By Cynthia Koons
Peter Kwaith, a New York Hospital Queens EMT who operates FreeMat, an organization that runs collection drives for soldiers and families of reservists, said ever since tsunami relief efforts gained momentum in Queens, it has been increasingly difficult to successfully solicit donations for U.S. troops stationed abroad.”In talking to people, they'd say, 'We gave to the tsunami drive, we can't give to you,'” Kwaith said. “Being an American citizen I always felt that we should take care of our own people first.”FreeMat, Freedom Medical Aid Team, is a group of emergency medical technicians and paramedics from New York Hospital Queens who have formed an organization designed to support the families of military reservists when they are called to serve.Kwiath is asking Queens residents to donate toiletries, phone cards, paperback books, socks and instant soups – to name a few items – for the soldiers in Iraq. He began running drives such as these in 2002 to support both the soldiers and the families of Queens reservists who are stationed overseas.”The drive is supposed to end this Friday, but I discussed it with my associate and we both decided to extend it further,” Kwaith said. “It would be a shame to give the little that we have to the troops right now.”The new deadline for making donations is March 18.Kwiath said that during the holidays the organization collected 800 toys for children whose parents were serving in the war. On Monday, he said he only had three boxes full of about $500 worth of supplies to send to the soldiers.”Things have been really slow and lacking,” he said.Col. Margrit Farmer, the chief of staff of the readiness command at Ft. Totten who coordinated the toy drive with him, said there was no way to gauge whether people were giving less now than before the tsunami struck southeast Asia in December.”We don't really track it that well because there isn't that much that comes directly through us,” she said. When asked whether she had seen the public's support wane at all since the start of the war two years ago, she said that was hardly an issue.”I don't think there's a lessening of interest in the war at all,” she said. “It's still affecting our community.”Within the past six months, three Queens soldiers have been killed in combat.In October, a 22-year-old Whitestone native died when the car he was in encountered white-out conditions and crashed in Habbaniya, Iraq. A month later a 22-year-old from Oakland Gardens was killed in Fallujah in a “non-hostile vehicle accident.” In February, a Queens Village 21-year-old fell victim to a firebombing when he was driving on the streets of Baghdad.”There are so many reservists that live in the area that are deployed,” Farmer said. “I think people are still moved by what our soldiers do.”But Kwaith said he has evidence to the contrary.”You look at a newspaper today, what do they mention about our troops? Very little, just about the fighting that's going on,” he said. “I feel they're putting our armed services on a second shelf.”Those interested in donating to the FreeMat can make checks out to NYHQ/FREEMAT or bring donations to the office at 65-37 Fresh Meadow Lane in Flushing. The phone number is (718) 670-2091.Reach reporter Cynthia Koons by e-mail at news@timesledger.com or call 718-229-0300, Ext. 141.
