Newsletter
Volume 12
Issue 3 & 4
May/June 2014
Hi Folks,
Once again it’s time for another newsletter and do we ever have a lot to share. As always thank you to all of our supporters!
Let’s start this newsletter off by saying we have heard back from a lot of our deployed soldiers/sailors. So many in fact that all of their letters won’t fit into this newsletter!
OCR has been shipping non stop since our last newsletter and to many countries. We are only to glad to help support our soldiers/sailors.
However on that note, we need to increase our postage drive so that we can keep shipping. Therefore on Aug 8-10th we will be back at the Boston Comic Con (http://www.bostoncomiccon.com) doing our annual fundraising drive. Last year was very successful and we are looking for this year to be as equally successfully.
As always thank you to the folks at the Boston Comic Con (BCC) for inviting us once again; and if you do attend please stop by to say hi to us. We always like meeting our supporters.
Thank you to Mr. Fred Van Lente who has once again donated several items for us to use with our fundraising efforts. We appreciate all of his help over the years.
Thank you also to Mr. Scott Cashman, who not only serves this country by wearing the uniform, but also helped once again do our taxes. Scott we can’t say thank you enough!
Until next time,
Chris
Volume 12
Issue 1 & 2
March/April 2014
Hi Folks,
Once again OCR gets another year older and as always we thank you our supporters who make it all possible.
With this new year our schedule once again starts to fill up with different events and appearance. Currently it appears OCR will be attending the Boston Comic Con, Rhode Island Comic Con & Granite Con later this year. More information will come on these wonderful events as they get closer.
Thank you once again to Mr. Scott Cashman for helping with OCR’s taxes. We truly appreciate you help.
OCR continues to send out packages at a steady pace & thank you to all those who have sent us addresses of deployed soldiers to ship to. We appreciate it and we know they do to!
Until next time,
Chris
Volume 11
Issue 11 & 12
Jan./Feb. 2014
Hi Folks,
Happy 2014 as we move into another new year and OCR soon turns 11. As always thank you to all of our supporters.
With the holiday shipment long sent out and received we have begun hearing back from the soldiers. This last holiday shipment went out to at least 8 different countries!
I would like to thank all of the volunteers who helped make up the holiday shipment, as well as to all the volunteers who help on a daily basis. These packages get there because of your dedication!
As the holidays are now done OCR, returns to its normal pace of shipping to our deployed soldiers. If you know of a US soldier deployed outside the US, feel free to let us know and we will get something out to them.
Lastly, thank you to all who helped with fundraising for OCR. Your time and effort is appreciated not only by us, but by the soldiers who received our packages.
Until next time,
Chris
Volume 11
Issue 9 & 10
Nov./Dec. 2013
Hi Folks,
Once again another year comes to a close if you can believe it, and thanks to you our supporters of old and new, we have helped support our deployed soldiers around the globe!
Well the OCR holiday shipment went out and if not already there, then very shortly there will be a number of soldiers who will have some enjoyable reading during their holidays.
Thank you to the folks at the Rhode Island Comic Con (RICC). Once again OCR was an invited guest and we had another very successful event with them. We look forward to being with them again in the future.
Thank you to all who stopped by to support us at the RICC. It was great seeing some of you again and meeting some of you for the first time.
Lastly thank you to all of our deployed soldiers. Happy holidays to all of you wherever you maybe. We hear you and you are not forgotten!
Happy holidays to all!
Until next time,
Chris
Volume 11
Issue 7 & 8
Sept./Oct. 2013
Hi Folks,
Once again newsletter time rolls around and as always thank you to all of our supporters.
Well it was bound to happen! After 10 years of shipping to them we finally heard from the Coast Guard; and hear from them we did! OCR was more than happy to support them. Thanks Coasties for all you have done and are doing. We’re proud of all of you!
For those who are planning on going to the Rhode Island Comic Con (RICC) on 11/2 or 11/3, please stop by and say hi to us. OCR will once again be there and we thank the folks of the RICC for inviting us again. If you need more information their website is www.ricomiccon.com.
Thank you to Mr. J. K. Woodward who generously donated some artwork to OCR to help with fundraising. These will be on display at the RICC for those who are interested in some wonderful works of art!
Thank you to E4 Anthony Zane who after his deployment to Korea returned with a gift for us. E4 Zane presented OCR with a framed piece of the barb wire from the DMZ. One of our volunteers who served during the Korean War loved seeing it!
Well folks that’s about it for now. As we approach the end of 2013 we begin to gear up for our annual holiday shipment. As this newsletter is going out late the next one will soon be following and you should hear more about the shipment then.
Until next time,
Chris
Volume 11
Issue 5 & 6
July/Aug. 2013
Hi Folks,
Once again newsletter time rolls around. As always thank you to all of our supporters.
The long awaited Boston Comic Con (BCC) finally happened on Aug. 3 &4. Judging from the crowd, it is quite easy to say it was a huge hit.
Thank you to all who stopped by to see us and say hi. Thank you especially to those GIs who also stopped by to thank us for the packages they received while deployed. We are glad we could help.
Thank you also to the OCR volunteers who came and helped. You folks are the backbone that makes this organization run!
OCR would also like to thank all of the folks who donated items for us to use for fundraising (see our Mar./April newsletter). As the BCC was supposed to happen in April we have had these items in limbo until the show. Needless to say they were a huge help and because of them, we were able to shatter our previous fundraising records!
Last but not least, thank you to the BCC for inviting us once again.
With all of that under our belt we now turn our attention to the Rhode Island Comic Con coming up on Nov. 2 & 3. If you’re in the area please stop by and say hello.
Currently we have been shipping to a lot of new areas as things in Iraq and Afghanistan slowly wind down. This is not to say we are not shipping to these two areas as we still are. However as troops get moved on to other places, we get called on to help out in these new locations.
So until next time,
Chris
Volume 11
Issue 3 & 4
May/June 2013
Hi Folks,
Once again we enter the newsletter zone; and since we last wrote several things have happened so let’s get to it. As always thank you for the continued support!
You may remember back in April we were supposed to be at the Boston Comic Con (BCC). Well as you probably have heard/guessed or seen it was put on hold until Aug. due some idiots who didn’t believe in the resolve of the American/Massachusetts people. Things didn’t work out to well for them.
As someone who was involved in that day, I would like to say thank you to all of those that responded and helped, especially those of BEMS and BFD, who over the years have been supporters of our. All of you are heroes and showed the world what we here already knew!
If that’s wasn’t enough I/we got to experience first had the support of our military. Within minutes of the incident our soldiers came to our aide here at home. From the GIs who pulled the fencing out of the way so that the injured could be reached, to the ones who walked our streets in the following days watching over us, to the ones that wrote ME sending ME support…I/we thank you!
So now the BCC will be on Saturday & Sunday August 3 - 4, 2013 at the World Seaport Trade Center which is located at 200 Seaport Blvd. Boston, MA.. For further information please check out their website (www.bostoncomiccon.com).
Also OCR has once again be graciously invited to attend the Rhode Island Comic Con (RICC) on 11/2 & 11/3 at the Rhode Island Convention Center which is located at
1 Sabin St. Providence, RI.. For further information please check out their website (www.ricomiccon.com).
OCR would like to once again thank the coordinators of both of these events for their continued support.
We would like to say thank you to Mr. Scott Cashman for once again helping us with our taxes.
Thank you also to Mr. David Missle and the folks at Salisbury Sales for designing our wonderful 10th anniversary shirt. If anyone is interested in purchasing one please contact us. We have both L and XL for sale and all proceeds go the getting comics to our deployed soldiers.
Last but not least we have a big goodbye to make. After years of serving our country, MG Chaves has retired. In a ceremony on May 30th in Hawaii, he retired. MG Chaves we will miss you, thank you and know we will be in touch!
Until next time,
Chris
Volume 11
Issue 1 & 2
March/April 2013
Hi Folks,
I’m not sure even where to begin this newsletter; however I do have to start somewhere so here I go.
On 3/8/2003 a small non profit was launched, with a simple idea…send some comics to deployed US soldiers. Now 10 years later and 100,000+ comics, OCR has helped our soldiers far more than I could have ever believed.
To mention anyone person would be wrong as so many people have made all of this possible. It would also be a very long list to thank everyone individually who has helped. To this end I shall try to do my best by covering all of the groups.
First (and these are in no order) thank you to all of you, our supporters (both individuals and companies) who after all these years have continued to be there for us. Your donations of money, comics and supplies have been one of the support columns, making all of this possible.
To the volunteers of OCR (both from its inception to currently) you truly are another support column. You have all showed some many what people can do when they come together. Without you I would have gone bonkers a long time ago.
