One Mission, Many Messages

Supporting our Active-duty Airmen is one of the most important mission elements of the Air & Space Forces Association. For East Georgia AFA Chapter President Laurie Orth, finding a meaningful way to do that proved easier than expected — and, to her surprise, also became an opportunity to educate and inspire those unfamiliar with military service.

In January 2025, Orth contacted her counterpart, South Georgia AFA chapter president, Senior Master Sgt. Jacoby Madden, and learned he was on deployment. Orth offered to send him a care package, and asked if she could include cards and letters of support for his unit members. When she learned that she needed 50 cards to support the Airmen in Madden’s unit — the 74th Expeditionary Fighter Generation Squadron at Moody Air Force Base, Ga., — she turned to her AFA STEM educator network for help.  

She reached out to former Georgia Teacher of the Year, asking if their students might create cards for the deployed unit. She also contacted a Civil Air Patrol squadron commander, who agreed to have cadets write messages of encouragement to include in the care package. 

What transpired was an unexpected bonus. Middle and high school students from Augusta, Marietta, and Statesboro, Ga., not only wrote heartfelt messages—they also learned about the U.S. Air Force, the meaning of deployment, and the importance of serving one’s country. Several others joined in as well. The effort spread to Orth’s church youth choir, Sunday school members from AFA Regional President Linda McMahon’s church in Virginia, and even Orth’s mother in Germany.

The cards included messages such as:

“We appreciate your service. God bless you and everything you do to protect our nation. Every man and woman in our nation is in debt to you.”

“Dear Hero, We thank you for your service and are praying for your safety in your line of duty.”

“We thank you for keeping our country safe and maintaining our freedom. Thank you for being who you are and for making our country better.” 

Orth coordinated the collection and shipment of the letters and packages to Madden’s unit.

Madden said his unit enjoyed receiving the care packages and letters.

“As a military member I could not have been happier to receive these letters and cards of encouragement,” said Madden. “And, as an AFA leader, I could not be prouder of our organization and those who took the time to make this happen!”  

“It’s not hard to thank our service members and to teach others about their sacrifice,” said Orth. “This simple effort enabled many young people to learn about our military and the sacrifices they make in service to our country.”