Every year, we honor the tragedy that happened on September 11, 2001. Everybody at our school has a different story about their experience with the terrorist attack that the United States faced. One of Brandon High’s history teachers shared their story with us this year. Mr. Kettler was only eleven when he decided to put his own wants aside and help soldiers in Iraq. For his twelfth birthday, he asked people to buy calling cards for soldiers overseas rather than gifts. “From everything I heard, the things that soldiers want most are letters and packages from their family, and that’s not something I could give them. I didn’t know anybody over there,” he shared. Kettler found the idea of calling cards through his uncle, who was retired from the army. “Back then, before everyone had cell phones, especially if you were overseas, you could buy minutes to talk on the phone.” Kettler told all of his friends coming over for his birthday to buy calling cards rather than gifts. Through Kettler’s uncle, the cards found their way to Iraq. Kettler found a connection through the calling cards as he began writing back and forth with a commander. Sadly, they lost contact after an incident in Iraq. 

We aren’t the only ones recognizing how selfless of an action this was at 12 years old. Somehow, word got out to his local paper, in which Kettler came to be featured. “It was on my mind a lot, it was in my prayers a lot, and because of that it was just laid on my heart to do something to help,” he shared. Kettler also found inspiration from World War I and World War II, as many Americans came together in a joint effort to help our soldiers. This was the greatest gift that he could ask for, even though he was such a young age. “I watched a lot of news for a twelve year old,” he reported, which shows just how engaged he was in the world around him. He saw what was happening in Iraq and it brought joy to him knowing his actions brought joy to others, especially in such a hard time.