Your day to day dedication has gotten packages from us into the hands of so many soldiers across the globe. You are the backbone of OCR and shining stars. You very much are people of inspiration!
To our soldiers (and of course their families who sacrifice so much), without you standing vigilant on that wall for us we wouldn’t be the great country that we are. I have heard from and met so many of you. Everyday that I wake up in this land of the free is because it’s the home of the brave…you the brave. All of us citizens are (and should be) grateful and proud! From everyone THANK YOU!
When I began this journey, I never would have dreamed that it would have taken me to where it has. Having been blessed to have met many of you and hearing some of your stories, I have become a much more enriched person. From the family of a soldier who shared a family story with me, to the person who wants to support for the sake of just supporting, to the returning or soon to be deployed soldiers, thank you for sharing. You teach me everyday about the human spirit and heart.
The generosity of all of you that make up this OCR “family” has been overwhelming to say the least, and I am humbled and I thank you for 10 years of all this.
During the next year we will be working on several events for OCR, from just celebrating to fundraising. We will do our best to keep you all informed, starting with our appearance at the Boston Comic Con (www.bostoncomiccon.com) on Saturday & Sunday April 20 - 21, 2013 at the Hynes Convention Center (900 Boylston Street, Boston, MA). Once again OCR has been invited to return and we thank the generous folks at the BCC for their continual generosity.
Since we are talking about the BCC, I would like to say thank you to the following folks for their generous donations to help at this years show:
1. Mr. Paul Tobin
2. Mr. Fred Van Lente
3. Mr. Stan Lee, Ms. Kim Luperi & POW Entertainment
4. Ms. Marci Hubbard, Mr. Nate Murray & IDW Publishing
5. Mr. Tom Shimmin & Oni Press
Last (but by no means least) let us all remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice for us; and those that OCR shipped to but will never get to see this 10 year newsletter. We remember you and will never forget:
1. LCpl Gregory MacDonald
2. SPC Justin Rollins
3. CW4 Matt Heffelfinger
4. CW2 Earl Scott
As I draw this newsletter to a close I again say thank you to all of you; and to our soldiers...we are proud of you, thank you, support you and hear you…you are not forgotten!
Until next time,
Chris
Volume 10
Issue 11 & 12
Jan./Feb. 2013
Hi Folks,
Once again it’s newsletter time; as always thank you to all of our supporters.
With the shipping of the annual holiday shipment, things have been quiet here at OCR. We are now looking & preparing for our 10th year if you can believe it. However, we will save that for the next newsletter!
The Boston Comic Con (www.bostoncomiccon.com) returns on Saturday & Sunday April 20 - 21, 2013 at the Hynes Convention Center (900 Boylston Street, Boston, MA) , Once again OCR has been invited to return and we thank the generous folks at the BCC for their continual generosity.
So until next time (and on the start of our 10th year),
Chris
Volume 10
Issue 9 & 10
Nov./Dec. 2012
Hi Folks,
Once again it’s time for another newsletter. As always thank you to all of our supporters.
On Nov. 3rd & 4th OCR was at the Rhode Island Comic Con. This was the first RICC ever and if that was a sign of things to come, I think people can expect to see many more. Both days were packed with people. It really was the “biggest show in the smallest state”.
OCR would again like to say thank you to the folks of the RICC for inviting us.
Once again I’d like to mention about an online store called Shop to Change the World. Recently OCR joined up with this company that contributes a part of their sales to OCR. We encourage you to stop by their website and if you see something you like. You can specify a part of your purchase goes to OCR. Their website can be found here http://shoptochangetheworld.com/.
The annual holiday shipment has gone out and in just a matter of days, soldiers around the globe will be receiving packages from us, to help them enjoy the holidays. Packages this year went to six different countries including Afghanistan.
On Nov. 16th OCR had the great privilege of meeting with Mr. Stan Lee. After years of donating to OCR, we had the great pleasure of showing him in person, what his donations have helped produce for our deployed soldiers. We extend a heartfelt thanks to both Mr. Lee and the folks at his office who helped make that meeting possible. We would also like to wish this WWII veteran a belated happy birthday and veteran’s day! Thank you for your service Mr. Lee!
As we now enter the holidays and a new year, OCR prepares for its 10th year! However before we even get to that happy holidays to all.
To our soldiers wherever they are thank you, happy holidays and you are not forgotten!
Until next time,
Chris
Volume 10
Issue 7 & 8
Sept./Oct. 2012
Hey Folks,
Once again it’s time for another newsletter installment. As always thank you to all of our supporters!
With the holidays approaching OCR once again gears up to do its annual holiday shipment. Currently we are looking at potentially shipping to about 700 soldiers!
Just a reminder to all, OCR will be at the Rhode Island Comic Con (www.ricomiccon.com) coming up on Nov. 3rd & 4th. It’s looking to be a pretty big show and we hope to see you there.
Upon returning from Afghanistan, LTJG Andrew Fitzsimons present OCR with a flag that was flown in OCR’s honor. There are no words that can express our gratitude for that honor, so thank will have to do and thank LTJG Fitzsimons for your service.
With troops slow returning from Afghanistan OCR has been increasing it’s shipment to other area such as Japan, South Korea and Germany to name a few. Remember we have troops everywhere!
OCR would like to thank Ms. Amber LaPraim and Oni Press for their generous donation of comics. Those comics are already being shipped around the globe.
We’d also like to thank Mr. Joshua Levine whose generous donation helped to ship all those previously mentioned comics!
We’d also like to mention about an online store called Shop to Change the World. Recently OCR joined up with this company that contributes a part of their sales to OCR. We encourage you to stop by their website and if you see something you like. You can specify a part of your purchase goes to OCR. Their website can be found here http://shoptochangetheworld.com/.
Well that concludes this installment of the newsletter.
Until next time,
Chris
Volume 10
Issue 5 & 6
July/Aug. 2012
Hi Folks,
Once again it’s newsletter time and thank you for your continued support!
Since our last newsletter several things have taken place. Our interview with Ms. Katie Nolan of G4 during the Boston Comic Con aired and ended up being played on the Armed Forces Network. How do we know this you ask? Well after hearing from deployed soldiers all over the place saying that they say us on TV we had to ask what they were talking about; we got our answer!
As a result of that interview we had contacts from a number of locations asking for our help. I am happy to say we shipped to all of them!
Speaking of interviews, we just recently did one with Ms. Dominique Kruse of Radio Disney Denver AM 1690. She works on a Sunday morning kids show called the “Breakfast Club”. She did a wonderful interview that will air in the near future.
Thank you to Ms. Barbra J. Dillon of Fanboy Comics. She generously sent us some of their comics, which are now over in Afghanistan!
Just a reminder to all, OCR will be at the Rhode Island Comic Con (www.ricomiccon.com) coming up in Nov.. Hope to see you there.
Thank you to Mr. Scott Cashman for helping once again with OCR’s taxes.
Last and certainly not least, a huge thank you to the past and present crew of the USS Alexandria (SSN-757), a Los Angeles-class nuclear-powered attack submarine. On the invite a naval officer, I had the opportunity of a lifetime to come and check out their ship. Two words come to mind that sum up the visit…awesome and amazing! As timing is everything, I arrived just when they finished watching Thor! Guys thank you and keep up the good work.
Until next time,
Chris
Volume 10
Issue 3 & 4
May/June 2012
Hi Folks,
Once again we have arrived at newsletter time and there is a lot to share with you in this issue.
As always let me say thank you to all of our supporters both old and new; and once again to those who helped and donated to us for the Boston Comic Con (BCC).
OCR had another successful year at the BCC thanks to the wonderful items we had donated to us to help with our fundraising, as well as the from the helping hands of those costumed superheroes from DC universe East Coast. Add to that the wonderful talent of Mr. Fred Grandinetti and how could we go wrong!
On Saturday alone we understand that there was close to 10,000 people flooding the halls of the BCC! We again say thank you to the folks at the BCC for inviting us.
With that behind us we now turn our attention to the Rhode Island Comic Con coming up in Nov.. From what we are seeing it appears that it too will be quite the show and we hope to see some of you there.
Several weeks ago we sent out a large shipment to the soldiers of B CO 296 BSB 3-2 SBCT. We wanted to give a shout out to them. Glad to hear you got them and are enjoying them!
On Memorial Day I did an interview with Mr. Morgan White Jr. of WBZ radio. I would like to say thank you to him for making some time for us. Despite me being horrible at interviews he walked me through it and I think I did ok…or so I’m being told. Also thank you to Mr. Grandinetti for arranging the interview.
