Marilyn & MSgt Brian Jergens (parents of Sgt. Brian Jergens, seriously injured in Afghanistan) were excited to help!
- Packing up the stockings
- Writing up the labels
- Topping off the stockings
- Packing Christmas trees & decors
- Stuffing the stockings
SPECIAL CHRISTMAS BOXES PACKED AND SHIPPED ON NOVEMBER 25, 2011!
Thanks to your generous donations throughout the year we have just shipped out more of our special Christmas boxes, and to more units, than ever before!! 300 stockings were stuffed full with wonderful treats and were divided up and shipped to 14 different units stationed in Afghanistan. Each unit will also received one large box containing a 6′ artificial Christmas tree and decorations galore! Santa hats, elf hats, reindeer antlers, garland, ornaments, candy canes filled with chocolate, wall signs and more, and lots and lots of hand crocheted ski caps! If the mail is proceeding on time, these boxes should start arriving in about 10 days from the date sent. We are so excited every year to be able to send these special boxes! If we hear back from any of the units we will be sure to post a letter or two and any pictures we might get for all to see! Thank you all for supporting Payson Supply Line and for making it possible to send Christmas to our wonderful men and women in Afghanistan.
We were honored to have MSgt. Brian Jergens, U.S. Army, and Marilyn Jergens (parents of Sgt. Brian Jergens) there to help with stuffing stockings, packaging and preparing everything to ship! MSgt. Jergens received Christmas packages from Payson Supply Line while stationed in Iraq in 2009 and knows the joy it brings to our troops. They were both very excited to participate while they were visiting family in the Payson area for Thanksgiving. (Read the update below on their son, Sgt. Brian Jergens, who is recovering from serious injury sustained while serving in Afghanistan.) What a blessing for us to have them there!
We were also honored to have former SSgt. Jason Watson (U.S. Army – 3 tours in Iraq – 2 purple hearts & a bronze star) helping us, who worked diligently to package up all the stockings for shipping. Jason is our daughter-in-law’s brother and was the FIRST RECIPIENT of a Payson Supply Line box in January of 2005. Another blessing to be sure!
Unfortunately, we were not able to send any Christmas boxes to our troops currently still stationed in Iraq as the U.S. Post Office was shut down in Iraq on 11/17/11 (per the Post Office’s written notice) in preperation of our troops there returning home by the end of the year. We wish the Post Office there would have stayed open for a while longer to allow our troops to receive Christmas mail while away from home, but our prayers and Christmas wishes go out to them as well and we look forward to their exciting return home.
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11/28/11 UPDATE ON SGT. BRIAN JERGENS CONDITION:
We have recently visited with Sgt. Brian Jergens parents. Brian’s condition is improving. He is out of the coma and has begun responding to basic commands. He recognizes his mom and dad and the medical staff are pleased with his progress. His wife remains with him near the hospital in California. He can only have one visitor at a time and only for 15 minutes. Manual physical therapy is being done to work on rebuilding muscle tone. Brian seems to be aware of some of his injuries and the loss of at least one of his legs (both legs were lost below the knee). His parents (MSgt. Brian Jergens, U.S. Army, and Marilyn Jergens) will be going back to California in December for a visit to spend more time with Brian. They still reside in Texas where his father is proceeding with military promotional schooling and training.
A recent photo of Brian will be provided by his parents shortly and will be added to this update.
Please continue to keep Brian and his family in your prayers.
We will continue to post updates on Brian as we receive them. Many caring people in the community who attended and donated at the special fundraising event on 9/24/11 inquire with us regarding how he is doing. His family and the Payson Supply Line family are thankful for the wonderful people in the Rim Country!
UPDATE ON FUNDRAISING EVENT TO HELP SGT. BRIAN JERGENS, A WOUNDED SOLDIER, SEPT. 24, 2011
A huge thank you to the Payson P.A.Y.S. (Professionals at your Service) organization who provided a wonderful day of food and fun! So many people enjoyed the Beer Tasting Event and the Apple Pie Contest! The pies were amazing and congratulations to the winner who walked away with a gift basket worth over $1,000.00! Payson P.A.Y.S., whose charity this year was Payson Supply Line, donated all profits to our organization. In turn, Payson Supply Line made the decision to donate all funds received from this event to assist one of our recently wounded soldiers, Sgt. Brian Jergens (23), and his wife Jennifer (18). At the end of the event Payson Supply Line was able to provide the Jergens’ family with a check in an amount just shy of $4,500.00! The parents, grandparents, sister and other family members of Sgt. Brian Jergens were very appreciative of the donation that will help Brian and his wife during this difficult time. We appreciate all of them being at the event.
Sgt. Brian Jergens, U.S. Army, was recently seriously wounded during his tour in Afghanistan when his vehicle hit an IED (improvised explosive devise). Brian sustained serious injury losing both of his legs below the knee, one finger, and sustained head trauma. He has recently left the Army hospital in Texas and is now in a hospital in Palo Alto, CA that specializes more with head trauma. Although still in serious condition, he is showing signs of improvement and is now opening his eyes from time to time.
