He That Shall Live This Day

K.L. Vantran
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, 2 Jul 2004 - High school freshman Shauna Fleming is a busy young lady.She recently sent thousands of letters to soldiers of the 1st Armored Division in Iraq. In response to feedback from the troops, she's asking for donations of used CDs and DVDs to include in her next mailing.

High school freshman Shauna Fleming (red shirt) hands thank you letters to veterans at the VA Hospital in Westwood, Calif. The teen has spearheaded a program that has collected and distributed more than 800,000 letters to troops and veterans  Courtesy photo
(Click photo for screen-resolution image); high-resolution image available.
The 15-year-old has collected and distributed hundreds of thousands of letters of support for America's troops and veterans. To get the word out on her letter-writing campaign, "A Million Thanks," she has set up booths at NASCAR events, been a guest on news shows and even has her own radio show.
The student of Lutheran High School in Orange, Calif., said she has been contacted by many service members and their families, who've told her the letters and emails help their morale. "I have had the opportunity to hear from many soldiers overseas who have received our letters," said Shauna. "They've e- mailed me and even called me from Iraq to say thanks." And that was the teen's opportunity to ask the deployed soldiers what else they could use.
Shauna said she hopes people all over the United States will answer her call to send used music and movies along with their letters so she can include them in her next mailing.
Though Shauna and her high school friends had hoped to reach their 1-million- letters goal in June, the teen said she knows they will hit their goal sometime soon.
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