'A very touching story. Interesting is that the article never mentioned that the girl is a Muslim or even of Middle East origin. If this were a negative deed that she did, you would have this in the first sentence. You would have seen reporting on the family, the mosque they attend and much more.

But, in any event, it is a very touching story:

"SYRACUSE, N.Y. - A soldier said he was only showing his gratitude when gave his Purple Heart to a 13-year-old student being honored for winning a contest for writing letters to American troops.
"It's important what these children do for us in sending these letters," said Staff Sgt. Phillip Trackey, after giving away the medal he received for injuries in Iraq. "The letters mean so much to us. So I thought this was a big way of giving something back to them.""
Abbas Kadhim