Thread: Letters of appreciation etc

Thanks Sam, great to read, received a reply from the OUTER EASTERN MELBOURNE VIETNAM VETERANS, I wrongly referred to them as Boronia Vietnam Vets---SORRY, anyway they are very pleased with the results, Amos
Hi Amos,

On behalf of our Sub-branch Committee, I would like to sincerely thank you for the excellent work and support that you, and your associated Woodwork Forums, provide to our troops serving oversees. I’m sure that they really appreciate the lovely pens.

Our Sub-branch was thrilled to be able to assist you with our small donation in 2012 to help you purchase pen kits.

Sam. Thanks for putting this thread on. It is great to get letters like that.

UNCLASSIFIED

Good afternoon Bruce,

I have written this email to thank you for the hand turned pen I received. Please thank Jenny for me, as the pen will be a much treasured keep sake and one of the great memories I will have of my time in Afghanistan.


With thanks.

ABIS Bradley Darvill


A copy of an email from Amos

Sam, a little while ago I sent a pen to one of our Vets on the Forum, and he said, thanks, you are only the second person to say “thank you”. That really touched my heart, and made me sad to realize how unappreciated some of our Vets were treated. Amos

CJTF-82-DCG-FD 8 May 2012
Mr Bruce sanders
Coordinator Pens for the troops
NSW< Australia


MEMORANDUM TO WOODWORK FORMS
Subject: Personal thanks from Brigadier Christopher A. Field
1. Thanks for the presents of handmade pens from the members of the Woodwork Forums Australia, the Outer eastern Melbourne Vietnam Veterans association and Timberbits P/L of Sydney.
These little bits of morale are very welcome in our current location of Kandahar Airfield as part of Operation slipper.
2. The care and attention that you have put into these scriveners’ implements is evident. You are commended for your efforts in offering these professional gifts to deployed Australian Troops.

the letter has been cleared of all addresses etc

UNCLASSIFIED

Dear Bruce,

By way of introduction, my name is Michelle, and I'm a FLTLT Administration Officer with the RAAF. I am currenly deployed and received one of your pens from our resident Chaplain. The pens went down a treat and we all loved them. I keep mine in my pocket and it goes everywhere with me! Your generosity is very much appreciated and goes a long way to keeping morale high amongst my comrades.

Thanks again and kind regards,

Michelle

UNCLASSIFIED

Hello, my name is SGT Andrew Reid and wish to say thankyou for your beautifully decorated pens. I also wish to say how appreciative we are to your kind words.

With kind regards

SGT Reid
MLH TP SGT

They so encouraging to read, Amos

Good Afternoon Bruce,

My name is Adam and I received one of your lovely pens from our Padre last week. I would like to thank you for the thought let you know that it will definately get put to good use.

I am a Leading Aircraftsman in the RAAF and am currently deployed to the Al Minhad Airbase in the UAE. My deployment is from March until October. I am part of the Air Load Team so it is my job to unload and re load cargo from Australian and Coalition aircraft that transit through Al Minhad. Al Minhad is the forward operating base for Australian Middle East operations so we are reasonably busy and have to ensure that troops in Afghanistan have all the supplies they need to operate, as well as send cargo back to Australia as required. It is getting quite hot here at the moment with temperatures around 50 degrees, so it doesn't take much to get a sweat up at the moment.

Thanks again for gift.

Regards,
Adam Mason

Thanks for posting these emails Sam.
It is great to read them.

UNCLASSIFIED

Bruce,

Recently I was lucky enough to receive a very impressive looking and well-made handcrafted pen.

I will use it in the knowledge that it has been provided by people who value the sacrifices of our servicemen and women.

Thank you very much for this gift; it is much appreciated.

Regards,

Evan

E.S. ARMSTRONG
CAPT

UNCLASSIFIED

Dear Bruce,

I am a Federal Agent, current deployed at Kandahar Airfield at Camp Baker with the Australian Defence Force. Myself and my colleague received one of your organisations pen from Chaplain James Pearce and I would like to pass on my thanks to you and your group for making such a unique and special item for troops deployed overseas.

The pens truly are very special and will be put to good use here and back in Australia when we return.

Once again, thank you to all concerned for their time and effort to support those deployed overseas.

regards


Federal Agent Stuart Campbell
Australian Federal Police

Classification: UNCLASSIFIED
Caveats: FOUO

Dear Bruce,

I was recently given the opportunity to receive one of the finely turned
wooden pens that you have donated through the "Pens for the Troops"
program, facilitated here at Kandahar Airfield by Chaplain James Pearce.
I would like to thank you and all the other people involved in this
program for your support and kind donation in support of the troops.
Spending six months (and sometimes more) in Kandahar is not entirely a
pleasant experience, but it IS rewarding work and I do think we are
making an important contribution to a country that really has been
destroyed from over 30 years of war and crime. But while it might not
always be a pleasant experience our days are made much brighter when we
receive care packages and other donations, like your pens, from people
we don't know. Family and friends send packages but there is something
particularly nice about receiving something from a stranger.

So, thank you once again, for the work that you and your organization
are doing on behalf of the soldiers, sailors, and airmen/women currently
working here and in the various other operational environments we find
ourselves.

Sincerely,

Mal Stewart
Lieutenant Colonel
Australian Army
Kandahar Airfield (KAF)

UNCLASSIFIED

Dear Bruce,

My name is CFN Clare Kelly, I am part of the Rotary Wing Group currently on deployed on operation in Kandarhar Afghanistan.

Our main job is to keep our Helicopters flying so the Aircrew can complete there tasking and support to the operation.

I can't thank you enough for your lovely pens that was gifted to us, everyone is raped with them.

Chaplain James Pearce had great pleasure handing them out.

We are for ever losing pens as soldiers either putting them down and forgetting to pick them back up, or leading them to someone and not getting them back, so what is great about your pens is that they are all different so we can always find our pens if we accidentally leave them some where, or spot the person who has forgotten to hand yours back to you.

You would not believe how the smallest things can cheer up a soldier so once again we can't thank you enough, they write beautifully and from all of us could you please thank your works for there efforts.


Kind regards,

CFN
Clare Kelly
Aircraft Life Support Fitter

Four letters have arrived in the mail see attached

Sam, these are wonderful letters, it makes my heart glad to read them. Amos

Another hand written letter received this morning, this is all wonderful stuff as Amos has said.