Dear Friends,
Today is a special day in which we commemorate and honor all of the brave men
and women who have courageously served and currently serve in the United States
military. If you are a veteran, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to
you for your heroic sacrifice and valor. Thank you very much for your
courageous service and for protecting our nation; you are our nation’s greatest
heroes. May your brave and dedicated service be honored today, forever and
always.
As civilians, we have a special duty to thank and honor our nation’s
veterans. We don’t have to wait for special days like today to appreciate our
military. Every day is an opportunity to pass on the message of thanks and
appreciation to our nation’s well-deserving soldiers.
Whether through a personal greeting, thank-you letter, or social media
update, please take the opportunity to thank a veteran. There is no such thing
as “too small’ of a thank you. Even a kind word and handshake can make a
positive difference in a veteran’s life. I encourage you to seize the moment
and thank a soldier. Together, we can bring about a nationwide appreciation for
our nation’s heroes.
Thank you, may God Bless you and your family and may God Bless and protect
our soldiers.
Jonathan A. Lu (11/11/14)
Hello, and welcome to the Love Our Troops Letter Project Blog! This blog serves as a beacon of love, hope, and appreciation to all of our courageous servicemen and women.
Tuesday, November 11, 2014
Wednesday, August 13, 2014
A School Year in Review
It has been an amazing school year. As I look back on this past year, I am encouraged to see that the Love Our Troops Letter Project has grown positively in its efforts to honor and appreciate our brave servicemen and women.
I would like to take the opportunity to thank all of the people who have been involved in contributing to the Love Our Troops Letter Project.
First of all, I would like to thank my mother and father for their kind love and support. They are amazing parents.
Also, a special thank you to Dr. Tammy Ferguson for her kind support in helping to initiate a veteran appreciation project at A.D. Henderson University School and FAU High School.
In addition, I would like to thank Debra Rosenblum and Christine McCaul for implementing veteran appreciation projects in their own classrooms. These wonderful teachers have encouraged their students to write letters to our brave soldiers.
A special thanks to all of our letter writing volunteers who have helped to send letters of hope, appreciation, and thanks to our military heroes.
Finally, I am very grateful to God, for without the blessings of providence, none of this would have been possible.
Thank you to everyone who has helped to support and appreciate our nation's veterans. Together we can bring a message of peace, love, joy, and appreciation to our courageous servicemen and women.
May God Bless you and your family always!
Jonathan A. Lu
I would like to take the opportunity to thank all of the people who have been involved in contributing to the Love Our Troops Letter Project.
First of all, I would like to thank my mother and father for their kind love and support. They are amazing parents.
Also, a special thank you to Dr. Tammy Ferguson for her kind support in helping to initiate a veteran appreciation project at A.D. Henderson University School and FAU High School.
In addition, I would like to thank Debra Rosenblum and Christine McCaul for implementing veteran appreciation projects in their own classrooms. These wonderful teachers have encouraged their students to write letters to our brave soldiers.
A special thanks to all of our letter writing volunteers who have helped to send letters of hope, appreciation, and thanks to our military heroes.
Finally, I am very grateful to God, for without the blessings of providence, none of this would have been possible.
Thank you to everyone who has helped to support and appreciate our nation's veterans. Together we can bring a message of peace, love, joy, and appreciation to our courageous servicemen and women.
May God Bless you and your family always!
Jonathan A. Lu
Friday, August 8, 2014
A Special Thank You
A special thank you to the fourth graders of Florida Atlantic University School's A.D. Henderson Elementary School for their beautiful letters to our nation's veterans!
Letter from the First Lady
Hello everyone, I hope that you are all enjoying your summer!
I have some very exciting news to share...
On April 21st, 2014, I sent a letter to the First Lady to ask for her thoughts and advice on the Love Our Troops Letter Project.
This week, on August 4th, 2014, I received a response from the First Lady Michelle Obama!
Mrs. Obama’s letter has been an amazing blessing. I feel very blessed that the First Lady, who receives thousands of letters and emails every month, took the time to read and respond to my letter.
I am not only elated by this kind response, but I am also heartened by it as well. Allow me to explain.
In addition to sending a letter to the First Lady, I have sent many letters to local schools and other institutions in the hopes of starting local veteran letter appreciation projects. However, out of my many attempts, I have only received one response from a school; only to be told later that the school would not be able to integrate the project into their curriculum because they were too busy with end of semester testing.
As one may infer, this lack of response was discouraging for me. That is why the First Lady’s kind response meant so much to me.
