Team Spirit : Call to Back Troops Spreads Nationwide

When her son and grandson were called up in Army airborne units after the invasion of Kuwait, Betty Lou Walters reached out for some support.

She phoned radio and TV stations in nearby Minneapolis and asked other families of soldiers to call her, to share experiences, to help each other.

People called and kept calling.

Walters and the first round of callers decided to organize. Yvonne Minor, whose son is in the Navy, named the group Support Our Country’s Military--SOCM, pronounced sock-em.

The calls kept coming. From South Dakota. From Texas. From California.

President Bush noticed. During a September speech in Minneapolis, he lauded the group. “They’re . . . writing letters and sending board games to the troops--even arranging child care to help a grandmother of two girls who’s worried her son and daughter-in-law might both be called up,” he said.

More calls came.

Two weeks ago the nonprofit volunteer group moved from its kitchen in Osseo, Minn., into four rooms of donated office space in suburban Minneapolis. At last count there were 40 chapters around the country. So far, about 200 callers have requested applications to form new chapters, at least 125 since mid-January.

The tiny suburban support group has become a national clearinghouse of information about help for military families and a major sponsor of gift packages and letters to the Middle East.

“We’re getting hundreds of calls a day,” said Betty Long, executive vice president, as she hung up the phone. It rang again. The caller and his co-workers wanted to know how to become pen pals with Americans in the Persian Gulf.

Linda Holcomb, president of a chapter formed in November on Long Island, N.Y., said her group grew from eight people to 80 and is expanding. Holcomb’s son is an Army airborne unit sergeant. “My son in Saudi Arabia told me about a wonderful group named SOCM in Minnesota. He wrote, ‘Mom, if you need support, please call or write.’ I did.”

Her group alone has sent more than 40,000 pounds of toilet paper, canned fruit, vitamins and cookies to the troops. “The county got involved and started a food drive, requests for stationery, anything the kids could use,” Holcomb said.

Lesley Masuda of Santa Barbara, president of SOCM of Southern California, said seven chapters have so far helped send more than 100 packages to Saudi Arabia. One SOCM member, a toy manufacturer, shipped more than 250 games.

Back in Minnesota, the headquarters is awash in items that the chapters can use to raise funds: plastic flags, boxes of white candles tied with yellow ribbons, SOCM-emblazoned sweat shirts, dog tags, buttons, bumper stickers and bows for car antennas.

Walters walked in carrying a Saudi Arabian flag that someone gave her. “The most important thing in the whole world is the military men and women getting letters and cards,” Walters said. “This provides contact with home, saying we love you and we care. And here at home when the stress gets too great, the depression too deep, people have someone they can turn to.” The calls continue with questions about the support groups and offers of help. A suburban Minneapolis chapter recently gave $100 toward a crib and mattress for the wife of a serviceman in the Persian Gulf. A new SOCM project is a scholarship fund for children of war casualties.

Ron Caroon, director of chapter development, said he tries to attend first meetings of chapters in Minnesota. He communicates by phone, mail and fax with out-of-state chapters. “I try to give them some guidance about how to get things rolling,” Caroon said. “People ask, ‘How do we make a support group?’ I say, by the end of the first meeting you’ll know how.”