By Adam Swift
For more than two decades, US Army Veteran Richard Honan has been a lifeline for active service members across the globe.
Honan, the lifelong Winthrop resident, artist, Vietnam veteran and much more, has sent Christmas care packages to military personnel from Iraq and Afghanistan to Europe and Asia and beyond for 21 years.
But Honan said it’s time for him to hang up his hat when it comes to the military care package and Christmas tree programs.
“After 21 years and over 43,000 pounds of peanut butter crackers, trail mix, Mac n’ Cheese, magazines, granola bars, movie videos, Marshmallow Fluff, cans of clam chowder and letters and cards from the school children of Winthrop, I have decided to retire my military care package and Christmas Tree care package program,” Honan said. “In 21 years, I have sent these boxes of support to men and women in all five branches of the military and to all seven continents.”
Honan said he felt it was time for him to step back from the program, which has earned him letters and friendship from hundreds to thousands of US personnel who span the breadth of the United States.
“I feel comfortable knowing that I have given a 100% effort in support of our troops here and abroad,” Honan said. “I know that I brought thousands of smiles and thousands of pounds of support to our deployed servicemen and service women serving all over the world. I want to thank all of you who assisted me, donating goods, baking cookies, donating money for postage or helping me fill the hundreds of holiday care packages with Christmas trees and decorations. God Bless our men and women of the United States Military.”
Honan said he started sending out individual packages to the military 21 years ago after talking to a young woman who grew up with his daughters.
“I was in the army, I was in Vietnam 54 years ago,” said Honan. “I tell people, when you’re 20 years old, it’s like driving a hot rod at 100 mph. You don’t think you’re going to die, you’re more afraid of being forgotten. So I started sending her stuff.”
Honan’s operation soon expanded well beyond Winthrop, as he soon cultivated a list of service personnel from across the country to whom he would send care packages and Christmas trees each year.
While there has been plenty of help from organizations such as the public schools, the American Legion, the Girl Scouts, and other residents and groups over the years, it has always been Honan’s keen organizational and people skills that have kept the motor running.
“Every year is like planning a wedding,” said Honan. “When I was at the high point, which was anywhere from five to 10 years ago when we were still in Iraq and Afghanistan, I was doing a care package a day.”
Honan said he would often have people asking him about who he was sending the care packages to.
“I would have as many as 20 or 30 that I would send out to, and they would be your brother, your aunt, your niece, your father,” said Honan.
He said he has been doing the care packages for so long, people know of him, and Honan said he would gather information about what each of the individual service members would like for snacks and other items they would like in the typical 12-inch by 12-inch priority mail boxes.
Over the years, Honan has received hundreds of letters of thanks from the servicemen and women to whom he has sent care packages, and has become friendly with many of them. In fact, there was one serviceman Honan said he did not meet in person until he was invited to and attended his wedding.
“Thank you so much for the Christmas care packages that you sent to Andy,” read a letter from the family of one serviceman. “I know that he sent you his own thank you note, I would like to express our heartfelt thanks and gratitude for both this package and for the support that you have given to our family over the years. With us being apart for most of this holiday season, your package really uplifted his Christmas spirit, and he was very honored to receive it.”
For those asking if Honan is stepping back from the program because of health reasons, he said there is no need to be concerned.
“I just decided that after 21 years, I was going to call it a day,” said Honan.