‘Any Soldier’ Letter Lands in Dad’s Lap

The letter was addressed “to any soldier” and sent to Saudi Arabia.

So when Sgt. Rory Lomas opened it, he was stunned to find it signed by his 10-year-old daughter, Cetericka.

“It’s amazing if you think of the odds of him getting his own daughter’s letter out of the thousands that were sent,” Lomas’ wife, Barbara, said Sunday.

“My family couldn’t believe it. They say it was a blessing and was truly meant to be,” she said. “It’s something that will be very special to us for a very long time.”

The letter from Cetericka, a fifth-grader at Windsor Forest Elementary, was one of thousands written by Chatham County children and addressed “to any soldier.”

Lomas, 27, a member of the 84th Transportation Company, arrived in Saudi Arabia on Oct. 14 and received the letter a few weeks later.

Cetericka’s letter said: “Dear Soldier, Hey, my name is Cetericka Lomas. I am 10 years old, and I know you’re hot over there. Well, hopefully you can get home soon. Now we are studying Indians in social studies and studying plants in science. Do you work hard? How high is the temperature over there? Well, we’ll talk to you later. Your friend, Cetericka Nicole Lomas.”