When I initially started this project when I was fourteen, I had a dream of growing this letter project to national levels…and I still do. However, now that I am seventeen, I have learned that grassroots efforts take time and diligence to grow, and that having patience, positivity, and perseverance is essential.
Although this project is still small, I am very optimistic for its future. I believe in this endeavor, and I am grateful for each letter that I am able to mail to our very deserving troops.
I encourage you to visit and to join along with me, the First Lady’s and Dr. Jill Biden’s initiative: Joining Forces. (www.JoiningForces.gov)
Thank you very much for your kind support and consideration, and may God Bless you and your family always!
Jonathan A. Lu
Jonathan A. Lu
Thursday, July 31, 2014
Making a memory.
It's time to make a memory.
We all have the power to make a memory that will last a lifetime. It doesn't take a meteor shower, a shooting star, or a solar eclipse. Every second of everyday, we are given an opportunity to make a lasting memory.
I was recently at the mall with my mother. While my mom was looking at clothing, I noticed an older man with his grandson walking along the aisle. I could tell that the man was a veteran by his Vietnam war cap. As they were walking by, I took a moment to thank the man for his service to our country...I will always remember his reaction.
He first replied by smiling and shaking my hand, he said that he really appreciated the thanks, and that he was happy that our generation appreciated the military. He then introduced me to his grandson, whom he was very proud of. I usually thank veterans when I see them, and I don't think much of it when I do. But that man demonstrated that a simple "thank you" can mean so much more.
He went on to say that my simple words of thanks meant very much to him. He thanked me for making a memory for his grandson, a memory in which he was respected and honored by the young generation. I didn't realize it at the time, but by thanking this veteran, I had shown him respect and honor. Because of this small act of appreciation, his grandson will always remember his grandfather as a great and highly respected man, a hero to our nation. That grandson will always look up to his grandfather, remembering the day when a civilian thanked his grandfather for his brave service.
Let's make a memory by thanking a veteran today.
Thank you for your kind support and consideration, and may God Bless you and your family always!
Jonathan A. Lu
We all have the power to make a memory that will last a lifetime. It doesn't take a meteor shower, a shooting star, or a solar eclipse. Every second of everyday, we are given an opportunity to make a lasting memory.
I was recently at the mall with my mother. While my mom was looking at clothing, I noticed an older man with his grandson walking along the aisle. I could tell that the man was a veteran by his Vietnam war cap. As they were walking by, I took a moment to thank the man for his service to our country...I will always remember his reaction.
He first replied by smiling and shaking my hand, he said that he really appreciated the thanks, and that he was happy that our generation appreciated the military. He then introduced me to his grandson, whom he was very proud of. I usually thank veterans when I see them, and I don't think much of it when I do. But that man demonstrated that a simple "thank you" can mean so much more.
He went on to say that my simple words of thanks meant very much to him. He thanked me for making a memory for his grandson, a memory in which he was respected and honored by the young generation. I didn't realize it at the time, but by thanking this veteran, I had shown him respect and honor. Because of this small act of appreciation, his grandson will always remember his grandfather as a great and highly respected man, a hero to our nation. That grandson will always look up to his grandfather, remembering the day when a civilian thanked his grandfather for his brave service.
Let's make a memory by thanking a veteran today.
Thank you for your kind support and consideration, and may God Bless you and your family always!
Jonathan A. Lu
Thursday, July 3, 2014
4th of July Greetings
Dear Friends,
Hello and greetings!
I hope that you all are enjoying your 4th of July
Holiday Weekend!
Today marks a significant day in history, it has been 238
years since the signing of the declaration of independence and the inception of
our great nation. As we celebrate our usual festivities: eating barbecue,
lighting fireworks, and enjoying outdoor picnics, may we also take some time to
thank a veteran this special weekend.
As we enjoy our holiday here at home, there are active
servicemen and women serving and sacrificing time with their family to defend
our nation. They don’t get to enjoy the comforts of barbecues or picnics, and
the only fireworks they hear are the sounds of gunfire. Our servicemen and
women sacrifice very much for us civilians to live in this abundant
environment. Let us remember to whom we are indebted for selflessly and
courageously serving this country: our soldiers.
While we are enjoying our festivities, let’s make it a goal
of our weekend to thank a soldier. Whether through a letter, phone-call,
e-mail, or word of mouth, we can all appreciate our well deserving veterans. A
simple thank-you and handshake is all it takes.
Thank you for your kind support and consideration, and may
God Bless you and your family always!
Jonathan A. Lu
A message to all public/private schools.