I’d like to now take a moment to thank Ariel, one of OCR’s longtime volunteers. After years of volunteering with us, Ariel will be leaving to further her academic pursuits. We will miss her and wish her all the best; the doors always open if you ever want to volunteer with us again!
Well that’s all for now.
Until next time,
Chris
Volume 10
Issue 1 & 2
March/April 2012
Hi Folks,
Once again it’s newsletter time and once again thank you to you, our supporters.
Well here we are almost 10 years later. Some would say we are 10 years old but I am going to save that for next year as there will be no doubt/debate them. It’s been quite the journey.
With this newsletter comes the finishing of a large shipment to our soldiers in the 509th En Co. and the beginning of another large one to our soldiers of the B CO 296 BSB 3-2 SBCT.
In just a matter of days (4/21 & 4/22) the annual Boston Comic Con (BCC) takes place. Once again we will be there raising funds to help with shipping. If you’re there please stop by and say hello, we always like to see/meet you folks! For more information about the show, please check out their website http://bostoncomiccon.com/.
We’d also like to say thank you to the following people and companies that have generous donated items to OCR, for fundraising at the BCC:
1. Mr. Fred Van Lente
2. Mr. Kevin Byrne and Diamond Comics
3. Ms. Marci Hubbard and IDW Publishing
4. Mr. Stan Lee, Ms. Kim Luperi and POW! Entertainment
5. Mr. Greg Pak (http://gregpak.com)
6. Mr. Cory Casoni & Oni Press, Inc.
7. Mr. Paul Ens
8. Mr. Scott Chitwood & Mr. Brian Clevinger
9. Mr. Ben McCool
10. Tracy Manousaridis “from the collection of Nik Manousaridis”
11. Last but not least…the folks at the BCC
Thank you also to the folks at DC Universe Boston, who once again will be helping us at the BCC; and to Mr. Fred Grandinetti who will be doing Popeye drawings at our booth on that Sunday.
A large thank you to Mr. James Donahue & the folks of the DC UNIVERSE EAST, who will be helping us at the BCC also, as well as for their generous donation to us!
On the same note, OCR was generously invited to the Rhode Island Comic Con on 11/3 & 11/4 at the Rhode Island Convention Center, 1 Sabin Street, Providence. For more information about the show, please check out their website http://www.ricomiccon.com/.
I would also like to take a moment to thank the Penaflor Family who generously gave us their personal time, to show me some of the many historical sites on Oahu. Mahalo!
Until next time,
Chris
Volume 9
Issue 11 & 12
Jan./Feb. 2011
Hi Folks,
As March approaches OCR see the coming of another birthday, and depending on how you count, some will say this is our 10th year. Now while I can’t dispute that, I’ll wait until next year to say it officially. Nonetheless we here at OCR are starting preparations for that big event and will keep you informed.
Meanwhile I’d like to say thank you to all of you, our supporters both old and new. As always you make this possible!
As the Boston Comic Con approaches in April, we are well into making preparations. On that note, if anyone has comic collectibles/limited or signed items that they are willing to donate to us to raise funds for postage, please feel free to contact us. Remember all donations are tax deductible! For more information about the show, please check out their website http://bostoncomiccon.com/.
Thank you to Mr. Paul Tobin (http://www.paultobin.net/) for signing a bunch of comics for us. We will have these available at the Boston Comic Con for those that are interested.
OCR sends a hello to the soldiers of the 1165th MP Co.! We got your letter and are glad to have help.
Like years past the annual holiday shipment went out and was a big success. Deployed US soldiers around the globe had some unexpected surprise entertainment to enjoy during those days.
That’s it for now.
Until next time,
Chris
Volume 9
Issue 9 & 10
Nov./Dec. 2011
Hi Folks,
With the holidays upon us again another year has rolled by. I’d like to once again start by thanking all of our supporters both old and new.
As in years past OCR did its annual holiday shipment, sending out more than 200 packages to our deployed soldiers. I’m sure these soldiers will have a little brighter holiday knowing that they are not forgotten.
On that note I’d like to say happy holidays to all of our deployed soldiers. We here at OCR thank you and hope you had a good Veteran’s Day as well as Thanksgiving.
In light Pearl Harbor Day just going by we’d also like to say thank you to our Veteran’s of the past…our freedoms are thanks to you as well as those currently protecting them!
Happy holidays to LTJG Andrew Fitzsimons & the soldiers of the 515th Sapper Company.
A big thank you to the sailors of USS Alexandria, who on a trip to the North Pole brought a piece of it back with them and gave it to us. We very much appreciate what you are doing and that you thought of us.
Thank you to the folks at the Boston Comic Con who once again are inviting us attend their April 2012 show. If anyone has comic collectibles that they are willing to donate to use to raise funds for postage, please feel free to contact us. Remember all donations are tax deductible! For more information about the show, please check out their website http://bostoncomiccon.com/.
Lastly we’d like to say happy holidays to all of you, and to our soldiers everywhere…you are not forgotten!
Until next time,
Chris
Volume 9
Issue 7 & 8
Sept./Oct. 2011
Hi Folks,
Once again it’s newsletter time, and as always thanks to all of our supporters.
As we prepare to roll into the holidays, OCR is starting to make its list of soldiers to ship to. If you know of a deployed soldier please let us know and we will get something out to them. Remember that’s what we’re here for!
Rumor has it that the Boston Comic Com (BCC) 2012 is in the planning stages. This past one was a huge success for both OCR and the BCC. We hope to be invited again and have an even better show.
With Veteran’s Day approaching we say thank you to all of our Veterans for their service. We’re here because you were/are there!
Lastly (as I have been asked several times this week) OCR is currently in need of funds for shipping. With the holidays coming up we will have many soldiers to ship to. While we are in great shape with comics there will always be a need for postage, as the USPS continues to increase their rates.
Until next time,
Chris
Volume 9
Issue 5 & 6
July/Aug. 2011
Hi Folks,
Hope everyone is having a great summer. As always thank you to all of you, our supporters.
OCR has been busy since we last left you. Seems that areas that were once over shadowed by events in Iraq and Afghanistan are now reaching out to us with more frequency which is great and we’re always glad to help out.
Thank you to everyone who has sent comics to us. I believe we are caught up on sending out receipts to all of you.
If anyone is thinking of sending us more comics, please note that currently we have a large inventory of comics to draw from and are all set for some time. We’re getting a little backlogged and running out of space. So please check with us before sending.
Thank you to those who sent us addresses of soldiers to ship to. As a matter of fact, several wrote us back and were thrilled to get packages.
If you know of a deployed soldier who would like a package from us, please send us their address. We’d love to get some stuff off to them.
Well that’s it for now.
Until next time,
Chris
Volume 9
Issue 3 & 4
May/June 2011
Hi Folks,
Let me start off this newsletter once again thanking all of our supporters.
Back on 4/30 & 5/1, OCR attended the Boston Comic Con (BCC) which was held at the Hynes Convention Center. During our two days there OCR raised a record for donations. Because of these donations, OCR will be doing a lot of shipping in the coming months.
We’d like to once again say thank you to all of the folks and companies whose generous donations helped make that achievement possible:
1. Mr. Fred Van Lente
2. Mr. Kevin Byrne and Diamond Comics
3. Ms. Marci Hubbard and IDW Publishing
4. Mr. Stan Lee, Ms. Kim Luperi and POW! Entertainment
5. Last but not least…the folks at the BCC
A special thank you our OCR volunteers who helped work our booth and to the great folks at the DC Universe Boston (DCUB).
OCR really wants to say a big thanks to Batman (who’s a former Marine…if there is such a thing…and whose real name will remain a mystery) for getting all the folks of the DCUB to come in costume and raise postage for OCR by posing for pictures. Their help was tremendous and we can’t say thank you enough!
Thank you to Mr. Scott Cashman who did OCR’s taxes this year. His help was enormously appreciated.
Other big news, on May 1st Osama bin Laden died from acute lead poisoning. Enough said!
Although it’s only June, OCR now starts it’s preparations for the December holiday shipments. If anyone knows of a soldier or soldiers that would like to receive packages from us during the holidays, please contact us.
Meanwhile, we continue to hear from soldiers around the globe and have been shipping steadily to them. To any of those that may hear or read this…we hear all of you and we support you. Your packages are on the way and you’re not forgotten!
“Semper Fidelis”…Marines
“Semper Paratus”…Coast Guard
“This We'll Defend”…Army
“Non Sibi Sed Patriae”…Navy
“Fly-Fight-Win”…Air Force
“A tribute to all those who have & are serving!”…OCR
Until next time,
Chris
Volume 9
Issue 1 & 2
March/April 2011
Hi Folks,
Once again it’s newsletter time and as always thank you for all of your support. If it wasn’t for all of you these past years would not have happened.
