"Christmas came around and my wife and I just didn't have the money to buy much at all for the kids. I had already been selling things off to keep food on the table and help my wife pay the bills. . . " – Retired Army Sgt. Joe Nyzio, wounded in Baghdad Dear Patriotic American,
Can you imagine the brokenhearted look on your child's face if they received nothing from Santa on Christmas morning?
Sadly, that is what could happen this Christmas to the children of hundreds of wounded troops just like retired Army Sgt. Joe Nyzio of New Jersey, whose quote you see here.
And since you support patriotic causes I thought you might want to help these children.
Please make a tax-deductible Christmas donation right now to support our special project to provide presents from Santa for every little girl or boy whose wounded parents just can't afford it.
My name is Major General John K. Singlaub, U.S. Army (Ret.)
I served our nation during three wars. Today I'm working with a wonderful nonprofit organization called the Coalition to Salute America's Heroes to make sure the children of our troops severely wounded in Afghanistan or Iraq won't be forgotten this Christmas.
We call it our Secret Santa Project.
During the past five Christmas Seasons the Coalition's supporters have provided 3,270 Christmas gift cards – worth $500 each – to help wounded heroes put Christmas presents under the tree.
And our goal is to help more disabled GIs this Christmas.
So please send another generous, tax-deductible gift right now to make sure their children don't wind up brokenhearted on Christmas morning. The lives of these innocent children may never be the same: They've seen their parents return from Afghanistan or Iraq missing an arm, or leg, or both. Or perhaps their mom or dad has been severely burned, blinded, paralyzed or brain-damaged by a sniper's bullet or a roadside bomb.
So I'm sure you understand why we're trying to help them.
Perhaps you are wondering why their parents who suffered painful combat injuries are suffering financially as well.
- Once GIs are released from the hospital, out of the blue many are blindsided by another disaster – a disaster they never expected and couldn't possibly plan for.
- Many service members are wounded so badly they can't take care of themselves, so their spouses quit their jobs to take care of them.
- Suddenly they are having trouble putting food on the table and paying the bills . . . and buying Christmas gifts could be entirely out of the question.
Thank God our faithful supporters are there to help!
The Coalition's Secret Santa Project allows us all to gather together and surprise the troops on our list with $500 each so they can afford to buy Christmas presents for their families.
Would you like to join our patriotic family of supporters?
Would you like to pitch in as we help our severely wounded heroes put smiles on their children's faces on Christmas morning?
I hope so. I hope you'll make a generous, tax-deductible donation to the Secret Santa Project. Our wounded GIs' little boys and girls will never know where their gifts from Santa really came from. (And they don't need to know.)
But their parents will know it was a kindhearted, patriotic American like you who brought their children so much joy and sunshine on Christmas morning . . . and brought them a sigh of relief.
Just look at the impact YOU can have:
After receiving her $500 Secret Santa check, the wife of one soldier disabled in Iraq wrote back to say: "We've been having a hard time for awhile now, and getting the Christmas check almost made me cry." Michele Reid, whose husband Pete was given only a 1 percent chance of survival after being blown up in Iraq, told our supporters: "If it wasn't for you our son wouldn't have had a Christmas." (Though Pete remains paralyzed and brain-damaged, he has improved dramatically since his injury.)
I can promise you our paralyzed, burned, blinded or brain-damaged GIs would be exceedingly grateful this Christmas for a little help from you.
And without an increase in support we may have to start crossing dozens of desperate – but deserving – wounded troops off our list.
Frankly, I can't stand the thought of telling even one blinded, brain-damaged or paralyzed serviceman or woman, "Sorry, we had to draw the line somewhere . . . and we just can't afford to give a gift to your little girl this year." So please find it in your heart to make a special Christmas donation today.
- Somewhere out there is a young father whose heart will sink when he hears his little boy ask Santa for an electric train set . . . because he knows he just can't afford it.
- Somewhere out there is a little girl whose parents had planned to buy her a brand new bicycle for Christmas . . . until Dad was paralyzed in Iraq and Mom quit her job to take care of him.
- And somewhere out there are many, many severely wounded young mothers and fathers who are praying they won't have to choose between putting food on the table and putting Christmas presents under the tree.
So please send an early Christmas gift right now. I will do my level best to make sure the children of every wounded GI on our list gets at least one present from Santa on Christmas morning. They were there for us, and now it's our turn to be there for them.
With hope and patriotism, 
Major General John K. Singlaub
U.S. Army (Ret.) P.S. I don't want the children of even one wounded service member to be heartbroken on Christmas morning by finding nothing from Santa under their Christmas tree, and I'm sure you don't either.
As I mentioned, many of our troops severely wounded in Afghanistan or Iraq are facing financial calamity this Holiday season. As a result they are having trouble paying for rent and utilities . . . and buying Christmas gifts could be entirely out of the question. So please make a generous, tax-deductible Christmas donation to the Secret Santa Project, sponsored by the Coalition to Salute America's Heroes. We want to deliver $500 to every disabled serviceman and woman on our list so they can buy Christmas presents for their children.
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