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Being in the military away from home is tough but, when you are deployed, in the middle of nowhere and in a completely different country makes you appreciate all you have back home. That is where Tam Bendorf comes in. Tam is no stranger to seeing firsthand how a person overseas can miss some of the luxuries of home. She has had a Grandfather, numerous cousins, an aunt, and currently her boyfriend serve overseas. Tam has taken it upon herself to make care packages for her boyfriend and his fellow troops to keep their spirits high and to show that she cares that they are overseas fighting for our county.

A care package is an assortment of items that gives a soldier a feeling of home. Whether that be a piece of entertainment, a card, or a special food, as Tam says, “a care package is basically a way to say your are thinking of them, you are remembering them.” In the case of Tams boyfriend, she recalls a time he when he was stationed in California and she sent him a Casey’s breakfast pizza because it was something he HAD to have and couldn’t get where he was stationed. This time, during his deployment, she has put together something special for his birthday and Christmas. Upon his request, she is sending him two complete TV series, The Walking Dead and Gold Rush. The DVDs will be packaged together with her own personal touch of treats and homemade cards in a decorated box.

Care packages mean a lot to the service member receiving them. Cody Ortiz, a GV student who served five years in the navy on the U.S.S. Eisenhower spoke on what they meant to him. “A simple carepackage, we used to be happy about it. It didn’t matter if had books in it to read or whatever, it made us feeling like someone didn’t forget about us while we were over there serving our country.”

Tam Bendorf does an amazing job at sending care packages to not only her boyfriend, but his fellow troops who serve alongside him. But, she isn’t the only one who does this kind of selfless deed. There are thousands of military spouses, parents, and family members who perform this amazing act day in and day out for the men and women who help keep this country safe. People like Tam Bendorf should be commended for their actions and it is good to know that there are people like her out there helping remind our troops that we all care as well as appreciate all they do for the people of the United States of America.