In March OCR celebrated another birthday, turning 8 years old. During these past years we have shipped tens of thousands of comics world wide in support of our soldiers.
As previously mentioned on 4/30 & 5/1 the Boston Comic Con (BCC) returns once again (www.bostoncomiccon.com). We look forward to seeing you folks at the Hynes Convention Center were it is to be held.
OCR would like to say thank you Mr. Kevin Byrne and Diamond Comics for their generous donation to help with fundraising at the BCC.
We’d also like to say thank Mr. John Harrington and the Boston Firefighters for their generous donation to help with postage once again!
Last month we had the privilege of once again meeting up with the good Major General Chaves and his wife. Both are doing well and I let them know that OCR stands ready to support their soldiers when needed.
During the past 2 months OCR shipped numerous packages to Afghanistan at the request of our soldier. We’re glad to have helped and continue to support these soldiers.
Until next time,
Chris
Volume 8
Issue 11 & 12
Jan./Feb. 2011
Hi Folks,
With the old year closed out and a new one begun, OCR stands poised to begin it’s ninth (9th) year if you can believe it!
As always, thank you to all of you supporters both old and new; you make all of this possible. I’d also like to say thank you to all of our volunteers who work tirelessly to keep OCR going.
With the holidays and January behind us, OCR looks forward. On 4/30 & 5/1 the Boston Comic Con (BCC) returns once again (www.bostoncomiccon.com). However this year it will be located at the Hynes Convention Center. If you can make it please stop by and say hello to us, as once again the folks at the BCC have generously donated a table to OCR.
OCR would like to say a big thank you to Ms. Marci Hubbard and IDW Publishing as well as Ms. Kim Luperi and POW! Entertainment for their generous donations to help with fundraising. These items will be available at our table during the BCC.
The good Major General Chaves strikes again. It’s seems his generosity knows no bounds. During January we received a package from him, in which he enclosed two of his epilates. We can’t say thank you to him enough. We recently had them framed along with a picture of him and will have it on display during the BCC.
In January we heard from a lot of soldiers requesting packages from us, including several soldiers who were returning for their second or third tour. We can’t express our gratitude enough to these soldiers and were only too glad to ship packages to them. As always…you are not forgotten!
Until next time,
Chris
Volume 8
Issue 9 & 10
Nov./Dec. 2010
Hi Folks,
Once again another year has gone by if you can believe it. As always I’d like to say thanks to all of our supporters and volunteers who make this all possible. You folks are the backbone of this operation.
I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving and to our Veterans out there, I hope you had a great Veterans day as well (we thank you for all you’ve done and continue to do).
As usual we did a large shipment to our soldiers for the holidays and had a great time doing it. We started a little earlier than usual because of the postal issue, which is still being worked on.
Recently I heard from a soldier who felt as though he and his comrades had been forgotten about. Now we all know that nothing could be farther from the truth and I told him so. However I think this is a powerful message to us about how important what we are doing is! We need to continue to support all of them no matter where they are and for however long that they are there.
On that note, this shows the continued need for us and why fundraising for postage will be ongoing. So if anyone knows of someone looking for that end of year charitable donation, please feel free to have them contact us.
Lastly since I just mentioned it, we need to note that during this past year, OCR shipped to our soldiers that were stationed in multiple countries including Iraq and Afghanistan.
Well that’s it for now, so from OCR to all of you, happy holidays; especially to our soldiers wherever you are…you are not forgotten!
Chris
Volume 8
Issue 7 & 8
Sept./Oct. 2010
Hi Folks,
Once again it’s newsletter time and as always let me start off saying thank you to all of our supporters both old and new.
As I mentioned in the last newsletter we were sending packages to Major Chafe, who along with his crew on board OCR1, delivered them all over the place. According to the feedback we received from the good Major, apparently it was a hit with the soldiers once again! I’m glad we could help.
In a flashback to 2003, Major Chafe has reenacted the picture with his crew. As some of you may remember, that was one of the pictures we received back when OCR first started. However this time, it’s with his new crew.
Currently we’ve started our annual holiday shipment. Hopefully by the next newsletter you’ll get to see some pictures and letters from this shipment which (if history repeats itself) will make your holidays brighter as it does ours!
I’d also like to thank Ms. Anna Bonanno who kindly had a fundraising party this summer for OCR. Thanks to her help & generosity a large amount was raised to help with postage, which will be used to help with the holiday shipment.
I’ve also been asked to do a “shout out” to the soldiers of the 230th EN Co. who OCR is in the process of shipping too. So to them I say get ready because you will soon have more than enough stuff coming your way. You are not forgotten!
Until next time,
Chris
Volume 8
Issue 5 & 6
July/Aug. 2010
Hi Folks,
Once again it’s newsletter time. As always thank you to all of our supporters/donors both old and new.
OCR has been sending packages out regularly in support of our soldiers deployed around the world. As you can imagine the majority of our packages are currently going to Afghanistan. This is not to say that that is the only place we’ve reach.
With Major Chafe back in action (on board OCR 1) packages have been reaching a variety of places…some old to us and some new. Some I’m just not going to even try to spell, never mind pronounce!
In these past two months we have reached out to all 5 branches of service…yes 5, let’s not forget the folks of the Coast Guard over there.
Unfortunately we didn’t make it to Germany as hoped. However it doesn’t mean we aren’t getting stuff there. We just aren’t delivering it in person as had hoped to do.
Aside from that nothing else is new here…no news can be good news.
Until next time,
Chris
Volume 8
Issue 3 & 4
May/June 2010
Hi Folks,
It’s newsletter time again, so lets get to it.
Once again Major Chafe is off to the Gulf and parts unknown. As many of you may remember, OCR started with his first deployment over there in 2003.
Just as last time we’ll be shipping him plenty of comics to give our wounded soldiers; something to get their minds off things for a while.
He and his team on OCR 1 (the name I’m giving his plane as it doesn’t have one) will be there for several months and we aim to keep them supplied well.
On that note OCR is in fundraising mode. We currently have a large list of soldiers to ship as well, so we’re once again in need of money for postage. If anyone is interested in doing some fundraising for us, please feel free to drop us a line. Every little bit helps!
It’s looking pretty bleak for OCR to be going to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany to visit our wounded soldiers. Aside from the cost, I can’t get the time off from work to go. However like I said before it doesn’t mean that we won’t be able to get stuff over there…thus go back to the Major Chafe conversation above.
OCR would like to thank Mr. Jason Casey for his generous donation of autographed artwork to help raise funds. This talented artist was extremely kind and generous, providing us some original artwork as well. If anyone is interested in purchasing some of this artwork from OCR please feel free to contact us. If would like to see his art you can go to his site at: www.jwcasey.com.
OCR would also like to extend huge congratulations to BG Joseph Chaves. As many of you know we have shipped to numerous soldiers under his command and we are always glad to help. BG Chaves will leave his current position as the Commander of the Hawai’i Army National Guard to become the Deputy Commanding General of United States Army Pacific. The position is a two star billet and he will pin on his second star when he assumes his new position. Congratulations to the General! By the way…I’m hoping he sends me one of the star…after all he does have two!
Lastly as Memorial Day just went by, I’d like to once again say thank you to all of our soldiers both old and new. You folks inspire us everyday and you are not forgotten!
Until next time,
Chris
Volume 8
Issue 1 & 2
March/April 2010
Hi Folks,
Well here we go with another newsletter and this one rings in our 8th year if you can believe it! Boy does time fly!
Let me start off as usual by saying thanks to all of our supporters both old and new. You folks make this all possible.
A big thanks to the folks at the Boston Comic Con for allowing us to be there on April 10th & 11th. There was a terrific turnout and thanks to all who stopped by and supported OCR. The show was a huge success for everyone including us. We raised some good funds to help with shipping. Let me also say thanks to the OCR volunteers who helped man our booth and to Bedrock comic for donating some shirts to help with the effort.
We’d also like to give a special thanks to Ms. Amber Benson who not only stopped by to see what we were all about, but generously gave us some autographed picture to use for fundraising. Ms. Benson thank you for being so kind!
Our next mission to help raise funds will probable be to host an online auction. We welcome your help and input in putting us in touch with individuals and organizations who would like to donate great items to us in the name of helping our military servicemen/women. If you have any contacts who we should reach out to, please forward them to Edith at this address.
Everything helps and whatever you can do to facilitate the success of this auction, please let Edith know.
The story with the postal service remains unchanged, however we now have a new ally in our corner. Senator Scott Brown’s office has joined the effort. We thank them as well as Congressman Markey’s office, which has been helping us since the beginning of this issue.