Dear Sir/Madam,
Hello,
my name is Jonathan Lu, and I am sixteen years old. When I was fourteen, I
started the Love Our Troops
Letter Project; this project is
dedicated to providing troops in foreign countries with a letter of thanks. I
have been greatly blessed by this country and its protectors’ sacrifices, and I
feel it is only right to repay our nation’s troops with a letter of thanks and
gratitude. It is my hope that you and your school would consider to be a part
of this letter project.
Our
nation is one of the very few nations that provide a full primary and secondary
education for its citizens free of charge. America is one of only a handful of
countries that not only provides complimentary primary and secondary school
education, but also grants financial assistance to those who wish to pursue a
tertiary education. We have educators and instructors who have made it their
personal goal to help our generation and future generations succeed to their
fullest potential. Our principals and teachers strive to make America’s public
school system a system of international excellence.
America’s
public school system is by far one of the most reputable schools systems in the
world, but to whom do we have to thank for bringing us to this point of
eminence? To whom are we grateful for providing our schools, libraries, and
after-school activities? To whom are we forever indebted to for our safety? To
whom are we ever thankful for our protected rights? Many would say it is the
great hand of providence alone; however, I would also like to think of
providence’s angels in uniform as the protectors of our schools, peace,
opportunities, and rights. These angels in uniform are our U.S. servicemen.
Every day they serve selflessly, fight heroically, and protect vigilantly so
that we can sleep safely. These men and women protect the very balance of peace
and unity. They are the reason why we can go to school every day, participate
in extracurricular activities, and freely express our ideas. American
servicemen and women are the reason why we can assemble in our schools and
universities to enjoy a day of productive learning.
There
are over one million troops in the U.S. Military. Many of them are currently
fighting the war in Afghanistan. Many of them are under enemy fire this very
moment, constantly in fear of the steel angel of death’s gaze finding them.
Many of them are without comfort or love; without family or friends to write
to, it can get very lonely. I believe the protection of our nation is
necessary. However, a military serviceman without comfort or love is
unacceptable.
Every
veteran of this country deserves a letter of affirmation, a letter of thanks,
and a letter of love. Every military serviceman of this great nation has
earned, many times over, a medal of our appreciation. Every member, be it of
the Navy, Air-force, or Army, needs our words of gratitude and appreciation.
We, the people of the United States of America, are the only people who can
give these words of thanks.
By
writing a simple letter, you can give a gift that will last forever, a message
unworn by time, a constant reminder to our troops that there is a person back
home that loves and cares about them. I realized the power of this message of
thanks when I met a former military serviceman at a local Walmart. When I
thanked him for his honorable service and courage in fighting WWII, he returned
my thanks graciously, shaking my hand and patting my back saying many times
over how he wished there were more kids like me. This experience was life
changing. As I left the store that day, tears welled up in my eyes and I knew I
had to do something to bring the great message of thanks to all our servicemen.
That momentous day taught me the power of thanks. It has also inspired me to
establish the Love Our Troops Letter Project. This project is
dedicated to honoring as many troops as possible by writing letters of thanks
for our very deserving servicemen.
By
distributing just one copy of the enclosed “Thank You My Dear Serviceman”
letter model to each of your colleagues, faculty members and students, you help
the Love Our Troops Letter Project provide a
wholesome, loving, and blessed message to our troops serving in the war. Just
one simple message of thanks such as “You’re a great protector of our nation”,
“You’re a divine keeper of peace”, or even a simple “Thank you for your
service”, is a more than sufficient way of thanking our troops.
Each
letter is a divine message of hope, encouragement, love, affirmation, peace,
joy, thanks, and comfort. Each sender is a divine envoy of the letter’s
message. Let us not let one more day go by without sending a message of thanks
to our troops. Let us be that divine messenger of love, peace, and joy to our
troops.
My
goal is to see the Love Our
Troops Letter Project through
all the way to national levels. I believe every student should be taught about
the importance of the U.S. military and its values of democracy and freedom
upon which our great nation was built. I want to bring about a national
appreciation of our troops, not just on Veterans and on Memorial Day, but every
day. Our troops fight for us daily, so I believe it is only right to appreciate
them just as often. Thank you for your time and consideration, and with your
help, we can accomplish a nationwide effort of appreciation for our fellow
brothers and sisters in the armed forces.
May God bless you and your family always.
Sincerely,
Jonathan A. Lu
Enclosed Letter Template:
Dear Friend
in uniform,
May God
Bless you always!
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