A Soldier’s Birthday

Since 7th October, I have been very careful not to share any personal information about the soldiers for whom I create cards. For their safety and security, I remove their names, and in any case, many of them have been explicitly told - not just advised - to avoid sharing anything on social media these days.
What I can share is that the mother of this young soldier asked me to create a birthday card for his 20th birthday. She wanted him depicted in his olive green Israeli army uniform, complete with his unit badge, his weapon, and his distinctive red army boots. She also asked me to include a heart with his girlfriend's name in it.

Just like the card I once made for Gadi, I depicted this young soldier in his uniform, holding his M4 rifle (Gadi's was an M16). His boots are placed next to him, along with the semel (symbol) of his unit and the requested heart. I did not include his beret on the card, but his mum asked me to use its colour for the number 20, marking his age.

"The birthday card was such a success!" she later wrote to me.

* This post has been shared on Happiness is Homemade, Mosaic Monday