GIANT SHIP, BIG HUG: Local volunteers prepare 1,500 care boxes for crew aboard USS Gerald Ford

Peter Kobs, The Record-Eagle, Traverse City, Mich.
·4 min read

Nov. 25—TRAVERSE CITY — Traverse City is sending a big hug to the world's largest warship, thanks to Marilyn Dear and her team of volunteers at the Church of the Living God.

Their "Adopt-A-Sailor" program is preparing up to 1,500 care packages for crew members aboard the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier, currently deployed in the Mediterranean Sea not far from Israel and the Gaza Strip, where war has been raging between Israel and Hamas.

Local donations of food, personal care items and more are needed by early December.

"Too many of our young people in military service don't know how much they're appreciated," said Dear, 75. "They really deserve a big hug from all of us. It's sad for a sailor when their name isn't called during mail roll call. We're aiming to bring more smiles this holiday season."

Petoskey-born Jacob "Jake" Walz is an air traffic controller aboard the Ford. He's helping the Traverse City volunteers coordinate the shipment of care packages to the giant vessel. That coordination is key since Navy security requires all such packages to be mailed to specific sailors by name.

A graduate of Harbor Light Christian School in Harbor Springs, Walz joined the Navy shortly after finishing his senior year. He attended Navy bootcamp at the Great Lakes Naval Training Center near Chicago and later joined the crew of the Ford in August 2022.

This September, Walz was named "Wolverine of the Day" (Sailor of the Day) by the ship's commanders because of his outstanding performance.

"We are absolutely so proud of what he's doing," said Jake's mother, Shannon Walz of Petoskey. "I hope people remember that they are doing a tough job on that ship — keeping our world safe so we can enjoy each day ... I'd ask the people of northern Michigan to pray for our sailors and for their families."

In Traverse City, Marilyn Dear is working closely with a committed trio of volunteers at her church — Bensie Benghauser, Laurie Borysiak and Pam Kritcher.

Dear began her charitable work about 19 years ago by launching a local nonprofit called "Touching Hearts." One year later, she started a Christmas tradition called Adopt-A-Soldier, which focused on a squad or platoon of soldiers (from 20 to 100 people). This year's Navy-focused effort is much bigger.

More donations are still needed in the next 10 days, Dear said.

Suggested donation items include: Microwave popcorn, protein bars, trail mix, fruit snacks, nuts, chewing gum, beef jerky, ramen noodles, deodorant, chapstick, cough drops, Tums, Q-tips, crossword puzzles or Sudoku puzzles, small toys such as yo-yos, paddle balls or finger puzzles.

The Traverse City Record-Eagle is donating 1,500 copies of the Sunday comics to the effort. GT Container is donating 130 large boxes, inside of which will be several 1-gallon bags with letters from schoolchildren in nine local schools, as well as Christmas bulbs, small books and perhaps other small items. Knorr Marketing of Garfield Township is conducting an in-house collection.

To help collect more supplies, several local businesses are displaying drop boxes where local residents can contribute items.

Those locations include:

* Family Fare supermarket at Chum's Corners

* Oleson's supermarkets — West and East side stores

* Hanson Foods of Suttons Bay

* Northland Ford of Kingsley

* Village Market of Fife Lake

* Sam's Club on U.S. 31

* The Copy Shop on Woodmere Avenue and 8th Street

* WTCM radio in downtown Traverse City

* Espresso Bay (south) on South Airport Road at Garfield Avenue

The Ford is both the world's largest warship and the U.S. fleet's most technologically advanced aircraft carrier.

Named after the 38th president, the Ford was first deployed in October 2022.

According to public information the Navy has shared about the vessel, it is capable of carrying 90 aircraft at a time, including advanced fighter jets and a panoply of specialized aircraft such as helicopters, electronic warfare planes and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).

It is the first in a class of new generation of U.S. carriers, replacing the Nimitz class that began 40 years ago. It has 25 decks and a crew of about 4,500. The nuclear-powered Ford weighs 100,000 tons. It is 1,100-feet-long and 256-feet-wide on its flight deck.

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin extended the Ford's deployment in the eastern Mediterranean following the Oct. 7 attacks on Israel, saying, "This signals the United States' ironclad commitment to Israel's security and our resolve to deter any state or non-state actor seeing to escalate this war."

Crew members were initially scheduled to be home at the Norfolk Naval Station in Virginia for Thanksgiving, but the extended deployment made that impossible.

"That's another reason to send our support to those sailors," said Ron Windorfer, grandfather of Jacob Walz. "I think of Jake every day.

"I'm so proud our community is coming together for this Adopt-A-Sailor program. Help out if you can!"