Bigfork woman has helped adopt hundreds of soldiers

By ALEX STRICKLAND / Bigfork Eagle

For a mother of three, Kim Jones has an awful lot of children.

Erica, Q.P., Jason, John, Kim. The names go on and on and so do the faces. All kinds of ages, all kinds of races. They're the men and women of her son Todd's unit, the 4th Division of the 3rd Infantry, stationed with him at Forward Operating Base Kalsu in Iraq.

And besides her son serving with his figurative "Band of Brothers," Kim has formed another connection, she — and her town — has adopted them.

It may not be an official adoption, but as Kim Jones flips through a binder full of more than 100 of their photos, it's clear it might as well be.

Ever since the unit was deployed to Iraq in October, Jones has made every effort to see that each of them has a family in the Flathead looking out for them. Whether it's cookies, magazines, or — perhaps best of all — a simple letter or e-mail, she's made it her personal mission to see that these soldiers from all over America have at least one friendly word from Montana.

"This is the toughest part of their stay," she said. "It's very hot, they're halfway through and they're really missing home."

Aside from encouraging families and individuals to take charge for a single soldier, Jones has also helped organize drives to make and send neck coolers, cookies and other care packages to Iraq through programs like Adopt-a-box. Using the Postal Service's flat rate shipping boxes, Jones has encouraged people who might not want to commit to a soldier to put together a care package with necessities like medicated foot powder and coffee syrups and send it off.

Others around the valley have jumped in to help too. Donna Chase of Lakeside has pushed a magazine drive to send current issues of popular magazines to soldiers desperate for a bit of normalcy and news of home. Sandra Marker and Trinity Lutheran Church bake cookies to send to soldiers each month.

But Jones, who was reluctant to part with her binder full of soldiers' pictures and information even for a weekend, knows them best.

"Here's Qasim's picture," she says of a young soldier. "He's trying to look so tough, but he's very sweet."

Or Matthew Hash, who's photo sleeve also contains an e-mailed picture of his wife and four children.

Some of the photos are attached to letters, which make no qualms about what her time — about what Bigfork's time — mean to the men and women in uniform.

"I am so delighted to see a town rally around the soldiers," writes Jacob Todd, who expressed his desire to visit this village by the bay one day. "Thank all of Bigfork for their love."

Master Sergeant Mike Redmond, a father of six and a 19-year veteran of the Army, is responsible for the pictures in the binder. He snuck up, cajoled and encouraged soldiers to let him take a snapshot so that the Montana woman watching out for them could have a face with all the names.

"I appreciate all you are doing for these guys," he writes. "There is no sacrifice in service to our Country, only the privilege of serving great Americans like you."

Soldiers still need families and there are plenty of care packages and letters to be sent before the unit comes home in January. For information on how to get involved, call Kim Jones at 837-1088 or e-mail her at bigforkjones@montanasky.net.