Dear Editor: The senior citizens and myself participated in the Christmas card writing to soldiers who spent the holidays overseas. The following letter is one I received personally and would like to share with the rest who wrote out the cards. We intend to send care packages to them to try and brighten their days. Thank you in advance for your help. Melody Tinker Dear Senior Citizens: Merry Christmas from the 557th Ambulance Company deployed in Kosovo. I received your letter today and was very touched by your sentiment and caring. My entire platoon consisting of 20 people read your letter. It changed our outlook and brightened our day. I am an ambulance platoon leader in charge of 10 ambulances and 20 soldiers. We transport all soldiers within the peacekeeping service in Kosovo to the Combat Surgical Hospital. This includes a wide variety of American, Polish, German, Russian, Sweden and other European soldiers. We also evaluate civilian Albanians in Kosovo that are injured and need immediate medical care. This deployment has been very difficult for us. Our job is to transport casualties to the hospital so we see every injury that occurs. Many of them are due to mine fields outside the region of our camp. Yesterday we brought in two Polish soldiers that stepped on a mine. One of them was 18 years old and had his entire hand and leg blown off. My soldiers gave him first aid care but what was so tragic was looking in his eyes and hearing his cries. We will never forget the incident. Of course, this is one of many tragedies we have seen. It is so difficult to handle situations like this, and every soldiers killed takes a part of you. I suppose we realize that this could be us laying there in pain taking our last breath. This holiday time period is very difficult for my soldiers, many of them are 18 years old and have been in the army less than six months. Most have not received any mail or packages since they have been out here, which is very difficult. I find now most of the soldiers come to the military for a various amount of reasons but their family structure is not very stable (dysfunctional families, orphans, etc.) Basically they come to make a new start in life. But the truth is we have no one but ourselves, our platoon is our family. I find being here and traveling through the towns with burned buildings and seeing Albanian children waving, you realize how precious life is. Often times me and my soldiers sit down and talk about the situation we are in and how one day we will be back in the states enjoying life, having a family and enjoying the sun set in our back yard. It is sad but this is all we have to hold on to. Your letter is like a sweet breath of air. You are like a sweet angel during our most difficult time in our lives. I appreciate your letter and further correspondence to us if you wish. If possible I would like for you to encourage others to write to my platoon., You would not believe how much hope this would bring us. I was thinking of writing a newspaper but I do not know where or whom to write to. I was hoping that maybe your hometown would adopt us if it is possible. Maybe you can print our letter in your local newspaper. Happy holidays from the soldiers of 557th Ambulance Company deployed in Kosovo. Thank you again for caring about us while we are deployed in Kosovo. Geraldine Lubkeman First Lieutenant/Ambulance Platoon Leader