A letter from Afghanistan

Sure it was a form letter, but that I got such a note at all means a lot. I cried when I read it.

It was sent by a Captain in the US Air Force stationed in Afghanistan, and it thanked me for sending a care package to the troops. It spoke of their work training the Afghan Army Air Corps on helicopter operations.

All I did was go to anysoldier.com and picked something and asked it be sent to any soldier anywhere. It didn't take much but sometimes amid writing letters to congresscritters and posting on this blog one wants to do something very concrete for some specific troop out there, Godde knows where. I didn't sent anything glamorous or fun. But I sent something with my love and prayers in hopes that it would make someone's life a bit more comfortable and serving a bit more bearable, and mostly so s/he would know we have not forgotten them.

Now I'm going to lift an entire post by Bill from Portland Maine and I strongly believe he won't mind or attack me for violating fair use:

Howdy, Neighbor

Couple weeks ago my partner Michael was walkin' the dog and ran into a husband and wife who were also walkin' their critter, and he struck up a conversation that somehow eventually wound up on the subject of Iraq and Afghanistan.

The husband was puzzled when Michael told him about the Netroots for the Troops campaign---the 300 care packages that we'll be boxing up and sending from Netroots Nation in Pittsburgh to troops in Iraq and Afghanistan---because he thought our soldiers had everything they needed. It came as a surprise to him that things like work gloves, LED flashlights, and gel insoles for boots weren't available 24/7 on an as-needed basis. Well, they're not. And with a huge chunk of our military still over there, they need that stuff as much as ever, along with anti-boredom goodies like phone cards, CDs and DVDs.

The NFTT goal is to raise $50k in cash and corporate in-kind donations. A few weeks ago we were halfway there. Today we're nearly 80 percent of the way there. The vast, vast, vast majority of donations have been small, proving once again that when the netroots band together, y'all kick butt. And now we're in the home stretch.

On July 8th I set a modest $1,000 "mini goal" in C&J, and you knocked it outta the park without batting an eye---I think it took about an hour. Since it's getting to be crunch time, let's do $2k today---a mere 100 donations of $20 each. If we hit it, I'll do two things: 1) Leave you alone until next year, and 2) Break into a Matt dance at Netroots Nation or anywhere else on demand (yes, even during church services and colonoscopies).

Michael and I will start with $20 apiece, and add $20 on behalf of our neighbors who think the NFTT idea is a pretty cool way to support the troops, especially since so many people seem to have forgotten that they're over there. Here's the Netroots for the Troops donation link. Sorry, but due to budget cuts it no longer tastes like tangerine if you try to lick it.

Please note that the thank-you screen won't reflect a donation to NFTT, but rather Netroots Nation. But we promise your donation WILL go into a special NFTT account. For peace of mind, you can write "Netroots for the Troops" in the comment box when you submit your contribution.

Donations are tax deductible, thanks to Netroots Nation and its partner, Netroots Arts and Education Initiative, a CA 501(c)3 corporation. NAEI partners with Netroots Nation to support its programming.

Thank you for supporting this effort. The men and women in uniform who receive these packages are gonna be thrilled. I'm guessing that's a feeling they don't get to experience very often over there.

This is the liberal left getting behind the troops, and ain't it beautiful?

Remember, you can click links and help out.

And if times are so tough you cannot help out right now, God bless you and keep you until a better day.

Thanks, friends.


--the BB