Radio Show Wants Public To Phone In Troop Support

As he stood on the curb waiting for the hearse to pass, Bill Pierson had a revelation.

Here were all these people gathered to pay their respects for a fallen soldier, Pfc. Cody Grater. But where was the love for the troops during the rest of the year?

It shouldn't take a death to show our appreciation, Pierson decided.

He returned home and shared his thoughts with his brother-in-law, Robert Rogoski. Both Marine Corps veterans, the two decided something should be done. Their initiative became Never Ending Support in January, a weekly radio broadcast on WWJB dedicated to the men and women in the armed forces.

"It's been amazing the people we've met," Pierson said Wednesday.

Now it's your turn. On Dec. 9, the phone lines at the radio station will be open for the public to call in with a message of support for the troops. The calls will be recorded on air, burned onto a CD and sent overseas. The special broadcast is called "Operation Appreciation."

Pierson's co-host, Rogoski, suggests the public write down what they want to say before calling. "A sincere word of thanks or appreciation," is all that's needed, he said.

The CDs will be included in goodie boxes that are distributed by women like Barbara Newlin. Newlin heads a local group of about a dozen volunteers called Treat the Troops, which sends cookies to soldiers year-round.

On average Treat the Troops sends out 300 dozen cookies a month, although their record stands at 400 dozen, or about 4,800. But the baked goods are fleeting.

What the soldiers really appreciate are the letters and cards, Newlin said, because they can stick them above their beds or tuck them in a pocket. The correspondence gains special significance when it comes from strangers, Newlin said.

"It just blows them away that they're getting that kind of support back home," she said.

Based on the e-mailed "thank yous" Newlin receives, she's confident the CDs will be a "lasting inspiration" for the troops, especially on the days the troops need a little extra "pick me up." She's also been told that the packages from home help soldiers focus on their jobs and makes the time pass faster.

One man wrote to tell her he felt like a "kid on Christmas" every time he opened a package.

The packages with the CDs might not make it by Christmas, but Pierson expects they will arrive to the troops by the beginning of January.

It's Pierson's hope that Operation Appreciation will further their founding goal of getting the public involved with the troops year-round, instead of just on Veterans and Memorial Day.

There are some lonely troops out there and "we need to bring some connection to home," he said.

IF YOU GO:

Operation Appreciation begins at 6 p.m. Dec. 9. The phone number to call at the WWJB radio station is 796-7272. Still needed are about 4,000 blank, recordable CDs. Donations can be dropped off the radio station, 55 W. Fort Dade Ave., Brooksville (796-7469), or Complete Technology Solutions (666-0333), 4662 Commercial Way, Spring Hill.