• BY J.R. ORTEGA - JRORTEGA@VICAD.COM
• Originally published November 21, 2009 at 11:06 p.m., updated November 21, 2009 at 11:15 p.m.

• Enlarge Photo »

• TO FIND OUT HOW TO HELP, CONTACT HEATHER WALTERS AT 361-935-7219

Nora Brosig grabbed a bag filled with baby wipes, board games and toothbrushes, and began assorting them on picnic tables covered in care package donations Saturday.

It's a small price to pay on her part for her friend Cpl. Gary Walters, a fallen soldier from Victoria who was killed by an improvised explosive device in 2005.

"The best part for me is just knowing that the packages that we send put a smile on the soldiers faces," she said.

Gary's Care Packages is in its fifth year, said Heather Walters, Gary's sister.

At first, Heather was unsure if they were going to continue the care packages this year, she said.

She's glad they did.

"We've even received more than $1,000 in monetary donations," she said as she helped prepar boxes.

The decision to restart the program came after the death of Sgt. Anthony "Gabe" Green from Yorktown.

The morning went surprisingly well, Heather said.

At least 90 percent of the items donated were from that morning, she added.

"It just seemed like last year it kind of dwindled down and nobody had a whole lot of interest," she said. "It kind of brought our spirits down.

Brosig wants Gary's Care Packages to keep going strong, she said.

"He gave his life for us, for our freedom," she said. "For us to be able to do something in his name is just showing he didn't die in vain."

• Print
• •
• Share
  • Share this item

    Send this to a friend

  • Grab the link

    Copy and paste the link:

  • Blog about it

    Blog about this page.

  • Close
• •
• Favorite