I've been wanting to do something nice for someone or something for awhile. Rachel and Anna signed up for "Adopt A US Soldier" and after going to their site and reading about their program I was sold. I wanted to reach out to a soldier fighting for our country and do my part to reach out to be a friend, confidant, or just someone for them to talk to. After I submitted my application I felt like it was Christmas morning I was so excited to find out all of my soldier's information and begin writing to them.
I received my soldier's information 2 days later. As soon as I got the email notification sent to my phone I opened it right away and read all of his information. Obviously due to privacy rights and all, all I can say is his name is Will. I finished the email with some basic facts on myself and questions for him and sent it off immediately. After re-reading the email Adopt A US Soldier sent me it said that Internet can sometimes be spotty for soldiers so they might not receive emails right away. Because I have the patience level of a 5 year old, I wrote a hand written letter to him yesterday. This letter was a lot more detailed than my original email. Surprisingly I was able to fill the entire page with my letter (I can't remember the last time I wrote a hand written letter, let alone one that filled an entire page).
This morning I received an email response from Will. I was so excited to open it up and read it. We then decided that talking via Facebook would be easier. We were able to find each other and began getting to know each other. From what I've gathered so far, he's a pretty awesome guy whose been fighting for our country for about 6 years and plans to sign up for another 6 years - whatta guy! He's team leader in an infantry platoon line. We've been sharing facts and stories about each other and it's been a lot of fun. I know zero about the Army and all that it entails so it's great and fascinating to be able to talk to a soldier about it all.
I'm a couple days late but Happy Memorial Day and thank you to all the troops fighting for our country and to the Veterans who served also. I'm honored to be a part of this program and to do what I can to keep him entertained on his breaks. Luckily I like to talk, type, write, and email so he either really lucked out getting me as a pen pal or he's doomed.
If you're bored or just looking for something nice to do like I was, read up and check out adopting a US soldier, it's easy!
I'm a AAUSS adopter too and I love it! Even if I don't hear back from my soldiers I know sending letters and packages makes a huge difference during their deployments. Thanks for promoting this awesome program!
ReplyDeleteI agree it just makes you feel good inside knowing you're reaching out to them for all the help they do for us! Glad you stopped by!
DeleteHi Julie, I signed up with AAUSS a little over two months ago now, I already have 2 soldiers - 1 silent but the other is in fairly regular contact by e-mail.
ReplyDeleteIt's a fantastic thing to be a part of and I'd totally recommend it!
Great to hear it! I have one soldier and we keep in touch pretty often! I'm glad you're enjoying your experience also!
Deletehi Julie, I adopted a soldier from the same organization a few weeks ago. I have sent one box with a letter enclosed to him. I don't really expect to get any kind of response from him (although it would be nice to know if there is something that he'd really like me to send him!).
ReplyDeleteI have 2 more boxes ready but I haven't sent them because I have no idea what to write to him. My life is really boring. I'm not just saying that...it really is boring. Do you have any suggestions for me?
thanks,
Kelli
Hi Kelli! First off thanks for stopping by and reading my blog! When I first got my soldier's information I mailed out a letter and sent an email. I know that where my soldier's from internet can be spotty sometimes so I didn't hear back from him for almost a week. Once we made contact we decided it would be easiest to keep in touch via facebook for him, so that's what we've been doing. He's told me he doesn't want me to send him anything at all he just is looking for someone to talk with, a friend. The only suggestion I can offer is, if your soldier is "boring" you, I know with the program you can also sign up for another soldier too, that way you'll have multiple soldier's to keep on contact with.
DeleteHope this helps!
Hi, I just learned about the whole "Adopting a Soldier" and it seems interesting. So I'm considering doing it. I just have a few questions. So basically you can either email them or send a hand written letter or both I'm assuming? I haven't hand written a letter in so long I wouldn't know where to start,Lol. What you wrote is starting to inspire me a little more.
ReplyDeleteYeah once you apply for the program they contact you via email within a couple days with your soldier's information. I was given his mailing address and an email. I wrote him a letter and emailed him asking him what's the best way he'd like to keep in touch. I had to wait about a week to hear a response and once I did we both had decided facebook was the easiest route for communication.
DeleteWriting letters to "strangers" can be a little weird. I started out with a little blurb about myself and why I signed up for the program and then I used a paragraph to ask questions about him. It was very short and simple just to get the juices flowing!
If you have any other questions, feel free to ask but so far I'm still loving the program and my Soldier and I still talk pretty regularly!
Do you know how to delet the account on the site?
ReplyDeleteDo you still do this or keep in touch with your soldier?
ReplyDelete