Lakeport >> When soldiers are in the field they don’t have time for lengthy conversations. They need to relay information as quickly as possible, and that’s where the military alphabet comes in. The alphabet utilizes phonetic words as short hand, including Tango Mike, a phrase which means “thanks much.”
“So it’s Operation Thanks Much. It’s a thank you to the troops,” explained Ginny Craven, the founder of Operation Tango Mike, a local non-profit packing and shipping care boxes to deployed troops.
When Tango Mike began 14 years ago, it was just Craven and a few friends sitting around a kitchen table putting together boxes for friends who had been deployed. Before long they were sending packages not only to those soldiers they personally knew, but those they did not. Many letters from Craven’s friends would end with a request that she send a box to a fellow soldier who needed it.
So when Craven’s friends eventually returned home, Operation Tango Mike continued on. “My initial vision was when their deployment ended we would be done, but I didn’t stop,” she said. “It was pretty easy to realize there were still people there who needed support.”
Once Craven decided to make the endeavor something a little more permanent, she turned to the local veteran organizations, who were enthusiastic about helping. That was a major step in ensuring Operation Tango Mike’s longevity. From there she was able to obtain 501(c)3 non-profit status and begin asking for money and assistance.
The community came through, so much so that more than a decade later, the organization shows no signs of slowing down. And though back in the very beginning, Craven had never expected her efforts to continue for so long, the outpouring of support hasn’t been surprising in the least.
“I think our community is made up of a lot of wonderful giving people,” she expressed.
Every third Thursday of the month, Operation Tango Mike holds a packing party at Umpqua Bank in Lakeport where volunteers come out to pack boxes which are then mailed to deployed troops. The boxes include a mix of items from high protein foods and snacks, to hygiene items and socks, to entertainment for what little downtime the soldiers have.
Dozens come out for this event, many of whom have been volunteering for years. Take Sandra Cutter. She and her four sons have been helping out at Tango Mike packing parties for five years. Her youngest son has literally spent more than half his life volunteering for the non-profit – he was three when they first started coming.
Cutter began bringing her family to the packing parties when her husband, a member of the Air Force, was deployed to Afghanistan. She sent him boxes while he was abroad. When he returned home, she felt no desire to stop volunteering. She knew there were still plenty who needed help.
“I know what they’re going through, being a wife and mom without your husband around,” she added.
Other volunteers may not know someone who has personally been deployed, but the organization is close to their hearts nonetheless. Sandy Akerstrom and Gary Akerstrom have been attending packing parties since 2012. Every month they drive over from Ukiah, along with another couple, Susan Reese and Jim Reese. Both couples first heard about Tango Mike through their church and immediately came out to volunteer.
“I think it’s important because the families and the soldiers themselves, they’ve given to us so much, including their lives in some cases,” Sandy Akerstrom said. “I just cant thank them enough.”
Gary Akerstrom takes the time to personally address letters to the soldiers who will be receiving the boxes he packs. He also has a list of soldiers who he has sent packages in the past, and every morning he prays for each of them by name. He’s sure to mention this in his letters.
“It’s all about relationships,” he said. “That’s what we do.”
In some cases, these boxes are the only mail deployed soldiers receive. Tango Mike will even send boxes to soldiers who aren’t from Lake County, but are in need of a helping hand. For troops to know that there are those stateside who care about them and take the time to package boxes, it’s appreciated more than many can understand.
Just take a look at the Tango Mike storage room in Umpqua Bank. One wall is dedicated to the thank you letters operation Tango Mike receives from soldiers. Craven keeps binders full of everything anyone has ever sent her.
“If somebody is deployed and their life is on the line and they have a dangerous mission, yet they take time to send you a thank you, I think that speaks volumes about how important this support is,” Craven said.
Every month, before the volunteers get to the packing, Craven stands before the group and reads aloud the thank you letters she’s received. Even after 14 years, it still chokes her up.
“Ginny gets tons of letters that thank her. She and her husband give their whole lives for this, it’s just amazing,” said Susan Reese.
Craven pointed out that if this were any other community, Operation Tango Mike may not have seen quite so much success. Many organizations in many other towns and cities have attempting to get something similar off the ground, and a majority of them have failed. Around the holidays, there’s often an uptick in Christmas care packages for the troops, but few endeavors as regular as Operation Tango Mike.
“A lot of larger metropolitan areas that are a lot more affluent than Lake County had troop support groups that are no longer in existence. They didn’t make it for the long haul, and we’re still at it,” she said. “I think that is a reflection of our community.”
While Craven will continue her operation as long as it’s needed, she wishes for the day when no more soldiers are in need of a box. “I hope the troops all come home and we end up becoming a veterans support organization,” she said.
Operation Tango Mike packing parties begin at 6 p.m. every third Thursday of the month. Umpqua Bank is located at 805 11th St. in Lakeport.
Jennifer Gruenke can be reached at 900-2019.
