecting from the world of electronics and losing myself in nature for a few days. The hikes I do will challenge you to your core and make you find strength you never knew you had. It’s a complete reset of the mind, body and soul.

Jordan  

*Jordan is signed up for the Deployed Adoptions Team.

Where are you from originally? I am originally from Central Florida, but my home station is Luke AFB, AZ.

Do you have a nickname? I do not have a nickname.

How many deployments? This is my first deployment.

Married/kids/etc? I am engaged with no children of my own, but my fiancée has a four-year-old daughter. I do have two dogs, Yogi Manuel and Ralpheus Maximus, who are like my kids.

What made you want to become a soldier/airman/marine/sailor? I originally wanted to be a mechanic to get a bachelor’s degree and get a better job, but now I want to get a bachelor’s degree, stay in for a while, and have a good career to support my family.

What is your favorite activity? My favorite activities include just spending time with family and friends, practicing ukulele, playing games, and working out.

 

Jay

*Jay is signed up for the Deployed Adoptions Team.

Where are you from originally? Miami, FL

Do you have a nickname? Jay

How many deployments? Currently on deployment #3.

Married/kids/etc? Married to my beautiful wife Kelly and we have two kids.

What made you want to become a soldier/airman/marine/sailor? The benefits.

What is your favorite activity? Going on family trips.

 

Drake

*Drake is signed up for the Deployed Adoptions Team.

Where are you from originally? I’m from Kyle, TX

How many deployments? I’ve been on two deployments. The first was Kuwait. That was very hot! And this time I’m in Poland. Which is very cold.

Married/kids/etc? I have a wife and her name is Cortney. She’s the best and I love her so much.

What made you want to become a soldier/airman/marine/sailor? I’ve always loved to play and pretend I was a soldier when I was a child and always loved war movies.

What is your favorite activity? My favorite activity would have to be fishing, camping and shooting. I’m a huge outdoors person. Thank you Soldiers’ Angels! You made my last deployment very special from all the support back home.

 

Meet Amanda

Amanda Jones is our Deployed Adoptions and Ladies of Liberty Team Leader. Not only does Amanda have a few adoptees to support, she supports the angels on both teams by welcoming them when they join, assigning them adoptees, and answering any questions. We asked Amanda to share some insights from her experiences as a team leader. Here’s what she had to say.

What are some of the most requested items? Service Members’ requests vary from basic needs such as sunglasses, coffee, lotions, makeup, hair care items and lip balm to the fun and creative items like water guns, holiday decorations, ping pong paddle sets and frisbees.

What are some guidelines for care packages? APO and FPO addresses are considered a US address and use the same guidelines as you would for mailing any package within the states. For example, do not send aerosols or pressurized products, electronic devices with batteries installed, flammable or toxic substances, etc.

Avoid cookies with perishable fillings such as cream or custard.

Beware of sending chocolate as will melt in the hotter months.

Place hygiene items in Ziploc bags in case they leak and to separate them from food items if you have to ship together.

Use LOTS of packing material making sure there’s no air space left in the box.

Why do you love being a part of Soldiers’ Angels? As the daughter of Army Veterans, I’ve always understood the importance of and been thankful for the service of our military. I love being a part of an organization that gives me the opportunity to put that gratitude into practice.

Ready to adopt a service member? Here’s one thing to keep in mind: Soldiers’ Angels does not require service members to reply to emails, letters or packages. While we appreciate when they do, we have many soldiers with extremely dangerous jobs and many who are working 12-15 hour shifts. Their first duty is to protect themselves, their battle buddies and focus on the mission at hand. We step out on faith and as a thank you for their service, we support them and know that they appreciate what we send them regardless of whether they reply.

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