By PETER ATKINSON, Deputy Editor
Chattanooga Division U.S. Naval Sea Cadet Kaylee Radzyminski began her “Tunes 4 the Troops” effort last year with a simple grassroots idea of supporting U.S. troops fighting the war on terrorism by providing them with some much-needed entertainment. But she set a rather ambitious goal once the ball got rolling.
By the 2008 holiday season, the high-school sophomore hopes to collect and ship half-a-million music compact discs, books on CD, DVDs and video games to service members on deployment.
To date, Radzyminski has delivered more than 6,000 CDs and DVDs, collected or secured donations to help pay for postage and established a growing network of contacts — all while attending her first year of high school in Cleveland, Tenn., where she runs on the varsity track team, and training with the Sea Cadets, which she joined four years ago.
To reach the 500,000 goal over the next two years will mean picking up the pace, despite a continued busy schedule that includes a Submarine Seminar in Kings Bay, Ga., and U.S. Naval Sea Cadet Corps Surface Warfare School in Newport, R.I., during her summer vacation.
“[Sea Cadets] has really helped me to know there are other kids out there that love America and our military as much as I do. It is so cool to get to see what my future will be like when I get to serve in the Navy,” Radzyminski said.
But the 15-year-old, who aspires to attend the U.S. Naval Academy, remains committed to her service support project.
“It’s been amazing so far, considering this started with me just asking my friends for stuff they didn’t listen to anymore,” she said. “It’s built a lot from there, and as long as we keep getting the word out, people will keep sending stuff. We’ve gotten donations from all over the country.”
And the effort is gaining steam. “Tunes 4 the Troops” has partnered with America Supports You, a Defense Department program that highlights efforts by citizens and businesses to support the armed forces, to help spread the word. A “Tunes 4 the Troops” website has been established, Radzyminski has been featured in newspaper articles in Tennessee, Arizona and Georgia, and various military news outlets have helped publicize the program, literally, around the world.
This has helped gain some welcome assistance with her collection efforts from private citizens, businesses, public officials and civic organizations. Armed forces recruiting offices in Chattanooga and Cleveland have become drop-off locations for donations. Radzyminski hopes other recruiting offices across the country will do that same.
At the urging of Rick Tucker, political director for U.S. Rep. Zach Wamp, whose district includes the Cleveland/Chattanooga area, she recently applied for and received the Junior Quarterback Community Service Award from the National Football League’s Tennessee Titans. The award includes a $4,000 grant that will cover administrative and shipping costs for the materials she sends.
“There was a lot involved with the grant,” including a written essay that accompanied the application explaining what the money would be used for and interviews with officials at her school, Cleveland High School, that would administer the grant, Radzyminski said. “But it was worth it, it is going to help out so much.”
“Tunes 4 the Troops” took root during Sea Cadet recruit training last year in Florida when Radzyminski had the opportunity to speak with service members about their deployment experiences.
“The one thing they kept telling me was that they were desperate for entertainment,” she said. “They said what little they did have they had seen or heard so many times that they were tired of it.
“It got me thinking, ‘I have a lot of CDs I didn’t play anymore, and maybe I could give them to the troops to show my support and help make things a little bit better for them.’”
Radzyminski hit up friends and family for donations and “Tunes 4 the Troops” was off and running. It really started to take off during the 2005 holiday season when she and her mother, Stephanie, visited wounded service members at Walter Reed Army Medical Center and the National Naval Hospital at Bethesda at Thanksgiving.
There, they delivered 500 CDs and DVDs, each of which included a “Thank You” sticker with the “Tunes 4 the Troops” e-mail address. And while traveling during Christmas, Radzyminski handed out “Tunes 4 the Troops” business cards to members of the military she met at Atlanta’s Hartsfield Airport.
Not long after, e-mails began to arrive with requests for “Tunes” packages. Radzyminski said she now gets two or three requests every other day. Each shipment that goes out typically consists of 200-250 CDs and DVDs.
She has sent parcels to troops deployed overseas and at sea, and hand-delivered a package to Cmdr. Dean Nilsen, commanding officer of the ballistic-missile submarine USS Tennessee, when she was invited to King’s Bay Naval Submarine Base, Ga., in February. Tennessee is an adopted ship of the Navy League’s Greater Chattanooga Council, which also sponsors the Chattanooga Division Sea Cadets.
“They’re really grateful for anything we can give them,” Radzyminski said. “They usually don’t care what it is, they’re just happy to have it.”
Some favorites have emerged, she said, including war movies and, of all things, “chick flicks.”
Just about anything is fair game, so long as it is on disc: either CD, DVD or computer disc. Those who own digital music/video devices also can make donations of downloaded music or movies that have been copied onto CD or DVD.
“It doesn’t matter if it’s new or old or if you’re just cleaning out what you don’t need,” Radzyminski said. “It will get used and it will be appreciated.”
- Donations to “Tunes 4 the Troops” can be sent to: PO Box 2008, Cleveland, TN 37320
- Information about “Tunes 4 the Troops” can be found on the web at: www.tunes4thetroops.20m.com or via e-mail at: tunes4thetroops@hotmail.com.
