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Austintown woman's message to Marines: You are remembered
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Mary Jo DeLucia of Austintown has sent thousands of Christmas cards with hand-written notes to Marines in combat zones since beginning the project in 2004. Here she signs and packs cards to be sent this year. DeLucia says she does the project at the Poland Branch of the Public Library of Youngstown and Mahoning County “because it is so peaceful there.”
AUSTINTOWN
“Joy to the world ... especially to you.”
Mary Jo DeLucia has made it her mission to send Christmas cards with personal messages such as this — a touch of home — to thousands of Marines stationed in Iraq and Afghanistan.
She has sent boxes of cards to Marines units and individuals since 2004. That’s 5,600 cards counting this year’s mailing.
“Maybe I’ve seen too many military movies where packages from home are shared. I have no idea how they get distributed, I just trust that they are,” said DeLucia of Austintown.
Also, the thank-you notes she receives let her know her cards are both shared and appreciated.
One of her favorite thank-you notes came from a company commander of an engineering unit in Fallujah, Iraq, in 2006:
“Even I, one of the oldest in the company (32) and more accustomed to being away from family and friends, got a great sense of comfort from reading the note you wrote. I can only guess at how much your words of encouragement will benefit the young 19-20-year-old Marines ... away from their loved ones for the first time.
“It’s a beautiful thing when all the things that surround this war can get put aside for a while and we get to remember the amazing country we hail from. You’re a wonderful representation and reminder of home for many Marines, Mary Jo, and I thank you for your support,” the officer said.
“I love to get a piece of hand-written mail ... a card for Christmas or birthday or even sympathy. I like being remembered, and I figure they do, too,” DeLucia said of the Marines and Navy personnel who receive her cards.
Other handwritten notes on DeLucia’s cards include wishes for peace, prayers, and thanks for their service.
Examples of what she writes are: “Christmas 2011: Helmets and MREs”; “Gentle wishes full of care and joy”; “Although you and I have never met, I think of and pray for you often.”
DeLucia, 62, a 1967 graduate of Ursuline High School and a 1984 graduate of Youngstown State University, had a Marine friend when she was in her early 50s who served in Vietnam and told her what his experience was like; and also her cousin, Donald DeCecco of Austintown, was a Marine in Vietnam.
“My question when I was in high school was, why them and not me? We [the girls] were talking about going to college, and the boys were wondering when their draft number would come up. They must have been scared to death. That’s also part of the reason I send the cards,” she said.
Though she didn’t serve in the military, DeLucia knows what it’s like to have plans for graduate school and her career cut short by events out of her control.
In 1989, at 40, she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.
She retired from the Ohio Job and Family Services in 2005, long before she wanted to quit her job of adjudicating unemployment claims, because of the side affects of MS.
After retiring, DeLucia found herself with a lot of time on her hands and looked around for something to fill it.
“It’s good to do things for someone else that others who are working don’t always have the time for. Everybody is supposed to share their gifts. My gift is my time,” she said.
She also volunteers for the Salvation Army as a Christmas bell ringer, mostly at the Cornersburg Sparkle Market, and is a member of the Army’s Womens Auxiliary.
“It’s wonderful to meet the regulars, many of whom are World War II veterans, who tell me what great affection they have for the Salvation Army,” she said.
DeLucia said her Marine friend told her that service members look forward to meals and mail, and that the meals are none too good.
DeLucia said sending the cards has become an important part of her life.
“It makes me feel good and makes me feel useful. I don’t have kids, so they are my kids. I have never met anybody who received one of my cards. This is not to find pen pals. It’s just to be supportive,” she said.
“It is about taking care of someone who is taking care of me. They don’t know me, and I don’t know them. It’s all about being remembered.”