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Video: Letters from the front lines

Letters from soldiers were read at the Nov. 30, 2009 Support the Troops Rally in Elkhorn, Wis.

ELKHORN -- When I attended the first Support the Troops Rally five years ago in Elkhorn, I know I wasn't alone in hoping they wouldn't last for long.

But I don't know of anyone who imagined that 252 rallies later, the end seems farther off than ever.

President Obama is expected to announce Tuesday additional troops for the war in Afghanistan, and at Monday's rally the group was already thinking about the effect that would have on our local soldiers.

If there's one thing they can count on in an uncertain world, it's that each Monday they'll be remembered in Elkhorn.

At this week's rally, the Wisconsin National Guard provided the MREs, or meals ready to eat, to those at the rally inside the main hall of the National Guard Armory in Elkhorn.

It was, in a small way, a reminder of what daily life is like for our soldiers.

The menu included freeze-dried chicken fajitas, chili and macaroni, cheese tortellini in tomato sauce and a cheese omelet with vegetables.

The group has been gathering each Monday since Nov. 29, 2004, as the United States became entrenched in wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Organizers vow to continue until the conflicts are over and all local troops return home.

For most of the 45 people who attended Monday's ceremony, the anniversary cake was more popular than MREs. Many of the veterans had served in WWII, Korea and Vietnam, and most likely had their fill of MREs during their years of service.

The rallies are just one way the Walworth County Council of the American Legion lends a hand to the troops.

Throughout the year, volunteers make useful items like cool ties to help soldiers ward off the desert heat. They send flags and prepaid phone cards and recently sent 51 Christmas boxes to Iraq and Afghanistan, filled with homemade cookies, gifts and other essentials.

Sandy Jackson has been attending the rallies regularly while her son, Staff Sgt. Dan Schauer and daughter in law, Spc. Lindsay Schauer, serve in the war zone.

"The packages are awesome," she said. "I'm really proud of this group."

More than anything, the goal of the weekly rallies is to let the troops know they've not been forgotten at home, said Bob Webster Sr. one of the rally's organizers.

"The older veterans made a mistake in not supporting the Vietnam soldiers when they came home," Webster said. He vowed it wouldn't happen again.

And from the letters he receives, there are plenty of soldiers who could some support from home during the holiday season.

At Monday's rally, Sam Gonzales of Elkhorn read a letter from his daughter, Janas, who serves as a Major in the combat infantry in Iraq.

She wrote about one unit she works with:

"These guys are the neediest of the bunch. Their platoon sergeant said they never get anything from anyone. The 502nd is a bridge company. Right now they are the only bridge asset in the theater, so when I need a bridge built I send these guys out to do it.

"They're very young, hard working with a lot of spunk. They deserve our very best. When a bridge gets blown up they go out and put up a new one. They are not rocket scientists but they are the bravest we have.

"When someone asks what we can do, they can send these guys a bunch of treat.

Gonzalez was the first one to jump at his daughter's suggestion. "I just got back to from the post office. I got eight boxes out to these guys already."

The Support the Troops Rally takes place each Monday at 11 a.m. in the boardroom of the Walworth County Government Center on the Square in downtown Elkhorn.