Soldier adoption draws attention to Iraq's children

When Cindy Raines of Cape Girardeau adopted a soldier through the "My Soldier" program at Manhattanville College, NY, she simply typed in troop support on her computer and found that for a $10 donation she could receive the address of a soldier plus a commemorative bracelet. Two years later she is requesting donations for notebooks, pencils, pens, scissors, glue, folders and filler paper--basic school supplies-- for schoolchildren in Ramadi, Iraq. The items will be collected during the weekends of Sept. 1, 2 and 8, 9 at Trinity Lutheran Church where members of the congregation can place items on a table in the lobby of the church. Members of the community can bring them to the church office during the day from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday to Friday.

Raines took the iniative of making a presentation to the church council to promote the collection for "her soldier," Army Specialist Jeremy Petoskey, because he "touched her heart," in the emails the two sent back and forth for two years.

Generally the soldier support groups provide troops with personal care items they are unable to purchase in Iraq.

The first and only request Petoskey made was for school supplies for children at a Ramadi, Iraq school. She believed the request was important because, he told her, "the terrorists had targeted the schools with rocket fire in order to destroy the schools, but also to scare the parents into keeping their children away from learning centers."

Raines is committed to helping "her soldier" with his request partly because she believes he is pretty special.  When she asked him what he was afraid of, the father of three replied, "That my children won't know me when I get home." 

"A 29-year-old man serving in a war zone whose fear is for his children is a man I would like to meet someday," said Raines.

cpagano@semissourian.com

335-6611 ext. 133