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Priority Mail
Determined Mom Helps Soldier Son Fighting in Iraq

By Mike von Fremd

M A N S F I E L D, Texas, May 19, 2004 ? Kathy Parks works at the Nut House Grill serving up some of the biggest burgers in Texas. And it turns out her patrons have some of the biggest hearts, as well.

Her 22-year-old son, Sam, is a Marine fighting in the Iraqi city of Fallujah, and last month he sent her an e-mail from the war zone.

It read: "Dear Mom, I need a favor. The command I am with in Iraq needs 250 of those talk-around Motorolas for the rest of the Marines in the company."

Parks' son told her that his commanding officer had asked everyone to call home requesting the lightweight walkie-talkies, which they say are invaluable in the event of an attack.

The Pentagon says it issues military radios, but limits the number in order to keep the lines of communication clear and secure.

Parks learned many soldiers, including her son, believe everyone in a war zone needs to be able to communicate in case they come under fire.

She said her son told her, "Many times when they were under mortar fire, they had no way of knowing who might be injured or had been hit. They needed help, and they wanted to be able to keep in touch with each other at all times, especially when they had to be separated."

So Parks decided to take the e-mail Sam sent from the war zone and put a copy on every table in the Nut House Grill.

$8,000 in Eight Days

In eight days she had raised more than $8,000, and off she went to Radio Shack.

The local Mansfield store had to request an emergency shipment of Motorola TalkAbout Two-Way Radios from the warehouse. Within 24 hours, the Radio Shack store had more than 250 units ready to be sent to Iraq.

Kathy Parks and a few friends packed them all into boxes and sent them via priority mail to Iraq.

Parks said her son called last week from Fallujah to tell her the radios are "wonderful" and the Marines are grateful.

It's a lesson to never underestimate the ability of a waitress who is a mother deep in the heart of Texas.

___________________

Now ABC is posting articles of positive stories of soldiers and the people that support them. :cd:

What is this world coming to? :D