A Million Thanks

This is a great story.

LOS ANGELES, May 17 /U.S. Newswire/ -- As Americans continue to celebrate National Military Appreciation Month, a California teenager has accomplished what no other person has been able to do; give one thank you note to every person serving in the United States Armed Forces.

Last year, Shauna Fleming, 16, a sophomore at Lutheran High School in Orange, Ca, convinced her Principal, Gregg Pinick, to have her school be the collection point of her letter campaign that she called "A MILLION THANKS." Her goal was to collect and distribute one million thank you letters and emails to U.S. Service Members, here and overseas.

In October, 2004, Fleming reached her goal and had the millionth letter framed for presentation to President George W. Bush. That presentation occurred in the Oval Office in November, but Fleming was not satisfied with a million.

"I wanted to find a way to thank all of our Service Members, so I decided to continue collecting letters and emails until I reached 1.4 million, the number given to me by the Pentagon, said Fleming. "This week we reached that so I can say, at least symbolically, that A MILLION THANKS has a thank you for every Service Member, " Fleming added.

Gregg Pinick, principal of Lutheran High School, said he is proud of Shauna and all of his students and faculty for reaching a number that is historic.

Fleming said the 1.4 millionth letter will be framed and sent to General Frank B. Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

The teen wrote a book about her experiences, along with some of the letters she received titled, A MILLION THANKS (Doubleday Books). She has even had offers to turn her story into a television movie.

So what's next? "I am planning to charter A MILLION THANKS clubs in high schools, and establish a Foundation to assist wounded soldiers and their families, said Fleming. "Plus, I'd like to reach another million thanks," she added.

Now THAT is a patriot.