Writing and Riding Potpourri
December 2013
December 2013
It's a chilly Saturday morning and there's a busy day ahead. It's way too cold to ride the motorcycle this morning; it's tucked away hibernating for the Winter, and Danvers MA. is about 20 minutes from me. But the joy is, I'll be spending the morning with other motorcyclists bundling up packages and writing Christmas Cards to send to the troops overseas.I show up at the Danvers VFW with coffee in hand and am greeted with a huge hug by Dick Moody who's the president of Operation Troop Support. (http://www.troopsupportusa.com/ - in case you'd like to visit their website.) They are an established 501c3 that focuses their efforts on helping our deployed troops as well as their loved ones here at home. They do this package bundling and card sending several times a year.
Throughout the year they sponsor motorcycle events, yard sales, parties, raffles, and other events to raise funds that will benefit our deployed; you should check them out!
After downing my coffee and nibbling on apple and pumpkin pie, I am put to work in a well organized assembly line. The filled packages make their way onto a long table, we shove a itemization into the package fold, tape the packages up, put the address label on top, tape the label on and send it down the line. From there they're taken directly to the Post Office (which is literally next door), for mailing.
In another part of the building items are being hand wrapped and inserted into postal boxes, and there's several other tables where folks are writing out greeting cards. There are so many people working this event that we're split up into two buildings and take up two floors in each!
I find I'm the fifth cog in the wheel at this particular location I'm at, at the moment, and I'm only hampering the well greased assembly line. So I take myself over to the tables where the gals are writing up cards to send to the troops. There's at least 15 women at this station addressing, signing cards and stuffing them into envelopes. I grab a stack and start writing.
This brings me to wonder what it's like for servicemembers to spend the Holidays so far from home, familiarity, away from loved ones, in the line of danger and I find I'm overwhelmed with emotion! I can't even imagine what it would be like! I try to shake off the feelings and get to work.
I had asked the gals... "What should I write?" and they tell me to write whatever comes to mind; and so I did.
I write.... Here's wishing you all the best of the Holiday Season and beyond.May it give you comfort to know that those of us at home think of you and pray for you; and may Godspeed bring you home safe and sound to your loved ones!
Thank you for your service to our Country! With utmost honor and respect... Ooh Rah! Semper Fi~
Betsy E Lister
When we were all done; all the packages wrapped up and brought to the Post Office, all the cards stacked in a box ready to be addressed, some of us pose for a group photo:
This group picture is of just one of the stations in the two buildings; and doesn't begin to illustrate the fact that there had to be at least 75 people volunteering their time to make this all happen!
After the photo we collect our gear, put on our jackets and walk over to the other building to meet with the rest of the crew; when Mike McNulty co-founder of yet another wonderful veterans' organization 'The Disabled and Limbless Vets' pipes up and requests everybody's attention.
Attention grabbed, Mike along with Jack Cunha and Dom Marcellino, a Purple Heart triple amputee and co-founder of the Disabled and Limbless Veterans ( http://www.vvplates.org/about-us.html) call Dick Moody front and center to the back of the room where they unveil a huge check in the amount of $2500.00 to help underwrite the cost of the mailing of the packages!
(l-r Steve Levine, Dom Marcellino, Mike McNulty, Dick Moody, John Rego Cunha)
What a pleasant surprise and a generous donation! A thunderous applause fills the room!
Speaking of the Disabled and Limbless Veterans; they also are a non-profit organization, have sponsored a "Support Our Veterans" license plate at the Registry of Motor Vehicles which are now available to the driving public with funds benefiting the Fisher House, and the Homeless Vets, to name a couple of places that will benefit from the issuance of the plates.
If you'd like to support the effort and swap out your plate; there's a form you can get from your insurance agent to complete the transaction. Visit their website to find out more!
They also sponsor a Motorcycle Ride each year. This past year if you were there you may recall that the Registry's MREP (motorcycle representative) Gene Carabine brought Vinny DiMartino formerly of Orange County Choppers to last year's ride. VInny, who was not only adorable, was a great poser for pictures, and at times quite the ham; and the photo ops were just amazing! The message the Registry was to conveying was motorcycle safety of course.
Vinny has contracted with the Registry for four years and will be making appearances and various rides around the region for the next several years! Watch the flyers of upcoming events to see where he'll be.
After exchanging farewells until the next time we all see each other to aid veterans and their families, I get in my car and head off to Steve Coddens' house in Salem to change into my Marine Corps Uniform to attend a Marine Funeral in Lynn with Steve a fellow MCL.
The Detachment of the Marine Corps League that Steve and I both belong to in Peabody attends all local Marines' funerals; and we perform a casket side service which is always greatly appreciated by the family. This particular funeral, the family broke into tears and couldn't thank us enough for performing our ceremony and honoring their loved one who served in the Marines. The message here is, they're never forgotten, there service is always remembered. It's a short 5 minute ceremony, but filled with reverence, respect and honor! It's always a pleasure to be a part of it.
For those of you that are not aware; although I never served, I come from a long family history of veterans! My Dad was a WWII Army Vet; my Stepdad a Marine, my Stepbrother a Navy Vet, and my husband of 25 years a Vietnam Veteran Army Paratrooper with the 173rd (go Airborne!); of which he's quite proud of, as am I, even though I'm involved with the Marine Corps League!
I remember when I was young walking the streets of downtown Boston (where Dad worked); people would treat him with such respect and reverence; and I was awestruck by it.
Fast forward a decade and a half or so and I marry Richie (at age 21) who had just returned from Vietnam. When I witnessed how peoplewould spit on him and call him a baby killer it angered me to no end! I couldn't understand why people were so mean to our young soldiers, and why my Dad received so much respect and why my husband didn't!
Yes, it was controversial conflict, and people thought we had no business being there; however, these veterans fought for our country; signed that check dedicating life, and limb to the US aside from all of the politics! I felt they should be given the respect and honor that any other generation of veterans got!
I swore then, but didn't know how or when I'd be able to; to do something to give back to those that fought so long and hard for our freedoms; who gave up life, limb and in lots of cases their sanity.
I was young, 21 at the time, and would have to defer my aide until after raising a family and becoming a career woman; but I never forgot that promise I made!
Fast forward to 1997; then divorced and motorcycling again the previous year (I had a motorcycle at age 21), I started both *bikerbits* eZine and the POW/MIA Veterans Weekly Newsletter.
I noticed at the time that there was no "central" place for veterans to receive updated news; so every event I attended I'd pester people for their email address and weekly I'd send out veterans news!
You see, to two seemed to go hand and hand; motorcycling, veterans causes and so I jumped in the pool without knowing how to swim; but figured I'd learn along the way.
What I learned was invaluable; each article I read, I learned more and more; and what I've shared to veterans and motorcyclists for the past 15 years has given me a great sense of fulfillment and joy; and I hope I can continue working both for quite a long time; although my time seems to be filled more with just "work" these days.
So God willing I'll be able to do more and more for both motorcyclists and veterans, and thank you for allowing me to share my day with you.... oh, actually, that was only half the day!
Until next time... remember, "Whatever it is, it's always better in the wind!"
Betsy E "GYPSY" Lister
