For the past 2 weeks, my adopted soldier (I'll use his initials - "LN") has had the chance to come home for a little rest and relaxation. He got to be with his family and his fiancé, to catch up with friends, and to do some traveling. Now he's back in Afghanistan to complete the final 5 months of his tour. And that means we're writing regularly again.
I wrote LN a nice, long e-mail today and even included some family pictures. In the last message I got from him, he offered to send pictures from his break if I'd like to see them. Of course I said "yes"! It's funny that it never occurred to me that I don't even know what he looks like, nor does he know what I look like. I look forward to the picture exchange.
Since this would be a good time to send another care package, I also asked him if there are any specific things he'd like me to send. Last time, based on his requests, I sent powdered drink mix, breakfast bars, and peanut butter, among other things. I'm also going to send him the Sports Illustrated and ESPN Magazine issues featuring the NCAA basketball championship since he is a HUGE University of Kentucky fan.
I have so thoroughly enjoyed the friendship I've developed with LN over the past few months. I can now appreciate more fully how much it means to our troops overseas to know that we support them and for them to get regular mail and contact from home. I'll once again put out the website address (Soldiers' Angels) for any readers who might be interested in adopting your own soldier. As important as it is to our troops, it's also tremendously rewarding on a personal level.
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