Blue Ridge veteran has unique insight into needs
Operation Supply Drop Afghanistan is a go as Blue Ridge resident Stephen Fry Jr., retired U.S. Army staff sergeant, has been gathering supplies to send to deployed troops stationed at Camp Dwyer in Afghanistan.
Fry is on a personal mission to provide cheer to the lives of deployed troops by sending care packages filled with all sorts of goodies.
“I know what it is to sacrifice and give and do these things for the country, and I don’t want people to forget,” he said of his project.
“They (the public) put it (military service) on the back burner. They don’t hear on the news everyday that people are still in Afghanistan. People are still dying and sacrificing their Christmases, Thanksgivings, stuff like that.”
Fry said he has some “ex-soldiers” deployed in Afghanistan that are either soldiers or contractors. Initially, he planned to send a few care packages just to them; however, as he thought about it more, he decided there are plenty of others who would appreciate the gesture.
Since gathering and sending the products can get expensive, Fry has teamed up with businesses around the community to provide soldiers at Camp Dwyer goods like cigars, complimentary of Taste of Havana Cigars, and coffee from Blue Ridge’s Starbucks. Ingles of Blue Ridge and Ellijay, Three Sisters Fudge, Walmart of Blue Ridge, Mountain Man Comics and Riverstone Pharmacy have also made contributions.
A lot of thought has been put into the development of these packages, as Fry has been mindful to consider the wants of the different age groups.
Fry said he is comprising the packages of “a third of what they [troops] need and two thirds of what they want.” Specifically, the boxes will include toiletries, bug spray, socks, books, video games, sporting goods and food.
“Being deployed, I get a unique perspective of what they need,” he added.
He has also encouraged people, especially children, to send ‘thank you’ letters and cards in his attempt to spread awareness for what the troops do and have done for this country.
Quoting the saying, he said, “We sleep peacefully in our beds while men stand ready to do violence on our behalf.”
He went on to explain that there are always a portion of service men and women that do not receive anything throughout their entire deployment.
“You’re eating MREs (meal, ready to eat) and stuff from a bag, you know, that all you do is heat it up, for eight months, sleeping in 110 degrees. It’s nice to get a can of tuna or something. It’s silly, but that stuff means a lot.
“There’s stuff, depending on where you are, you might have Pizza Hut, but then you look at the other side where they can’t even bring in supplies because they’re getting attacked daily by mortars or something like that.”
Fry joined the United States Air Force in 1992, was honorably discharged in 1998, and remained inactive Reserve until 2000. In 2005, he went into the Army as a medic in the 82nd Airborne Division. In 2010, he was deployed for around the ninth time to Iraq, and was injured in a rocket attack while trying to provide aid to another person. He eventually retired from service in 2013 and moved back to Blue Ridge shortly after. As the result of his combat experience, he now has the constant companionship of a service dog, Valor.
He said people should “think of more than themselves during the holidays.”