Print

Email story

Comment

Email editor

He's in Iraq, so Santa will be, too

Belleair helps its resident St. Nick keep up the tradition, but for soldiers.

By LORRI HELFAND
Published December 10, 2006

ADVERTISEMENT [Special to the Times] Naval reservist Rick Brinkman, 44, of Belleair will take his Santa act to Iraq, where he is serving his third tour of duty.

BELLEAIR - When town Santa Rick Brinkman was called to Iraq a few months ago, he knew he wouldn't be able to deliver gifts to Belleair children this year.

But Brinkman, a Naval Reserve medic on his third tour of duty in Iraq, still wanted to be Santa.

With the help of town residents, he found a way.

"He's just a big kid at heart," his wife, Judy, said. "He just loves this stuff."

Brinkman phoned Town Hall last month asking if Belleair could spare an old Santa suit.

The tattered suit wouldn't do, Town Clerk Donna Carlen said. So she bought him a new one.

Meanwhile, Town Commissioner Karla Rettstatt was working on a care package to send to Brinkman, who also happens to be the town postman.

She sent an e-mail asking residents if they wanted to help and also made an announcement at a Town Hall meeting.

And what began as eight boxes filled with snacks, candy, magazines and all kinds of goodies has snowballed, with more than a dozen residents starting a drive of their own.

By last week, almost 300 Belleair residents, officials and employees had chipped in to help Brinkman bring joy to his regiment.

So far, Brinkman has received 500 to 600 pounds of items, he said last week in a phone call from Fallujah, where temperatures currently range from the mid 30s to the low 60s.

And more is on the way. During the past couple of weeks, volunteers shipped off about 100 more boxes, resident Rae Claire Johnson said.

The shipment included more than 75 boxes for the men and women in Brinkman's unit.

"Oh, geez," said Brinkman, 44. "We can find a spot for them. That's why I love the town I live in."

It's hard to be away from his family for the holidays, but it's just as difficult to miss out on his anniversary and the 13th birthday of his daughter, Eva, this month, said Brinkman, who has served more than 26 years with the Naval Construction Force.

Eva and Brinkman's son, Reed, 10, usually dress up as elves and join their father for Belleair's Christmas deliveries.

Brinkman said being Santa in Iraq will give him a chance to give to his "extended family," too.

"That's what this place is," he said.

He plans to visit the chow halls and the hospital as St. Nick, spreading holiday cheer to about 2,000 soldiers.

He probably won't be able to hand out the oodles of items that were donated for Iraqi children, because of safety concerns. But he said he's confident that the Navy will find a way to distribute them.

He's not sure how his fellow soldiers will react to him in a Santa suit.

But he's knows they'll get a kick out of it.

"They know there's not a Santa," Brinkman said. "But they know some yahoo is suiting up in a Santa suit for them. Sometimes you appreciate things a little more after you've been in a situation like this."

Lorri Helfand can be reached at 727 445-4155 or lorri@sptimes.com.

[Last modified December 9, 2006, 21:24:09]