As for OCR going to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany to visit our wounded soldiers. Well we’re still working on it but it may not be happening secondary to cost. Doesn’t mean we can’t get the stuff there, just means that we may not be able to do it in person. If anyone has any strings they can pull to get us and a pallet of comics on a hopper flight please drop us an email.
Currently we have been shipping to the Arabian Sea, Red Sea, Haiti, Egypt, Ethiopia & United Arab Emirates. Glad we can help you folks. You are not forgotten!
Well that’s about it for now.
Until next time,
Chris
Volume 7
Issue 11 & 12
Jan./Feb. 2010
Hi Folks,
Well here we are once again, another new year and OCR is getting ready for another birthday.
The holiday shipment went off without a hitch, making a lot of soldiers very happy! Not only did we ship to the Gulf, but we also hit Africa, Asia and South America. All were very happy and thankful, and we were glad to help.
It’s hard to believe we’re talking about April already but we are. On April 10 & 11 at the Westin Boston Waterfront, 425 Summer Street, Boston from 10am – 5 pm, the Boston Comic Con will take place. Once again we are thankful to the folks at Boston Comic Con for allowing us to attend to do some fundraising. As usual, we will not be collecting comics that day; we’ll just be doing fundraising for postage.
For more information about the event, please visit their website at http://www.bostoncomiccon.com.
As for the postal issue, we’re still working on it with the help of Congressman Markey’s office.
OCR’s visit to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany is slowly coming to fruition. If all goes as planned, we’ll be walking the halls of the hospital hand delivering comics to our soldiers!
As always I want to thank all of our supporters both old and new. You folks make this all possible.
Until next time,
Chris
Volume 7
Issue 9 & 10
Nov./Dec. 2009
Hi Folks,
Once again it’s newsletter time and as always thank you to all of our supporters both old and new. Now you’re going to see first hand what all of your support has done for our soldiers!
A big thank you to the folks at the Boston Comic Con and all those who stopped by our table. After that event & along with the donations for postage that were sent in, we were able to raise all of the money needed to do our annual holiday shipment.
Holiday shipment did you say…yes! Once again OCR did it’s annual holiday shipment, sending out over 400 packages that covered several different countries.
Thank you to Elizabeth, the Carlin Family and the Cadets of the Arnold Air Society Boston University’s Air Force ROTC who helped get all the packages put together and out on time.
Now despite all this great news I do have some sad news to share. It is with deep regret that I inform all of you of the loss of two soldiers that we sent packages to. CW4 Matt Heffelfinger and CW2 Earl Scott passed away on11/8/09 and our sympathy goes out to both their families and comrades.
We can all feel good that at least for a while they knew someone they never met was thinking about them. We can also feel good that at least we sent them something to take their minds off of where they were. They both will be added to our memorial page and may they rest in peace. They shall not be forgotten!
I know I owe some of you donation slips and will get them off now that the holiday shipment is out. Again thank you.
To the soldiers that see this, we’re here for you; happy holidays and you’re not forgotten. We hear you!
So until next time, happy holidays to all & to all a good night.
Chris
Volume 7
Issue 7 & 8
Sept./Oct. 2009
Hi Folks,
Once again it’s time for another newsletter. As always thank you to all of our supporters both old and new.
OCR has been going full steam ahead, shipping to GI’s all over the place. Recently we shipped to several GI’s in Kosovo, and once again shipped to Cuba.
Our fight with the USPS continues on and we appreciate all the help Congressman Edward Markey’s office is providing to us.
As I mentioned in the last newsletter, OCR will be at the Boston Comic Con on Oct. 24th & 25th at the Back Bay Events Center, 180 Berkeley St., Boston, MA, from 10 am- 5 pm. It’s always a good time and we look forward to it. As usual we will strictly be doing fund raising in order to keep shipping to the soldiers; these funds will go to our holiday shipment. We will not be accepting comic donations.
For more information please visit their website at http://www.bostoncomiccon.com .
With Nov. (and the holidays) coming upon us, OCR is gearing up for its annual holiday shipment. As in past years, we have several hundred GI’s we will be shipping to. Hopefully we will achieve our goal as we have in past years, of brightening up the holidays for our soldiers.
Well folks that’s it for now.
So until next time,
Chris
Volume 7
Issue 5 & 6
July/Aug. 2009
Hi Folks,
Once again it’s newsletter time. As always, thank you to all of you, our supporters.
Let me start this newsletter off by saying thank you to Mr. Allan Shriber who did the taxes for OCR this year. It was a great help and very much appreciated.
I would like to also say thank you to Ms. Anika Roy and Dr. Lynnea Magnuson of the Soldiers Memorial Military Museum in St. Louis. In July OCR was invited to this wonderful museum to see their exhibit titled “American Superheroes: Popular culture and the St. Louis War Experience”.
The exhibit dealt with superheroes, soldiers and the wars, and showed how past and current wars were mentioned in the comics.
In addition to that, the museum had a wonderful collection of military artifacts, and had displays of St. Louis citizens who fought in the various military conflicts.
If you ever get out to St. Louis, stop by as I’m sure you’ll find it of interest.
Once again OCR will be at the Boston Comic Con on Oct. 24th & 25th at the Back Bay Events Center, 180 Berkeley St., Boston, MA, from 10 am- 5 pm. It’s always a good time and we look forward to it. As usual we will strictly be doing fund raising in order to keep shipping to the soldiers. We will not be accepting comic donations.
For more information please visit their website at http://www.bostoncomiccon.com .
Many of you have been asking about the USPS issue, so here’s the latest update. Several weeks ago I met with Mr. Rocco DiRico of Congressman Edward Markey’s office. Seems they are interested in helping with the issue and have already sent a letter to Ms. Jo Waterman, Congressional Liaison, U.S.P.S..
We thank Congressman’s Markey’s office for their help with this issue.
Last but not least, is OCR’s goal for next year. In 2010 OCR is hoping to go to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany, to literally deliver packages to our wounded soldiers.
We’re hoping to get the USAF to fly our packages over and have the US Army pick them up and bring them to the Medical Center, where we will literally walk the floors and give them to the GIs. As things unfold we’ll keep you posted.
Until next time,
Chris
Volume 7
Issue 3 & 4
May/June 2009
Hi Folks,
Once again it’s time for another newsletter. We hope you enjoy receiving & reading these, as much as we do composing & sending them. As always, thank you to all of our supporters.
I have received numerous emails asking what’s the story with the United States Postal Service (USPS) and media mail; as well as where are things at for OCR and this issue. Let me update all of you.
Currently the situation is unchanged. As I’ve said all along this won’t be a quick fix issue. I’m predicting it’s going to take a couple of years, unless the USPS goes bankrupt by year’s end as they are worrying about.
It is my understanding from Senator Kennedy’s office that the issue has been brought to Washington, D.C.. Let’s see what becomes of this; hopefully they will be able to make some progress. Again, I would like to thank Ms. Smerlas from Senator Kennedy’s office for all of her assistance.
For those who don’t understand what’s going on, the USPS says that comic books can’t be send via the media mail rate, which is what we use as it’s the least expensive rate for us to ship to the soldiers.
This brings me to the next topic. Before anyone ships comics to us, please check with us before you send them. The USPS now wants us to pay to receive any packages sent to us via the media mail rate, that contain comics.
As for some happier news, currently we are working on getting some more addresses to ship to. Rumor has it that because of the current economy, things being shipped to the soldiers have fallen off. Now I don’t know if this is true or not, but OCR shall not waiver in its support of our soldiers.
If anyone knows of deployed soldiers please feel free to share their address with us and we’ll get something off to them. It’s that simple!
Thank you to LTC Gonzalez of the 2-27th IN BN, 3rd IBCT, 25th ID “Wolfhounds”, for the great picture & letter. It was our pleasure & glad we could help.
Lastly, I’d also like to say thank you to the 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team for the wonderful ceremony they had in Hawai’i, to thank all of their supporters of which OCR was one. Though I couldn’t be there (as much as I would have love to have been), Mr. Ike Ka’ aihue went to represent us, and we thank him for that.
There Mr. Ka’ aihue (a Vietnam veteran) was presented with a certificate of appreciation for us and a patch. We appreciate all of this, say thank you, and it was our pleasure.
Until next time,
Chris
Volume 7
Issue 1 & 2
March/April 2009
Hello Everyone,
Once again OCR celebrates another birthday, turning 7 years old in March. As always thank you to all of our supporters & volunteers for all these years of help; you make this possible. Of course, thank you to the soldiers, for without you, OCR wouldn’t have a reason for existing!
We have a lot to share with you in this newsletter so let’s get to it.
