Greenwich Church Adopts U.S. Marine Platoon

Sixty-five members of The First Presbyterian Church Greenwich gathered over the weekend in a collective show of support and compassion for U.S. Marines serving overseas.

Last Saturday, 65 members of the congregation — 40 adults and 25 children — packed the supplies they purchased to send to their “adopted infantry platoon” of 60 United States Marines deployed to an undisclosed, war-ravaged region in the Middle East. The Marines had requested specific “items of comfort and health” that aren’t readily available in sufficient quantities through typical battlefield supply lines.

The patriotic connection was arranged by First Presbyterian Church elder Stephen Waters, who is the past chairman of the U.S. Naval Institute. Waters helped to establish the relationship between the church, the U.S. Marine headquarters commanders, and the infantrymen on the ground so that these gifts will exactly meet the precise needs of the specific men in that military unit.

His efforts were supported by Rev. Erin Keys, First Presbyterian’s minister and associate pastor.

“We learned of this touchingly simply list, and we decided to send these brave young men a little piece of care from home so they know we are grateful for their service,” Keys said in a statement.

Waters said, “Packages mailed from home actually do get through to our country’s deployed servicemen and women, even to those assigned to the most remote, challenging, and dangerous locations.”

Children wrote notes to each of the 60 Marines. “It felt good to do something good today for someone far away in a scary dangerous place,” said 11-year-old Katherine Sternberg.

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Contributed photos: #1: Emily Sternberg and her 11-year old twins Katherine and Zach working on their notes to the their three Marines; #2: Coleman Pandolfino, 6, and Grant Williams, 7 in the lobby of First Presbyterian Church, preparing some of the boxes bound for shipping to the Middle East; #3: the Rev. Erin Keys.