Soldier Fighting for Liberty Gets a Liberty

Army Specialist (Spc.) Michael Gallagher from Fort Lewis, Wash., and currently serving in Iraq, found a nice surprise in a package he received from Operation Gratitude last January. The non-profit organization that sends care packages and letters of support to troops deployed overseas hand-delivered its 300,000th package, complete with keys to a 2008 Jeep® Liberty, to a surprised Spc. Gallagher at Forward Operating Base Warhorse in Iraq.

“When my commander ordered me to show up at this ceremony, I thought it was just another care package and they were making a big deal out of it because it was the 300,000th one,” said Gallagher. “When I discovered the keys, it completely blew my mind.”The Jeep brand has a long history of supporting the military and donated the Jeep Liberty as an expression of gratitude to all the men and women serving with the U.S. military overseas. In addition to the Jeep Liberty keys, the package also contained a letter from John Plecha, Director of Jeep Marketing and Global Communications.

In part, Plecha’s letter said: “As the recipient of the 300,000th Operation Gratitude care package, the Jeep brand is delighted to award you a Jeep vehicle of your own as a symbol of our appreciation, as you represent all those who bravely go in harms way in service to our country.”