CAMP FALLUJAH, Iraq - Service members around camp here, recently received multiple boxes of candy from an elementary school in New Jersey.

Daniel Takash, 11, and his fellow students at Brielle Elementary School in New Jersey gathered left over Halloween candy and mailed it off to deployed troops in Iraq.

“I was thinking about what I was going to be for Halloween, a Marine, when I thought of all of you over there without candy to eat,” wrote the sixth grader in a letter enclosed in one of the boxes. “That was when I came up with the idea for Operation Candy Drop.”

Takash took his idea to the student council to get permission to pass out flyers to students in his school.

“We put boxes in the entrance hall of our school,” he explained in his letter. “I was amazed at how many donations we received.”

With the help of his family, Takash was able to pack and mail 40 boxes of candy.

Five of the boxes were shipped here and were a big hit.

“I was impressed with Daniel’s ability to organize this operation from start to finish,” said Staff Sgt. Bridgette Wiltz, Manpower Information Systems Support Office 11, II Marine Expeditionary Force (FWD), who helped pass out the candy. “It was a very kind and thoughtful expression of the love we receive from those back in the states.”

The creativity and thoughts behind the project were also appreciated.

“The best part of it all was his title Operation Candy Drop because it was very rewarding and meaningful,” explained Wiltz. “I am sure all the Marines and Sailors appreciate everything Daniel has done for us.

“Just knowing we are in their thoughts and prayers lifts our spirits. It also makes it easier for us to complete our duties over here, so that we may come home to our family and friends. This war is heavy on everybody’s heart, but when the kids back home start to think about us, it’s worth more than any price we could ever pay over here.”