DECEMBER 24, 2025 — Representatives from the United States Marine Corps Reserve in Puerto Rico received Christmas cards, Dec. 23, made by students from three schools in the northern region of the island, as a show of support for military personnel deployed around the world, including those assigned to military vessels operating in the Caribbean.
Lisa Morales, a Family and Consumer Sciences educator at the University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez Campus, helped organize the delivery. She worked with students from Eli Ramos Rosario Elementary School and Fernando Suria Chávez High School in Barceloneta, and Lorenzo Coballes Gandía High School in Hatillo.
The Christmas card project is part of the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP), a federal initiative. EFNEP encourages positive youth development, communication skills, and civic responsibility through community activities like this one.
“Aware that many service members cannot spend the Christmas holidays with their loved ones, today we are delivering these beautiful handmade cards made by our students. Through this gesture, our children are sending messages of encouragement, solidarity, and support to our military personnel as a sincere way of thanking them for their service,” said Morales.
1st Sgt. Alex Figueroa from the Marine Corps Reserve unit at Fort Buchanan spoke about what this gesture means to him both personally and professionally.
“Receiving Christmas cards like these means a great deal to a deployed service member. I have served in Iraq and Afghanistan, and I can attest that this type of support makes a real difference in our troops’ morale, especially during the holidays. It gives us strength to continue fulfilling the mission, even while far from our families, and reaffirms that our service has a positive impact on society,” Figueroa said.
Currently, hundreds of service members from Puerto Rico are deployed worldwide. In particular, U.S. military forces are deployed to the Caribbean in support of the U.S. Southern Command mission, Department of War-directed operations, and the president’s priorities to disrupt illicit drug trafficking and protect the homeland.
With an annual budget exceeding $500 million, Fort Buchanan serves a military community of approximately 15,000 members, including active-duty personnel, Reservists, National Guard members, Marine Corps Reservists, and Navy Reservists. Fort Buchanan’s mission is to serve as a strategic platform to enhance readiness and facilitate the deployment of military forces anytime, anywhere.
Story by Carlos Cuebas
U.S. Army Garrison Fort Buchanan