Christmas will be a little brighter for Oklahoma National Guard troops serving in Afghanistan, thanks to Putnam City High School students. Major General Myles L. Deering, Adjutant General for Oklahoma, will be at the school Friday morning, Dec. 2, to pick up close to 2,000 letters written by students to National Guard troops. The letters will be in the hands of National Guard members before Christmas.
The letters vary in content. Some are straightforward, thanking soliders for their service and wishing them a merry Christmas. Others are longer and more personal, with students sharing things about their lives and asking questions of the soldiers.
The letter-writing campaign was initiated by Putnam City teacher Richard Heard, who spent 30 years in the Marines and in the National Guard and served both in Vietnam and Desert Storm. The letters from students mean a lot to soldiers, he says.
“Soldiers need mail. They love mail. It’s a lonely life being far from home and in combat. Letters like these are a little bit of home and let soldiers know people are thinking of them,” Heard says.
Heard said he expected students would generate 100 to 150 letters. Instead, he has nearly 2,000 letters ready to go to soldiers.
“I didn’t think we’d get this many. It’s the greatest thing in the world,” he says.
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For More Information
Steve Lindley, Communications Director
(405) 495-5200, x1204
(405) 812-6119
slindley@putnamcityschools.org