Give Support to Our Soldiers

How many times do you hear someone say, “God bless our troops!” or better yet, how many of those “I support the troops” stickers do you see on the back of cars everyday? It seems it’s never ending. Sure it’s great that you wear your patriotic shirts, pray for the troops, and voice your undying love for the soldiers but there is so much more that can be done. Why not make an impact? Personally show the troops that you care. How do you do that? Well, there are many ways but here are some that I favor and have done myself. I hope that you walk away from this with some ideas and a better understanding of what it means to support our troops.

The most common method of support is something that has been carried out for decades. Write a letter to a soldier, a simple letter means so much to those oceans away. A great program for doing this is called Adopt-a-Soldier. You sign up and a deployed soldier is assigned to be your adoptee. When you adopt a soldier you have an obligation to keep in contact with him or her on a regular basis. You can do this by sending cards, letters, and packages. The usual request is that you send at least one letter/card a week and one package a month. If you just want to be a pen-pal and not send packages that can be arranged as well. And remember this is for support, not for dating. Find out more information about this program by visiting http://www.adoptaplatoon.org.

Another way to send your love and support is making blankets for the wounded. You can sew blankets or quilts and send them in to Soldiers’ Angels. Then they will be put into a backpack that is filled with other goodies and sent to the injured soldiers. I’m sure the soldiers are very pleased and thankful to know they have something that was handmade from the heart! Go check it out and see how you can give a wounded soldier a Blanket of Hope. http://soldiersangels.org/

Crackers, cookies, lemonade, beef jerky, and candies. These are things that we often to take for granted. As you know the soldiers don’t have these items with them during the war. Why not give a soldier a piece of home? That’s exactly what you’ll be doing when you buy a care package through Treats for Troops. There are many packages to choose from and not just food. There are birthday party favors, games, socks, cleansing items, and more! When you decide to send a package you can choose to send it to a soldier you are already in contact with(great resource for Adopt-a-Soldier program) or you can choose to foster a soldier through the Treats for Troops website. This is a wonderful program to be a part of. Put a smile on a soldier’s face! https://www.treatsfortroops.com/index.php

Talking on the phone with loved ones is something that is very sacred to our deployed or wounded soldiers and their families. But unfortunately it is not always easy or available when they need it the most. That’s why calling cards are an important item to send to our troops. You can buy a prepaid phone card and send it along with your letter or package that you will be providing your soldier. Don’t have a soldier? Well there are many programs available that provide the service of sending the card you purchase to a soldier that they choose. To find out more information and buy a calling card please visit https://thor.aafes.com/scs/default.aspx.

So there you have it, four ways to support our troops. These are all simple ways to make a soldier feel loved and even more proud to fight for their country. But it doesn’t stop there. Many other forms of participation and support are available to you. Simply put “support the troops” in a search engine and you will find many resources. You may also want to check out various military branch websites or contact your local community center and find out what how you can volunteer your time. Give your support, a little effort makes a big difference.