17th Cavalry major wins car in sweepstakes giveaway

By Tina Ray
Paraglide

	Photo by Tina Ray/Paraglide From left: Maj. Mike Demirjian, wife Courtney, and daughters Kendall and Hannah, won a 2010 Chevy Cobalt as part of Operation Holiday Cheer, a massive holiday package campaign organized by Fayetteville Cares.

When Maj. Mike Demirjian, the executive officer for Task Force Saber, 1st Squadron, 17th Cavalry, received the news in Kandahar, Afghanistan, that he had won a car, he said he didn’t believe it.

Demirjian soon realized there wasn’t any need for doubt and that he would become the proud owner of a 2010 Chevy Cobalt. Demirjian received the car, sponsored by the Carolina Chevy Dealers, April 29, at the Airborne and Special Operations Museum.
The Family’s vehicles are an 11-year-old Honda Odyssey van and a Toyota truck, said Demirjian who plans to drive the Cobalt. The Demirjian’s will soon trade in the truck for a new vehicle for wife, Courtney, he said.

“(We) feel very fortunate, obviously, you can’t ask for anything nicer than a new car,” the major said. “We’ve been treated very well in this whole process and we’re very appreciative.”

There may be plans for a Family trip to Edenton, N.C. to visit relatives and to use the Cobalt for carpooling daughters, Hannah and Kendall, to gymnastics practice, he added.

Demirjian won the car in a sweepstakes giveway from Operation Holiday Cheer, a Fayetteville Cares event that sent more than 10,000 holiday packages to Fort Bragg Soldiers and Pope Air Force Base Airmen who were deployed oversees during December 2009.

The care packages contained a sweepstakes ticket for a brand new car.

OHC raised more than $502,000 in cash, product and in-kind donations and four-days of preparing packages for shipment overseas, said Joanne Chavonne, co-chairwoman of Fayetteville Cares.

Their hard work has not gone unappreciated.

“We could never thank the Fayetteville Cares organization and all their volunteers enough for what they do for the division,” said Col. Johnny Johnston, 82nd Airborne Division rear detachment commander.

The kindness shown to servicemembers, including sending packages downrange and baby gifts at the baby shower, are recognized by them and their Families, Johnston said.

The baby shower, called Boots and Booties and hailed as the world’s largest military baby shower, is another Fayetteville Cares event. Held in 2008, it gave 1,000 new and expectant mothers from the Fort Bragg and Pope AFB communities such gifts as clothing, car seats, books and toys.

“You folks do not always have the time to do this, but you have the heart and we can’t thank you enough,” Johnston said.

The Fayetteville community sees it as its responsibility to support the Armed Forces, said Col. James Johnson, 43rd Wing Commander, Pope AFB.

Fayetteville Mayor Tony Chavonne said simply that Fayetteville cares.

“It’s an opportunity to capture a spirit that binds our community together,” Chavonne said.
For 13-year-old Hannah, watching her dad win a new car brought its own happiness.

“I was so happy for him because we’d been looking for a new car and we finally get one,” she said.

The car renewed memories of the years that Demirjian’s father once owned a Chevy Camaro, he said.

“It’s nice to have something that you know is dependable and obviously gets good gas mileage nowadays,” said Demirjian.