For starters I’d like to thank the folks from the Boston Comic Con for inviting us once again. We had a wonderful time and raised some money to help with postage.
After many years of service as our CPA, OCR says goodbye to Mr. Sandeep Joshi. As his family grows, his free time lessens and so it is with extreme gratitude we say good bye to him and thank you. We’re hoping we can still tap you from time to time if needed.
With Mr. Joshi’s exit OCR now looks to find a new CPA. If anyone knows of someone here in Massachusetts, who would be interested in volunteering their expertise, please feel free to have them contact us.
Now for an update on the issue we are having with the USPS. As you are all aware, back in March, OCR was told that we can no longer ship via the Media Mail rate. This will in effect, double our shipping rates. Obviously, we’re not going to just accept this.
OCR is fighting this and we have some help. Ms Donna Smerlas from Senator Kennedy’s office is helping us and recently Mr. Jeffrey Trexler just came on board to handle the legal issues. We thank both of the very much for this assistance.
So what does this mean as far as getting packages out to the soldiers?
Nothing! OCR will continue to ship packages to the soldiers. It will require a little more work on our end, but we will not let this interfere in our support of them. So to the Gis that see this; don’t you worry, we have your backs and will continue to support you. This is our battle, not yours!
That’s it for now.
Until next time,
Chris
Volume 6
Issue 11 & 12
Jan./Feb. 2009
Hi Folks,
Once again it time for another newsletter. As always, thank you to all of you, for the continued support.
As you all know the holiday shipment went out right on time, getting to the soldiers for the holidays. Well, they got there and as usual the soldiers loved them.
However what happened after that I couldn’t even have predicted. As we were making the packages up and getting them out, soldiers from everywhere reached out to us. Before we knew it, we had hundreds of requests in the span of a few weeks!
Now always being one to never leave a soldier behind, we’re slowly working our way through that list. On that note, OCR is working to raise money for postage.
There are several fund raising ideas in the works and if anyone has an idea, feel free to drop us an e-mail.
Another Boston Comic Con will be happening on April 4th & 5th, and OCR is hoping to be there. To find out more visit their website at http://www.bostoncomiccon.com/.
To the soldiers that wrote us, hang in there we’re working as fast as we can.
Until next time,
Chris
Volume 6
Issue 9 & 10
Nov./Dec. 2008
Hi Folks,
It’s time for another newsletter, so let me start this one off by saying once again thank you to all of our supporters both old and new.
As is our usual holiday time tradition here at OCR, we were able to get another large shipment sent out, which will be in the hands of the GIs for the holidays. Thank you to all of the OCR volunteers who as always worked tirelessly to make this happen. Of course thank you to all of you who sent OCR stuff to make this all possible every year.
This year like those of past we sent out several hundred packages not only to Afghanistan and Iraq, but also Korea.
I have no doubts that all of the recipients are going to love the packages. As always it’s our way to say thank you to them and happy holidays…you are not forgotten!
I’d like to say thank you to the folks of Boston Comic Con. Their gracious invitation allowed us to raise the funds to make the holidays shipment possible. This brings me to another point, if anyone has an interest or idea for raising funds to help with the postage for OCR, please feel free to drop us an email. As postal rates continue to climb, OCR is always in need of money for postage. Especially with the news I’m about to share with all of you.
Well word about OCR once again sparked a number of requests for packages world wide, and after the holidays seems we have several hundred soldiers to ship to. Of course we’ll ship right on up to the holidays, but with numbers like that obviously not all are going to receive something before the holiday.
So, to all those soldiers waiting for something…hang in there we’re working as fast as we can and we’ll be on the way to you soon!
On Dec. 6th I was invited to the Korean Veteran’s Association holiday party. I had a wonderful time meeting some of theses veteran’s of both the Korean War and those just stationed there. Great group of folks and thank you for the invite. However while I was there I had the opportunity to meet with the Blue and Gold Star Mothers. For those who don’t know a Blue Star Mother has a child deployed in military action; a Gold Star Mother lost there child in a military action. Meeting both of these groups was awe inspiring to say the least.
Many of you already know about OCR and what we do, but for those Blue Star Mothers who do not, I say OCR is here for you and will gladly get a package to your family member if you request so. That’s what we are here for.
Lastly, I’d like to share OCR’s latest venture…we now have a MySpace page. Feel free to stop by and take a look. It’s pretty much the same as the website but it’s just another attempt to make us easier to reach for the soldiers.
Thank you for making this another wonderful year for OCR and allowing us to support the soldiers. Have a great holiday and a happy healthy and prosperous New Year.
To the GIs that see this; thank you and happy holidays. You are not forgotten!
Until next time,
Chris
Volume 6
Issue 7 & 8
Sept./Oct. 2008
Hi Everyone,
Sorry this newsletter has taken so long to get to you. With the ending of summer and the beginning of fall things at OCR have gotten a little busy.
To start let me once again thank all of our supporters; you make this all possible.
I’d like to say a big thank you to Mr. Stan Lee who sent us an autographed picture, which we are now proudly displaying. It looks great with all of our pictures & awards.
On Nov. 2nd from 10am to 5pm at the Back Bay Events Center (180 Berkeley St. Boston, MA) the 4th Boston Comic Con will take place (http://www.bostoncomiccon.com/). Once again we have been invited to be there and are looking forward to it. We will be doing fundraising for our annual holiday shipment. If you do go, please stop by and say hello we look forward to meeting some of you.
Currently we are in the midst of finishing up another large shipment. We’ll be finishing it on time for the holiday shipment which we do yearly, as I already mentioned.
Lastly I’d like to do a big shout out to BG Chaves and the soldiers of the Hawaii Army National Guard's 29th Brigade Combat Team, who have shipped out once again.
We’d like to say thank you to them and we’re here if you need us!
Until the next newsletter,
Chris
Volume 6
Issue 5 & 6
July/Aug. 2008
Hi Folks,
Well it’s newsletter time once again and I think this one will have a little of something for everyone in it.
As always packages continue to go out; some to parts known and others not. Regardless, OCR has been moving packages along at a steady rate.
Once again I would like to thank all of our supporters both old and new.
On July 13th at the invitation of the 1060th Transportation Company, OCR attended a cookout that they were having. After receiving packages from us in 2006, a SGT Iannuzzi contacted us and told us that the unit would like us to attend. So with a handful of our volunteers, we went.
To say that we had a wonderful time would be mildly stating it. It was great honor to meet these folks after knowing them only by names. They were extremely gracious and generous to us. I’m not sure who enjoyed it more, the adults or the kids. All I can say is thank you to the folks of the 1060th for inviting us and welcome home!
Also on that note, welcome home to the 169th Military Police Company. They were the unit that we shipped to in Dec. of last year. OCR was invited to their homecoming but unfortunately was not able to attend. To the 169th, thank you, welcome home again, and sorry we were not there to celebrate your return.
Recently we received a picture from BG Chaves that was extremely generous of him to share with us. The picture was of him in 1975 when he was a 2nd Lt.. Behind him was his General at the time and to his right was General Omar Bradley…yes the same man they named the vehicle after! Now for those of you who don’t know who he was, just Google his name and see what you find. I think you’ll remember him after you read up on him.
All I can say to BG Chaves is thank you some much for that truly wonderful picture, with 3 generations of Generals in it!
Frequently we receive letters back from soldiers saying thank you. As we receive these we share them with you.
Recently however, we received a letter from a civilian who is in the Gulf with our soldiers. She felt a need to write after finding the remains of one of our packages with our address on it. Seems we reminded her of home as she knows where we are, and lives close by. You never know who you’re going to run across when you send these things out. I’m glad seeing our address put a smile on her face!
On July 29th OCR heard from Mr. Stan Lee’s office. We thank them for returning our call and hopefully they will be sending something for us to put up in the office. For those who don’t know, Mr. Lee is a WWII veteran and we thank him for his service.
Last month Macy’s in Natick, Ma contacted us. Apparently they have an event nationally every year to help raise funds for local non profits. Special coupons will be sold for five dollars to raise funds for OCR and in return, on Sept. 20th the coupons can be used throughout the Macy’s store in Natick only. So if you live locally and would like one of these coupons, please email Ms Robin Carlin here and I’ll put her in touch with you. Remember you can only get our coupons through us and they can only be used here at the Macy’s in Natick, Ma on Sept. 20th.
Lastly, if there is anyone I owe a donation slip to and it’s been a while, please let us know and sorry for the oversight. With so much coming in, we occasionally miss some and we apologize.
Until next time,
Chris
Volume 6
Issue 3 & 4
May/June 2008
Hi Folks,
Once again it’s newsletter time and yes this one is a little later than usual. Why you ask? Well I’ll get to that in a minute.
