I see this topic has been unlocked. At the risk of starting it all off again this gives me the chance for some observations.
Well as the original post reads "Adopt a soldier"
Quite so & anyone is free to adopt a soldier if they wish. This means a soldier on active service abroad so I have no idea how the subject of veterans came into it.
1.That means Any soldier from any country
2.Adopt a soldier not his politics or his country's politics.
3.I'm sure Greybeard certaintly does not view anything on the web as U.S. only.
That might be so but the site from his link is obviously concerned with American soldiers. Here's a direct link to the page.
http://www.flying-fogies.com/adopt_a_soldier.htmI've read it carefully & see no mention of other forces. Some of the "life's essentials and treats" listed would be quite unfamiliar to soldiers from elsewhere & the contact details are via the US Post Office. If people from other countries wish to adopt a soldier they would probably prefer to be put in touch with one from their own country. There are existing organisations to do this in most countries with soldiers serving abroad.
The question here was about thanking them for what they're doing. This is as alien to me as it is for Bjorn. While it might be traditional in the US, if I were to adopt a soldier myself it would not occur to me to thank him/her for what they're doing - nor would they expect it. Differences in culture are often misunderstood & can cause bad feelings as in this thread. The whole point of this forum since it was first set up is to welcome people of all nationalities & promote understanding & friendship between them, not to cause arguments & bad feelings.