Encore: A Soldier Receives A Piece Of Home In Afghanistan

NPR | By Aisha Turner

Published April 10, 2020 at 5:00 AM EDT

Roman Coley Davis poses for a picture with his grandmother, "Mema" Laverne Tanner, whose special delivery from 7,000 miles away eased some of her grandson's homesickness.

This episode of StoryCorps originally aired in 2018.

At 20 years old, Pfc. Roman Coley Davis was stationed in Afghanistan when the loneliness of war began to seep in. At StoryCorps 12 years later, Davis tells a friend how a surprise package from his Georgia hometown brought him immense comfort.

Audio produced for Weekend Edition Saturday by Aisha Turner.

StoryCorps is a national nonprofit that gives people the chance to interview friends and loved ones about their lives. These conversations are archived at the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress, allowing participants to leave a legacy for future generations. Learn more, including how to interview someone in your life, at StoryCorps.org.

This week, StoryCorps is releasing a new technology that makes it possible, for the first time, to record interviews remotely. Go to StoryCorpsConnect.org to try it out.