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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."

October 05, 2004

Marines get word: We really do care

By Alice Kenny
Times Herald-Record
akenny@th-record.com

New Windsor - Stumbling under the weight of two 40-pound boxes, Luz Mercado kicked open the New Windsor post office door yesterday, dropping off care packages for her son and his Marine troops in Iraq. She mails them boxes nearly every day now, thanks in part to a flood of contributions, in part to fear.

American forces have been fighting house to house this week to take back the city of Samarra. Luz doesn't know if her son, Sgt. Luis Mercado, is part of this effort Ð he won't tell her Ð but she hasn't heard from him in days. Her one-woman operation collecting and mailing supplies to the troops, Support Our Heroes, fills time she would otherwise spend worrying. "I don't know if Luis is there;

I don't want to think about that," Luz said, her face taut. "Without this project, I'd go crazy."

Initially, the 43-year-old mom sent supplies only to her son. She decided to adopt the whole squad after her 21-year-old son told her about fellow Marines who get nothing from home. The men need power drinks and power bars for pick-me-ups after 14-hour days filled with bloodshed and bombs, he said. They need socks to replace the ones they sweat through in the 130-degree desert.

The Record publicized her efforts two weeks ago. Since then, Luz received more than 40 letters postmarked from Newburgh to Florida with donations topping $3,000. A Cub Scout troop asked to adopt her son's squadron. A child enclosed $5, describing himself as a "Wanna Be Marine." Mothers of retired Marines sent letters filled with checks and prayers. A veterans' motorcycle club, Rolling Thunder, gave her $200.

Postal clerks greet Luz by name.

"It's hard to know what to say," New Windsor postal clerk Alayne Keiser said. "You don't want to show your emotions and get her upset. But when you hear about young guys fighting over there, it makes you think."