'HERO TO HERO DRIVE' Woman hits road seeking support for troops in Iraq

The pledge drive officially kicks off Sept. 11.
By PATRICIA MEADE
VINDICATOR CRIME REPORTER
YOUNGSTOWN -- So far on Liz Jackson's road trip to collect safety forces' T-shirts and ball caps for troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, "It's been 6,000 miles, two oil changes and one manicure."
Jackson, a 47-year-old Air Force veteran, left her hometown of Lakewood, Wash., on May 16 in a rental car provided by Hertz and hand-decorated with this message: "Hero to Hero pledge drive '05 -- firefighters and police giving the shirts off their backs."
The road trip, 55 cities in all, is expected to end back in Lakewood on Sunday.
Shirts off their backs
In each city, Jackson visits police and fire departments and asks for donations of T-shirts or ball caps emblazoned with the department's logo. She also asks that the departments spread the word to other safety forces in neighboring towns and leaves her Web site: patrioticpastime.com/roadtrip.html.
"I've got 3,000 miles to go," Jackson said Wednesday outside the Mahoning County Sheriff's Department. "From here, it's on to Cleveland and Toledo. I've got eight or nine more stops until I'm home."
Jackson said the goal is to send shirts or hats to all troop units and the soldiers can trade, if they want, until they get one from their hometown.
The official pledge drive kickoff is Sept. 11. She hopes the road trip gives her national exposure to ensure that enough shirts and hats are collected.
The shirts and hats will be sent to Jackson, who will arrange to have the items mailed to the troops in February -- for arrival by March 19, the second anniversary of the war in Iraq.
Valley visit
While at the sheriff's department Wednesday, Maj. Michael Budd took off his shirt, signed it and handed it to Jackson. She made room for it in the car stuffed with pledge sheets and maps.
She also visited the Youngstown Fire Department and received assurance firefighters would participate by donating T-shirts for the cause, said Battalion Chief Tim McGarry.
She couldn't find a parking space near the Youngstown Police Department but is sure someone will let the officers know their shirts will be appreciated.
Jackson said the largest pledge so far is 300 T-shirts from one police department. She asks that the shirts be signed by police and firefighters.
Type of response
Jackson said the response has been phenomenal. She started out with 300 business cards and, by Wednesday afternoon, had 25 left. There's been many stops for gas along the way when the station owner said "fill 'er up, no charge."
When a trooper in California pulled her over she explained that she wasn't speeding. "He said, 'I know, you're Hero to Hero; where's the pledge sheet?'"
Jackson has made stops in Oregon, California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas and Louisiana. From Florida, she headed north through Alabama and Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia and Washington, D.C.
She was in Washington this past weekend for dedication of the World War II memorial. She recalled a wheelchair-bound veteran struggling to stand and salute when he saw her Hero to Hero car.
The return trip includes Maryland, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, Wyoming, Utah and Idaho.
The 55-city trip is dedicated to Jackson's cousin, Army Sgt. Jacob Herring, who died in Iraq and James G. Lewis, a Tacoma Police officer killed in the line of duty. Herring's high school football jersey was No. 55.
Jackson's 20-year-old son, Bo, a member of the Air Force, accompanied her on the trip until Florida.
She said Hero to Hero allows stateside heroes -- men and women in the safety forces -- to show their support of the troops overseas.
meade@vindy.com