Military pen pal proposal
Don’t you just love chance encounters that turn into life changing events?
I have a great story to share with you that involves a very good friend of mine who took a trip to Nordstrom to buy sunglasses one day, and because of the people she met in front of the store, ended up with much more than a pair of shades. She ended up with a military pen pal which led to a courtship that reached half way around the world, and eventually a marriage proposal on the beach in Hawaii!
Meet Jennifer Jones, and Army CPT Scott Lee. There were a lot of obstacles to get to this one photo, but it is a story that will make you smile, and hopefully understand what so many people go through waiting for their loved ones to return from Iraq.
Quick background: I met Jennifer (who we all call Jones, actually, all of us in our group are referred to by our last names only) when we were both radio reporters at News Talk 1530 AM KFBK in Sacramento 10 years ago. We became fast friends, and were part of an amazing team of reporters, writers, and producers who have stayed close after we went our separate ways. Jones left the nest first, for an amazing job at San Francisco’s powerhouse radio station KGO AM 810, then I left Sacramento for a job at KFI AM 640 in Los Angeles. Jones quickly made her mark as one of their top field reporters, and anchors, and currently is the host of the morning show on the station (we are all so proud!)
Now to our story….
As we know, it’s sunny in California, and a girl has to have a good pair of sunglasses. Just before the fourth of July in 2004, Jones went to Nordstrom in Walnut Creek to go shopping, when she came upon a group of military moms. They had set up a table outside the store, asking for people to write letters to soldiers in Iraq to be included into their care packages. Being a patriotic soul (you should see all the American flags she has, and hear her sing God Bless America….) she said “sure!”. She wrote a letter that simply said: “Dear Soldier, I appreciate what you are doing, stay safe, God bless” and signed it Jennifer Jones. Simple, sweet, and to the point. The military moms told her to include her email address, so that if a soldier wanted to have a pen pal, they could have a way to write back. She agreed and added her email address.
