Cover Story
The Mother of All Troops
DAWN PLETCHER AND HER VOLUNTEER ARMY SHIP OUT BOXES OF LOVE OVER THERE
by DAWN BILDER

The morning temperature outside the barracks in Iraq had already reached one hundred degrees. Everywhere crumbling, barren earth looked like the surface of a sandy moon. Unrelenting desert sand fleas ate at the soldiers’ skin, as the men’s fear and loneliness ate at their sense of life. Yet a group of soldiers in the barracks worked over a heartfelt project. They folded an American flag into a neat, bulky triangle and bundled it carefully with a certificate of appreciation. One of the men, Specialist Kevin Smith, was going home, and he would deliver their gift of thanks

The flag was not for an injured soldier or a missed officer. It was for a tiny, energetic woman named Dawn Pletcher in Wellsboro, Pennsylvania, who founded Goodies For Our Troops with residents of Wellsboro’s Park Hill Manor in July 2005. Goodies For Our Troops is a 100% volunteer grassroots effort with the goal of mailing an individually addressed box of goodies as frequently as possible, preferably monthly, to each local serviceperson who has connections to anyone in the Twin Tiers and who is serving the United States overseas in a war zone. 

In her sixth decade, Dawn is in constant motion. She is always carrying things that appear too large and heavy, like important-looking binders or mailing boxes. Her dark eyes and salt-and-pepper long hair often peek out from under a camouflage military hat embroidered with her first name in Arabic and English, another gift from a thankful soldier. The only time she seems to stop moving is when she oversees a table in the local grocery store to raise money for food to put in Goodies For Our Troops care packages.  And, even then, she stands instead of sits. She is like a tireless mother who is afraid that if she sits, she may not be able to get up again. But she will not rest as long as there are men and women overseas for whom she and her fellow volunteers may provide some relief and a small piece of home.

Dawn was hesitant to be mentioned in this article except as a contact person. As she said, “I never want my name in anything.” But she agreed to answer questions about herself with two major understandings. First, it was absolutely imperative to her to express that she is barely responsible for all the work that goes into Goodies For Our Troops, that there are many, many people who donate food, necessities, and time—“and they,” Dawn stressed, “are the ones who deserve the credit. But the real focus should be on the troops and their needs and sacrifices” In her no-nonsense, selfless manner, she was merely reiterating what she had said when the Wellsboro Lion’s Club recently recognized Goodies For Our Troops volunteers as their Volunteers of the Quarter. In accepting the honor on behalf of all those who give of their time and talent, Dawn said, “In reality, it should be the families of our troops and our veterans who should receive this award.”  The second thing she stressed was she has no special schooling, training, or background in personal causes. She is just an ordinary person who has helped set up and run Goodies For Our Troops, and, in her words, “if this old lady can do it, so can anyone.”

So who is this dedicated and unassuming woman? Where did she come from? How and why did she cofound Goodies For Our Troops almost three years ago?

Dawn was born during World War II, in 1943, in Coudersport, Pennsylvania. Her father, Franklin (F.G.) Pletcher, worked on the railroad until 1964, at which time her parents opened a mom and pop grocery store adjacent to their house. Her mother, Evelyn Hensel Pletcher, who grew up on a farm outside Germania, was a homemaker until that time, although she did a lot of charity work while Dawn was growing up. Dawn’s childhood years were spent in Galeton, Pennsylvania. “My father was born in Galeton; he never left until he came to the Green Home in Wellsboro four years before he died in 1971. I loved Galeton, growing up with my five younger sisters and two younger brothers. I got a marvelous education and loved school. It was like a private school since there were so few of us—thirty-seven in my Galeton High School graduating class of 1960. Looking back, it was idyllic growing up there in the 1940’s and 1950’s.”

At 17, Dawn left home to attend airline school in Minneapolis. Three years later she moved to Pittsburgh, where she met her future husband. They married in 1963. Soon she had a daughter, Renee, who now lives in the Wellsboro area, and a son, Raymond, who is a Navy veteran and lives in California. Dawn worked part-time until her children went to school. Then she worked full-time as a corporate secretary for EPIC Metals Corporation in Braddock, Pennsylvania. Following her divorce in 1977, Dawn went on to earn degrees in computer science and accounting, graduating from college at the tender age of 43. For many years she had her own accounting and computer consulting business until she moved to Crofton, Maryland, to run her own cell phone store.

She has two grandchildren who attend Rock L. Butler Middle School in Wellsboro, and she says, “They are the main reason I came back to the Northern Tier.” She also somehow finds the time to volunteer for the Foster Grandparent Program, an offshoot of Area Agency on Aging. “I highly recommend it to anyone over 60,” Dawn said. “The kids sure do keep you on your toes, and they are so delightful. The two teachers in whose classrooms I am known as ‘Gramma Dawn’ are marvelous and very supportive.” 

Dawn’s mother is now 85, and, according to Dawn, “is running rings around all six of us girls and our two brothers. She still teaches Sunday school at the United Methodist Church in Wellsboro and is a volunteer aide in my sister Donna Burroughs’ class at Wellsboro High School.” 

The first seed for Dawn’s future role in Goodies For Our Troops was planted when her brother-in-law went to Vietnam. When asked if she sent packages to him, she laughed and said, “An Italian family—are you kidding?” Yes, she sent packages, as did almost everyone in her large family. But she remembered her brother-in-law talking about all the men who didn’t receive packages from home, so she tried to send some to them, too. 

Years later, when Dawn operated her own cell phone store in Maryland, her store was halfway between Andrews Air Force Base and Fort George Meade. Her main customers were in the military. She grew close to several of the men and women, and they affectionately called her “Mom.”

Then came 9/11. Dawn watched helplessly with the rest of America as the lives of her customers changed drastically, some of them having just two hours to report to Andrews Air Force Base for deployment to destinations in the Middle East.
Later, when the families of men and women deployed in Afghanistan and Iraq came into Dawn’s store, they shared how hard it was for them and their overseas loved ones. Dawn placed a donation box for them in her store, but she quickly realized that it wasn’t enough. Soon she was searching online to find the names and addresses of soldiers to whom she could send care packages. 

After she moved back to Wellsboro, she asked herself, “Why am I sending packages to people I don’t know, when I know so many people here who need care packages from home?” She went to a meeting of the residents of Park Hill Manor, the senior apartment house where she still lives, and suggested forming Goodies For Our Troops. Dawn said, “They agreed instantly and wholeheartedly.”

Although Dawn is hesitant to take any credit for her own contributions to the good causes she is involved in, she is quick to shower credit on others. It’s clear that Dawn holds a special place in her heart for her fellow residents, “Many, many of our volunteers are senior citizens at Park Hill Manor. For almost three years, they have donated their goodies, funds, and helping hands as well as giving up their community room three days a month. Ninety-three-year-old Carol Losinger calls the troops ‘our boys,’ and everybody makes sure that each soldier gets a touch of home, a feeling of appreciation, and a sense of being remembered in many strangers’ prayers every day.”

It is easy to understand why Dawn is respected and well liked; she seems to consider every small act of kindness—a word of encouragement, an acknowledgement of a friend’s happiness or sorrow, a generous act for strangers and neighbors alike, a compliment, and, yes, a care package overseas—worthwhile, and perhaps, as important as anything else in the world.

Dawn’s passion was obvious as she talked about Goodies For Our Troops, “We can’t assemble our care packages without help. We do it to show our troops currently serving our country at war how much they are appreciated back here in the hills.” Dawn radiated a kind determination as she stressed, “If you can spare even a half hour, and maybe bring a friend or two to lend us your helping hands, or if you’d like to write some cards or letters and/or if you know any kids that would like to draw pictures for our troops, that would be awesome and will be so much appreciated. With 110 troops currently on our list, it takes a lot of helping hands and donations of goodies and funds for postage. May is Military Appreciation Month, so we’re hoping that our boxes will be full of lots of goodies.”

Empathizing with her community’s common struggles, she said, “This year the high cost of gasoline and food doesn’t leave much for donations.” But she emphasized, “I’m hoping everyone will remember that every donation, even if it’s a penny or a bag of M&Ms or a half hour of packaging or a dozen cookies, helps meet the goal of showing our troops we appreciate their sacrifices for us. If everyone in the Twin Tiers donated one penny, it would be enough to finance food and postage for Goodies For Our Troops for an entire year.”

During our conversation, Dawn brought a small sample of a Goodies For Our Troops package. Inside the medium-sized USPS Priority Mail box were many wrapped and unwrapped items. First she explained, “Every article of food is individually bundled in bubble wrap because otherwise the fleas in Iraq and the rodents in Afghanistan would get into them” (One month alone, Goodies For Our Troops spent $300 on Scotch tape.).

Then Dawn pointed out non-food items in the box, “One volunteer knits these pen cases every month (over a hundred a month!) for each soldier on our list. She even includes the pens. Another lady just started donating these plastic to-go cups, which she fills with candy. State Representative Matt Baker gives pens, paper, and small flags from home every month.” 

When asked if the food and various items in the box were standard for each package, Dawn replied, “Since Goodies For Our Troops receives no government funds, we rely entirely on what is donated, so each month there may be different things in the care packages. Usually, we can count on having Ramen Noodles, beef jerky, Slim Jims, and M&Ms. I always make sure every package contains M&Ms.” She laughed and exclaimed, “Chocolate!” 

Then Dawn picked up a box of Girl Scout cookies, “This has to be the soldiers’ favorite. Master Sergeant Tim Robinson told me that when his fellow soldiers are really depressed or missing home, he pulls out Girl Scout cookies. He said to me, ‘You’ve never seen bigger smiles on soldiers’ faces.’” You can’t get more American than Girl Scout cookies,” Dawn continued.

According to Dawn, our troops also love homemade treats. Their favorites are fudge (without nuts which don’t hold up in shipping), cookies (no icing, nuts, or raisins), and marshmallow treats. Command Sergeant Major Mike Allen wrote to Dawn, “We were thrilled with the goodies (and to the fudge maker(s), it was fabulous!).”  Poignantly, LT Thomas A. Hager wrote, “Homemade cookies are from home.”

She has also received several special requests from soldiers for travel-size wet wipes, men’s deodorant, bug repellent, and the to-go drink mixes they can put in a bottle of water to flavor it. Private First Class Lorelle Whipple wrote, “We are now at an operating base with no PX, so your box was very much appreciated.” Many operating bases have no PX, and, even when they do, deodorant always seems to be sold out. Not everything the average modern young soldier considers a necessity in an often scorching climate is provided by the military.   

Plastic gallon jugs and ice cream buckets with lids are also in demand. In addition, our soldiers love the Mountain Home magazines donated every month by the publisher, Beagle Media, but they would also love to have any men’s magazines dated in the last three months as well as local weekly newspapers dated from April.  Specialist Lauren Agnoli emailed, “The local papers are a great touch because they keep us feeling like we’re informed. We like to sit around, each grab a section and read stuff out loud like we’re at home…just something we do…actually looks weird when I type it out, but we have fun.”

Some items that can’t be shipped overseas are juice boxes or drinks (they explode in shipping) and ham or pork products, which are incompatible with Islamic and Jewish dietary laws.

“Believe it or not,” Dawn said, “the items sent that mean the most to our soldiers are the letters and drawings made by children.” When Sergeant First Class Shane Graves from Ulysses, Pennsylvania, returned to the United States, he cut the rainbows out of all the children’s pictures sent to him in Iraq and hung the rainbows in his house. When Master Sergeant Tim Cleveland came home from overseas, he carried with him a box filled with nothing but kids’ letters and pictures sent to him from schools, Boy Scouts, and Girl Scouts. Specialist Gabriel Randall’s mom wrote, “My daughter-in-law told me Gabe was touched by your gift box, and the letters from the kids brought tears to his eyes.” In a long letter of thanks, Master Sergeant Ken Robinson mentioned the children first: “I would like to thank all the children who have made drawings or written letters to us deployed service people. Those are the greatest gifts of all.”

And if a soldier is sent home before his or her most current box arrives, never fear, the care package will not go to waste. Command Sergeant Major Allen wrote, “Ladies & Gentlemen, when Staff Sergeant Lewis Zuchowski left, he told us there was a package coming from back home and wanted us to benefit from it! We were thrilled with the goodies. Please accept our gratitude for sharing with the airmen here!” All of Sergeant Zuchowski’s friends sent an enthusiastic thank-you card bearing all their signatures.

“We are very fortunate,” Dawn said, “to have people volunteer from all over the Twin Tiers. They’re not just from Wellsboro and its adjoining communities. For example, we have a lot of people come from Elmira and Towanda. Even soldiers who are between deployments come and help us package. They especially know what it means to receive a care package.”

Dawn sends goodies to Pennsylvania and New York men and women of the U.S. Army 101st Airborne and 82nd Airborne out of Fort Bragg; the Army’s 10th Mountain Division from Fort Drum, New York; troops of the Pennsylvania Army National Guard out of Wellsboro, Williamsport, Lewisburg, and Lock Haven armories; “a lot of Marines”; U.S. Air Force and Navy personnel, “every branch of service but the Coast Guard.” A goodies box even lands on the deck of the U.S.S. Enterprise, the world’s first nuclear powered aircraft carrier and its longest naval ship, nearly four football fields long.

Most of Dawn’s troops hail from north and central Pennsylvania and southern New York, but she “adopts” men and women from other states. A Navy chaplain in a Marine unit asked her to add a young man to her list who “never, ever gets any mail.”  It’s a common request made by other soldiers and sailors who hate to see their mates forgotten, and Dawn doesn’t care where in the United States these lonely troops call home. “We just adopt them,” she said.

Many of the soldiers on the Goodies For Our Troops list of 110 troops are on the list for the second and third time (since July 2005), and some are on their fourth or fifth deployment since the attacks on America in 2001. It is a touching irony that those who sacrifice everything are the same ones who go out of their way to express their appreciation for any small thing done for them.

 Dawn shared some letters and emails sent to Goodies For Our Troops:

First Sergeant Dan Rieppel: “The packages are like Christmas every month…The only place in the world I want to call home is Tioga County.”
   
Senior Airman Christopher Hammond: “Thank you for everything you’ve done for myself and many other troops. The packages help through many hard times.”
   
Seaman Tiffany Reese: “Gifts from home seem to be keeping us all in a good mood. Thank you from aboard the USS Ronald Reagan.”
    
Sergeant Fred Plimpton: “Hi folks, I don’t know who you good people are, but I want to thank you for sending me a package. I am a Sergeant in the NY Guard, stationed in Baghdad. I miss my home and family so very much, and your packages helped me remember just what we are fighting for over here. Kind people like you make it all worthwhile for us.”
    
Master Sergeant Cliff Reynolds: “Well, I’m back in the sandbox. Thanks for all you’re doing for us.”
    
Master Sergeant Rosalee Davis: “Just a big thank you for all the boxes you have been nice enough to send my way. I honestly cannot tell you how much it has meant to me and helped me get through each day, knowing there are those out there who really care.”
    
Specialist Lauren Agnoli: “Your organization is so great for us, the soldiers deployed in Iraq, because it comes from ‘home,’ and it makes us all feel a whole heck of a lot better about our jobs here. Thanks again, you guys rock!”
    
Military Appreciation Month should be every month. Like a mother’s blessing, Dawn expressed best what we all wish to say to our valiant soldiers, “We thank and salute all our veterans, our troops, and their families, as well as the families of our fallen heroes, for all the sacrifices they’ve made and continue to make for us 24/7 so we can enjoy our comfortable lifestyle and freedoms they’ve selflessly earned for us with their bravery, courage, patriotism, and devotion.” Dawn added what might be called her signature expression, one not reserved just for soldiers and their families but offered as her own personal care package to everyone she meets, “God Bless.”  

Wellsboro resident Dawn Bilder is a frequent contributor to Mountain Home magazine. Sarah Bull contributed to this story.

Helping Hands

Goodies is always looking for helping hands. Here are the next two scheduled packaging weekends.

MAY: Friday May 2 & Saturday May 3, 1-8 p.m., Sunday May 4, 1-5 p.m.
JUNE: Friday June 13, Saturday June 14, 1-8 p.m., Sunday June 15, 1-5 p.m.
WHERE: The Community Room, Park Hill Manor, 21 Grant St., Wellsboro, PA
(Walk through the front doors, make a left, and the community room will be on the left) INFORMATION: (570) 662-5601; goodies@ptd.net
DONATION ADDRESS: Goodies for Our Troops, PO Box 383, Wellsboro, PA 16901; there is also a food donation box located at Park Hill Manor

To my new friends in the NY/PA Twin Tiers region!

On behalf of myself and our whole unit I wanted to thank you all for your generous package of goodies! They went fast and we truly enjoyed all of it. What made it extra special is that when the package came in it was assumed that it came from family or friends of mine because I was born and raised in the Twin Tiers! I’m from the NY side, but I grew up in Big Flats and graduated from Horseheads High School in 1985. My wife Michelle was born and raised in Elmira so it was great to get something really nice from home. We’ve been all through PA and absolutely love the region. If I remember correctly I have a cousin who lives somewhere around Wilkes-Barre and her husband works at a military ammunition plant somewhere around there. It truly is a small world.

I’ve been in Baghdad since November as a member of the Division Planning staff for the 4th Infantry Division for all of Baghdad. Its an incredible job and we are charged with developing the future plans in Baghdad including security, training of the Iraqi Security Forces, assisting with rebuilding their infrastructure (sewer, water, electric, health) as well as helping with their overall reconstruction and economic development. Although you probably only hear the bad news about the hold outs such as Sadr resisting the new government and the Coalition, there are innumerable great things happening, and in rebuilding Iraq there has been a renewed nationalistic spirit about Iraq which we haven’t really seen before. There are the separate political and military groups, but they are more unified with recent events than before. Much like our own country a couple hundred years ago it took us quite a few years to come together as a country and I feel like our efforts and soldier treasure is paying off.

My parents, Leo and Joan Hafer, live on Keuka Lake where they retired after all of us kids were done with school. I have a brother who works for Verizon and lives in Corning and of course several relatives from my wife’s side in the Elmira area. After I graduated from SUNY Brockport and my wife from Corning Community College I went active duty Army and ended up in Texas where we currently reside today. I am in the National Guard and have been mobilized since April 2007 and will be returning to Texas late July from my tour of duty. In my civilian job I work for an ammunition company in East Texas.

Thanks SO MUCH for all the things you all are doing to support all the troops. I salute all of you for what you do and an extra thanks for the veterans and family of veterans in past wars and our current wars especially giving thanks to those such as the parents of SSG Ostrom, Scott and Annie Ostrom. I thank God for you all and particularly the soldiers who have made the ultimate sacrifice so that others can live.
 
I salute you all!
God Bless and Thanks for the Support!
MAJ Barry L. Hafer