I Got me a Soldier

On Facebook I’m always seeing “Repost this comment if you support our troops.” But how does this really support our troops? Is someone showing soldiers these comments? Is it just something a soldier will see in passing if he’s lucky enough to be able to login to Facebook overseas? Is it really that heart felt when it’s just a simple copy and paste? I don’t know. And for a long while I never did more than see them myself on facebook.

Well, yesterday I did something that is making me nervous. I adopted a soldier. Why would this make me nervous? Well, I committed to writing him a letter once a week. I’ve committed to sending him a care package each month. It won’t cost me much and that’s not really an issue. For me, I’ve always been shy when first meeting someone. Granted I won’t ever get to meet my soldier, but I’ll be writing and starting dialogue with a complete stranger. In fact, I’m not guaranteed he’ll even write back so I might just be having a one sided conversation. That terrifies me. What if he finds my letters unentertaining and boring? What if my care packages suck? But I’m just going to grab the bull’s balls and do it anyways because if it does bring cheer, then I’m happy to provide that.

Now, you might be thinking…what promoted this adoption? It wasn’t Facebook. Believe it or not it was fanfiction. I’m currently reading a story about a military family and authors will commonly add footnotes at the end of their chapters. The author mentioned being a soldier’s angel and listed the website where one could look and find out how to help the cause; I looked and I wanted to be a part of it. (Check out www.soldiersangels.org) I can’t help but think this is what should be posted on facebook. I didn’t even think about adopting a soldier until I read it somewhere. Posting “Support our troops by adopting a soldier at soldiersangels.org” is so more proactive than “Repost this comment if you support our troops.” So thank you LadyExcalibur2010! You’re not only helping your adoptees but you helped another soldier get an angel by putting the word out there.

This might be something your interested in doing but don’t feel like you can commit to the time it takes to send a letter each week and a care package each month. And that’s ok. If you wanted, you could help me support my troop. His estimated date to return home is October 2011. So I have 11 months of showing my support. If at any time between now and then you’d like to donate to my troop, just send me an email or give me a ring and I’ll run over and pick it up. It could be a letter, a card, or items for his care package. I have included a list below of items commonly sent to our troops. Also, it doesn’t cost a thing to sign up. I did however opt to donate $1 so I could automatically verify my identity and get a soldiers name right away.

Today I’m sending my first letter to Michael (that’s his name) and I’m going to put together a care package this weekend in hopes he will receive it by Christmas. I hope he finds the time to reply and I hope he doesn’t find me too annoying. I’m excited to be doing this for him and I hope I might just pay it forward by inspiring someone else to adopt a soldier or by getting help from friends and family to support mine.

For more information check out: http://www.soldiersangels.org/

The following are used in care packages. Please note that items must be new and unopened:

Food
Powdered Drink Mixes (individual packets are best), Cookies, crackers, pretzels (in snack sizes), tuna in a pouch, Beef/chicken/or turkey jerky, Cheese spread (no aerosol cans!), Ramen noodles, Snack cakes, Gum, Nuts, Granola bars, Pop Tarts, Dried fruit, Trail mix, Pistachios, raisins, Red licorice twists, Tootsie Rolls (both candy and lollipops), Peanut butter Triscuits, wheat Thins, Canned meats (no pork products), Hard candy (individually-wrapped)

Sports Equipment
Baseballs, Baseball gloves, Soccer balls, Basketballs, Volleyballs, Squirt guns, Frisbees

Entertainment
AA & AAA batteries, Books (mysteries, action, drama, science fiction), Magazines – new or nearly new (sports, news, entertainment, travel, nature), Playing cards, Small hand-held games, Crossword puzzles, CD's\DVD's

Hygiene Supplies
Facial cleansing pads, Moisturizing lotion, Wet Wipes, Eye drops, Lip balm, Toothpaste, toothbrushes, Soap, Body wash, Shampoo and conditioner, Deodorant, Sunblock, Foot powder

Miscellaneous
Blank cards, Stationary, paper, Pens, Letters, Ziploc bags (sandwich, qt., gal. sizes)

• Please keep in mind that all food items must be in the manufacturer’s original packaging.
• NO chocolate - 110 degree heat and chocolate do not mix well, though M&M’s are fine.