General James Amos, 35th Commandant of the Marine Corps,
Brings Milestone Package to Afghanistan
Encino, CA--January 6, 2011: Operation Gratitude today revealed that the organization's 600,000th Care Package, containing the keys to a Victory Vegas 8-Ball Motorcycle, was personally delivered on Christmas Day by Marine Corps Commandant, General James Amos, to a Lance Corporal deployed in the Sangin District of Helmand Province, Afghanistan. The Lance Corporal, whose name will be revealed upon his return to the United States, is an infantryman with the 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines (3/5), also known as the "Dark Horse Battalion."
Lt. Colonel Jason Morris, Battalion Commander; General James Amos, 35th Commandant of the Marine Corps
Photo Courtesy of Combat Camera
"I received a phone call from a very happy young Marine on Christmas Day," exclaimed Carolyn Blashek, Operation Gratitude founder. "He said: 'Your package means the world to me. I appreciate everybody who put something in that care package and everybody back home. And I thank you for your love and support, as do all the other Marines who received packages from y'all. Have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.'"
Ten days earlier, Blashek had flown to Washington DC to meet General Amos, who, upon learning the recipient was a Marine with the 3/5, had offered to deliver the 600,000th Care Package during his trip to Afghanistan. The Commandant met with more than 12,000 of the 20,000 Marines deployed in Afghanistan during the ten day trip. While visiting with the "Dark Horse" Marines in Sangin on Christmas Day, he presented Operation Gratitude's milestone care package.
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| Lance Corporal reads letter from Victory Motorcycles Photo Courtesy of Combat Camera |
"We were outside in the cold night air; about 200 Marines had just finished their Christmas meal. All of the senior leadership in the Battalion were present," wrote General Amos. "The Battalion Commander called [the Lance Corporal] up in front of everyone and I gave him the package. He read your letter to everyone before he figured out what the gift was. Then he read the second letter from Victory and was handed a picture of the bike...that did the lad in. He was crying and his fellow Marines were cheering. I don't think that it could have gone any better."
General Amos added: "God bless the many faithful Operation Gratitude volunteers for what they have done...over 600,000 times!! My hearty thanks to all!"
The Victory Motorcycle will be presented to the Lance Corporal when the Battalion returns to Camp Pendleton in the Spring of 2011.
"Victory is always looking for meaningful ways to thank those serving in the military and our veterans," said Victory Motorcycles General Manager Steve Menneto. "The opportunity to partner with Operation Gratitude and donate one of our motorcycles to the organization's 600,000th care package means a lot to our company. We encourage everyone to continue finding ways to thank our troops for all they sacrifice in service to our country."
The 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines, deployed in Sangin since late September, 2010, have faced an extremely dangerous and challenging operational environment, sustaining numerous casualties. According to Lt. Colonel Jason Morris, the Battalion Commander, significant progress has been made in fracturing the enemy while providing humanitarian aid to the local populace.
"We hope our Milestone package, along with the approximately 1000 regular packages sent during our Holiday Drive, brought good cheer to the 3/5 Marines during this difficult time away from loved ones," said Blashek. "We look forward to welcoming home each of the Marines in the Spring and personally thanking them and their families for their courageous service to our nation and the cause of freedom." 
L to R: Sgt. Major Carlton Kent, the Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps; Lt. Colonel Jason Morris, Battalion Commander; Lance Corporal; General James Amos, 35th Commandant
Photo Courtesy of Combat Camera
Operation Gratitude, a non-profit, volunteer-based organization, shipped more than 45,000 individually addressed care packages during the holidays and plans to send another five thousand or more before the Spring. The group's Patriotic Drive will start in late April and run through June, sending an additional 40-50,000 care packages to Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Coast Guard and Marines deployed in harm's way. |
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About Operation Gratitude
Operation Gratitude annually sends 100,000+ care packages filled with snacks, entertainment items and personal letters of appreciation addressed to individually named U.S. Service Members deployed in harm's way. The organization's mission is to lift morale, bring a smile to a service member's face and express to our Armed Forces the appreciation and support of the American people. Each package contains donated product valued at ~$125 and costs the organization $15 to assemble and ship. For safety and security, assembling of packages occurs at the Army National Guard armory in Van Nuys, California. Since its inception in 2003, Operation Gratitude volunteers have shipped more than 600,000 packages to American Military deployed overseas.
Learn more about Operation Gratitude by visiting:
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About Polaris
Victory Motorcycles (www.victorymotorcycles.com) is a division of Polaris (NYSE:PII). With annual 2009 sales of $1.6 billion, Polaris designs, engineers, manufactures and markets off-road vehicles (ORVs), including all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) and the Polaris RANGER™, snowmobiles and Victory motorcycles for recreational and utility use and has recently introduced a new on-road electric powered neighborhood vehicle. Polaris is a recognized leader in the snowmobile industry; and one of the largest manufacturers of ORVs in the world. Victory motorcycles established in 1998 and representing the first all-new American-made motorcycle from a major company in nearly 60 years, are rapidly making impressive in-roads into the cruiser and touring motorcycle marketplace. Polaris also enhances the riding experience with a complete line of Pure Polaris apparel, accessories and parts, available at Polaris dealerships. Polaris Industries Inc. trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "PII," and the Company is included in the S&P MidCap 400 stock price index. Information about the complete line of Polaris products, apparel and vehicle accessories are available from authorized Polaris dealers or anytime from the Polaris homepage at www.polarisindustries.com.
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