HUNTINGTON -- Claudia Pemberton published her first novel last March, but some of her best writing likely will never grace the page of a book.
Pemberton is a member of the letter writing team for Soldier's Angels. Each month, she writes to soldiers who are serving overseas and could use an encouraging letter from home.
For the past year, she has sent countless letters, hoping to simply offer a word of encouragement and message to come home safe.
"My daddy always taught me the best way to make yourself happy is to make someone else happy," said Pemberton, the secretary to Cabell County schools Superintendent William Smith.
Soldier's Angels was started by the mother of Sergeant Brandon Varn, Patti Patton-Bader. In the summer of 2003, he wrote home expressing concern that some soldiers did not receive any mail or support from home. Patton-Bader contacted friends and family asking them to write letters to soldiers. Four years later, the foundation has grown to include thousands of letter writers and care package senders.
Pemberton has only received correspondence from two soldiers, but she was told many soldiers just like to fold it up and keep them in their pockets, so they know someone at home hasn't forgotten them. Sometimes, though, it's difficult to gauge how much help the letters have until a soldier does write back.
"I wanted to thank you for writing me," wrote a soldier from Georgia who sent a letter to Pemberton last month. "I was kinda having a bad day, and your letter made me feel a lot better."
The other soldier Pemberton has been in touch with via e-mail. She said they write to each other every so often, and she has learned a lot about him. He is from California, is married and has a son. He's also a big fan of former Marshall football star Randy Moss and the New England Patriots.
Pemberton said the soldier comes home in three months, and she hoped to give him a Moss jersey as a present. But the jersey has been hard to come by.
"I called everywhere for a jersey, and I'm on a waiting list," she said.
Pemberton also hopes someone from Huntington might still maintain contact with Moss, as she would love to be able to get the jersey autographed.
"Surely somebody in this town knows how to get (a jersey), and it'd be great to have it signed," she said. "I'm sure if Randy knew that someone over there wanted one, he'd help."
Pemberton said she knows she doesn't have to go to such great lengths, but she also knows the men and women fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan didn't have to sign up for the military either.
"I have such great respect for those (men and women)," she said. "Soldier's Angels asks us every month if we want to stop or continue writing. I'll be writing until the last one comes home."
For more information about Soldier's Angels, visit www.soldiersangels.com. If you can help Pemberton in search for a jersey or an autograph from Randy Moss, call her at (304) 525-2432.
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