The Operation Gratitude and Veterans Day Celebration 2011 was a huge success!

We celebrated Veterans Day one day early in conjunction with our Operation Gratitude candy collection. We had several soldiers from the United States Army here in our office to accept our patient's candy. They demonstrated some of their robotics equipment and explained the role the U.S. Army TACOM Life Cycle Management Command plays in protecting our warfighters.

The TACOM Life Cycle Management Command (LCMC) unites all of the organizations that focus on Soldier and ground systems throughout the entire life cycle.

Last year we sent 396 pounds of candy to Operation Gratitude. This year we sent over 425 pounds of candy. Operation Gratitude annually sends 100,000-plus care packages filled with snacks, entertainment items and personal letters of appreciation addressed to individually named U.S. service members deployed in hostile regions. Their mission is to lift morale, bring a smile to a service member's face and express to our Armed Forces the appreciation and support of the American people. One of the soldiers at the event said how happy he was to receive a care package from Operation Gratitude, "When you are sleeping on top of your tank for three months a care package with your name on it really makes a difference."

Thank you to all of our patients and their families for making a difference!

Dr. Hummon, Dr. Gebeck, and the entire Staff of Orthodontic Associates