October 12, 2006

Supporting Our Troops

Troop Fest 2006 draws huge crowd to USS Hornet Museum
to raise funds to send necessities to our troops

By Julie Davis Berry
Executive Editor

Thousands of Bay Area military families and their supporters turned out on Saturday, September 30 to board the historic USS Hornet aircraft carrier to celebrate the 2nd annual Operation Care and Comfort Troop Fest.

USS Hornet Aircraft Carrier seems huge but is only half as large as current Aircraft Carriers. Photos by Julie Davis Berry

Operation Care and Comfort is a dedicated group of volunteers who banded together to raise money to send care packages to US troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. The group is led by three women, Julie DeMaria of Willow Glen, Randy Bye of Aptos and Cookie Crissman of Santa Clara.

Last year’s Troop Fest was held at Moffett Field and was open to the public as a free concert. This year the group decided to charge for the event and the results are still being tallied but from the look of the crowd - estimated at around 3,000 - that showed up on Saturday, the money raised should be impressive.

The day featured self-guided tours of the aircraft carrier, a ROTC Drill competition, a ring where ultimate fighting champions Daniel Puder and Cung Le fought it out, a number of service organizations that set up tables, and entertainment by several local bands – all donated to the worthwhile cause.

Karla Comfort’s custom painted memorial Hummer was a huge draw at Troop Fest. Comfort, a Michigan mom, lost her son in Falluja, Iraq in December 2005.

The event culminated in a performance by local disc jockey and 1980s rock star Greg Kihn (famous for “My Life’s in Jeopardy” and the “Break-up Song”) who impressed the crowd with a beautiful rendition of his classic song “Remember”. He finished off the day with an all-star jam with fellow DJ Chris Jackson, members of the band Midlife Crisis and Melanie Dekker.

“He’s a big supporter of our efforts,” said DeMaria. “He says it’s his favorite cause.” DeMaria plans to make a DVD of the day to send to the troops to boost their morale and remind them of the many supporters they have back home.

Operation Care and Comfort is always looking for volunteers. If you are interested in finding out more about OCC visit the Web site at www.operationcareandcomfort.org or call (408) 373-8635.

USS Hornet Museum is located at Pier 3, Alameda Point in Alameda, CA 94501. Visit the Web site at www.USSHornet.org or call(510) 521-8448 for more information.