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WINFIELD (CBS) ―
Ralph and Linda Grieco joined Soldiers' Angels and began writing letters to families of fallen soldiers, after the group reached out to them, when their son was killed in Afghanistan.
If you want to know how the war in Afghanistan is going, all you have to do is sit at the kitchen table of Ralph and Linda Grieco. That's because every time a soldier or marine dies, they write a letter.
CBS 2's Anne State reports that outside the Grieco family home in Winfield hangs an American flag. Next to it in the window is a smaller flag with a gold star, in honor of Staff Stg. Kevin Douglas Grieco. His mom, Linda Grieco, says Kevin was a beautiful man, with an upbeat, "can do" attitude, which he took with him to Afghanistan.
"Even when things were a little tough, the next day he'd say, 'New day mom,'" said Linda.
Kevin was one of 3,000 Illinois National Guard members sent to Afghanistan, in what the guard says was the largest overseas deployment since World War II.
Linda and her husband Ralph Grieco say their son was protecting local police chiefs, when he was killed by a suicide bomber on October 27, 2008. The date is engraved on their bracelets.
"We wear our bracelets and we wear our dog tags," said Ralph.
The Griecos say they got several condolence cards from people they didn't even know. They were volunteers from a group called "Soldiers' Angels." The Grieco's were so touched that they joined the group themselves and started writing letters, too.
"How can we not recognize the sacrifices of these families?" said Ralph Grieco.
Now the Grieco's get an e-mail every time a service member is killed with an address so they know where to send the condolence card. Linda has already written 10 cards this week. They say July has been a bad month for the troops in Afghanistan.
"This, believe it or not, is what America doesn't see. They don't know the impact," said Ralph.
Sometimes, writing the letters is hard.
"It does come to the forefront. When you write a lot, 'cause the pain is still very much there for us, so I know what that pain is," said Linda.
Ralph sometimes wonders if they're just re-living Kevin's death with every letter they write. But he says they have to. They don't want the deaths to go unnoticed.
Ralph is afraid that the average American doesn't know the sacrifices our troops are making in Afghanistan.
Kevin's unit came home to Illinois on June 1, 2009, without him.
But on that same day, Kevin's sister gave birth to a baby girl, Meadow. It was a bright spot on a day that was very tough for the family.
If you would like to volunteer to write letters, click here for more information.
