Dear Brave Soldier,

The US has countless troops overseas right now. For Valentine's day I sent a box to the M.East full of nearly 100 letters, each starting with "Dear Soldier." The dance students were given the invitation to write letters to soldiers, and I would send the mail for them. To have a child's heart is the coolest thing - here's what some kids wrote:

Dear Soldier,
Thank you for fighting in the war for America. I would like you to write back to me because I have a question. Do you have In n' Out burger where you are? If not, I want to send you a burger from their because they are sooo awesome and perfect. Love, Anthony.

Dear Brave Soldier,
Happy Valentine's day. Thank you for fighting for our freedom. Freedom isn't free. I like freedom. Good luck, and I hope you win. Love, Bridget. (Included ball-point pen illustration of a home, raised American flag, and a flower.)

Dear Soldier,
My hip hop teacher Miss Sara is very nice and pretty. Sometimes she is not so nice, but it's just to make our dances better. I am not old enough to be your Valentine, but my dance teacher is. I live in California. Thanks for fighting for the USA. Love, Natalie. (Inluded crayon illustration of a frilly heart, a stick figure depiction of "Miss Sara" aka myself, and a smaller stick figure that represented Natalie.)

Dear Soldier,
I ran out of things to write about because I wrote too many other cards. So I'm going to google facts about frogs for you. A frog is an amphibian. Frogs absorb water through their skin, I don't know how to do that yet. You are an important soldier. Thank you. Love, Ava.

Dear Soldier,
I am impressed by how brave you are because war scares me. Thank you for your service. I'm sorry you have to sleep on the dirt floor sometimes. Love, Matthew.

Dear Soldier,
Do you like music? I do because I dance to music. Do you like gummy worms? I do because they are slimy when you pull them out of your mouth. Do you like movies? I do because you eat gummy worms when you watch them. Love, Tabatha.


Kids are pretty amazing. To all of our troops domestic and overseas: Thank you, I love you, and Godspeed to you. You are incredible, brave people and I'm forever grateful.