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Bombs don't light up the skies in Iraq anymore.
Network news quit the constant coverage.
Even the yellow ribbons along Bayshore Boulevard have faded.
But for Peggy Chiasson the work continues.
Chiasson started Operation Shoebox in February to send supplies and support to troops in the Middle East. She wanted them to know people at home were thinking of them.
Nearly four months later, she's still at it.
"We can't forget our troops," she says. "It's easy for people to care before or during the war, but their needs are still the same."
Although President Bush declared the war over, some 300,000 troops remain, many of them our MacDill neighbors. Sadly, not every one will come home.
Chiasson's eldest son, Michael, has been in Iraq since the beginning. Last week, he called home to say he had volunteered to stay longer. How long? He didn't know.
There's a lot left to do.
The news punctured Chiasson's dreams of a speedy reunion. It also made her burst with pride. Truth is, part of her knew he wouldn't want to leave. He's been gung-ho about serving since his first day of boot camp.
Chiasson spent Monday at a Memorial Day event at the American Legion Cemetery on Kennedy Boulevard. While others barbecued on the beach, she attended a ceremony honoring those who have made the ultimate sacrifice.
It was a solemn, but lovely, tribute, she says.
On Tuesday, she was back at work packing shoeboxes from 9 in the morning to 8 at night.
In the past few months, Operation Shoebox has sent more than 4,000 packages. Each went to individual servicemen and women stationed in Iraq, as well as in Afghanistan and South Korea.
Donations have come from all corners of the country. The Web site, www.operationshoebox.us had logged 23,199 hits as of Wednesday afternoon and Chiasson's phone seldom stops ringing. The group's headquarters on Grace Street, near Dale Mabry Highway and Interstate 275, overflows with baby wipes, tooth brushes and cards of support.
Chiasson says cotton socks now top the troops' request lists. Imagine wearing the same pair or two for weeks on end. Factor in dirt and 90-degree heat, and you can see the joy a white, fluffy pair might bring.
Disposable cameras also score big. With the heaviest fighting now over, troops have more time to "catch up on some memories," Chiasson says. They want lasting reminders of the places and people who forever changed their lives.
Many of the latest shoeboxes include footballs and Frisbees. Chiasson pictures soldiers playing with Iraqi children, building good will.
Chiasson plans to keep sending the packages until the troops come home. She has the Grace Street warehouse indefinitely and donations continue to come in.
She could use more volunteers and hopes high school kids will come help now that school is out. (Hint, hint.) The only requirements: a hard-working attitude and a patriotic heart.
To help, call Chiasson at 238-4745.
- Susan Thurston can be reached at 226-3394 or thurston@sptimes.com