By CANDACE MIERS

Staff Writer

This Christmas, the 123rd Marines, Bravo Company, Weapons Platoon have to live in Iraq, but Santa still knows where to deliver their presents.

Santa Claus came in the form of Katie Westbrook, Melissa Salter, Katie Richmond and the Kappa Delta Sorority members who have raised money to buy the platoon gifts.

"We are giving these men simple gifts that most people take for granted," Richmond, a junior nutrition and dietetics major, said.

The gifts were bought by fundraising money.

Some fundraisers the three women had included: 50/50 raffle, where $2 raffle tickets were purchased.

The first place winner received $1000, second place $500, and third and fourth places $250; a cookie bake sale in the Student Center, Main Floor; and a Pizza Inn fundraiser, where the sorority will receive a percent of the restaurant's profit by working in the kitchen, waiting tables and hosting.

Another possible gift to the platoon still in the works is having the Tech athletes make a video message to send to the men.

"We just wanted to do something different. Having the athletics involved would make the troops feel special," Westbrook, a sophomore marketing major, said.

Westbrook's brother is in the platoon.

Even after the Christmas presents have been sent, the women said they are not going to quit supporting the troops.

The Christmas gifts the women bought each of the 44 marines in the weapons platoon are portable DVD players, DVDs and compact discs. Westbrook said the men will each get their own stocking.

"Since they don't get to come home for Christmas, we want to bring Christmas to them," Westbrook said.

The three women have already bought and sent several other boxes of items to their friends overseas such as food items, mini fans with batteries, magazines, Nerf footballs and board games.

"They have enough playing cards," Salter, a senior health and kinesiology major said. "After a hard day of fighting, all [the marines] want to do is sit and relax."

The platoon just left the battle front in Fallujah.

"When they came back to base, there were seven mail trucks waiting for them," Westbrook said.

Along with the presents, every member of Kappa Delta will write a letter to each man in the platoon.

"A letter that says nothing means everything to them," Westbrook said.

Their efforts to help the men are aided with the help of Kappa Delta parents, a $10 donation from each Kappa Delta member and the reserve unit in Bossier City who send all packages on the first and 15th of each month for free.

"The reserve unit is running low on funds, so we are trying to raise money for them too," Westbrook said.

Westbrook, Salter and Richmond said it is not the presents that are the most important -- it is letting the men overseas know they are both appreciated and remembered by friends back home.

"We want them to know what a big deal they are to us," Richmond said.

"We just want them to feel a little bit of home so far away."