It Only Takes A Few Minutes to Help Our Returning Troops Who Have Been On Guard For All Of Us!

I have two requests this week - one for letters and cards; the other for e-mails - for troops.

On April 2nd, Michael Ricks will complete his third deployment in Iraq. His mother, a Brookshire Brothers (Grocery Stores) employee, has asked for e-mails to encourage him as he travels back home. He will be traveling several days before he reaches home. (If you send an e-mail today, while you think about it, it will be waiting for him when he first has e-mail access as he starts his long journey home.) His mother says he has kept every letter and card he has received and that is all he is bringing home besides his gear. It will only take you a minute to send Michael a message. (Since I have a tag on my e-mail to link people to this blog, I trust Michael will be reading this as well!) You can reach Michael at:

mcricks4@yahoo.com

The second request is for cards and letters for wounded soldier, Sgt. Tye White who was injured in a Humvee Accident in Iraq. Tye is currently in a rehab house here in Texas and here is his address:

White, Tye Sgt
Towless Guest House B 3625
3298 George C. Beach Rd.
Fort Sam Houston, TX
78234-7569

If my Canadian readers and friends are sending notes to these men, do let them know where you are (i.e. Port Hope, Ontario, Canada, just east of Toronto.) It is even more exciting to get a note from far away!

It is so important to us all that these young men and so many others just like them have been protecting us from further attacks like 9-11 which could just as easily been any city or field in North America.

God Bless these Troops and their comrades. We thank them so much for all they have done and for their comrades who continue the watch. We pray that they can integrate back into society and live wonderful lives.

Coming back home - as I wrote about two weeks ago - is challenging. There are so many thoughts going through these young people's minds of what they saw and did but also, they are wondering,

"What is waiting at home for me?" What should I do now?"

For wounded soldiers, there is the long, hard struggle to come back into a society where everything is just that much harder if you have any kind of disability.

We have a friend in Toronto who had an aneurysm about 20 years ago. He was in a coma for a very long time, had surgery and was left crippled and in a wheelchair. He lives separately from his family who do keep in touch. He relies on various services the government helps with but he is quite dependent on others for simple everyday things. One time, he said to me,

"I am the luckiest man alive!" As long as people were stopping by and telephoning and sending notes, his life was worth living, even though he was unable to do many things for himself.

Our government is working each day to improve the lives of our returning soldiers. Many have post-traumatic stress disorder and other unseen problems they must struggle with daily. Some might need counseling, some need physical medical treatment, and many need rehab. Rehab - when it is hard to do simplest things - is difficult. Outside encouragement is a special and priceless addition to these people's return home.

It only takes a few minutes to send a letter or an e-mail. It will make you feel good, but it will make the other person feel remembered, welcomed and wanted.

God Bless you for reading this, for writing to these men and for all your prayers for those who have been on guard for all of us!

[If you want to add a person you know to these addresses, just click on "Comment" and send their name and address along.]