BALLSTON SPA, N.Y. – Twenty volunteers of the New York Army and Air National Guard turned out for work at Ellms Christmas Tree Farm on Nov. 30 to help load Christmas trees bound for troops and military families around the world.
It's the 11th year for "Trees for Troops," an effort that sees Christmas trees donated by tree farmers and FedEx Corp. This year the effort expects to deliver an estimated 18,000 donated trees to more than 60 military installations and deployed locations.
"We thought it might slow down a little bit after things settled down in Iraq but the enthusiasm for the program has continued and gets bigger every year," said Chip Ellms, owner of Ellms Christmas Tree Farm in Ballston Spa.
That enthusiasm carries over to local National Guard members, who volunteered their time to help load the 130 trees in Ballston Spa, bound for troops at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
"It does mean a lot to them to receive this support and to know that we are thinking of them and that they are in our thoughts and prayers," said New York Army National Guard Capt. Amanda Ponn, commander of the 42nd Infantry Division Headquarters Company, the element that provides training and administrative support to the headquarters staff.
With fellow troops from area units currently overseas, the Soldiers and Airmen loading Christmas trees after the Thanksgiving holiday weekend was a way to pay it forward.
Army National Guard Soldier volunteers came from the Troy-based 42nd Infantry Division Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion. The unit currently has some 60 Soldiers deployed to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
The Soldiers were joined by New York Air National Guard members of the 109th Airlift Wing from Scotia, N.Y., to show their support of fellow Airmen deployed to Antarctica each holiday season supporting the National Science Foundation and Operation Deep Freeze at the South Pole.
"It's tough to be away from your family at the holidays, but by getting a tree, it brings a little bit of home there and makes it much easier," Ellms said. "That's the reason we do it."
Trees for Troops program was launched in 2005, and with the help of FedEx Corp., delivered more than 4,300 Christmas trees to five U.S. military bases in its initial year, as well as an overseas shipment to the Middle East that year.
Since then, Trees for Troops has delivered more than 139,000 real Christmas trees to troops and military families. FedEx provides no-cost shipping to bases in the U.S. and overseas, through FedEx Express air operations and the FedEx Freight trucking network.
For the past several years the effort has helped to deliver, on average, 17,000 real Christmas trees each year to 60-plus military bases throughout the U.S. and overseas.
Returning again after numerous years of volunteering to help load trees was New York Air National Guard Master Sgt. Kyle Defeo of the 109th Airlift Wing. Defeo had personal experience with the benefits of Trees for Troops during his overseas deployment.
"I received one of the trees in 2007 and it was a really nice touch," Defeo said. "As your friends and family celebrate the holidays, it's nice to let people know that are deployed over there that they're still being thought about."