"Thank you" from the front ~ TISSUE ALERT

Remember way back at Christmas, y'all sent me a few gazillion Christmas cards to send to several units in Iraq that had suffered heavy casualties? Well, I got a letter from the Chaplain of one of those units today... GET A CRATE OF KLEENEX, this one is a tear-jerker! God bless ALL OF YOU for helping with the Christmas project...you really did make a difference. (I removed some information such as unit location, etc.)

Dear Kat & Jeff:

On behalf of the soldiers, fellow chaplains and the Commander of the {unit name}, I want to express my heart-felt thanks for your kindness and generous donation of care items for our soldiers....The holiday cards and letters were a tremendous blessing to and greatly appreciated by our soldiers...

...To understand how much your gift of love means to us, let me explain the ordeal our soldiers have been through. This regiment had just returned from a year in Iraq to our home station in {city & state} in 2004. In less than a year we were back again. As hard as this Regiment was hit on its first deployment, the second trip is proving to be just as costly. During Operation Iraqi Freedom 1, we suffered the deaths of 46 soldiers and about 400 wounded. At this time, we have virtually duplicated those statistics.

Naturally, such terrible losses raise questions in our own hearts, "Is this misison worht the cost?" But there is hardly a soldier among us who would not answer a resounding, YES! The 250,000 residents of {city - I won't give out the name, since they are still 'there'} were under siege by terrorists and outright thugs. Hospitals, clinics and schools were shut down. Families were afraid to leave their homes. Unemployment was nightmarish. Grizzly murders occured every day.

Today, thanks to the bravery and sacrifices of our soldiers - and to you for supporting them from afar - the hundreds of criminals and terrorists have been killed or captured, the schools and hospitals have been rebuilt and are operating, and dozens of new jobs are being created every day. In additon to this, our soldiers are winning a thousand small victories every month - glorious little triumphs that shine like stars against the blackest night; things that our fellow Americans will never see from its own media. On a daily basis, America's soldiers deliver the opressed Iraqi people from bloodthirsty insurgents, criminals and thugs who are motivated by unspeakable evil. On a daily basis, American soldiers, together with the New Iraqi Army, lay the foundation for a better Iraq with a far brighter future. Your gifts, prayers and support have made a significant contribution in this just and worthy cause. May God bless you for your display of kindness and love. Love never fails.

Sincerely,

[NAME]
Chaplain (Major), United States Army

I can't say it enough folks...THANK YOU for your contributions to the Christmas card campaign... and the Valentine's campaign, too. Thank you thank you thank you a million times over... y'all helped to make a hero's day in hell just a little bit brighter.

I'm so ready to do this again on for July 4!

*tears streaming down face makes it hard to type*