Newburgh Free Academy, Class of 2001.
S.SGT. Desiree Ornelaz
Spc. Luis Rodriguez
U.S.M.C. is from California
From Harriman, NY
Marine Sgt. Luis Mercado, Jr.
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W e l c o m e
Marine Sgt. Luis Mercado Jr. is the most popular man in his platoon when a package arrives in Iraq from his mom in Orange County. Surrounded by many soldiers, he distributes supplies of socks, drinks and food. Two large boxes of potato chips "disappear in 10 seconds, as if [the soldiers] have never eaten chips before," says Mercado.
Luz Mercado sends out the care packages daily to boost the soldiers' morale. Sponsoring her son's platoon has become her mission since their deployment to Iraq. "We have a mini Sam's Club in our garage," Luis Mercado Sr. says. "All you need is a shopping cart to go down the aisles...Things we take for granted, they appreciate a great deal. At 7:30 a.m., it is already 137 degrees there, so drinks are very important."
Luz operated as a one-person charity for months; now she is affiliated with the non-profit organization Support Our Heroes. "it was getting costly, about $30 to $40, to send the packages," says Luis Sr. The couple have been overwhelmed by the public's response to recent publicity, which sparked donations from families and organizations. "One child sent a letter with a check for $5. He said it was all he could do now, but when he gets older he wants to be a Marine," says Luis Sr..
Luz says the soldiers are doing more for her than she can for them. "Whether we believe in the war or not, they're giving us their lives."
July 9, 2007
Poughkeepsie Journal
Monday, July 9, 2007 Three cheers
To Luz Mercado and Linda Harvey for supporting the troops in Iraq. Mercado runs the Support Our Troops Foundation which ships packages to two platoons in Iraq - one is an Army platoon and the other a Marine Platoon. Harvey has worked with Mercado in the past and now sends packages on her own. Both women have sons who are serving long tours in Iraq.
Luis Mercado Jr. is in the Marines, and Matthew Harvey is in the Army. Mercado sends food items that won't melt, such as energy drinks, energy bars and potato chips. Harvey received a donation of Girl Scout cookies from the Brownies who meet at the Suffern pre-school where she works. "It's a connection to home where things are normal," Harvey said.
Contributions can be made to "Support Our Heroes" c/o Luz Mercado 18 Windsor Square Dr., New Windsor NY 12553. For more information, go to www.supportourheroes.net or call Luz Mercado at 845-569-9450.