A Soldier for a Soldier
Nine-year-old Brendan Haas started with an idea, a toy soldier, and a Facebook page. His goal was to trade his toy soldier for a trip to Disney World, not for himself but for the family of a fallen service member.
“We heard about the guy, how he traded a red paper clip up until he got a house and we wanted to do something,” says the Kingston, Mass native. Armed with his soldier and his “A Soldier for a Soldier Facebook page, Brendan began trading items and growing his network until it spanned the nation and he reached his goal: tickets to Disney World, airfare, a stay at the Disney Villas and almost $900 in Disney gift certificates. All that remained was to choose a winner.
“People just posted that they had lost some family members in the war and we put them in the raffle.”
Brendan placed the names in a hat and randomly drew Liberty Hope Steele, the now-two-year-old daughter of 1st Lt. Timothy Steele, U.S. Army. Lt. Steele, 2nd Battalion, 87th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, Fort Drum, N.Y., lost his life 23 August 2011 in Kandahar province, Afghanistan when insurgents attacked his unit using an improvised explosive device.
On Memorial Day Brendan traveled to the Steele home to deliver the good news.
“I think it would make them a lot happier,” Brendan said.
Under the Radar is commentary. We don’t report the news; we offer our take on what happened.
3 Comments
In a troubled world, in a troubled country, this is just one more example of how the patriotism of our country is alive and stronger than it ever has been. And to see it come from our youngest generation makes it that much more awesome. To Nine-year-old Brendan Haas, you are one of our best, who will soon carry the tourch of strength for our country. Thank you for all you have done to bring a little joy into the lives of our fallen soldier’s families. You have touched the hearts of many. Thanks you..
What a great kid. I don’t know of any nine year olds that would work this hard and then give away the trip to someone else. The only thing that could make this story any better is if Disney ( or some other group) stepped up to reward this kid with a trip of his own. Maybe they could set it up so him and his family could be there at the same time as the little girl and her family.
Please use your personal twitter account to spread this around the world. We need to support this type of news and the generosity this 9 year old displayed.
here is what I have been sending from @JeanVallery
Boy wins trip to Disney, gives it to fallen soldier’s family #trend pay it forward — http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow/boy-disney-t…