WATERLOO — Nearly half the holiday packages put together by an Iowa organization will go to Ottumwa-area soldiers serving in Iraq.

Iowa’s Bravest plans to send 320 packages to soldiers this year, and every one of the 120 soldiers with the 833rd Engineer Company will receive one. The 833rd left Ottumwa in June for their second deployment to Iraq. They trained at Fort McCoy in Wisconsin before arriving in Iraq in late August.

Soldiers with the 833rd also deployed from October 2004 to December 2005, when the unit was Company B of the 224th Engineer Battalion.

Julie Ehlers, a co-founder for Iowa’s Bravest, said the boxes are a tradition for her group.

“We’ve been sending boxes since 2003, since the war started. This year we only received about 75 names” of local soldiers, she said.

That left the group wondering who they could send the other packages to. Ehlers said Lt. Col. Greg Hapgood suggested the 833rd and put her in touch with the family readiness group. Some families have already sent their soldiers’ names to Iowa’s Bravest. Those soldiers will receive packages directly. Others will receive their packages through a shipment to the company first sergeant.

The packages themselves contain different goodies, ranging from snacks and DVDs to John Deere hats. Ehlers said the group’s connection to Waterloo’s John Deere plant was an important part of its origin, and she was pleased to learn some of the Ottumwa soldiers work at the Deere plant here.

Other items are designed to help the soldiers cope with the intense heat of the Mideast. Ehlers said each package includes a “cool tie,” a fabric pouch that contains absorbent material. The ties go around the neck after being soaked in water to help cool the wearer.

“The whole point is just to make sure the soldiers are remembered,” Ehlers said.

Postage for all 320 holiday packages is estimated at $6,400. That’s $20 per package. Ehlers’ organization accepts donations through a Waterloo bank to help offset the costs.

Iowa’s Bravest helps fund the packages by selling patriotic flags, magnets and T-shirts. Customers can have the flags embroidered with a soldier’s name.

Ehlers said families who want to ensure their soldier’s name gets to Iowa’s Bravest should contact the group by e-mail at iowasbravest@iowasbravest.org. Information on making donations is also available at www.iowasbravest.org.

Matt Milner can be reached at (641) 683-5359 or via e-mail at mwmilner@mchsi.com

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