22 Sep 2004 Shoes for Iraqi Kids

I didn’t think a soldier stationed in Iraq who also is running a charity in this spare time would have additional time left over to write thank you letters to strangers, but I was wrong.

Back in July, I read this article on the Keystone Soldiers website about 1st Lt. Eric Sloan of Reading, PA. Lt. Sloan is collecting shoes for Iraqi children he sees walking barefoot in temperatures exceeding 100 degrees.

As readers of this blog know, my husband David and I have three four-year-olds. Keystone Soldiers made it clear that used-but-still-good kids’ shoes would be welcomed by Lt. Sloan. So we gladly participated in the project, but we never expected to hear personally from Lt. Sloan. We did:

I wanted to thank you for sending the large box of sandals for donation to the children here in Iraq.

I started this idea when I was in Fallujah and would see all the children come in and out of my checkpoint without shoes on their feet. Well, I am in Baghdad now and have begun the process of starting the distribution process here. Your twenty pairs of shoes brings my total number received for the donation to approximately 500 pairs of shoes.

Thank you very much for your kindness. God Bless You!

Eric J. Sloan

1st Lt. U.S. Army

God Bless Lt. Sloan, I say.

I know some blog readers have perfectly good kids’ shoes around the house — shoes their owners outgrew. I hope some of you will drop by Keystone Soldiers to read more about Lt. Sloan’s work. Dropping shoes in the mail is easy — and you get a cleaner closet, besides!