As always, I would like to thank all those who have donated. There are many of you I need to send letters to and I’ll be working on that this coming week. Sorry for the delay but now you’ll see why.
OCR pulled it off once again! With the help of it’s volunteers, another large shipment went out. In addition to that we received a list of 200 soldiers from a gentleman by the name of Mr. Marty Horn, and those packages went out as well.
By all accounts, there are a lot of happy GIs all over the globe!
We were even lucky enough to once again put packages onto the deck of another aircraft carrier. This time it was the USS Ronald Regan. I believe that’s the fourth carrier OCR has hit!
I would also like to thank Mr. Horn and say that we were glad we could help. Please let us know if we can be of service to you again in the future.
Comics continue to come in but our main concentration at this point is to get more postage. As postage rates increase so does the need by OCR.
In the coming weeks the 169th is scheduled to return. They were the unit that we shipped to in December with the children from the Fay School.
OCR was fortunate enough to be invited by them to their welcome home ceremony. If scheduling allows we hope to be there for the wonderful event.
For those soldiers of the 169th that happen to see this…thank you and welcome home!
That’s about it for now. For those who donated I should be getting letters out in the next week or so. Please keep an eye out and if you don’t receive one, please let us know and sorry for the oversight.
Until next time,
Chris
Volume 6
Issue 1 & 2
March./April 2008
Hello once again,
Well here we are at the start of another year for OCR. As always, I’d like to thank all of our supports whose generosity allows us to keep going. I’d also like to say thank you to all of our volunteers who help keep the place “running”, and of course the soldiers themselves…for without them there would be no OCR.
Back on 2/21 I returned to the Fay School and showed the video that the soldiers sent back to the kids. I think both teachers and students alike really loved seeing it. I have to say again the soldiers did a great job making this video.
I would also like to say thank you to the folks at Boston Comic Con for inviting OCR back out. We had a successful day there and raised quite a bit of money for postage. Thank you to all who donated.
At the end of April I took the annual pilgrimage back to Hawaii. While I didn’t get a chance to see the good Brigadier General Chaves, I did get to meet a large number of soldiers who asked to receive a package from OCR once they were deployed. Since then, I have heard from many of them and packages should already be arriving if not already there.
Currently I am in the process of communicating with another organization that has a number of addresses. I this works through, OCR will be shipping to many more soldiers than we already are.
Lastly, I’d like to share this story with you. While in Oahu I had the opportunity to shake the hand of a survivor of Bataan. As I did I thanked him for his service. The man probably in his late 80ies now (if not older), began to tear up and in a broken voice as he walked away, said “Your welcome son”. I’m not sure for whom, that whole meeting had the bigger impact on, me or him. I do know that it left a big impression on me. Just something to think about and remember to thank a soldier when you see them.
Until next time,
Chris
Volume 5
Issue 11 & 12
Jan./Feb. 2008
Hello Everyone,
Once again it’s time for another newsletter and I hope that all of you had a great holiday season.
As we all know, OCR’s birthday is just around the corner, and as always we say thank you to all of you, for your support throughout the years.
Well the soldiers of the 169th MP Co. received the packages that we sent out at the holidays; and we definitely know they were well received. Seems from the letters that we received, they really enjoyed the letters that the kids placed in the packages. We couldn’t be happier here.
Not only did the soldiers write letters to a few of the kids, but they also made this unbelievable music videos to say thank you to us….and I’m not talking about some homemade video. This thing was choreographed like you wouldn’t believe. It’s so good that I’m trying to find a way to put it on the website.
Having said that, on 2/21 I’ll be heading back out to see the kids and give them their letters, as well as show them the video. They’re going to love it.
Again, we’d like to say thank you to the Fay school for their help with all those packages.
Very soon you’re going to notice a new page on our website; we’re adding a memorial page. As you know OCR has had the privilege and honor to ship to a couple of soldiers who made the ultimate sacrifice. We only felt it was fitting to have this page on our website so as not to forget them and their families’ sacrifice. They shall not be forgotten!
On 3/16 OCR will be making another appearance at the Boston Comic Con. We had a wonderful time last year when we were there, and once again we would like to say thank you to the shows promoters for inviting us. We will again be doing fundraising for postage as we soon are hoping to get several lists of deployed soldiers to ship too.
For more information on the show please see their website at www.bostoncomiccon.com . If you’re there, please stop by and say hello, we’d love to see/meet you.
Lastly, I would just like to make note of something about our Canadian neighbors. Good neighbors are worth their weight in gold someone once told me, and I have to say that we Americans are truly fortunate to have these northern neighbors.
Over the years I have had many Canadian citizens donate to OCR, to support our soldiers. To this day this continues to be true.
Recently I heard from a gentleman in Canada who wanted to try to send support to his countries’ troops but was unable to, as he couldn’t get their addresses. In turn he sent me a large donation of comic books to send to our soldiers.
Another recently made a large donation to help pay for postage.
I say to my fellow Americans that are reading this now, PLEASE remember this generosity and ponder it!
To you Canadian residents that read this, please know that there are American who are grateful to have you as a neighbor and will never forget how you took many of us in when our planes had no where to go on that infamous Sept. 11th. THANK YOU!
Well, that it for now. So until next time,
Chris
Volume 5
Issue 9 & 10
Nov./Dec. 2007
Hello Everyone,
Well it’s that time of the year again. The holidays are upon us so happy holidays to all. If one can believe it, another year is just about to come to a close while another one waits to begin.
For those who are new to the OCR family, this is a time of the year where we always try to do a large shipment to the soldiers. This year is no exception, thanks in part too many of you and your generous donations.
With help from Mrs. Robin Carlin and the children at the Fay school, soldiers from the 169th MP Co. and two other locations will not only be receiving packages from OCR, but inside each will be a letter from a child.
The letters these little troopers wrote were amazing! They ranged from one who complained that her parents bought her a plastic turtle for Christmas last year rather than the pony she asked the for, to one saying how this is going to be an election year and she’s working on getting them home.
I had a wonderful time meeting with the kids and I’m sure the GIs will love getting those packages. Many thanks to Mrs. Carlin who arranged the whole thing, the Fay school for having me out there and of course the kids (some of whom are not even US citizens) who helped with the packages.
Once again, thank you to all of our supporters both old and new. It’s with your support that this keeps on going. Of course, last but not least, thanks to my many wonderful volunteers who keep things running!
If there are any out there that I have forgotten to send a donation slip to, please let me know and I’ll get one off to you. A thousand pardons for the oversight; a large block of our time was consumed preparing and getting this year’s shipment out, while trying to handle the large influx of donations that can through. The rest of our time will be spent trying to catch up on this.
On that note, thank you to the organizers of the Boston Comic Con for having us out there to do some fundraising. Not only was the day a success but we had fun doing it. Thank you also to those who stopped by and donated; it was nice to finally meet some of you in person.
Let me bring this to a close by wishing all a happy holiday and a prosperous New Year. And you soldiers who are away from home and see this, have a safe and happy holiday, thank you, we hear you and you’re not forgotten!
Chris
Volume 5
Issue 7 & 8
Sept./Oct. 2007
Hi Folks,
I hope this newsletter finds you all well as summer departs and fall arrives.
Well it seems as though our packages arrived in Afghanistan and made quite the hit. It appears there were a lot of happy soldiers over from the letters that we received. If any of those soldiers see this…I’m glad we could help and enjoy!
Back in August my Father contacted me and asked if I could help out his old military division. As many of you know my Dad served in Korea after being drafted during the war.
He told me that in his copy of the Second Infantry Division newsletter Lt. General Jack Woodall (Ret.) had published a list of soldiers from that division that were in Iraq, and were not receiving mail. I couldn’t believe that this was actually happening to these poor soldiers. The list was comprised by the soldier’s Commanding Sergeant Major from the 4-9th Inf.. Now aside from the fact that my Father never asks me for help, this is what OCR was designed to take care of.
So in stepped OCR; I contact the good Lt. General and confirmed the addresses. Interestingly enough he had never heard of OCR (how could that be)! However, he does now.
Well, I’m quite pleased to say that every one of those soldiers on that list received a package from us. If we hear anything back from them I will surely share it with all of you.
Just to let everyone know, that on Sunday Oct. 21st from 10am to 4pm at the Back Bay Event Center; Boston Comic Con will be taking place again. Like last time the event sponsors have invited OCR. However this time I shall be in attendance, since that last time I could not as I was meeting with the good General Chaves. So if your there and know us, please stop by and say hello. I look forward to meeting you.
Please note though, we will not be accepting comics at the event. That day we will be focusing on fundraising for postage and you will see why in a minute.
