Heart of a Hero

In a remarkable gesture of appreciation, Iraq war veteran and Purple Heart recipient Staff Sgt. Phillip Trackey indicated just how important support from home is to the troops.

SYRACUSE, N.Y. (AP) -- A soldier said he was only showing his gratitude when he gave his Purple Heart to a 13-year-old student being honored for winning a contest for writing letters to American troops.

"It's important what these children do for us in sending these letters," said Staff Sgt. Phillip Trackey, after giving away the medal he received for injuries in Iraq. "The letters mean so much to us. So I thought this was a big way of giving something back to them."

Trackey and a group of fellow Fort Drum soldiers were attending a ceremony Thursday at West Genesee Middle School for seventh-grader Fatima Faisal, of Camillus, who was being honored as a regional winner in the Veteran's of Foreign Wars' Letters to the Front contest.

After Faisal received her prizes, Trackey stood and held up his Purple Heart for everyone to see. Then, he pinned it on the girl's blouse.

Trackey gave away his Purple Heart, not to a cherished friend or a family member but to a complete stranger, a thirteen-year-old girl.

Why give such an honor away to someone he doesn't even know?

In a sense, I don't think Fatima was a stranger to him.

Fatima, and all the children who send letters of support to the troops, know that they are writing to real people, fellow Americans. As Trackey explained, those expressions of kindness and thanks really make a difference. They matter greatly to the troops.

What a profound way for Trackey to show Fatima and her classmates just how important those letters are!

I would imagine that a child's message of thanks would help to counter at least some of the negativity that the troops put up with from the American media.

...Faisal's letter was chosen the best out of more than 300 letters written in the age 12-18 category in the Central New York region. The national contest was to write letters to servicemen and servicewomen starting with the line, "Dear Service Member, I just wanted to say thanks for ..."

...In her letter, Faisal said, "...I give you great respect because you had a choice to join the military and because of your bravery and courage you decided to join."

For winning the contest, Faisal received a T-shirt, a certificate and a $50 savings bond.

But the Purple Heart was the top prize, Faisal said, adding she hoped to mount it in a frame to hang in her room.

"When he gave it to her, I was getting chills," said Nadia Faisal, Fatima's mother. "I told her 'Oh my gosh, Fatima. You should treasure it forever.'"

Trackey, of Glens Falls, said he received the medal for the shoulder and head wounds he suffered when a bomb went off near him in Baghdad in January 2005. Trackey said his Purple Heart was just collecting dust at home.

Trackey's gift is a beautiful symbol of the connection between the American military and the grateful American people that they so bravely serve.

I'm sure Fatima will treasure that Purple Heart forever, and Trackey will hold the gratitude of the American children deep within his heart for the rest of his life.