TASTE OF HOME
Area growers donate Christmas trees to troops in Georgia
CHARLTON, N.Y. >> Vietnam veteran Robert Foti lent a hand with a Trees for Troops collection effort on Monday because he remembers what it was like spending Christmas overseas, apart from family and friends.
More than a dozen area growers donated 130 trees, which were loaded onto a large FedEx tractor-trailer bound for Hunter Army Airfield in Savannah, Georgia, where they’ll be distributed to soldiers there.
Now in its 14th year, Trees for Troops has delivered more than 200,000 trees to service members and their families in every branch of the military at nearly 65 bases in 17 countries.
“It’s a little bit of home for the troops, a good morale booster,” said Foti, a Scotia resident and former army ranger who served two tours in Vietnam from 1967 to 1970. “If I remember right, we had a tree there one time. Somebody got a tree from somewhere. It certainly means a lot to the guys who are outside the United States.
“They’re all volunteers now. Support from the people is important to them. It helps them remember family and country – what they’re fighting for.”
However, many people are so busy with daily activities that it’s sometimes easy to forget Amer- ica is still fighting a Global War on Terror.
“This is a great reminder,” said Col. Richard Goldenberg, of the Army National Guard. “That’s one of the reasons we do this every year. Soldiers and airmen are here who have spent past deployments away from home overseas. You can’t help but remember our troops when you’re at an event like this where you’re standing side by side with veterans, community leaders and tree farmers who care deeply about making sure troops all around the world are still connected to their community.”
“What better reminder that you’re still connected to home than having a little bit of the holidays delivered to you,” he said.
Ellms Family Farm, where trees were collected, added to the patriotic spirit with a display of specially painted red, white and blue evergreens.
In addition to trees, the FedEx delivery includes stars from retired American flags, and paper ornaments made by Burnt HillsBallston Lake Central Schools elementary students.
Army National Guard Command Sgt. Major (ret.) Robert Van Pelt spent Christmas in Vietnam one year, too.
“We didn’t have things like Facebook and email, so it was a lot different than what the sol- diers get now,” he said. “When you were there, you were there. You were kind of alone.”
Fortunately, he worked at a communications site, so he had a bit more opportunity to stay in touch with home through the Military Amateur Radio System, similar to “ham” radio.
“But you had to get on at 2 a.m. because of the time difference,” Van Pelt said. “For Christmas there was a dinner at the mess hall. But other than that it was work, go home and stay alive.”
Kyle DeFeo is a military police officer with the Air National Guard’s 109th Airlift Wing, based in Scotia.
“This is my seventh year helping with Trees for Troops,” he said. “One year I actually got one of these trees when I was overseas in Kuwait. That’s part of the reason I do this is. It’s nice because you can feel kind of forgotten when you’re over there from six to nine months or a year at a time.
“It’s nice to get a little reminder from home and know that people are thinking about you.”
In addition to Ellms Family Farm, other local growers that donated trees are Avery’s Trees, Bailey Family Christmas Trees, Bob’s Trees, Brookside Nursery, Goderie’s Tree Farm, Goode Trees, Herba’s Acres Tree Farm, Hewitt’s Garden Center, Holland Hill, McDonough’s Farm,
Olsen Hill Farm, Sausville Tree Farm and Buhrmaster Farms.
Goode Trees owner David Stack said he participates because several relatives have served in the military, such as his brother-in-law, Col. Brian Gomula, who retired recently from the Air National Guard.
“We put a tag on the tree that tells the family when they receive it, to take a picture after they decorate the tree, and send it to us,” Stack said. “We have a bunch of them posted in our Christmas tree shop, so that kind of captures the moment as they come in.
“It makes it special, to see what these people are doing. We’re giving something to them to help them because they’re sacrificing so much for us.”
However, Trees for Troops wasn’t the only project taking place Monday to boost service mem- bers’ spirits. In Clifton Park, “Yellow Ribbon Lady” Carol Hotaling presented 150 large bows to Jamie Margelot, a Nigro Companies employee, who will deliver them to troops stationed at Fort Drum, near Watertown.
She’s also made hundreds of smaller ribbons that will be included with candy gift baskets at Park Avenue Con- fectionary in Mechanicville.
Hotaling began making yellow ribbons during Desert Storm in the early 1990s and has fashioned tens of thousands of them for special events and displays in the years since then.
She is also responsible for the official State of New York observance of Yellow Ribbon Day on April 9 of each year.