From the Burleson Star:
A soldier's angel
By CANDISE MONTEMAYOR
When a soldier steps off American soil and onto the sand of a foreign country there is constant danger until they are home again.
Our country's heroes serve proudly to protect people they may never meet. And it can be a thankless task, but some special individuals here in the states take it upon themselves to let the brave men and women serving over seas know how much they are appreciated.
“Every time I go anywhere if I see someone in uniform I stop whatever I am doing and walk right up to them,” Tamala Marbut of Burleson said. “I always shake their hand and tell them thank you. Because you don’t know if anybody has done that and I don’t want the chance to go by and me not have said thank you to them.”
Marbut is a “Soldiers' Angel”, and though yes – to meet her many would agree she is angelic and patriotic – the term is from an organization who’s motto “May No Soldier Go Unloved,” has been an personal mission of Marbut’s for sometime.
A mother of two sons who have been deployed more than once to those far off countries of war, Marbut found out first hand the concerns and needs of soldiers and their families.
“I would send my son care packages to share with his unit,” she said. “And that’s when I found out how many soldiers were going without. I knew I had to do something. Then I found Soldiers' Angels and everything clicked.”
Marbut, who’s office at Keller Williams in Burleson is decorated with American flags, and photos of soldiers she has never met but loves like they were her own, has been sending prayers and encouragement with care packages to adopted soldiers for three years.
“I also send blankets and pillows to the Wounded Soldiers project directly to a hospital in Germany,” she said.
On every blanket she carefully sews an American flag, wraps a card of appreciation inside the folds, hand-ties with a ribbon and then kisses the sealed boxes before sending them on their way.
“I always kiss every box,” she said.
Together with other caring individuals she has meet through the program she has made, collected and mailed out 175 blankets in six months. Sometimes lasting bonds are formed with soldiers who begin corresponding with Marbut.
Soldier Douglas Brunsvold wrote a touching letter to Marbut.... “I would just like to thank you for the gift of the blanket that I received at the Medical Transient Detachment here at Landstuhl Germany. The blanket that I have is a red blanket with a blue thread boarder and three flag symbols in one corner. I wanted to describe it to you because you may remember it and I wanted you to know that I really appreciate it,” Brusvold said.
On another occasion Marbut learned of soldier Rosevelt McCoy Jr. when he was hospitalized with injuries and started emailing her after receiving one her blankets as he recovered. He got well and returned to his unit in Iraq. Marbut adopted his entire unit after that emailing back and forth with everyone.
“We just keep it light,” she said. “I always ask if there is anything I can do for them on this side of things. I send them jokes and prayers and keep it light hearted – I don’t ask them questions.”
Marbut says she just wants to be a friendly face whenever they need one and help lift them up.
Thank you Tamala for caring about our guys!
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