Military Paralegal Gets 22,000 Pounds of Chocolate Sent to Troops

In October 2009, Senior Master Sgt. Kimberlee Keller, an Air Force paralegal stationed at Bagram Air Field in Afghanistan, wondered how her counterparts located at remote military bases satisfied their chocolate cravings, when she was having a hard time satisfying hers even with access to the base exchange.

But she did more than have a brief moment of empathy. She started a chocolate drive that has resulted in almost 22,000 pounds of chocolate sent to troops in Afghanistan.

Her initial plea to veterans' groups in the U.S. was the subject of a local newspaper article, and inspired a wide variety of readers to answer the call for chocolate.

The bingo club at a Smithfield assisted-living facility donated a month's worth of prize candy bars. A 7-year-old boy in Oklahoma had friends bring chocolate to his birthday party instead of presents. In Pittsburgh, former Marines boxed up 800 pounds of bite-size Kit Kats, Milky Ways and Snickers bars.

Never underestimate the power of a paralegal and her craving for M&Ms.

If you want to help, you can send chocolate shipments to: SMSgt. Kimberlee Keller, 455 AEW/JA, APO AE 09354