Who's Boots.

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Every shoe has tongue,

They all have a sole.

Every shoe has a heart

And a story to be told.

No matter what they look like

Whether old or new,

They are all quite different

Every single shoe.

Take the time to learn

What they have to say.

You may make a friend.

On that very day.

Here's a shoe from afar.

It serves our country well.

We all salute the uniform.

The stories they can tell.

These army boots are found in a thrift store in my book, Just Because. They belong to someone named John who is the brother of a good friend of mine. He is a reserve soldier who has been to Irac multiple times. He flies helicopters. His job is to rescue injured soldiers from behind enemy lines among other jobs. John and his brother Michael work together as builders when he is home. They have helped us with many projects around our house. John is a man of few words and a kind man. His story inspired me to write a Flip Side Story about him from his point of view and the point of view of my children. It is called Letters to a Soldier. One side is that of one of my children questioning where John went and how he can write to him to let him know we are thinking about him. The other side is that of John and how he appreciates the letters and how the letters help the wounded soldiers.

When I spoke to John last, I told him about the story. I picked his brain a little further to find out if my story was accurate. I wondered if the soldiers actually appreciate the letters and gifts they receive. He told me that they do love getting letters but the injured soldiers he rescues appreciate the correspondence the most because they are in the hospital alone with no communication with home and the letters are a connection to home. It boosts their moral. John's courage to serve our country was an inspiration for me to help children understand the value of reaching out and supporting our troops. My own brother is a retired Naval Officer and is also an inspiration to me.

Soldiers Angels does just that. They are an organization that has a letter writing campaign for our troops. Visit www.soldiersangels.com