The Online Reflector

Students in the Psychology Club helped “The Bert Show” collect letters to send to troops for Thanksgiving.

“The Bert Show” is a morning radio show that encouraged people to write letters so the troops overseas can have a little connection with people back home on Thanksgiving. “The Bert Show” is based in Atlanta, but broadcasts across several radio stations, including Indianapolis’ 93.9.

“They don’t just read this letter once. Everybody that’s over there, they read these letters over and over and over again,” said Kristin Klingshirn, the newest member of the morning show in a podcast on the show’s website.

Abby Krug, senior and president of the Psychology Club said that the club was interested as soon as the members got an email regarding this opportunity.

“The officers seemed very enthusiastic about supporting the troops. This is something we’re all very passionate about, and we like doing what we can to help,” Krug said.

The club set up at a table outside of Good Recital Hall with just some paper, pencils and a sign. They collected 25 letters over three days.

“Their [the soldier’s] job is very dangerous, I feel. We need to support them. They’re putting their lives on the line constantly. We have to give them a reason to keep fighting,” Krug said.

Krug is passionate about helping out the troops. She said she’s never had family in the military, but she used to date someone in the Army.

“I’m very patriotic,” Krug said. “I’m very proud, and I try to support them as much as I can.”

While Krug feels that sending letters is more personal, pre-art therapy and psychology major Meghan Sullivan feels that care packages are the way to go.

Sullivan, junior vice-president of the Psychology Club, said that if she were to put a care package together today, she would include a letter telling the soldiers how much people care and support them, but she would also fill the box with other items.

“I would probably include good snack foods, a good book—something that’s new and interesting—pictures and drawings. Drawings would be my personal touch, since I’m an artist. It’s something that can be relatable,” Sullivan said.

Sullivan thinks it’s important to support the troops because sometimes people forget that the soldiers are not here for holidays and other events with their families.

“We need to support their families, too. It’s not easy on them when their loved one is gone. We need to support everyone involved,” Sullivan said.

Krug hopes the Psychology Club will continue to help the troops by sending letters throughout the winter holidays as well. She wants everyone to take part in supporting the soldiers and to keep them in everyone’s thoughts.

Next year, Sullivan hopes that the campus will make an event out of supporting the troops, especially during this time of year. She believes the event would help students learn what soldiers go through. She said she hopes it would include veterans sharing war stories and more people submitting letters and care packages. The main goal of the event is to help everyone be more grateful for those putting their lives on the line.

“It’s great to give back. Plus, the troops know that we still care back home,” Sullivan said.

Students who participated took part in helping the show reach their goal of 400,000 letters for soldiers.

The total number of letters collected was 405,925.

“If you write one letter and, you know, we send it over and we give it to whether it’s a Marine or, you know, somebody in the Army or somebody in the Navy, they are going to read it aloud to everybody else and they are going to share and that letter could touch hundreds of lives instead of just one,” Klingshirn said in the podcast. “We just wanted you guys [the audience] to realize how important these letters really are and the fact that they’re hand written cause that ends up meaning so much more.”