AnySoldier.com

My friend Libby sent me the link to this website. Her husband Spencer is currently serving as the 2005 Army Drill Sergeant of the Year for the Reserve Component.

(A press release:)
Help on the Way for American Troops via AnySoldier.com
Civilian Organization Supports War Effort with Care Packages

(LAPLATA, MD) – Back in 2003 when Marty and Sue Horn said goodbye to their son, Sergeant Brian Horn, an Army Infantry Soldier with the 173rd Airborne Brigade, they had no idea that in addition to their own son, they would later be heading up an organization that supports thousands of military personnel.

Almost two years later, Any Soldier Inc. (http://www.anysoldier.com/) now helps nearly 115,000 American soldiers in all branches of the military, both active duty and reservists, and has become one of the leading efforts in making sure the men and women who have been deployed for the war are cared for, via letters and packages from “home.”

AnySoldier.com features emails from different military personnel regarding the type of support needed in the field. The support could be in the form of a simple letter or package, or it could toiletries, food or even newspapers and magazines. Donors address their letters and packages to the writer’s name, but also add the words “ATTN: Any Soldier” on the second line. The writer shares the mail with fellow servicemen and women. If there is “any soldier” who is not receiving a lot of mail from home, that soldier will be the first person to receive the letter.

“AnySoldier.com started as a simple family effort to help our son who was one of the 1,000 soldiers that parachuted into Northern Iraq back in March 2003,” explains Marty Horn, a 20-year Army veteran. “We knew his unit was living under very rough conditions so whenever we sent care packages to Brian, we always sent enough to share with fellow soldiers.”
The organization grew through a network of family and friends. When the website launched in 2004, 7 soldiers had been added to AnySoldier’s contact list. One year later, the list has ballooned to over 3,500 contacts, and the web site has received almost 2.8 million visitors from around the world.

One international visitor is writer and Alabama native Priscilla Lalisse, who lives in Paris, France. During a recent trip back home to Alabama, Lalisse was touched by the number of servicemen she saw headed for Iraq and wanted to do something to help them. After doing some research over the Internet she found AnySoldier.com and proceeded to send an armful of letters and packages off to soldiers stationed in Iraq and Kosovo.

“I was so touched by the letters and when you’re living in Paris, you often feel so far away from the events taking place back home,” says Lalisse. “AnySoldier and the Horns have given us a chance to feel like we, too, can be a part of the support effort for our troops who are in harm’s way.”

For more information contact Marty Horn by email at Martmailto:marty@AnySoldier.com. Visit the website at www.anysoldier.com.