CHARLOTTE AMALIE — Members of the Virgin Islands National Guard serving on COVID-19 orders were among the 50 States and territories to receive Operation Gratitude care packages as part of a campaign to show appreciation to the men and women serving on COVID-19 orders for their continued steadfast commitment to the local and federal agencies.
Facilitated through the Virgin Islands National Guard State Family Programs Office, this initiative, which resulted in over 100 V.I. servicemembers receiving care packages, began in January 2022. “It was certainly a pleasant surprise to have received the email request, on January 20, for information of those personnel eligible to receive the Operation Gratitude Care Packages,” said Linda Todman, director of the State Family Program. “Any opportunity to recognize ‘Military Families’ called to duty, whether overseas or on the home front, should always be embraced and implemented wholeheartedly.”
Operation Gratitude is a Nationwide non-profit providing Americans with opportunities to honor our military, Veterans, and first responders through hands-on Volunteerism.
The Virgin Islands National Guard has been continuously engaged since April 2020, providing support to the V.I. Department of Health with; COVID-19 testing, patient transportation, airport and seaport screenings, beach public safety announcements, and vaccine transportation.
“This effort from the Family Readiness team was an absolute success,” Maj. Gen. Kodjo Knox-Limbacker, the Adjutant General of the VING, said. “The Operation Gratitude Care Packages arriving and being distributed to our force throughout the territory is another display of the great efforts our Family Readiness Program, volunteers, and our leaders are doing for our troops.”