President Carl Haynes was presented with a plaque from the Army’s First Battalion, 4th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, based in Baghdad. The plaque, hand-delivered by Sgt. Leslie Raphael, commends Haynes and the executive board for the “generous donation of much-appreciated sporting goods and gaming supplies that greatly increased soldier morale.”

Last September, Raphael’s mother, Ivette Matos, visited the union with her husband, Miguel Aponte. Both are school safety agents and they were on a mission for soldiers based in Baghdad. Raphael, who is the representative for Morale and Welfare for the First Battalion, asked her mother to find sponsors who would provide sports equipment and board games for the 636 soldiers whose tours of duty were extended to April 2004. President Haynes signed up Local 237 as the first sponsor, which came through with the goods.

Home for the holidays, Raphael visited union headquarters Jan. 13, before returning to duty. Her sister, Lisa Soto, is also in the army, stationed in Kuwait. Both Matos’ daughters recently reenlisted in Kuwait. “I have confidence and feel positive about my next assignment,” said Raphael, as her daughter Tatiana, 9, stood nearby.