| From Kansas City Star -
Residents and business leaders in the two states (Kansas & Missouri) stepped in to provide the funds. Kansans mobilized a major effort and raised about $146,000 to bring more than 400 Guard members home to Garden City, Dodge City, Liberal and Wichita, as well as Lenexa.
Some of the money raised, which exceeded what immediately was needed to bring the Guard members home, will be used by the Kansas National Guard Foundation for programs to help Guard members and their families deal with financial stress and other issues that result from deployments.
These soldiers did not ask for help getting home. Because of the number of soldiers trying to get home and lack of transportation options, several organizations decided to hire charter buses to get these boys home for the holidays as soon as their leave began. When my son had two weeks between end of training and actual deployment, he and a couple of other guys rented a car to get from Mississippi to Kansas. There just aren’t many options for those of us living in southwest Kansas for quick transportation connections. I grew up with a father that served in the Army during the Korean conflict and have heard all the stories about how much things have changed. I only ask that you support all our troops and don’t begrudge those who want to show their support in any way they find appropriate.  | 
12-31-2007, 09:27 AM
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