Shirley stood at a distance, and watched with great pride as her son stood in the spotlight. He was accepting the greetings and thanks from family, friends and a special group of "mom"s. Brent was on leave from the army and Shirley had arranged for this special celebration party.

Not only was Shirley proud of Brent's service to his country, but she was touched by his sensitivity and concern for his fellow soldiers.

"You ae such an exceptional young man, " Shirley whispered with pleasure.

Her thoughts drifted to how this "exceptional young man" had impacted her life.

Brent had been overseas for just three weeks when Shirley got a special request. "My son would write or make quick calls and tell me about the nine soldiers in his platoon who stood for mail call every day, and every day nothing came," Shirley recalled. "These soldiers were 18-,19- and 20-year-olds, like my son. He ask if I would send some cards and goodies to them, and not forget them during the holidays that were coming." Of course Shirley responded to her son's request.

And then she decided to try to find nine other mothers who would each adopt one of the soldiers.

Within. A week, each soldier had "a mom" who pledged her support. Several weeks later, the platoon leader set Shirley an e-mail message stating that morale for those nine had so significantly changed that perhaps she could perform the same miracle for the entire platoon, an organizational unit that generally consists of 10 to 40 soldiers.

Never did Shirley dream that this small group of ten moms would grow to an organized effort in over 20 states. Her heart is overflowing as she shares, "Without ever seeing one of them in person, or ever even knowing what most of them look like, I love each of my soldiers as if they were my own."

Shirley's program now makes a difference in the lives of school children who participate as well. She regularly visits the classroom of a friend and teacher to assist the children with preparing the letters, cards, holiday greetings and gifts they send over seas to their adopted platoon. She believes in teaching kids to be patriotic; and the kids enjoy the program immensely.

Shirley's reflections are interrupted by the quiet sound of her son's voice. "I love you, Mom." Brent had slipped away from the party guests and found his way over to his mother. The tears of love and appreciation in Brent's eyes overwhelmed Shirley. She had just received the vest expression of gratitude she could ask for from this "exceptional young man"she calls "son."

Taken from "101 Ways to Support Our Troops!" If you would like to help Shirley please contact beth@inebraska.com Lets do our part to make their life better.