LACKLAND AIR FORCE BASE, Texas –
Basic Military Trainees from the 343rd Training Squadron have taken it upon themselves to make this Christmas a special one for needy children in the San Antonio area.
Kicking off their Toys for Tots drive the week of Thanksgiving, the 343rd TRS has donated 13 large boxes of new toys for the annual campaign.
Their donations will be added to the base collection and turned over to the local United States Marine Corps Reserve, sponsors of the nation-wide effort.
"I kind of sold it to them (his training flight)," said Capt. John Davids, 343rd Military Training Flight commander.
"Most of these Airmen are 18 or 19 years old, and I asked them to think back to what it was like for them 10 years ago. It hit home a little bit, and they've responded."
The primary goal of Toys for Tots is to collect new, unwrapped toys during the last quarter of each year, and distribute those toys as Christmas gifts to needy children in the community.
Toys for Tots was started in 1947, and since its inception, has distributed more than 370 million toys to more than 173 million needy children throughout the United States.