Operation Troop Appreciation began in March when Kristen Holloway, 29, learned that Eric Redman, the brother of a close friend, was being sent to Iraq. Redman is part of the Shadyside-based 759th Military Police company, Pennsylvania Army National Guard.

Martha Rial, Post-Gazette Kristen Holloway, founder of Operation Troop Appreciation, holds a brainstorming session with volunteers and board members. Click photo for larger image.

"We're at war, but here in America we're living the same as we did before 9/11," said Holloway, a quality manager for credit services at PPG Industries. "I felt I wasn't doing enough -- as a nation we aren't doing enough -- to acknowledge the sacrifice of our soldiers."

So Holloway asked what she could do to make Redman's tour of duty in Iraq a little easier. He responded that he and his squad mates could really use some Under Armour T-shirts, which wick away moisture from the body and make the 120-degree heat of an Iraqi summer more bearable. The Marine Corps issues these undershirts to its troops, but the Army and Air Force do not.

Kristen dipped into her own pocketbook and enlisted the help of family members and friends she had met at the Katz School of Business at the University of Pittsburgh, where she is pursuing an MBA at night. Together they raised enough money to outfit all of the 117 soldiers in Redman's company not only with Under Armour T-shirts (at $24.99 apiece at Dicks Sporting Goods), but Under Armour socks ($13.99 for two pair) as well. Then they equipped the entire battalion.

Now Holloway and her friends want to go national -- or at least statewide. They're forming a nonprofit corporation called "Operation Troop Appreciation" to provide T-shirts, socks, phone cards and other comfort items to Army National Guardsmen and reservists in Pennsylvania and neighboring states.

Holloway also has written nearly 1,000 letters to servicemen in Iraq.

"To you our hero," her letters begin.

"I have always considered myself a patriotic American, but never have I felt more pride for my country and its military than in the last year as I watched the progression of the war on terror. I have immense pride for all the U.S. armed forces and feel incredibly blessed to be born in the country YOU fight every day to protect. I wish I could personally thank every soldier, sailor, airman and Marine who fights so bravely and valiantly. But since I can't do that right now, I hope that you will allow me to convey my never-ending gratitude to you in this letter."

The letters and gifts provoked an outpouring of gratitude from the soldiers who received them.

"These tee shirts and socks may seem meaningless to many, but they are a treasure to us," wrote a platoon sergeant from A Company, 336th Military Police Battalion, an Army Reserve unit based in Pittsburgh "Just when you think the American public doesn't care, someone like you does something like this and makes us remember why we serve."

"A unit from Mississippi that served along side us even commented that they have never seen so much care packages received by a single unit from any home state," said a corporal from the same unit.

"Your generosity and the generosity of the others are part of what makes our country worth fighting for," wrote a staff sergeant.

"I wish more Americans thought of their servicemen and women like you wonderful people did," wrote a master sergeant in battery C of the 1st Bn., 107th Field Artillery, based in Oil City.

The next recipients of Operation Troop Appreciation's largess will be members of the 201st Field Artillery, a West Virginia Army National Guard unit. Kristen and members of her board met last Thursday night to discuss their plans for the 201st, and to finalize arrangements for going public.

Valorie Cheque, 35, a systems analyst with PPG whose parents are in the Veterans of Foreign Wars, suggested the group include what she called "cool collars" in their care packages. These are scarves with water-absorbing crystals sewn in them. When the scarves are dipped in water, the crystals freeze, cooling the neck of the wearer, a welcome relief in 120 -degree heat.

The ladies auxiliary of the VFW has been making "cool collars," and the Operation Troop Appreciation gang decided they would, too. Lana Gasperini, 27, said she knew some women who liked to sew who could help.

The other members of Operation Troop Appreciation's board are Steve Ellis, 29, a sales representative for PNC bank; Aaron Hayes, 24, an auditor at Pitt; Sarah Antonette, 24; Kelly Wilson, 38, the admissions director for the Katz business school; and Jason Wynnycki, 31, a Pennsylvania National Guardsman who served in Afghanistan last year.

Ryan Purpura, a lawyer for the Michael Baker Corp., an engineering and energy services firm based in Moon, has donated his services to help navigate through the legal thickets. Operation Troop Appreciation will be open for business on Tuesday.

Its address is P.O. Box 14550, Pittsburgh, PA. 15234. Purpura said the group should receive tax exempt status from the Internal Revenue Service by the end of the year, but that it will apply retroactively to contributions received now. A Web site is under construction.