Army dad writes 270 special notes to slip into his daughter's lunch during deployment

One of Philip Gray's notes for his daughter, Rosie.
(Image credit: Screenshot/YouTube/The Kelly Clarkson Show)

Before he deployed to Afghanistan, Army Staff Sgt. Philip Gray sat down and wrote 270 messages for his daughter — one for each day he would be away.

His notes for Rosie, 7, encouraged her to do her best at school and excel in her activities and hobbies. He also added drawings, like pumpkins on messages that were to be delivered around Halloween. "He was very big on feel-good words for her and girl power," his wife, Kristen Gray, told Good Morning America. "He made sure to tell her how smart she was, and run fast in P.E., and things that would really make her happy."

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
Explore More
To continue reading this article...
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us
Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.