Janis Galatas of Meridian, Miss., first got involved with the Web of Support after befriending Sgt. Chris Missick, who kept a blog while serving in Iraq.

Another friend of Missick's, P.J. Degross from Carson City, Nevada, was looking for a way to show support for the troops, so she contacted Galatas.

Degross then adopted the soldiers from the 150th Combat Engineer Battalion, based in Meridian. Among those soldiers was Galatas' husband, Norris.

"Sometimes when the mail comes in and you get this package from somebody from Washington, D.C., or California, it just means the world to them. That somebody thinks enough about them to send this stuff or to write them or email them," said Norris Galatas, who suffered serious injuries from a roadside bomb while serving in Iraq.

Galatas encourages the public to adopt a soldier through the web of support. He says that it means a lot for the troops, not only while they are overseas, but when they return home as well.

"This web of support also cares for them after they return home. And it's important that they get this care, because when a soldier comes back from combat, the soldier feels this separation from the rest of the world because he's been in a different environment for over a year," said Galatas. "Sometimes when it's dark and cold and you're standing out there on guard duty with nothing else to do but think, you have a lot of time to think about being alone. And even though you are in a crowd, you can still feel alone."

You may adopt a soldier by visiting the Web of Support website: www.webofsupport.com.