Payson Supply Line had previously sent boxes to Brian’s father, MSgt. Brian Jergens Sr., U.S. Army, while he was stationed in Iraq. Brian Sr. was currently back in the United States when his son, Brian Jr., was sent with his unit to Afghanistan. Upon receiving this information from Brian Sr., along with Brian Jr.’s mailing address in Afghanistan, Payson Supply Line then sent boxes to Brian Jr.
Still in the U.S. Army, Brian Sr. was temporarily stationed at an Army Base near his son in Texas. He currently remains in the States completing some training. Brian Jr.’s wife, Jennifer, was in Texas and is now in California with her husband. Brian Jr.’s grandparents and sister reside in Pine, AZ and his aunt and uncle live and work in the Rim Country area as well.
Please keep Sgt. Brian Jergens and his family in your prayers and, again, thank you Rim Country for your generous donations toward helping this military hero and his family!
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UPDATE ON 4TH OF JULY EVENT, 2011
Another successful Independence Day event and a fun day for all! Funds raised were over $600.00. Thank you all for your support. Come and visit us at next years event put on every year by the Town of Payson. All day fun with games and live music - fantastic live bands all afternoon and into the evenint! After dark you will enjoy the best fireworks display around!!!
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UPDATE ON BOOTH AT THE ANNUAL AERO FAIR EVENT, PAYSON AIRPORT, MAY 21, 2011
A fun day for all. Amazing weather and lots of vendors to enjoy, along with airplane rides and great food! Our booth got a lot of attention this year and we received several names and mailing addresses for military personnel stationed in Iraq and Afghanistan that we will be sending our 35 lb. care packages to!! Thank you to the friends and family members who supplied this information! Your loved ones will be pleasantly surprised and will have the joy of sharing some of the items from their very full box!! Funds raised at this event came to $675.00 and we appreciate everyone who contributed!
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ANOTHER AMAZING FUNDRAISING EVENT PUT ON BY THE AMERICAN LEGION MOTORCYCLE RIDERS!!
May 7, 2011 – The American Legion Post 69 put on their annual Poker Run event for Payson Supply Line, and what a great time it was for all! Over $8,000 was raised for Payson Supply Line and we appreciate all of their hard work and the time and money that they invest into this event for us!! We thank all of the participants of this year’s event, and we encourage everyone to join the American Legion Riders next year for this event filled with food, fun and prizes!
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December 2010 – ANOTHER SUCCESSFUL CHRISTMAS!Once again this year, because of your generous donations, we were able to send out our special annual Christmas boxes to our beloved troops stationed in Iraq and Afghanistan!! It always brings us joy to send our regular 35 lb. boxes throughout the year, but the Christmas boxes are always extra special to us, and to them. It’s an expensive venture, but what joy it brings to our troops who are so far away from home during this blessed season.
This year we were able to send special Christmas shipments to 15 different units. 37 boxes were shipped out shortly after Thanksgiving and we’ve heard back from a few of our troops, or from their families, and they were very thankful. Each unit received one 6 foot Christmas tree, lots of ornaments and decorations, lots and lots of stockings stuffed to the brim with treats and candy, bibles, knit hats, and much more!
Read one of the letters below (pictures on this page are from Cpt. Olsen):
December 19, 2010
Gentlemen,
Thank you so much again for your continued support! We’ve been
sharing your goodies with everyone here on our little FOB (FOB Lindsey).
We even stopped and handed two little girls stuffed animals in the
village outside our base. We keep some in the back seat of our vehicle
to hand out to any little kids we come across as we travel around. The
hats are an especially big hit with the soldiers here. I’ve attached
some pictures of the Christmas tree you sent. Our office is in the aid
station here at FOB Lindsey, so we set the Christmas tree up there where
anyone who comes in can see it. Pictures are of Me, MAJ Wade
Swatsworth, the 10th Mountain Division Senior PA, and SGT Benjamin Earle
(Wearing his favorite knit cap), the senior medic for B Co 3/4 IN.
Thanks again for everything you are doing for the troops!
Thank you so much again for your continued support! We’ve been
sharing your goodies with everyone here on our little FOB (FOB Lindsey).
We even stopped and handed two little girls stuffed animals in the
village outside our base. We keep some in the back seat of our vehicle
to hand out to any little kids we come across as we travel around. The
hats are an especially big hit with the soldiers here. I’ve attached
some pictures of the Christmas tree you sent. Our office is in the aid
station here at FOB Lindsey, so we set the Christmas tree up there where
anyone who comes in can see it. Pictures are of Me, MAJ Wade
Swatsworth, the 10th Mountain Division Senior PA, and SGT Benjamin Earle
(Wearing his favorite knit cap), the senior medic for B Co 3/4 IN.
Thanks again for everything you are doing for the troops!
CPT Olsen
PETER A. OLSEN
CPT (OF2), MS
RC(S) ANSF Health Development
DSN: 551-1911
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THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR SUPPORT TO PAYSON SUPPLY LINE!
IT’S ALL OF YOU WHO MAKE ALL OF THIS POSSIBLE!!
HAPPY NEW YEAR AND MAY GOD BLESS YOU IN 2011.
Butch & Kathy Klein and Lud & Marian Kaftan
PAYSON SUPPLY LINE