DHL Brings Community Together To Spread Holiday Cheer To U.S. Troops In The Middle East

PLANTATION, FL -- December 12, 2005, DHL Partners with March Joint Powers Authority and Southern California Businesses to Ship More Than 200 Christmas Trees, Menorahs, Lights and Decorations to Troops this Holiday Season


An aircraft carrying a special holiday shipment will lift off from Los Angeles International Airport this evening destined for U.S. troops stationed in Iraq. DHL, the world?s leading express delivery and logistics provider, has partnered with the March Joint Powers Authority (JPA), local businesses in Southern California and the Riverside area community to deliver Christmas trees, menorahs, ornaments and lights to American service men and women stationed overseas this holiday season.

This year, DHL will ship more than 200 Christmas trees donated by a partnership of local Riverside businesses and residents, 600 boxes of lights, 400 boxes of ornaments, 200 boxes of candy canes, and 100 menorahs with candles, along with holiday cards written by children from local Riverside County area schools. The entire shipment will receive a special send off today at March Air Reserve Base in Riverside, CA.

The DHL Christmas Trees for Troops initiative was launched in December 2004, when DHL delivered two shipments with a total of 135 Christmas trees and other holiday-related items to troops stationed at Camp Anaconda in Iraq. This year, another special DHL shipment of 1,000 trees, heading to U.S. troops in Afghanistan, Bahrain, Kuwait and Iraq, was shipped out of JFK on December 6th. The response to these shipments from troops and their families has been so positive that DHL and various partners expanded the program to include local Southern California business and the Riverside area community.

The DHL shipment will head from March Air Reserve Base to the DHL international gateway at Los Angeles International Airport. From Los Angeles, the shipment will fly to John F. Kennedy Airport and then on to Kuwait, where the trees, lights and decorations will be distributed to Marine units in Iraq that were trained at March Air Reserve Base.

“Last year, DHL was honored to be a partner in bringing the holiday spirit to our troops in Iraq. We are delighted to be able to include the March JPA and the Riverside area community this year,” said Fred Beljaars, Executive Vice President for Operations at DHL. “The Riverside community has demonstrated so much generosity and support for our service men and women during the holidays. DHL is proud to continue our support for the brave members of our armed forces.”

The send off celebration at March Air Reserve Base this morning will commence with a welcome from Dave Rawlings, Director, National Accounts of DHL, followed by words of thanks and appreciation from Daryl Busch, Chairman, March Joint Powers Commission and Mayor of the City of Perris, and Michael King, Chief Warrant Officer 4 of the First Marine Expeditionary Force, one of the military units which will receive the shipment in Iraq. Other local community members and military officials will also be in attendance.

“The holidays are a time for family and community to come together, and this year, I am delighted to see our local Riverside community doing just that to bring the spirit of the Holiday season to troops in Iraq,” said Daryl Busch, Chairman, March Joint Powers Commission and Mayor of the City of Perris.


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