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Sgt. 1st Class Courtney Smith, right, spends a few days in July with his son, Sgt. Sean Smith, while both are stationed in Iraq. Courtney Smith is a member of Roseburg's Charlie Company of the Oregon National Guard. Sean Smith is a member of the U.S. Marine Corps and is serving his third tour overseas.
So you know ...
Members of Roseburg's Charlie Company of the Oregon National Guard have received numerous inquiries from Douglas County residents who want to send care packages and letters to the soldiers who are stationed in Iraq.
As a result, Charlie Company soldiers have compiled a list of items they need or would like to have.
The wish list includes: snack foods (with an emphasis on beef jerky), toothpaste, deodorant, foot powder, sunscreen, toothbrushes, shaving cream, razors, Q-tips, shampoo, bar soap, bathroom rugs, envelopes, stationery, disposable cameras, black pens, female items, baby wipes, vegetable and flower seeds, over-the-counter medications (like Tylenol and aspirin), vitamins, coffee beans from Starbucks and Dutch Bros., video and computer games, magazines (hunting, fishing, automotive, etc.), books, cleaning supplies, air-in-a-can for dusting electronics, air fresheners for cars and homes, sewing kits (needles and gray, black and white thread), Sharpie markers, highlighter markers, white board fine tip markers, playing cards, pictures of Douglas County and anything else specific to the area or state.
Packages and letters can be sent to a specific soldier or to any soldier serving with Charlie Company. Names of specific soldiers need to be written “rank last name, first name” (for example, “Sgt. Doe, John”). Items without a specific recipient can be addressed to “soldier.”
Packages and letters can be sent to:
Name
C Company 1/186 IN
Camp Korean Village
APO AE09371
As a result, Charlie Company soldiers have compiled a list of items they need or would like to have.
The wish list includes: snack foods (with an emphasis on beef jerky), toothpaste, deodorant, foot powder, sunscreen, toothbrushes, shaving cream, razors, Q-tips, shampoo, bar soap, bathroom rugs, envelopes, stationery, disposable cameras, black pens, female items, baby wipes, vegetable and flower seeds, over-the-counter medications (like Tylenol and aspirin), vitamins, coffee beans from Starbucks and Dutch Bros., video and computer games, magazines (hunting, fishing, automotive, etc.), books, cleaning supplies, air-in-a-can for dusting electronics, air fresheners for cars and homes, sewing kits (needles and gray, black and white thread), Sharpie markers, highlighter markers, white board fine tip markers, playing cards, pictures of Douglas County and anything else specific to the area or state.
Packages and letters can be sent to a specific soldier or to any soldier serving with Charlie Company. Names of specific soldiers need to be written “rank last name, first name” (for example, “Sgt. Doe, John”). Items without a specific recipient can be addressed to “soldier.”
Packages and letters can be sent to:
Name
C Company 1/186 IN
Camp Korean Village
APO AE09371
After being separated for more than a year, a local father and son were recently reunited in, of all places, a war zone.
Sgt. 1st Class Courtney Smith is an operations sergeant with Roseburg's Charlie Company of the Oregon National Guard. He was recently deployed to Iraq, where his son — Sgt. Sean Smith with the United States Marine Corps — is serving his third tour overseas.
Upon Charlie Company's arrival at Camp Korean Village in northern Iraq in July, Courtney Smith was able to spend a couple of days with his 23-year-old son, who is stationed at Al Taqaddum Airbase in central Iraq.
In a letter, the father explains what it was like to see his son for the first time in more than a year.
Here is an excerpt of what the Winchester resident wrote:
Words can't describe how I feel. As a father, I'll always be concerned for his safety, no matter what! Now, Sean tells me he's concerned for my safety. Our short time together was great. We talked about everything, what we were going to do when we get home, our futures in the military, etc. Most of all, we told each other how proud we were of each other.
For now, we both agree we're part of the best trained military in the world! We'll do our jobs to the best of our abilities and hope to come home to our families and friends safely.
Sean Smith is a 2004 graduate of Glide High School and enlisted in the Marine Corps after high school. He has since moved to Jacksonville, N.C., and will return from Iraq in the coming weeks but it set to deploy again in Sept. 2010, his mother said.
Courtney Smith, 58, served in the National Guard for 13 years before leaving the military. Several years later, in the late 1990s, he re-enlisted in the National Guard and has remained in the military since, his wife said.
After spending a couple of months training at Fort Stewart, Ga., Courtney Smith and the rest of Charlie Company spent two weeks in Kuwait, where they received mission-specific training from the Texas National Guard.
Last month, the local soldiers arrived at Camp Korean Village, which is near Jordan.
“Our mission now is to help the new nation of Iraq stand up on its own, be strong and really encourage the Iraqi people to enjoy their freedom and operate in a democracy,” Staff Sgt. Nick Marshall said in a phone interview Tuesday morning. Marshall is a member of Charlie Company, but is working in media relations in a different area of Iraq.
At Camp Korean Village, the soldiers are providing convoy security for private contractors who are transporting supplies such as food, water, equipment and fuel, he said. While the soldiers are in a war zone, Marshall said the danger risk is low right now.
“They feel pretty safe and confident on their missions,” he said. “They are prepared if anything happens, but they're not shaking in their boots when they leave the wire.”
The soldiers also work shifts in the camp's security towers and are preparing to make improvements to their home for the next several months.
