OSOT - Operation Support Our Troops

Operation Support Our Troops is a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting our troops serving in harms’ way. Specifically, OSOT is an organization existing to support our deployed service members in a positive manner, to send goods and letters to boost their morale and supplement their basic needs with a "touch, taste and smell from home, pure and simple. We are NOT an organization that questions military policy, we are here to SUPPORT our troops of every branch of service in any way we can.

Operation Support Our Troops (hereafter known as OSOT) was founded and continues to be guided by the Mary Kay Salomone, our President, CEO and “Mother Superior” - our conscience. To better understand how OSOT came into being, a bit of history of our founder is appropriate.

Mary Kay Gasperini Salomone has lived a lifetime of service to our nation – through her volunteer work and support for our troops. While not herself a West Point graduate, Mary Kay’s love for the institution and her ties to it are deep and strong. Mary Kay’s father, Silvio Gasperini, graduated USMA in 1940 and served in our nation’s armed forces until his retirement in 1966. Mary Kay’s husband graduated USMA in the Class of 1965, and together John and Mary Kay Salomone raised four children while John served our nation, retiring in 1994, after 29 years of service. One of Mary Kay’s sons, Stephen, is also a West Point graduate (USMA Class of 2000) and her oldest son, John, has recently completed a three-year assignment as a Professor in the English Department at USMA. Mary Kay’s daughter, Susie is also married to a West Point grad, USMA 1991. Additionally, one of her brothers’, Richard, is also a West Point graduate (USMA Class of 1970) who retired in 1990.

Sending boodle and support packages to our soldiers comes naturally to Mary Kay. She had honed those skills as a very young child, continued it as a young bride while John was serving in Vietnam, and continued that practice while son, Stephen, was at West Point, and thereafter, when son, Stephen was deployed in Kuwait; and son, John, was deployed in Guantanamo Bay, Somalia, and Korea. Her caring nature and generosity are well known to many of Stephen’s classmates and fellow West Pointers, and thus it came as no surprise when two young 2001 graduates approached Mary Kay, asking for help getting needed supplies to their troops in those early days of deployment to Afghanistan and Guantanamo.

Recognizing that the needs far outstripped her personal abilities, and having the foresight to recognize that the needs would be ever increasing, Mary Kay contacted the appropriate people at the Pentagon, and received permission to officially launch “Operation Support Our Troops”.

Ever mindful of the need for security and need to protect our troops privacy (even before the latest Privacy Act laws), Mary Kay decided that in order to be successful, Operation Support Our Troops had to be a very closely held organization; and further decided that membership would be limited – basically by invitation only. Her target membership: parents of recent West Point graduates and parents of current West Point cadets: parents whom she felt that she could rely upon to understand the absolute need for security and parents who would abide by the very simple, but non-negotiable rules under which the Pentagon approved the creation of OSOT.

Since it’s inception in February of 2002, OSOT has grown exponentially ~ but so too has the need. While the vast majority of our members remain the parents of West Point cadets and recent grads, our ranks also include older USMA grads and the parents of some non-West Point affiliated soldiers who are deployed in harms’ way.

OSOT’s target audience: any and all troops, be they Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine, active duty, National Guard, Activated Reservists; officer and enlisted alike. Many of the names on our support list are the names of young West Point graduates, who in turn write, asking that their soldiers be added to the list. The Chaplain’s Corp has also been instrumental in helping us, not only by supplying names of those soldiers with whom they come in contact, but also by accepting our donations and acting as a clearing house so that ALL soldiers can benefit from OSOT.

It is humbling to be a part of OSOT ~ the messages received from grateful troops keeps us ever mindful of their needs, and our need to support them ~ to ensure that they know that they are not forgotten.

The rules of OSOT are simple, but the very continuation of OSOT depends on each member’s adherence to these rules:

1.) Because our primary concern is the security of our troops, we NEVER share names or addresses with anyone.
2.) We never give out information about troops to anyone.
3.) All rules for packing boxes will continue as stated:
* No home-baked goods unless you are sending to your own son or daughter
* All food items MUST be in their unopened original packages
* All boxes will be packed and inspected by military family members
* All postal and custom regulations will be followed.

The reputation of OSOT amongst our soldiers is excellent … They recognize the OSOT labels adorning our members’ boxes, and know that the goodies contained therein will be wonderful and are intended to be shared with all.

Over the past two + years, OSOT members have worked off a "wish list" that has been comprised of the wishes and needs of our soldiers. We send different items during the different seasons. We focus on the geographic area to which the box is sent, the weather and the degree of "creature comforts" that the troop might have. We also have the capability to handle special requests that may come in from a particular unit, or from one of the Chaplains. We never interpose our wishes upon the troops ~ our purpose is to serve them with what they need, when they need it. We have also been working closely with the Chaplains at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, and have provided much needed civilian clothing and hygiene products for our wounded soldiers receiving medical treatment.

Mary Kay remains steadfast that we must never lose sight of our mission, nor let anything detract us from that mission. We will, in short, be here, as long as they are there ….