Freshman year of high school my Sociology class adopted a unit of soldiers. We each had our own soldier that we sent letters, mixed CD's,etc. to throughout the school year. A great experience and a lot of fun; I always enjoyed having penpals. Recently I received an email from my soldier through MySpace. He's a family man now, finished with the army, and now twelve years later he still has my letters and picture. He wrote me to let me know how much my letters meant to him during his year in Bosnia. His time in the army was rough on him and my words of inspiration got him through. WOW!!"Imagine all the people, living life in peace" John Lennon
I am so touched that he took the time to contact me, and touched that my words could mean so much. I did a little research and discovered several soldier penpal programs. A few links:
http://www.adoptaussoldier.org/
http://soldiersangels.org/
http://adoptaplatoon.org/site/
The programs vary, most include an option to be a penpal to a specific soldier, but some include information on sending care packages, with items such as shampoo, soap, crackers, books, scarfs, etc.
I am a proponent of peace, however I believe in supporting people and regardless of my political beliefs, I am grateful to those that chose to serve. I have decided to adopt a soldier. It doesn't take a lot of time, but can make a big difference in someones life. I am also interested in getting a care package together and would love it if anyone out there wants to contribute. Leave me a comment and we'll get started!
Namaste
I've had a lot of good experiences adopting soldiers through http://www.anysoldier.com.
ReplyDeleteA soldier signs up to be the representative for a group of soldiers (some are small, 2-4 people - others are much larger). The soldier lets you know what kind of things the soldiers need/want. Then, when the letters and or care packages arrive, the soldier is responsible for distributing it amongst the group.
Thank you Jessica!! I had originally had that site on my list, but for whatever reason I couldn't locate it when I went to poast this blog. I think they have similar sites for navy, marines, etc.
ReplyDeleteWow,to contact you almost 15 years later shows just how much your letters meant to that soldier! After all those years he still thought about you and your letters...that is so wonderful to have made such a difference in someone's life!
ReplyDeleteWow, Shanna that's so nice, very cool that he tracked you down and let you know how much your words meant!
ReplyDeleteWe never did the soldier pen pal thing, but we did have pen pals in grade school from Russia. I still remember getting those letters. I think there's just something about knowing someone took the time to actually write out what they were thinking, put a stamp on it, and send it out.
ReplyDeleteI'd be interested in contributing to your care package - just let me know when you're putting it together.