February 7, 2006

Hi Christine! I am writing on behalf of my fiancé, Major T. Last month you sent T. that cool package, with the AMEX gift card. Needless to say, we were speechless. That was above and beyond anything we expected, and very, very generous. T. actually gave the gift card to a deploying friend... thinking that C. was more deserving of the gift. The back story there is that Doc C. returned from Christmas vacation to find that he was deploying in five days. So it was a fire drill to get ready to leave on a ship for 6-8 months, with very little time to prepare! Doc C. hails from Fair Lawn, NJ, so we hope it's okay that he gave the gift to a fellow New Jerseyan. Personally it was neat for me to see T. give this away so fast -- he didn't have the card for 24 hours before giving it to Doc C. That's a Marine for you -- putting a squadron-mate's needs in front of your own. We are honored by your invitation to present T. with a token from the Common Council. T. has been back from Qatar since July, and he will retire from the Marine Corps in June. Christine, thanks again for your support of our troops, and especially of T. It's pretty neat the people from my home town have formed an organization like this, and are so generous to us. It sure is easy to forget that we are at war, and that so many men and women are overseas in miserable living conditions, protecting our freedom. Mindy Williams, Fiancé of Major T./USMC SHS '83.