Before he shipped out for a fourth tour of Afghanistan, Army Maj. Jeff Leopold spent hundreds of dollars on toothpaste, socks, sheets, shampoo, shower sandals, deodorant, lotions and T-shirts - anything he'd need for a year's deployment.

With them, he packed photos of family, uniforms, winter gear, books, DVDs and his faithful iPod, dropping everything into a Milvan, a giant military-owned shipping box, that also held the belongings of 70 of his comrades in the Fort Bragg-based 519th Military Intelligence Battalion.

The Milvan was shipped three months ago, so it would be waiting for the troops.

Yet two weeks ago, when they went to get their stuff at Bagram Air Base, the box had been cleaned out. Everything had been stolen.

Since then, people in Fort Bragg and Charlotte have been rallying to resupply the stolen items.

Leopold's parents in Charlotte, Richard and Sherry Leopold, have spearheaded the drive here. The unit's support group at Fort Bragg also has taken up a collection.

Transplants from Los Angeles 2 1/2 years ago, the Leopolds are learning quickly about the region's generosity.

Strangers and friends in LA and Charlotte have stepped up with cash donations and sheets, blankets, towels, pillows, all brands of toothpaste, mouth wash, shampoo and shower gel for the soldiers. Harris Teeter donated more personal hygiene items, and its employees at a store in Steele Creek, where the Leopolds buy groceries, bought more items.

The women's club and country club at the Palisades development in southwest Mecklenburg, where the Leopolds live, got involved. So did doctors and nurses at Presbyterian Hospital, where their daughter, Erin Washburn, is a pediatrician.

Sunbelt Rentals near Fort Mill called and said they had a few boxes of items they'd collected.

"I was expecting a couple of boxes, and there were eight or nine," Sherry Leopold said. "I burst into tears when I read the card they're sending: It said 'This isn't a 'Thank You' card. It's an 'Eternally Grateful' card for all you do.' Then they all wrote their names on it."

'Badly need alarm clocks'

Today, about 1,500 pounds of items are being flown to Bagram - the shipment paid for by Mercedes Benz of South Charlotte, where the Leopolds have bought cars. They loaned the Leopolds a commercial van to get it all to the post office.

"I have been really moved by the support and cooperation for these troops," said Richard Leopold, a federal judge who hears Social Security cases. "People here tend to take care of one another.

"These soldiers lost everything. Some things, like family photos, can't be replaced. I'm sure they're in a trash can now, somewhere in Pakistan."

Sherry Leopold said Sunday that more donations are needed - especially sheets, blankets, heavy socks (beige, green or black), T-shirts (white, brown or gray), hygiene items, shower sandals, iPods, iPod docks, extension cords and power strips and alarm clocks.

"They badly need alarm clocks," she said. "They're having a hard time getting up without them."

It's not the first time that the contents of Milvans have been stolen, the Army said.

Gear from two units of the 519th was stolen somewhere between the major seaport in Karachi, Pakistan and Bagram, said Sgt. Maj. Sharon Opeka, public affairs officer for the 525th Battlefield Surveillance Brigade.

The theft won't delay the 519th's mission, she said, adding the troops "have coordinated to have their military items replaced." They'll also be allowed to file claims for their personal belongings - but it could take months to be reimbursed.

The Army is investigating the theft, Opeka said.

Jeff Leopold has spent 14 years in the Army and has seen a lot of combat in that time. He e-mailed that he's moved by the Charlotte efforts to resupply the troops. His comrades, he said, are aware of the generosity.

"We have been amazed by the response and humbled by the efforts of the Charlotte community as well as the 519th Family Readiness Group and other great organizations such as Pillow for Patriots and Give to the Troops," he wrote. "These combined efforts have greatly increased the morale of the soldiers here."

Each deployment harder

Jeff Leopold is career Army. His current deployment is his seventh: One was in Bosnia, one in Kosovo and another in Iraq, the other four in Afghanistan. He has young daughters and he'd taken children's books so he could read to them at bedtime through Skype.

Now those are gone, too.

"Every time Jeff deploys, it gets harder," his mother said. "A lot of his soldiers are 19 or 20 and on their first deployment. When something like this happens, it can do nothing but hurt morale.

"My guess is that if they go outside the wire, into the remote areas, they'll find their stuff in flea markets. It's really sad. I feel for those kids and that's why we're doing this not only for our son, but the other soldiers, too."

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