• Under the leadership of Alison Mansfield, age 17, Operation U.S. Troop Support, Inc., has engaged individuals from across the United States in several military-service initiatives. One of Ms. Mansfield’s more recent military-support projects, Operation Socks for Our Troops, commenced on Veteran’s Day 2007 and is still ongoing. Sgt. Paul Statzer, a Pennsylvania soldier severely injured while serving in Iraq, and his love for God and country have been and continue to be the inspiration for all of Alison’s military-support initiatives. Alison has dedicated this website to Sgt. Paul Statzer, her hero. An essay Alison wrote about Sgt. Statzer when she was in fifth grade is attached. (See tab: "About Sgt. Paul Statzer")
• Alison personally met for the first time and visited with Sgt. Paul Statzer and his father James Statzer on Veteran’s Day 2005. At that time, Sgt. Statzer was being treated for severe war injuries at Walter Reed Army Medical Center/Mologne House.
• En route to the Washington D.C. area, Alison collaborated with Southwest Airlines and ATA to collect letters of support and thanks from passengers to be delivered to the soldiers then being treated at Walter Reed. She later reproduced the letters 100 times and distributed/had them distributed at Walter Reed/Mologne House. After meeting Sgt. Statzer, James Statzer and so many other brave American heroes, Alison was inspired to do more to thank those who daily sacrifice to preserve our freedom.
• In early 2006, Alison spearheaded a Girl Scout cookie drive which resulted in over 550 boxes of cookies being sent to wounded soldiers being treated at Walter Reed and soldiers serving in Iraq. Later that year, Alison began gathering toiletries and snacks for the troops and continued her efforts to gather letters of support at restaurants, the Allen County 4-H Fair and at many other locations.
• Another recent military-service initiative, Operation Socks for Our Troops, commenced on Veteran’s Day 2007. As of January 31, 2012, over 12,258 pairs of primarily warm wool/wool blend socks have been gathered and sent to soldiers serving in the cold, mountainous regions of Afghanistan and some areas of Iraq.
• Alison’s initial goal was to gather between 500-1,000 pairs of warm, wool socks for the troops. That goal was later shattered when the AP picked up a story written about her project in the Journal Gazette.
• Since 2005, Alison has also gathered over 50,491 toiletries and snacks for the troops as well as small toys for soldiers to give to the Afghan and Iraqi children. Working with major airlines, schools, the Korean War Veterans Association, and her 4-H club, she has additionally gathered 5,027 cards and letters of support. Because of the generosity of many, as of January 31, 2012, an amazing 72,402 items have been gathered and shipped to U.S. soldiers serving in Iraq and Afghanistan and injured soldiers recovering stateside.

Community Impact

• After an article was written about Alison’s project in the Journal Gazette, the story was picked up by the AP and the sock drive became a national phenomenon. On December 24, 2007, Alison’s project and other military support projects were featured in USA Today (See tab: “In the News”).
• Operation Socks for Our Troops has inspired others to give back to their communities. Support for Operation Socks for Our Troops has come from individuals, corporations, Girl Scout troops, universities, 4-H Clubs, banks, schools, churches, leadership organizations, veterans’ organizations, friends, neighbors, and classmates. After hearing about the socks project on the radio, one middle school student in Illinois was so inspired that he collected approximately 800 pairs of socks in his community. He then mailed them to Alison to forward to the soldiers. After reading about the project in USA Today, a retiree in Arizona wrote to Alison and asked how she could get involved. Donations from cities and towns all over the United States have been, and continue to be received.