Beyond FOND WISHES: Letssaythanks.com

If I were an American soldier stationed in Iraq or Afghanistan, I’d be terrified, I’m sure. I’d also appreciate a note of encouragement now and then.

XEROX and an organization called Give2TheTroops have teamed up to offer those of us at home an easy way to send a note to a member of our military stationed in Iraq or Afghanistan. Go to Letssaythanks.com to learn how you can send a free postcard to a soldier. If you parent or teach little ones, consider challenging them to come up with a postcard design to submit to the program. Current postcards were designed by children in California, Arizona, Missouri, Maryland, North Carolina, Virginia, and Florida. They are colorful and heartfelt; I’m sure more than one soldier receiving one of these cards will tuck it away for safe keeping.

As other crises and crimes take over the headlines, dominating talk shows and news hours while war stories are moved to the back pages of our newspapers, let’s not forget the many, many soldiers still stationed abroad, especially those in such dangerous places as Iraq and Afghanistan. We’ve entered one of our blasé stages, I’m afraid, regarding faraway conflicts involving Americans. Meanwhile, more than 2,900 American soldiers have been killed in Iraq and Afghanistan and more than 2,000 have been wounded in action! We need to continue to speak out against the pain and suffering inherent in warfare—and against those responsible—while remembering one of the critical lessons that came out of the Vietnam era: Condemn the war, not the warrior. And if you get a chance to give a soldier stationed so far from home a little boost in morale, why not take a few minutes to do just that.