You wake up on a Saturday morning, shower, and pour yourself a heaping bowl of Cheerios. After you finish your breakfast, you go into the bathroom, pick up the tube of toothpaste and attempt to squeeze some onto the end of your toothbrush. Too bad there’s none left. That tube of Crest is completely empty. No matter how much you squeeze and fold, nothing will come out. What do you do? No big deal, you grab your coat and car keys and make a quick trip to Rite-Aid, hoping you don’t knock anyone out with your morning breath on the way.

But what if getting necessities like toothpaste and shampoo wasn’t that simple? What if those items were rationed, and once you ran out, you weren’t quite sure when you would get more? This is true for many US soldiers fighting for freedom in Iraq. Supplies are hard to come by, and therefore, these soldiers depend on the generosity and kindness of strangers.

Freedom isn’t free. In a time where violence is everywhere and hate is even more common, you’re lucky to live in a country where getting your head chopped off or your limbs blown up is rare and often by accident. But this kind of security comes at a steep price, one that our soldiers know well – the cost of human life.

US soldiers put their lives in jeopardy every day to ensure our safety and freedom as American citizens. In truth, we owe these soldiers everything – our own lives even. But what they ask for in return is almost insignificant. Much less than what they deserve. These soldiers gave us their lives; the least we can do is give them some toilet paper. For such a huge sacrifice, all they ask for in return is for us to show that we care and that we’re thinking of them.

One of the easiest and most common ways to help is to send a care package overseas. The soldiers are given supplies, but in moderation, and often not what they are used to at home. These care packages mean the world to them and make their lives just a little bit easier. There are several websites that allow you to send care packages. One of the most well known is anysoldier.com. There you can send a package to a soldier, sailor, marine, airman, or coast guard. The site gives you a name of a soldier and a list of what he or she would like. You may then select a few items off the list, and the instructions about how to wrap and send your package are available on the website.

If the cost of freedom is merely the price of postage, don’t you feel obligated to send a package? If the difference between national security and everyday terror is the flat rate of $6.95, don’t you feel as though you should pay it? If all these common heroes are asking of you is toiletries and food, don’t you think you could grant them that much? Think about it.