"Those guys are over there putting their lives on the line, even for the thieves"

However you feel about the U.S. involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan, the bottom line is there are young men and women over there sacrificing life and limb for the cause. Just over a year ago, on Veteran's Day 2007, we learned about the death of South Torrance High School graduate Matthew Ferrara, who was posthumously promoted to captain in the U.S. Army. That day, I went to the Ferrara home and spoke with family. A couple days later, I attended his memorial service. I learned a lot about a brave, funny, adventurous and smart person I never knew, and felt nothing but gratitude to him and his very nice friends and family.

So when I got a call this week that his mother's efforts to collect clothes and blankets for wounded soldiers in Germany was thwarted by thieves, I knew I wanted to do all I could to get the word out. I spent some time with Matthew's family again at their bakery - his dad, mother, sister and 2-year-old niece, where I learned that, in the year since Matt's death, the family has received a huge outpouring of support from friends and family. Most of that contact has come from within the military by those touched by Matt and his brothers. Linda Ferrara was collecting the items to support these people that remain overseas, fighting the fight. "Those guys are over there putting their lives on the line, even for the thieves," she said. Here's today's story.

This is one of the blankets Linda Ferrara and other volunteers made, along with a thank-you note they signed:

Here is Linda Ferrara (front row, second from left) and other volunteers working on the blankets.

They are donating the items through Soldiers' Angels Germany. Check out that link for a blog with more information about the soldiers the organization helps, how you can help and more about the Ferrara family. Also, there is a Nov. 9, 2008, post called "Heroes Remembered" that documents about four minutes of the more than 30-hour rescue and extraction operation performed for Matt and his troops on a treacherous mountainside. A search of Matthew's or Linda's name will lead you to more information on the Soldier's Angels Germany site.