From the movie theater to the combat theaters Assemblyman leads DVD collection drive for troops abroad BY KAREN E. BOWES Staff Writer JEFF GRANIT staff Assemblyman Sam Thompson boxes up DVDs at his Matawan office Thursday to send to soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan. Politics and war may be contentious topics these days, but boredom is universal.For U.S. soldiers stationed in Iraq and Afghanistan, boredom is their No. 1 complaint, according to Assemblyman Sam Thompson (R-District 13). Now, Thompson is leading the war against boredom by collecting DVDs and CDs to mail to U.S. war zones and hospitals. For Thompson, a veteran of the Korean War, politics and national foreign policy stand outside the fight against boredom. "Many people say we shouldn't be in Iraq, but we support the troops," Thompson said. "This is a way to show support. You're sending something to boost the morale of the troops." Dubbed "Operation DVD," the national project is sponsored by AMVETS, a U.S.-chartered veterans organization. The goal of the project is to collect a million DVDs. Thompson has already collected over 5,000 DVDs with more arriving each day. JEFF GRANIT staff Assemblyman Sam Thompson says his office has already collected over 5,000 discs as part of Operation DVD, a program for soldiers stationed overseas. "We're collecting new and used," Thompson said. "We emphasize the word 'used.' " "People buy DVDs," he continued. "They watch them once or twice, then they go up on the shelf and collect dust." Thompson said any type of movie will do, including kid's films, which will be sent to local children of soldiers serving overseas. For a veteran who remembers the drudgery of Army life, Thompson sees the project as a low-cost or free way for citizens to send troops a tiny piece of home. "During downtime ... they can't go out or play baseball because of snipers and IEDs," Thompson said, referring to improvised explosive devices, or "little mines that they have hanging around." "And unlike when I was in the service, they can't get a pass and go into town," he added. Wounded soldiers in hospitals have even more spare time on their hands, Thompson pointed out, so war zone hospitals will receive DVD shipments as well. Although many troops have their own DVD players, many do not. For them, common rooms are set up in camps and aboard ships. "They will set up lending libraries," Thompson said, "so they share them around." Drop boxes placed outside supermarkets, police stations and town halls throughout Monmouth and Middlesex counties are filling up faster than Thompson's staff can empty them. And that's fine by him. "When you're stationed overseas, anything you receive from home is so important; it has so much meaning to you," he said. Drop boxes are available at 10 Foodtowns located in Monmouth and Ocean counties. Middletown has several drop-off points, including Spirits Liquors, Route 35; the municipal building at 1 Kings Highway; the Elks Lodge, Church Street in Port Monmouth; the VFW building on Route 36; and Assemblywoman Amy Handlin's office at 890 Main St., Belford. In Matawan, donations can be made at town hall, 201 Broad St.; Edward Jones Investments, 159 Main St.; and Thompson's office, located at 725 Route 34, Matawan. In Hazlet, donations can be made at the Bayshore Fitness & Wellness Centers, 1420 Route 36. In Holmdel, boxes are located at Olga's Salon, 2101 Route 35, and at Holmdel Town Hall, 4 Crawfords Corner Road. Sayreville and Old Bridge residents can drop off DVDs at the Bayshore Fitness & Wellness Center, Route 9 and Ernston Road; Gateway Shopping Center, Old Bridge; the Old Bridge municipal building, 1 Old Bridge Plaza; and Cheesequake Village Club House, Galewood Drive, Old Bridge. In Long Branch, a box is located at the police department, Broadway. In Red Bank, boxes are available at the Count Basie Theater, Monmouth Street, and the Elks Lodge, located Mechanic Street, Red Bank. For more information, call Thompson's office at (732) 583-5558.