A Marine Asked College Protesters for Help – Their Response Surprised Everyone

During the height of the Vietnam War, college campuses across the country were erupting in protests, sit-ins, and demonstrations. In the middle of all that division, a Marine serving near the DMZ took an unexpected risk... he wrote a letter to a college campus asking for help. What followed was a small act of kindness that rippled across decades. In this episode of Talking Politics with Mom, we share a true story about Christmas cookies, courage, and compassion in a time when America felt deeply divided.

Will, a progressive millennial, sits down with his mom Adrienne - a former student body president at the College of New Rochelle - to tell the story of how her classmates responded to that letter in 1967. Despite widespread opposition to the war itself, these students were able to separate the national politics from the people actually risking their lives at the command of their country and show up for a group of Marines who were far from home and desperately needed a boost to their morale. More than fifty years later, mom connected with the Marine who wrote that letter, reminding us how deeply small acts of kindness can matter and have a lasting impact .

At a time when politics feels more polarized than ever, this story is a reminder that empathy, compassion, and helping others can cut through fear and hate. Never underestimate the power of asking for help - or the impact of answering that call.

You can read even more about this story on our new Substack account: