Under a large tent adjacent to the California Army National Guard Armory, Event Emcees Fritz Coleman, Andy Chanley and Joe Garner welcomed active duty Service Members and Military Veterans throughout the day. Many of these men and women were past recipients of Operation Gratitude care packages, and wore specially designed pins saying "I Serve" or "I Served." Three previous Operation Gratitude Milestone Package recipients were in attendance: Sgt. Shaun Gallagher (300,000th package); Sgt. Eric Rodriguez (750,000th package) and Sgt. Samuel Mancilla (800,000th package).
Six World War II Veterans were honored guests, including Lt. Colonel Bob Friend, a Tuskegee Airman, and Bea Cohen, the oldest living female World War II Veteran at 103 years old.
To the delight of their fans, Celebrities Leah Remini, Joe Mantegna, Stelio Savante, Bill Jones and cast members from the new TV show, Enlisted, joined the festivities, as did Dodger great Al "The Bull" Ferrara, and radio host and author, Michael Reagan.
Two Assembly Lines were in full swing, producing 3,000 care packages in just two hours. In addition, the activities included Military and First Responder Booths, fun games with prizes for young children, a letter writing area with custom printed holiday cards for the troops, a paracord bracelet workshop, and a photo booth.
Several gourmet food trucks were on site and thousands of attendees were served a complimentary lunch courtesy of several community organizations and local businesses. Adding a holiday touch, Santa Claus was on hand giving out gifts to all the children.
"This is an extraordinary day in the life of Operation Gratitude," said Penny Alfonso, Volunteer and Community Service Coordinator. "I was at the very first Assembly Day in 2003 and it is breathtaking to witness this accomplishment by caring and patriotic Americans all across the country, whose goal is to say 'Thank You' to our Military."
The backdrop to the entire Event was the elegant and moving replica of the Vietnam Memorial Wall, presented by American Veterans Traveling Tribute. A special memorial program in front of The Wall opened with a rousing rendition of the National Anthem by the St. Francis de Sales Choir, and an inspirational invocation by Captain Brenda Threatt, a chaplain with the California State Military Reserve. Veterans from World War II, Korea, Vietnam, the Gulf War, Iraq and Afghanistan, joined Gold and Blue Star Mothers and War Dog, Cpl. Breezy, USMC (Ret.) to lay wreaths in honor of the Fallen.
In poignant remarks, The Adjutant General of California, Major General David Baldwin and John Barron, COO of American Veterans Traveling Tribute spoke of the sacrifices made by our Military and their families. Also in attendance representing their respective branches were Vice Admiral David Buss, Commander, Naval Air Forces, Brigadier General Vincent Coglianese, Commanding General, 1st Marine Logistics Group (1st MLG); and Command Sergeant Major William Clarke, the Senior Enlisted Soldier in California.
Steve Politis, a 96 year old B-17 fighter pilot who was shot down over Yugoslavia in World War II, was visibly moved by the outpouring of respect for America's Veterans. "I think about the many Operation Gratitude volunteer 'hands' that have touched these one million care packages--either by assembling the boxes or making one of the items inside," he offered. "There is no more beautiful way to express appreciation and let our Military know that people care."
Best Buy, the consumer electronics giant, revealed two Home Entertainment Systems--one each for the Millionth and the One Millionth & One packages. The systems included 55 and 32-inch Insignia TVs, Rocketfish wireless speakers, Insignia digital cameras and picture frames,a plethora of Rocketfish accessories, plus iPads.
Catching the crowd completely off-guard, Living Essentials, LLC, the distributor of 5-hour ENERGY® shots, unveiled the major gift for the recipient of Operation Gratitude's One Millionth Care Package: a Ford F-150 pickup truck. The vehicle will be delivered to the soon-to-be-revealed service member upon returning home from deployment next Spring.
"Our One Millionth Care Package represents the enormous generosity and support of patriotic Americans and businesses all across the country," said Carolyn Blashek, founder of Operation Gratitude. "We are thrilled that Upper Deck, Best Buy and 5-hour ENERGY® donated such extraordinary gifts to the milestone package recipient, who today represents all the members of the greatest Military on earth."
An exciting secret overseas delivery of The One Millionth Care Package, containing symbolic keys to the Ford F-150 and certificates for the other gifts, will be revealed to the public through social and traditional media in the coming week.
For more information about Operation Gratitude programs and activities, follow them on these sites:
www.OperationGratitude.com
www.facebook.com/
www.twitter.com/OpGratitude
About Operation Gratitude: Operation Gratitude annually sends 100,000+ care packages filled with snacks, entertainment and hand-made items and personal letters of appreciation addressed to Veterans, First Responders, Wounded Warriors, Care Givers and to individually named U.S. Service Members deployed in hostile regions. Our mission is to lift the spirits and meet the evolving needs of our Active Duty and Veteran communities, and provide volunteer opportunities for all Americans to express their appreciation to members of our Military. Each package contains donated product valued at $75-100 and costs the organization $15 to assemble and ship. Since its inception in 2003, Operation Gratitude volunteers have shipped more than One Million care packages.
