Operation Comix Relief!

OPERATION COMIX RELIEF!
How Can You Support The Troops...With Comic Books?

Why do you love comic books? Some are attracted to the amazing art. Others get hooked on the surprises and drama that the best writers deliver. And many simply enjoy how 22 pages can transport them away to fantastic worlds. That's where Operation Comix Relief comes in. Founded by Chris Tarbassian, this grassroots organization delivers boxes of comic books to deployed U.S. troops who are more than grateful to be swept away--if even for 15 minutes--from their current surroundings.

The September 24th edition of Stars And Stripes spotlighted Chris's efforts. Here's an excerpt from reporter Patrick J. Dickson's article headlined "MASS. MAN'S COMIC BOOK CARE PACKAGE COME TO THE RESCUE OF BORED TROOPS":

"It may not be as lofty as truth, justice and the American way, but Chris Tarbassian has swooped in to help people he's never met.

The Framingham, Mass., native was in contact with a friend he met while both worked as trauma nurses at Brigham and Women's Hospital in nearby Boston.

He wanted to help U.S. Air Force Capt. Tom Chafe, a flight nurse who deployed to Afghanistan as part of Operation Enduring Freedom. And he wanted to relieve the boredom and pain of the patients Chafe was helping.

So Tarbassian, 40, shipped his friend a package of comic books.

'It's called diversional activities, to take their minds off things for a while," Tarbassian said. 'We just get these to wounded GIs, to see if they can make the guys feel better.'

The size of the project exploded.

When word got out that he was willing to send comic books to service members overseas, e-mails started pouring in from friends and family members of those deployed. Tarbassian launched Operation Comix Relief."

To read the entire article, go to:
https://www.starsandstripes.net/article.asp?section=104&article=17047&archive
=true

To learn how you can help Operation Comix Relief, go to www.operationcomixrelief.freeservers.com or e-mail Tarbassian at: operationcomixrelief@yahoo.com


The Stars And Stripes article is: © 2003 Stars and Stripes. All Rights Reserved.