Step One: Make a pen pal.

I'm sure many people here know someone in Iraq or Afghanistan, be it a family member, a friend, or even just the friend of a friend.  Even if you don't know any soldiers personally, ask around: it's highly likely that someone you know knows a soldier overseas.  Once you've located a soldier and learned their address, one of the easiest ways to show support is simply by sending regular letters.

Once a week, set aside some time to write a letter to a soldier you know of.  Let them know how much you appreciate their resolve and their courage.  Ask them if there is anything you can do for them or their family.  Tell them how things are going "back home."  Whatever you want to tell them is fine; it's the thought and the effort that counts.

Here are some tips and guidelines from the U.S. Postal Service for sending mail to soldiers stationed abroad.

Step Two: Send a care package.

This is a lot like sending letters, but requires a bit more effort.  If you know the soldier personally, choosing what to put in a care package might be easy.  If you don't know the soldier well, here's a list of handy ideas for including in your care package:

Photographs of your family.  For added punch, have someone take a photograph of your family holding up a sign or banner with the soldier's name on it and a brief message (like "We Miss You, Private Smith!" or "God bless you, Major Jones!").

Books or magazines.

Travel-size board games.

A phone card.

Pens and paper.

A small stuffed animal.  For added punch, research your soldier's outfit, and send a stuffed animal corresponding to that outfit's mascot.

Baked goods.  After all, nothing says lovin' like something from the oven!  Nestle-Tollhouse has compiled a great list of guidelines and recipes to follow when baking for soldiers abroad.  You'll find them here.

Step Three: Volunteer your time.

With all the emphasis on the trials and tribulations of the soldiers, it's very easy to forget or overlook their families back home.  These brave families are also sacrificing and suffering, and they need our support just as much as the soldiers do.  Almost every community has at least one "military family" with a member in Iraq or Afghanistan...if you do a little investigating, you'll find one near you.  Here are a slew of ways to support military families:

Offer to babysit free of charge.

Offer to bake or cook a meal for them.  (Note: be sure to ask first if anyone in the family has a food allergy!)

Offer to take them out for a treat (like ice cream, a movie, or a jaunt to the roller-skating rink) on your dime.

Volunteer with or start a military family support group.

Ask them if there is anything they need.  If they say no, they will still be gratified by the fact that you cared enough to ask.  If they say yes, get them what they need.

Just listen.  Military families have a lot of powerful pent-up emotions--frustration, fear, dread--which they have to hide or overcome in order to function.  Sometimes just offering a shoulder to cry on or a sympathetic ear to rant at can make all the difference!

Step Four: Perform anonymous acts of kindness.

This one can be tricky--do something nice for a military family without their knowing that it was you.  Why does anonymity matter?  A lot of times, even when assistance is offered freely, the recipient will feel like they owe the giver something in return.  By doing anonymous good deeds, you make sure that the family you are helping don't feel obligated to you in any way.  Furthermore, when a military family receives an anonymous favor, it changes the way they view the entire community: since anybody could have done it, in a way they see everyone as having done it.  It's an immensely gratifying feeling.

So, how can you perform an anonymous act of kindness for a military family?  Mail them an anonymous note of support with some money inside. (If you do this, remember not to put a return address on the envelope, or it isn't anonymous!)  Leave a bouquet of flowers on their doorstep, with a written note of appreciation.  Let your creativity have free rein here, just don't get caught!

Step Five: Remember the veterans.

Even if a soldier is lucky enough to make it home alive, he or she still needs our support.  Many veterans suffer from physical or mental wounds, or have a hard time transitioning back to civilian life.  Show your support for the veterans by donating to VA hospitals, visiting wounded veterans in the hospital, volunteering with or founding veterans' support groups, and offering assistance in any way you can to veterans and their families.  If one of your soldier pen pals comes home, keep in touch--those letters of support count as much as ever.  And of course, keep up those anonymous good deeds!

Step Six: Motivate your friends.

One person can make a difference, but two can make twice as much of a difference.  Pass this list on to people you know, and ask them to join you in committing to at least two steps on the list.  If you're particularly enterprising, start a club or group for the purpose of supporting the troops, military families, or veterans in some way.

Step Seven and Beyond: ?

These six steps I listed are only a beginning.  There are hundreds of other ways to show support: attending funerals and laying flowers on the graves of soldiers killed in action, getting active in politics to help end the war, silently counter-protesting Fred Phelps' goons at military funerals near you, starting a college fund for the children of a soldier you know. Be creative.  The Department of Defense website has a good place to start for ideas: AmericaSupportsYou.mil

May God watch over and protect our soldiers and their families, and bless us all with lasting peace!

This post is dedicated to my good friend Cpl. Dusty Sheridan of Fox Company, age 24, currently serving his second term as a Marine in Iraq after being caught in the stop-loss program, and to his wonderful fiancee, Nyssa Crane.  Semper Fidelis and God bless, Dusty and Nyssa!