Since returning home from Afghanistan as part of a small contracting team from the Alabama Army National Guard some three months ago, I have been asked upon occasion: “Whatever became of the shoes?”

For those unfamiliar with the story, “the shoes” refer to those collected in an unprecedented outpouring of charity by the Tennessee Valley this past summer and fall, coordinated and led by The Huntsville Times and Redstone Arsenal, all in response to an article I wrote regarding my chance encounter with three young camel herders and their plea for shoes.

On that particular hot day in Afghanistan, my fellow major and I were lucky enough to be able to purchase three pairs that fit the Afghan boys perfectly. The joy they demonstrated at receiving such an item gave us much to think about, then and since, on how each individual can make a positive difference in another’s life.

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