Dear Friends, Happy Halloween. Hi, I am Alyssa. How do you survive? We live in Wisconsin. My Unca [sic] us to be in the Army. Thank you.

I love getting drawings and letters like these from kids. This particular letter and drawing came from Alyssa, a 2nd grader in Wisconsin.

Reading letters from kids really lift spirits. The innocence and honestly that kids put in them are a breath of fresh area in a place where it’s difficult to remember that life goes on back home. Securing the future for these kids is one of the reasons why we do what we do.

Some of the things kids say crack me up. That one had me laughing and almost in tears reading it.

The best thing about getting letters from kids is sending responses back. After my last deployment, I had the honor of being a guest of honor at a school in Georgia. I met with kids I had been writing back and forth to over the previous year. It was one of those proud moments in my life. Not sure I’ll be able to meet with these kids in Wisconsin, but you never know.