Diocesan News

Only in Print: Local Schools and Vets Help U.S. Troops in Poland, Lithuania

Troops from the 82nd Airborne Division deploy to Poland as part of NATO’s response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Soldiers and Marines look forward to receiving care packages from home from family, friends, and even people they’ve never met. (Photo: Jonathan Drake, Reuters via CNS)

WOODSIDE — There is a reason U.S. Marines are called “grunts.” 

To be “forward deployed” in the field can mean long stretches of being dirty, tired, and hungry; it’s part of the job, and it’s the same for Army infantrymen. Sometimes a good “grunt” helps them endure — hence the nickname.

Still, morale gets a boost with “care packages” packed with snacks and toiletries, said Marine 1st Lt. Nicholas Pope of Queens. He returned recently from a temporary deployment…


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