"THE GOD THAT IS UP THERE...HE WILL PAY YOU EVEN MORE"

You may recall the Lutz Patriots from this post. In addition to holding rallies to remind their neighbors that our soldiers are in harms way, they also recently signed on with the Adopt A Platoon organization (www.adoptaplatoon.org) and began sending care packages to soldiers they've never met.

I got a note from Barabara, one of the Patriots organizers today. I am privileged that she shared with me some of the feedback the Patriots are getting from the soldiers.

A lot of moms out there can be awful proud of the way they raised their sons...and as for the Lutz Patriots...well, God bless you all.

From a non-commissioned officer:

Hello, I'd like to start off by thanking you all for what you are doing for us. It means a lot to me and my soldiers to know that someone cares...We are in the town of Fallujah West of Baghdad. Right now it's the most active and dangerous part of the country. We are receiving casualties every day and mortar and rocket attacks every night. It gets tough at times...

We are stretched thin with personnel so we have people doing jobs they were not trained to do and sometimes it costs us dearly. We will not give up hope. We will keep trying. We will defend at any price. We are part of the best division on earth... the All American Division... America's Guard of Honor... The 82nd Airborne Division ! Never Forget Us !

As you read this one...imagine in your minds eye pictures you have seen of soldiers in WWII. Except for the geographic references, one could imagine this one was written over 50 years ago.

I'd like to say thanks for your support. That means a lot to me. I really appreciate it. People that I don't even know are taking care of me and giving me stuff that I really need. It gives me the strength to keep going and makes my duties a lot easier. It makes me feel proud of myself and my country. This is my first deployment. I was nervous when we were in a convoy from Kuwait up through Iraq but now I'm okay. Everything is fine. Now I'm just waiting to get back home and see my family, my wife...and my daughter... We would be very happy if you could keep writing to us. Thanks for your support.

And from a 19 year old:

It is truly astounding that so many people would support what we are doing over here in Iraq. For that I cannot begin to express my thanks. ..Things out here aren't too horribly bad. I guess overall we're comfortable. We work a lot and have to pull guard duty on a lot of different places. They are beginning to build a PX here where we are. Your package was great fun to open. Everyone in our section absolutely enjoyed the items you sent. We thank you graciously. I can't think of much else to tell you. I do think it's going to be wierd being a 19 year old combat vet. Thank you again. I appreciate it.

And finally, this one:

I want to say thank you for your support to us. It is very pleasant for me to know that we got people like you that are interested in helping us thru this hard time. Makes my job easier when I see that people recognise our duty. I'm a 23 year old male from Humacao Puerto Rico and I've been in the states for two years. You don't know how happy I was when I saw that package. I was happy for it but I was even happier when I saw that somebody that I didn't even know before was thinking of us. I'm not going to be able to pay you for this but the God that is up there... He will pay you even more. If you have time I will be waiting for your answer. Well one more time THANK YOU A LOT ! And one day I will like to say thank you in person. God Bless You !

Do you hear the message? To know we - total strangers but fellow Americans - support them raises their spirits and makes their burden easier.

Have you told a Soldier how much you care lately? They sure are never going to figure out how much America is behind them by reading the paper or watching the news.

Write today...and again tomorrow.