“They're very excited about being there and they hope to stay there for the entire time,” Marshall said. “They really want to take ownership of the camp.”
The camp was predominantly a Marine Corps base, but Charlie Company has since begun taking control of the camp, Marshall said. As the Marines leave the base, members of the Army's 82nd Airborne Division will arrive. The camp will be overseen by Charlie Company Maj. Brian Stramel, who was promoted from the rank of captain while in Georgia.
The camp, which is located about 300 miles from Baghdad, is home to about 1,000 people, including contractors, guardsmen and Marines.
Among other improvements, the soldiers hope to start a garden — since the only greenery at the camp comes from nearby sewage pond, Marshall said.
The camp's Internet access is still slow, but a new system should soon be in place that will allow the soldiers to communicate more with their families and friends back home, he said. Many of the soldiers said they enjoy working out in the camp's gym when they have free time, Marshall said.
Stramel said he wanted to thank the members of the community who have sent care packages and words of support to the soldiers on their deployment. The gestures, he said, lift the soldiers' morale.
“He wants everybody to know that the soldiers are very well disciplined,” Marshall said of Stramel. “They're taking very good care of each other and if Oregon could see them daily, they would definitely be very proud of what they are doing.”
• You can reach reporter Marissa Harshman at 957-4202 or by e-mail at mharshman@nrtoday.com. If you have loved ones stationed overseas and would like to share photos and updates, submit them to reporter Marissa Harshman by e-mail or bring them to The News-Review office, 345 N.E. Winchester St., Roseburg.
Sgt. 1st Class Courtney Smith is an operations sergeant with Roseburg's Charlie Company of the Oregon National Guard. He was recently deployed to Iraq, where his son — Sgt. Sean Smith with the United States Marine Corps — is serving his third tour overseas.
Upon Charlie Company's arrival at Camp Korean Village in northern Iraq in July, Courtney Smith was able to spend a couple of days with his 23-year-old son, who is stationed at Al Taqaddum Airbase in central Iraq.
In a letter, the father explains what it was like to see his son for the first time in more than a year.
Here is an excerpt of what the Winchester resident wrote:
Words can't describe how I feel. As a father, I'll always be concerned for his safety, no matter what! Now, Sean tells me he's concerned for my safety. Our short time together was great. We talked about everything, what we were going to do when we get home, our futures in the military, etc. Most of all, we told each other how proud we were of each other.
For now, we both agree we're part of the best trained military in the world! We'll do our jobs to the best of our abilities and hope to come home to our families and friends safely.
Sean Smith is a 2004 graduate of Glide High School and enlisted in the Marine Corps after high school. He has since moved to Jacksonville, N.C., and will return from Iraq in the coming weeks but it set to deploy again in Sept. 2010, his mother said.
Courtney Smith, 58, served in the National Guard for 13 years before leaving the military. Several years later, in the late 1990s, he re-enlisted in the National Guard and has remained in the military since, his wife said.
After spending a couple of months training at Fort Stewart, Ga., Courtney Smith and the rest of Charlie Company spent two weeks in Kuwait, where they received mission-specific training from the Texas National Guard.
Last month, the local soldiers arrived at Camp Korean Village, which is near Jordan.
“Our mission now is to help the new nation of Iraq stand up on its own, be strong and really encourage the Iraqi people to enjoy their freedom and operate in a democracy,” Staff Sgt. Nick Marshall said in a phone interview Tuesday morning. Marshall is a member of Charlie Company, but is working in media relations in a different area of Iraq.
At Camp Korean Village, the soldiers are providing convoy security for private contractors who are transporting supplies such as food, water, equipment and fuel, he said. While the soldiers are in a war zone, Marshall said the danger risk is low right now.
“They feel pretty safe and confident on their missions,” he said. “They are prepared if anything happens, but they're not shaking in their boots when they leave the wire.”
The soldiers also work shifts in the camp's security towers and are preparing to make improvements to their home for the next several months.
“They're very excited about being there and they hope to stay there for the entire time,” Marshall said. “They really want to take ownership of the camp.”
The camp was predominantly a Marine Corps base, but Charlie Company has since begun taking control of the camp, Marshall said. As the Marines leave the base, members of the Army's 82nd Airborne Division will arrive. The camp will be overseen by Charlie Company Maj. Brian Stramel, who was promoted from the rank of captain while in Georgia.
The camp, which is located about 300 miles from Baghdad, is home to about 1,000 people, including contractors, guardsmen and Marines.
Among other improvements, the soldiers hope to start a garden — since the only greenery at the camp comes from nearby sewage pond, Marshall said.
The camp's Internet access is still slow, but a new system should soon be in place that will allow the soldiers to communicate more with their families and friends back home, he said. Many of the soldiers said they enjoy working out in the camp's gym when they have free time, Marshall said.
Stramel said he wanted to thank the members of the community who have sent care packages and words of support to the soldiers on their deployment. The gestures, he said, lift the soldiers' morale.
“He wants everybody to know that the soldiers are very well disciplined,” Marshall said of Stramel. “They're taking very good care of each other and if Oregon could see them daily, they would definitely be very proud of what they are doing.”
• You can reach reporter Marissa Harshman at 957-4202 or by e-mail at mharshman@nrtoday.com. If you have loved ones stationed overseas and would like to share photos and updates, submit them to reporter Marissa Harshman by e-mail or bring them to The News-Review office, 345 N.E. Winchester St., Roseburg.
