WANT TO SEE SOMETHING that will put a small lump in your throat? A little while ago I shared with my inner circle of friends and family a letter written by CPT Patti's Brigade Commander. This letter, which he sent back here to the spouses and familes left behind by the deployed soldiers, asked for donations of school supplies. The Colonel's sector of Baghdad has 74 schools in it, all of whom are flat broke and have no school supplies.

I had also shared the need for personal items for CPT Patti and her troops.

Today I received an email, forwarded to me by a dear friend. It is written by a woman in rural Iowa...a woman I have never met, CPT Patti has never met, and certainly a classroom full of Iraqi children have never met. It is part of a back and forth exchange between my friends mother and this other lady. Here is an extract.

"When Ann called me I said I knew you would do it [...an interview on local radio about the needed supplies]. Let me know when and time so I can listen.

I sent off 3 boxes on Thursday. First I had it all in one big box and then it was so darn big and heavy I thought it would stay in a terminal too long, So I made it into 3 packages and marked boxes 1-2-3. I did put some toys in it, I never heard back from you if that would be acceptible, but I did send some things to play with for kids from the Dollar General Store. My gosh, $34 to send all 3... I had $150 in stuff in my packages.

But this is something I wanted to do. I just lost my Uncle who I was conservator over, and he was a veteran. I had about $100 left from his account and I KNEW this is exactly where he would want me to spend it. He looked forward to my mom's packages when he was in the Korean War.

So I feel really good about it. I hope you can campaign the whole thing up on the radio and get people to send even shoebox full of items."

Thank you Alden, Iowa.

Anybody gotta kleenex?