Posted: 02/14/07

Helping to brighten a soldier's day
Students send dozens of letters to American soldiers

Kelly Huettner | contributing writer
khuettner@smcvt.edu

Kelley says St. Michael's students have amassed 40 letters. (Kelly Huettner, photo)

“There’s nothing like getting mail from the ones you love,” says Sgt. Ross Thibodeau, Afghanistan veteran and senior at St. Michael’s College.

Thibodeau, 22, has been a member of the Vermont National Guard for five years. He was deployed to both Afghanistan and Iraq, and says he distinctly remembers the joys of opening a letter while at war.

Lora Kelley, a sophomore at St. Michael’s College says she found a group on Facebook titled, “Help Brighten a Soldier’s Day.” The group promotes letter writing to U.S. soldiers stationed overseas. Sara Drollette, a sophomore at SUNY Plattsburgh, whose boyfriend is stationed in Iraq, started the group.

After Kelley saw the Facebook group, she got in contact with Drollette and decided to start a letter writing campaign at St. Michael’s. She sent out two e-mails in hopes of attracting volunteers, and has already received 40 letters to send to soldiers.

Letters, valentines, and a special request

Drollette started the campaign when her boyfriend, Sgt. Tim Bailey, was deployed to Iraq on Jan. 8 of this year. Ironically, the two met through letter writing.

Bailey’s friend had a picture of Drollette in his locker, and upon seeing it, Bailey decided to write her a letter in 2004.

“He wrote a letter to me and I didn’t call him until December,” Drollette says. “It was his first Christmas without his family.”

When Bailey was deployed again in early January, Drollette says she knew she had to do more for Bailey and the 3,500 troops in his brigade.

“I’m a proactive person, and I couldn’t just sit back,” she says.

On Jan. 13, Drollette created the Facebook group in hopes of sending letters to soldiers who may not receive letters otherwise. Her goal was to have people collect the letters in their communities, forward them to her, and she would send them to Bailey's brigade, she says.

Since Drollette created the group, she has received more cards than she can count, she says. There have been 350 valentines created by students ranging from preschoolers to high schooler's she says. Girl Scout troops as well as sororities have taken part in this campaign. One woman in Plattsburgh, NY was so inspired by Drollette’s efforts that she raised enough money to send 300 chocolates to the troops. Drollette says the letters are sometimes humorous.

“There was a card from a middle-schooler that said, ‘Dear Sgt. Bailey: Could you bring me back some sand, a large dog, or a woman?’ I couldn’t stop laughing,” she says.

From Vermont to Iraq

Kelley is funding the shipment of letters generated by St. Michael’s students.

“I think it’s a great idea to write these letters because I hate to think about all the people over there not receiving letters,” she says.

Despite amassing 40 letters from St. Michael’s students, more letters are needed, Kelley says.

“It’s really easy to do it,” she says. “Forty letters is only a drop in the bucket compared to the 3,500 soldiers in Bailey’s platoon.”

Kelley says the letter’s content and message are entirely up to the letter writer.

“Talk about your friends, what’s going on in your life, anything,” she says.

Kelley says she personally makes sure the letters get sent out.

“I’m just the messenger,” she says. “People can write letters on their own and then I send them to Sara who sends them to Sgt. Bailey’s troop of 3,500.”

Several letters include Sudoku puzzles and pictures, while others include small medallions.

“Some people get really creative,” Kelley says, holding up a letter made-up of
alternating colorful squares.

Lyons Resident Assistant Erin Mooney has written five letters on her own. (Kelly Huettner, photo)

Lyons Hall Resident Assistant and St. Michael's junior Erin Mooney is hosting a social on Valentine’s Day for the campaign.

“I thought about all of the men and women that are over in Iraq fighting for our country,” she says. “That's someone’s father you know, someone’s wife, or best friend. The very least I can do is take an hour out of my very blessed life to write a letter to them.”

But Mooney, who has already written five letters on her own, went one step further. Her goal for the social is to have 190 letters written, she says.

“Valentines Day isn't the most pleasant of days if you don't have someone special
to share it with,” she says. “It will be a good opportunity for the girls to come together and make something nice for someone else.”

A soldier’s perspective

Thibodeau says receiving letters while at war can take a long time.

“It makes a difference to get a letter in the mail,” he says. Accessing the Internet in Afghanistan was nearly impossible, he says.

“Afghanistan was rough, and the mail system took forever,” he says. “It would be eight weeks to get a package.”

But even then the mail system wasn’t reliable, Thibodeau says.

Thibodeau says he appreciated the letters and packages he received while he was overseas. (photo courtesy of Ross Thibodeau)

“If you were in a remote area then they might not send you your mail if it was too dangerous to send a mail helicopter your way,” he says.

Thibodeau says his mom sent him letters and boxes when he was overseas. She even got together with her office co-workers and sent a Christmas stocking to everyone in Thibodeau’s platoon.

But not everyone was so lucky. Some soldiers didn’t have families, so they didn’t get much, he says.

“You’re out in the middle of nowhere and you’re looking for anything to take your mind off of being alone or getting shot or something,” he says. “Getting a letter takes your mind off what’s going on around you.”

Thibodeau says he supports the letter-writing campaign.

“I think this writing campaign is a great idea,” he says. “Anything to brighten a soldier’s day.”