Home

Operation Bedding: Deploying Comfort to U.S. Soldiers in Iraq

Mon, 03/31/2008 - 23:38 — Prima Facie

What: donated bedding and personal comfort items for U.S. troops
When: Friday April 4th, 12-1:30 p.m.
Where: near the SBA Booth; Klein Hall; 1st Floor

By Professor James Gillespie, Adjunct Professor, Trial Advocacy at Temple Law

Collection is Friday April 4th, 12-1:30pm near the SBA Booth on Klein 1st Floor.

What to donate:
Handi-Wipes or baby wipes, drink packages (Crystal Light, Kool-Aid, Gatorade), hand sanitizer, trail mix, granola bars, Slim Jims, beef jerky, coffee/espresso, playing cards, magazines, brain teaser books, DVDs, CDs, i-Tunes gift cards, Nerf footballs, Wiffle Balls, AA/AAA batteries, etc.

Travel sized items are appreciated. If you forget to bring a donation from home, don’t forget that there are vendors near our school such as 7-Eleven and the bookstores. Your donations make a real difference to our soldiers.

Lance Corporal Adam Conboy was a rifleman with the Marines, Third Battalion, Third Marines, 1st Platoon, Kilo Company. While stationed in Al Anbar Province, his living conditions were spartan. In a May 7, 2006 phone call home to his mother, he asked for sheets – not only for himself but for his whole platoon.

“C’mon, mom” he joked “get ‘Operation Bedding’ going.” He was killed 5 days later. He was our oldest nephew.

To honor his last request, Mrs. Mary Conboy-Warner formed “Operation Bedding.” It began as a card table at the Manyunk Arts Festival, with Mrs. Conboy selling t-shirts and water bottles to raise the money for Adam’s platoon. She raised enough for his platoon, then his company, then his battalion.

The program was noticed by local news outlets. The Flyers retired a jersey with the name “Conboy.” In a Roxborough Flea Market, over $12,000 was raised in one day. The Associated Press also picked up the story.

Operation Bedding now has its own warehouse. It has forwarded almost $100,000 in personal comfort items to our service men and women in the last 12 months. Hard candy, Visine, Slim Jims, Wet Knaps and toothpaste are favorites. Travel size items are requested since these kids carry whatever we send on their backs. A full list of request items can be found at www.AdamConboyMemorialFund.org.

We hope you’ll join us in supporting these young men and women who have given so much. Thank you.

Professor Gillespie may be contacted at jgilles1@temple.edu, 215-715-4058.