BLACKFIVE: “Whoever gets this card please tell my dad Sgt. Almont Ashley that I love him.”

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“Whoever gets this card please tell my dad Sgt. Almont Ashley that I love him.”

Posted By Blackfive

Dear Soldier...

Soldiers on Camp Liberty, Iraq, displayed this letter of thanks from a child at Grenada Elementary School in Mississippi on the wall of the Forward Support Company Tactical Operations Center in the motor pool on Camp Liberty, Iraq, Dec. 14, 2008. The soldiers there are assigned to the 890th Engineer Battalion, 926th Engineer Brigade and are from Mississippi. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Catherine Graham.

The photo (you can click on it for a larger version) reads:

"Thank you for protecting our country. I hope you have a Merry Christmas. Thank you for your hard work. You are friendly and sweet. Your friend, Mabry."

The full story of soldiers being supported by their community, including a connection to SGT Ashley (post title), is after the Jump.

Engineers Thank Hometown for Christmas Wishes
By Sgt. Catherine Graham
890th Engineering Battalion, 926th Engineering Brigade

CAMP LIBERTY, Iraq – This holiday season Christmas cards and letters cover the walls of the Tactical Operations Center of the Forward Support Company, 890th Engineer Battalion, currently deployed at Camp Liberty, Iraq. The Soldiers in the motor pool cannot help but smile when they look at the displayed array of holiday greetings. The cards commonly have similar messages of thanks for protecting the U.S., the hard work of the Soldiers, or for simply being a Soldier.

Throughout the months of November and December, the deployed company received packages, cards, letters from all over, and some from the Soldiers’ hometowns. While FSC’s soldiers were hanging dozens of Christmas cards made from an elementary school in Grenada, Miss., one of the messages was special and stood out from the rest. A small piece of torn paper fell from one of the children’s’ colorful handmade cards. It simply said “Whoever gets this card please tell my dad Sgt. Almont Ashley that I love him.”

Sgt. Almont Ashley, a native of Grenada, Miss., is a Soldier in the Forward Support Company, 890th Engineer Battalion. Ashley’s son is a third grader at the school where the Christmas wishes were sent from.

Ashley said, “When I was given the note that my son had placed in his Christmas card for a Soldier, my heart swelled with pride. That little note meant more to me than any material thing. My son had taken the time to make sure I knew that he loved me and it made me a little homesick. ”

It is common to write articles to tell the public and Family at home about all of the missions and accomplishments that have been done since deployment. Rarely told, are the unrecognized efforts of the Families and supporters back home in the states. For they tirelessly send care packages, letters and a warm feelings for all to know that someone cares.

“It would be impossible to thank everyone individually, so we display all of the cards and letters from the children and organizations as a way of saying thank you. Their efforts are humbling because it shows a sense of compassion to a person that they probably will never meet and they expect nothing in return. This captures the true spirit of Christmas. Everyone who spends their time making Soldiers feel appreciated is a hero in their own right and deserves recognition,” said 1st Lt. Cortez Pollard, executive officer, and native of Moss Point, Miss.

“With that being said, the 890th Forward Support Company would like to say thank you and Merry Christmas to Grenada Elementary school, Boy Scout Troop 4018, Project Package, Quail Ridge Church of Christ, Baptist Memorial Hospital, Moose Lodge 2020, and St. Jude Catholic Church and all of the unnamed heroes who support our mission by supporting us,” says Pollard.