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The following release was written and submitted by NROTC.

In February, two freshman Midshipmen from the Iowa State NROTC Cyclone Battalion prepared and executed an original project they coined as “Letters to Soldiers.”

Thomas and George Peterson’s project gave Iowa State University students and staff the opportunity to express their gratitude via letters to the men and women overseas currently fighting to protect our way of life.

The project took place from February 22nd to the 24th outside the Memorial Union Book Store. It was a group effort, involving representatives from the Army the Air Force and the Navy ROTC units. Individuals from each branch worked the table and encouraged ISU personnel to stop and write to a soldier. In those three short days, hundreds of students and staff took the time to write.

“We were shocked by the number of people we had wanting to write letters, it was really cool to see how supportive the ISU community is of our service men and women,” Midshipman T. Peterson said.

The letters are expected to be mailed overseas before the end of the semester through the “A Million Thanks” organization. They will be sent to forward deployed personnel from all branches.

This public outreach event portrays the mindset of the Midshipmen and Cadets in the Iowa State Reserve Officer Training Corps program; they feel a strong sense of duty to show their appreciation for the men and women currently fighting for our Armed Forces. They make it their mission to make sure those serving our country know that the people at home support them.

Due to the great success of the event, the Naval Battalion plans to make this an annual event with all three branches. Captain Ricks Polk, the Commander of the Naval Battalion, was extremely pleased with the turnout of the event and wants to promote it more in the years to come.