Our Adopted Soldier

LETTER TO US FROM PFC KENNETH HOLLIDAY

Dear Linda and the rest of the Vitagliano Orthodontics family,

My platoon and I were recently told about AAUSS and encouraged to participate in its service. I took it upon myself to sign up for it a couple of days ago and I am surprised at how quickly I was adopted.

I'd like to start this by letting you know a little bit about myself. My name is PFC Kenneth Holliday. I am a 20 year old Infantryman in the US Army, deployed with the 3rd Infantry Division stationed out of Ft. Stewart, Georgia, and have now been in Northern Iraq for a little over three months. I am originally from the Northern Virginia suburbs of Washington D.C back in the states, and lived there my entire life prior to enlisting in the Army. In high school I played a lot of Lacrosse and had the opportunity to play for a college in Erie, Pennsylvania, however I felt it as my duty to serve my country in this time of war and enlisted shortly after graduating. I do not regret my decision at all and I enjoy doing my part over here in Iraq.

I would personally like to thank each and every one of you for showing your support to not only myself but to everyone over here. It is GREATLY appreciated and it does not go unnoticed. My platoon has quite a few people from the Empire State, actually, ranging everywhere from Brooklyn to Buffalo and they would like to show a bit of extra thanks to their home state!

I would like to thank everyone in advance if they decide to send anything. Anything and everything is appreciated. I'd also like to note that I enjoy giving some things out to the Iraqi children here, for some of them have so little. So if anyone would like to send any toys or school supplies, the local population absolutely loves it. You would be surprised at how much one Jolly Rancher can light up a kid's face over here. A lot of them do look up to us, as we are making a huge difference over here in their country.

For everyone to get a better idea of who you've adopted I have attached a few pictures. The first photo is me at a vehicle checkpoint my platoon and our partner Iraqi forces set up on Christmas Eve. The second one is two of my buddies and I before a night mission (myself on the far left). The third is after my first mission in Iraq (again with myself on the far left). The fourth is another photo of me riding in the back of our vehicle. And lastly a photo of me playing around with a few local children. At the time I do not have a photo of my current platoon but I will get one eventually.

Again I would like to thank all of you for this and look forward to hearing from you again in the future.

Thanks so much,

PFC Holliday

Drinks:

  • Capri Sun
  • Sweetened Kool-Aid packets
  • Country Time lemonade
  • Gatorade
  • Lipton Tea Mixes
  • Gatorade Singles (to add to bottled water)
  • Crystal Light Singles

Food:

  • Beef Jerky
  • Beef sausage (these are very popular according to Paul and Evan)
  • Candy of all kinds
  • Canned meats
  • Canned cheese
  • Canned chips
  • Canned salsa, dips
  • Canned tuna, chicken
  • Chocolate anything (they don’t care if it’s melted)
  • Cookies (all kinds)
  • Crackers
  • Dried fruits
  • Graham Crackers
  • Gum
  • Hard Candy
  • Hickory Farms stuff (no need for refrigeration)
  • Hot Sauce (like Tabasco)
  • Mints
  • Nuts
  • Pretzels
  • Protein Health Bars

Fun Stuff:

  • Books (new or used)
  • Board games
  • Card games
  • Comic books
  • Crossword Puzzle Books
  • Electronic Games
  • Footballs
  • Magazines (Newsweek, People, Maxum, Cosmo, Sports anything, etc.)
  • Nerf Balls
  • Playing cards
  • Poker chips
  • Puzzles
  • Soccer Balls
  • Tabloids newspapers (they are fun to read)
  • Word Puzzles

Health and Hygiene:

  • Aspirin
  • Antacids
  • Band-Aids
  • Chapstick
  • Cough Drops
  • Dental floss
  • Disposable razors
  • Foot powder
  • Hair brush/comb
  • Kleenex
  • Mouthwash (without alcohol)
  • Neosporin
  • Q-tips
  • Soap (bar)
  • Shampoo/conditioner
  • Thera-Flu
  • Toilet paper
  • Toothbrushes
  • Toothpaste
  • Wet wipes

Miscellaneous:

  • Batteries
  • Can opener
  • Boot socks (gray, green, black only w/ thick soles) Wal-Mart has them
  • Envelopes
  • Gloves
  • Gum
  • Journal
  • Pens
  • Plastic utensils
  • Stationary

Share who and where you are:

  • Your local newspapers/comics
  • Photos of you/your family/your city, town or state
  • Jokes you know
  • Our soldiers love any news from the outside world