Oregon Christmas Trees Heading For Troops Just Back From Iraq

Operation Thank You began four years ago as a way to say thanks and to support troops and their families.

The load of 1,100 Douglas fir trees will depart Molalla on Sunday, and arrive at Fort Hood on Saturday, Dec. 2nd as part of Operation Thank You 2006.

(MOLALLA) - A semi-truck-load of Christmas trees bound for soldiers and their families based at Fort Hood, Texas, will be loaded Sunday morning at a Yule Tree Farms in Molalla.

Operation Thank You 2006 marks the fourth year that the Christmas Tree Chapter of the Oregon Association of Nurseries has coordinated the donation of trees and stands and their delivery to Fort Hood, which is a hub for soldiers fighting the war in Iraq.

The load of 1,100 Douglas fir trees will depart Molalla on Sunday, and arrive at Fort Hood on Saturday, Dec. 2nd.

The trees and stands will be divided evenly between the U.S. Army 4th Infantry Division's brigades (about 200 trees to each brigade), according to Sgt. Tyler Broadway, spokesman for Fort Hood.

"Our soldiers are just now coming back from overseas duties, so the timing couldn't be better for these trees to arrive," Broadway said.

About a dozen Oregon tree growers donated trees, Yule Tree Farms donated a crew to load the trees, Central Refrigerated Service of Salt Lake City will be making the delivery (the driver normally dresses as Santa Claus when he delivers the trees), and Cinco Plastics Inc. of Houston provides tree stands at cost and makes the delivery to the military base. Oregon is the No. 1 grower of Christmas trees in the U.S., with 8 million trees harvested in 2006.