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"Johnathon is extremely good about checking in at home, and he calls about once a week," Mrs. Cattey said. "He's been making comments about going to a clinic in a town, or going house to house-they're assessing the needs of the community as well as looking for insurgents. They've been doing a lot of things to help the people there."
The soldiers secured wheelchairs for handicapped and injured residents, removed a child with a serious birth defect and had him airlifted to a hospital where he could receive treatment, and try to find ways to provide medical supplies and other items whenever they can.
Then Mrs. Cattey received an e-mail from her son's commanding officer, Dr. Sayed K. Ali, a captain with the unit. "So as I'm talking to [Johnathon] and hearing these different things, he's talking about starting a drive, and I wanted to get that started," she said. "The government doesn't have the resources. And then Dr. Ali sent a letter to anyone who had expressed interest, family members of his unit members."
The e-mail letter from Capt. Ali stated that Iraq's health care clinics are "in a shambles."
"I cannot express the condition ... it was in," the captain wrote. "The facility had no running water and the resources, including medications, were extremely limited. It hurts me as a human being to see other humans, especially innocent children and women, suffer."
Soon after, Mrs. Cattey joined a group called ICARE (Issues Concerning All Relatives of the Enlisted) and the members started collections. "We've been in existence for eight or nine months," Mrs. Cattey said. "We had a Beanie Baby drive, and collected more than 9,000 and sent them over to the troops. It helps them-it serves a secondary purpose, too, because it helps establish good will."
The good works the soldiers are doing in the towns where they are stationed aren't being shared with the rest of the world, and Mrs. Cattey believes it's important to tell those heart-warming and sad stories that inspired her to help.
"They are responsible for rebuilding a school and a youth center, and they guarded the workers while they rebuilt roads there," she said. "The soldiers are trying to help rebuild their infrastructure."
And so far, she's received no negative feedback when she asks people here at home to help.
"I have a wonderful group of people involved in this and so far everyone has been extremely positive," she said.
ICARE has found support from the Town Hall Gang in Washington, as well as town hall staff in New Milford, Litchfield and Torrington.
The supplies the soldiers say they need the most include Ace bandages, Advil and cold and sinus medication, along with children's cold medicine, Alavert, Alka Seltzer, Allegra, alcohol prep swabs, Bactine, Benadryl, all sizes of Bandaids, Bactitracin ointment, cough syrup, Cortizone and Neosporin ointment, rubber gloves, cotton balls, Q-Tips, Fleet products, antacid and medical tape.
Drop off locations have been set up at Washington, Litchfield and Torrington town halls, the Coe Park Veterans Office in Torrington, and the Mother Goose Toy Store at Litchfield Commons in Litchfield.
Mrs. Cattey is also accepting monetary donations to help pay for the postage to ship the boxes of supplies overseas.
"Sgt. Warren Steel [in Torrington] is trying to get a grant to pay for shipping costs, because I'm sending items out as they come in and I'm paying for it myself," Mrs. Cattey said.
The ICARE group will be at the Torrington Wal-Mart to solicit donations on Veterans Day in November.
"We invite people to come and talk to us, learn about the group, and find out what's going on," Mrs. Cattey said. "We're also doing an event with Boy Scouts in Farmington, reaching out to people if they need support."
To send a donation, mail checks to Donna Cattey at P.O. Box 1417, Litchfield, CT 06759, or call 860-459-7567. To reach the Litchfield Town Hall, call 860-567-7550. To reach the New Milford Town Hall, call 860-355-6010. Donations may be dropped off during regular weekday hours.
