New York National Guard helps send Christmas trees to bases

BALLSTON SPA, N.Y. — Soldiers and airmen from the New York National Guard are helping in the annual effort to send Christmas trees to military bases around the country and overseas.

Monday morning, National Guard soldiers from Latham's 42nd Infantry Division Headquarters will join members of the 109th Airlift Wing in Scotia at the Ellms Tree Farm in Ballston Spa.

They'll load about 125 Christmas trees being donated to military bases.

The Trees for Troops program was launched in 2005. With the help of FedEx Corp., the program delivered more than 4,300 Christmas trees to five U.S. military bases in its initial year.

For the past several years the effort has helped to deliver about 17,000 real Christmas trees each year to about 60 military bases throughout the U.S. and overseas.

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