KU Student-Athletes Send Letters to Troops in Iraq and Afghanistan

Dec. 20, 2010

LAWRENCE, Kan. –

Kansas student-athletes recently learned of an organization that sends letters and care packages to U.S. troops that are serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. The letters are directed to troops who have not received mail in months. The organization’s website states, “It is important to write soldiers letters from home. It is their connection to loved ones and comfort of home that they long for. Letter writing has nearly become a lost art, in today’s world of email and texting.”

During a SAAC Christmas party, 50 student-athletes wrote heartfelt and personal letters to encourage and thank the troops for the sacrifice they have made and continue to make for our country. Some football student-athletes shared stories of the comeback win against Colorado this past season while a track and field student-athlete related his experience of being far away from home and missing family. Some central themes remained in all of the letters: thankfulness and encouragement. The student-athletes hope that their letters will provide some extra encouragement and contact from home that the troops will depend on during the holiday season.