Helping troops, veterans connect with loved ones

Uplink provides phone cards so troops can connect with home 
By MELINDA MOORE

Marion Thiel wants to keep soldiers and veterans connected to their loved ones, but she needs help.

She and fellow members of the Ladies Auxiliary of Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 717 are continuing their efforts to solicit donations for Operation Uplink.

The program, started by the national VFW organization in 1996, provides phone cards to service personnel as well as hospitalized veterans, enabling them to make calls to family and friends. The St. John post has been with the program since its inception.

“My one spiel is you can e-mail and write letters, but the sound of a person’s voice is so much more rewarding,” Thiel said. “It’s better than a letter. It’s reassuring for the families.”

Thiel, Americanism chairwoman for the auxiliary, is dedicated to the cause. In fact, she received a first-place national VFW award during the 2004 national convention for the most informative published articles promoting Operation Uplink.

Thus far this year, the St. John auxiliary has raised $1,664. Its goal is to raise more than $2,000.

To raise money, auxiliary members actively solicit donations and donate a portion of proceeds from fund-raisers they host throughout the year.

“Most of our programs are dinners that we put on and we vote on money from our treasury for things we sponsor,” Thiel said. “We help the homeless veterans – there are a lot of them.”

She said the auxiliary learned about Operation Uplink through the national organization, which promotes it and encourages auxiliaries to support it. According to the national Web site, more than four million phone cards have been passed out thus far.

“Supporting the troops is what the VFW does,” she said. “It also supports hospitalized veterans and current service personnel in the states and overseas. There are troops in Iraq and 140 other spots outside of the country.”

The phone cards are given out through the national organization.

“There’s no middle man between the auxiliary and the national organization – every cent is used for cards,” Thiel said, adding that she encourages people to join the effort.

“I always say that you can donate to Operation Uplink. If people don’t have anyone in the military, they may feel something for the men fighting for their freedom.”

To help out:
Those who would like to make a donation can make a check payable to Ladies Auxiliary VFW Post 717 and mail it to Marion Thiel, 9490 Keilman St., St. John, IN 46373. List Operation Uplink in the subject line.
FYI: Call (219) 365-8550.