On that note I’d like to thank all of our supporters both old and new. I’d also like to especially say thank you to Mr. Charles Flagg, Mr. Athos Bousvaros, Ms. Heidi MacDonald from Publisher’s Weekly & Mr. Ryan Liebowitz from Golden Apple Comics for their extremely generous donations. It’s because of folks like you that OCR continues to go forward. Thank you!
Now why the fundraising for postage you ask? Well, I recently heard the Army National Guard who has a large group of soldiers currently deployed in Iraq. It appears they have a list of about 400 soldiers that they would like us to ship to. It is our goal to raise the bulk of that postage at the Boston Comic Com.
If all goes as planned, this will be the shipment for the holiday season as we do every year.
Until next time,
Chris
Volume 5
Issue 5 & 6
July/Aug. 2007
Hi Folks,
Well it’s newsletter time again. As always, let me start off by thanking all of our supporters; you make this all possible!
OCR continues to ship to the GIs and it appears that some of the folks we shipped to when OCR was created, we’re shipping to again as they do another deployment. So for those folks, thanks and welcome back. We’ll be getting some packages off to you ASAP.
I would also like to send a special thank you to Ms. A. Baragar who sent a wonderful letter to the President of the Untied States about OCR. I’ll keep you folks posted if we hear anything back.
Also thank you to Mr. A. Driscoll of Baron’s Collectibles for inviting us to their store’s third anniversary. We had a wonderful time and did some fundraising for OCR.
It appears that there will be another Boston Comic Con on 10/21 at the Back Bay Events Center. Once again we’ve been invited to attend and will be there doing some fundraising. We will not be accepting comic donations that day however, as it’s difficult collect and move them.
Also, this time I will be attending so please stop by and introduce yourself if you’re there.
Seems we scored a direct hit with the soldiers in Afghanistan. Letters continue to come in thanking us and we’re glad we could help them out.
As a matter of fact, some of the letters we have gotten back are from comic book fans who know these stories and characters extremely well. They seem to know all these little details that I haven’t the slightest idea about. Remember I ship them, I don’t write them!
Well, that’s it for another newsletter.
Until next time,
Chris
Volume 5
Issue 3 & 4
May/June 2007
Hi Folks,
Once again it’s time for another newsletter and have I got some stuff to share.
Last month we were able to get a large shipment out to the folks in Afghanistan, who as we all know have been completely overshadowed by the war in Iraq. Well it seems that we really hit a spot, because we have not only heard from the soldiers that we sent to, but have gotten requests from other soldiers over there who have either heard about us or seen our packages. I’m really glad that we were able to help support those soldiers.
Currently we are in the process of another large shipment but this on is to Iraq.. This poor group that we are shipping to has had their tour of duty extended so it is a welcome relief I’m being told.
Postage donations have been strong which is a good thing as it allows us to keep shipping. On this note, I hear there is going to be another comic book show in Boston in Oct.. If all goes as planned, OCR should be in attendance.
A couple of the OCR volunteers were recently ill, but are now doing better. To them we wish a continued speedy recovery.
If there is anyone we owe a donation slip to please contact us and we apologize for the oversight. A lot has been coming in and we are doing our best to keep up. Occasionally we have been known to miss one.
Lastly (and certainly not least) I have some sad and difficult news to share with the OCR community. In Dec. 2006 we sent out a large shipment for the holidays as we always try to do. At that time we shipped a package to SPC Justin Rollins.
On May 23rd 2007, I was notified of the loss of SPC Rollins. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends.
This is the second time in OCR’s history that this had happened. The first being LCPL Gregory MacDonald. And yes, we do remember their names!
To both of their families we say we remember and we are sorry for your loss.
We can all take pride in knowing that no matter what, we were able to let them know that they were not forgotten, as they sat down to read those comics and enjoy their free time, in a tough place; There’s no politics in that!
Until next time,
Chris
Volume 5
Issue 1 & 2
March/April 2007
Hi Folks,
Once again it’s time for another newsletter. However this one is a little different than the usual. Why you ask? Because it kicks off the start of OCR’s fifth year. Yes that’s right, five years. It seems like it was just the other day that the idea took form, but it was five years ago.
However before I get into that I need to tell you about a few housekeeping things. First off if you have sent a donation and haven’t received a donation slip, please let me know. With all that’s been going on and coming into us, I may have missed sending you one by accident. If so, I apologize in the oversight.
As always, thank you to both our old and new supporters; and to the new supporters…welcome.
As for shipping out to our soldiers; we are currently in the process of getting a list of soldiers in Afghanistan to ship to. Once again I had the fortunate opportunity to meet up with Brigadier General Chaves and his lovely wife. As always both were gracious and helpful in OCR’s attempts to support our soldiers. As soon as we receive that list we’ll get the packages out.
Thank you to the Kelly Family who staffed OCR’s table at the comic book convention in Boston and raised quite a bit of money to help with postage. Thank you also, to all who stopped by and donated!
Now for the five year anniversary! As we all know the OCR story I won’t bother telling it to you again, However, it doesn’t seem all that long ago, when in 2003 (since we started at the beginning of 2003 I count that as a full year) I told Edith that I wanted to send comics to a friend of mine in Iraq; but having received so many I wanted to send them to other soldiers as well.
Needing some kind of a website (and neither of us knowing anything about website building) she built one that to this day has stood. However, as OCR continues to grow, it was time to revamp things and get a website that could grow with us.
Enter the Web Raisers group of The New England Institute of Art in Brookline, Massachusetts. This group of students worked relentlessly to construct a new website for OCR, and in a wonderful ceremony on 4/19, the new website was revealed to us and now will be to all of you.
Our new website can be found at www.operationcomixrelief.org. Though there are a few small finishing touches to be done, I am told that the site is up and running. It is our hope to have a Paypal link on the site as well.
To all of the students, their instructor Melissa Daley Karon and The New England Institute of Art, we say thank you.; you all did a great job! And to Edith whose website blazed the path to this day and for putting up with this “unique” idea and me thank you! Your site will stay up as a tribute to you and a back up in case we ever need it.
To all of our supporters I say thank you as well. Thought it is impossible to mention all of you, I assure you we know who all of you are and realize that this could not have been done without you.
To all of the volunteers who help here at OCR, you are the heart and soul who actually get the job done.
And to my mainstay “core staff”: Edith Moritz…Website
Glenn Matto…Editor in Chief
Sandeep Joshi & Family…CPA
Kevin Gammons…Legal Aid
Lynn Kelly & Family…Fundraising
Tarbassian Family & Friends…for putting up with me and this venture
I say thank you to all. I never would have guessed that this would be where it is today but I am truly fortunate to have been along for the ride and had the opportunity to meet and see all the wonderful people and things I have. I can’t wait to see what the next five years brings.
Lastly, to our soldiers around the world, I say thank you! For without your and your families sacrifices this organization would never have been born. Know that we are here for you, support you, and that you are not forgotten!
Until next time,
Chris
Volume 1
Issue 1
April 2003
Welcome to the first edition of the newsletter for Operation Comix Relief. My name is Edith and I am assisting our fearless leader, OCR's creator, Chris Tarbassian in updating all of our readers on how Operation Comix Relief has developed into a not- so- small home project. This huge accomplishment is attributed to the generosity, goodwill and kindness of Chris' supporters who have lent their comic books, funds, ideas, suggestions, feedback and, most importantly, support.
As most of you know, Chris' story had its first PR through the MetroWest Daily News (3/22/03). These were, indeed, its humble origination. Since then, The Boston Globe (4/3/03) has carried his story, in addition The Armenian Weekly (3/29/03). In the past few days alone, Chris' Framingham home has become flooded with masses of comic books. E-mails have been pouring into his inbox, offering support and stories of how families and loved ones have been coping with the current mobilization of troops in Iraq, as well as memories of previous wars. Bottom line, Chris' idea has really hit home and he and I have been discussing the possibility of OCR continuing well beyond this current Iraqi war.
All in all, Chris' small idea has mushroomed into a patriotic idea which has its future well beyond its original vision. The next idea being worked on is involving churches and schools. Chris would like to broaden the audience and send out comic books to as many G.I.'s (especially in hostile areas) as he receives names of. As always, all help is appreciated, whether in donating the books, stamps, funds for stamps or names of who to send packages to. Personally, I'm hoping I can connect with the right folks and have Chris' efforts recognized on a much broader scale. Well deserved, fearless leader...well deserved.
Thanks again, everyone, for your help, support and feedback. If you have suggestions and ideas on what else you would like our newsletter to contain, please feel free to write to me.
Take good care,
Edith M.