The One for All team got a message from its adopted Army Battery this week! Our guys are doing well, but they’re settling in for a tough few months as the seasons change in Afghanistan. This month, CU1 employees are sending care packages full of hygiene items. I’m heading to the store for some baby wipes and deodorant – perfect for cleaning up on the fly.

Did you know that Credit Union 1 has this adopted Battery? We take care of about 95 guys from Fort Richardson who are currently deployed to Afghanistan. A few weeks ago we received an email from a member saying that he’d like us to share more info about “our guys.” Interested? Read on!

Our adoption project started back in 2007 with an Army Platoon of 34 men who were deployed to Iraq. When our Platoon safely returned, we threw the party of all parties to celebrate. At this shindig, a different Platoon leader within our soldiers' Battery told us how impressed he was with our support. Apparently in Iraq, our adopted Platoon received so many care packages from the credit union that it seemed like "Credit Union 1 was everywhere!" (haha – we do support Alaskans, everywhere!) .

Listening to this soldier, our fearless leader and President/CEO Leslie Ellis sensed an opportunity to challenge the credit union and provide a perfect way for us to support and serve the military community. That night, we decided to take the entire Army Battery into adoption!

Our project now benefits almost 100 men from the Alpha Battery 2nd of the 377th Parachute Field Artillery Regiment stationed at Fort Richardson, Alaska. Currently, our Battery is overseas on an 18 month deployment to Afghanistan. The One for All team has sent personal cards and care packages every month since they left. If you’d like to donate to our Battery, shoot me an email! Our community support will help bring these soldiers home safely.

"It's things like this that keep our hopes up and keep us going in times of need.” - SPC David Beaulieu