Help the troops? He’s game
Retired U.S. Army Capt. Stephen Machuga, 36, received some “really, really bad” care packages when he was deployed in Iraq nine years ago, but one stands out: a box full of Harlequin Romance novels.
“We ended up using them for the confiscated weapons range,” Machuga said with a chuckle. “You know, best of intentions but not thought out. Most civilians don’t know what actual troops need over there, and they just box up toilet paper and whatever else they can find. Thanks, but if you package foot powder in with cookies, you’re going to have cookies that taste like food powder.”
Machuga has made it his mission to make better care packages, founding Operation Supply Drop, a nonprofit that sends video games to troops deployed to Afghanistan.
“This is kind of a nobrainer,” said Machuga, who works a government job in Washington, D.C. “Eighty percent of your unit is in the 17- to 25-year-old range. When we were off, all people would do was go back to their rooms and play video games.”
Machuga, co-founder of the video game blog Front Towards Gamer, said people don’t usually think of sending video games to soldiers, perhaps because civilians don’t realize many troops live in air-conditioned trailers and share common areas with televisions and Internet access.
When he launched Operation Supply Drop 18 months ago, Machuga said, he had trouble finding units to accept the care packages.
“They thought I was some sort of counterintelligence threat,” he said, “like, ‘Oh, yeah, just click on this link, and we’ll send you all kinds of games!’ ”
But since then, word has spread, and Machuga has sent 24 care packages — around $54,000 worth of video game gear. The most popular request is for Xbox 360 consoles, Call of Duty and Battlefield.
“It’s usually sports games, like EA Madden, or one of the big shooter games. Everyone’s like, ‘Wait a minute, the guys over there who are kicking doors and pulling triggers, they want games about kicking doors and pulling triggers?’ ”
Hesaid he gets support from third-party game developers — Rockstar Games, EA Sports, Activision, 2K Games, THQ and more — who donate games. In his free time, Machuga solicits donations to cover the expense of consoles, shipping and insurance for each $1,700 package.
“We have more requests than we have time to fill packages,” he said. His wife, Margo, is expanding the effort to better target female troops.