FROM WAR ZONE, WITH LOVE DOG TAGS A SURPRISE FOR KIDS.Byline: PATRICK ST. MICHEL Staff Writer LANCASTER -- With the back-to-school season in full force, students are stocking up on cool kid gear such as snappy Snappy - Snappy Video Snapshot sneakers sneakers Noun, pl US, Canad, Austral & NZ canvas shoes with rubber soles sneakers npl (US) → zapatos mpl de lona; zapatillas fpl and hi-tech backpacks. But for youngsters whose parents are serving in the Middle East, a better accessory might be a custom-made dog tag dog tag n. 1. A metal identification disk attached to a dog's collar. 2. A metal identification tag worn on a chain around the neck by members of the armed forces. Noun 1. . These youths can thank Rose Sliepka, owner of Lancaster's 1st Place Awards trophy and engraving engraving, in its broadest sense, the art of cutting lines in metal, wood, or other material either for decoration or for reproduction through printing. In its narrowest sense, it is an intaglio printing process in which the lines are cut in a metal plate with a shop, for creating the tags -- nearly 180,000 of which have been sent out in two years. In 2004, Sliepka founded Dog Tags for Kids, a program through which she manufactures and distributes dog tags to troops stationed in Iraq, Kuwait and Afghanistan. The tags, which are engraved en·grave tr.v. en·graved, en·grav·ing, en·graves 1. To carve, cut, or etch into a material: engraved the champion's name on the trophy. 2. with the words ``With love from Mom'' or ``With love from Dad'' along with the branch of service, country and year, can then be sent from the military parent to their children back home. Sliepka said the response has been extremely gratifying grat·i·fy tr.v. grat·i·fied, grat·i·fy·ing, grat·i·fies 1. To please or satisfy: His achievement gratified his father. See Synonyms at please. 2. . ``Most of the military appreciates the fact someone cares about their family,'' she said. The store owner added that the Dog Tags for Kids program was inspired by her brother, who served in the first Gulf War. ``My brother was in Desert Storm, and we learned they didn't have access to many things,'' Sliepka said. ``He wanted Mother's Day cards, so we sent him some.'' That family gesture evolved into the popular program. To date, Sliepka said she has sent nearly 180,000 dog tags to soldiers in the Middle East, from where the troops then send the tags throughout the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. as well as worldwide. Sliepka, thankfully, has help to make all of this good work happen. She receives assistance from Kids Charities of the Antelope Valley This article is about the Los Angeles County region. For the census-designated place in Wyoming, see Antelope Valley-Crestview, Wyoming. The Antelope Valley and from several senior volunteers who package the tags. Funding the Dog Tags for Kids program isn't easy. Sliepka said donations from the community help tremendously. To make a donation, visit Sliepka's Web site at www.dougdietsch.com/dogTagHome.html and click ``donate,'' where there are directions for either mailing a check or paying online via PayPal. CAPTION(S): 3 photos Photo: (1 -- color -- ran in AV edition only) Rose Sliepka, owner of Lancaster's 1st Place Awards, shows dog tags she makes for children of military personnel. (2 -- 3 -- color -- ran in AV edition only) In 2004, Sliepka founded Dog Tags for Kids, a program through which she manufactures and distributes dog tags to military parents in the Middle East. She has sent out nearly 180,000 dog tags in two years. The parents then send the tags, which say either ``With love from Mom'' or ``With love from Dad'' to their children. Jeff Goldwater/Staff Photographer |
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