Birth – Pentagon Chaplain Colonel Ralph Benson took himself through a program called Letters from Dad and wrote letters of blessing and encouragement to his wife and children for the first time in many years.  He told us, “This program has changed my life.  We need to take 300,000 soldiers through this – and we need it now!  The impact of this is going to be phenomenal”. Thus, Letters from a Soldier’s Heart was born.

Pilot Run in Fort Hood: Last October, the Pilot Run began.  Twelve chaplains from Ft. Hood coached and taught over 80 soldiers from various battalions to write heartfelt letters of love to their families and connect at a deeper level than ever before. In July and August of 2006, Colonel Howard’s battalion was trained in the program, resulting in rave reviews and forever changed lives and families.

A Fighting Battalion in Iraq Experiences Letters from a Soldier’s Heart

Colonel Jim Howard, company commanders and Battalion Chaplain Neal Hicks of the 4th Infantry Division at Fort Hood, Texas were so impressed with the program they felt they needed to take every one of their 903 soldiers through Letters from a Soldier’s Heart.  The Letters from a Soldier’s Heart team held a fund raiser to gather the donations to be able to fulfill the Colonel’s wish and support these soldiers while at war.  At Colonel Howard’s specific request, the program was further enhanced to include a fifth letter on "Why I Serve".