Toys for Tots: Remote Delivery

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Jack Sanders
  • JBER PAO
JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska --  Marines from Delta Company, Anti-terrorism Battalion, 4th Marine Division, stationed at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, made a difference in the lives of many rural Alaskan children during the holiday season.

With a large goal ahead of them, local Marines, as well as a group of Marines from New York's Reserve Marine Aerial Refueler Transport Squadron 452 and a member of the Department of Defense organizations Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve, left JBER.

The group broke up into three main teams at JBER inserted into key villages and delivered toys to local children.

"We flew into Galena last Sunday and we've traveled up and down the river visiting the towns of Ruby, Koyukuk, Nulato and Kowtag delivering things to all those locations," said Marine Corps 1st Sgt. Mathew Fouse, a member of the Galena team.

The Marines Corps Reserve have been running their annual Toys for Tots "bush run" for the past 14 years. It differs from ordinary Toys for Tots, Sergeant Fouse said.

Operation Semper Fidelis is more unique than other Toys for Tots missions due to the extreme conditions.

Each year Marines break into three teams combined of both experienced and inexperienced members the Kotzebue, McGrath and Galena teams. The teams are then inserted into villages via the Marine Reserve C-130 crew where they will travel by snow-machine to neighboring villages pulling sleds of toys.

The Marines are so specific with toys, each one is labeled with a child's name from the corresponding village. They also bring several extra toys for anyone whose name might have been missed, along with stuffed animals and board games which will be donated to the town after they've ensured no child is left without a gift.

Marines even ensure infants get a gift even if it's nothing more than a simple teddy bear.

"This was the first year that I've been part of the elementary and just watching little kids just get excited about them coming through was awesome," said Beth Buchanan, Galena SHS kindergarten through 12th Grade principal. "As they were coming through the elementary doors today the teachers had to shut their class room doors because they were just so pumped about Santa coming."

For the team members making these trips it's not only a mission it's a life changing experience.

"Every trip has had a specific memory that will stick with me," said retired Gunnery Sgt. Bradley Miller, ESGR member and four year Semper Fidelis veteran.

Each member of the team takes a piece of the trip home with them in their mind the Marines said.

"For me It's a little girl, that when she got her gift, she had asked for a specific type of doll and she got it," said Petty Officer 1st Class Leroy Carter, independent duty corpsman.

"She was like, 'Oh my God, I can't believe I got what I asked for. I got what I asked for.

Oh my goodness,' and it was just amazing to see how she reacted, and even her family too when we were taking pictures with them just how appreciative they were about what we do and how we do it and the sacrifices we have to do to make it happen."

Sacrifices are a common thing to service members, but all of the members of Semper Fidelis make a large sacrifice of time and comfort for the mission.

"In the past four years, I've run this trip; this is the second coldest year we've had up here," said Miller.

"Temperatures range anywhere from negative 25 to where we've had it about as cold as negative 60.

If the temperature is 45 below zero and you're pulling about 30 to 40 miles an hour on a snow machine you're probably sitting at a wind chill factor of around 67 below zero."

The cold temperatures aren't the only thing Marines have to worry about either. Arriving to Koyukuk this year the team had to slow down to wait for a large moose to leave the path into town.

"In the past we've gone by an active bear den and then just this morning in front of the Galena school cafeteria a little fox was out running around curious and looking at us but not wanting to get too close," Miller said.

The team and their guide also must worry about the threat of wolves on their travels too.
Despite the risk they might take each Semper Fidelis member said, "I'm looking forward to next year."

"Sometimes you get to riding where you're hitting 38 below riding back on the river you're in the wind, it's cold you're freezing and I know for me I've had those thoughts in my mind of, 'why am I doing this, I just don't want to do this, this is just nuts,' but you get into the school and you start handing out the gifts and you see the smiles on the people's faces and it gets me charged up," said Miller.

Many Marines agreed on the feelings they received from the villages.

"Even as miserable as it gets at times, with the cold temperatures and hours of snow-machine travel you're still out there experiencing something that most people never will," Fouse said. "It's beautiful out there, it's beautiful country and most people won't ever get to do something like this."

The experiences may be over for this year, but the teams are already beginning their work for their travels next year.

"Toys for Tots is a group people that have huge hearts and when they walk into the building it changes the spirit of the building and it feels good," Buchanan
said.