Thomas Hill Jewelers in downtown Hinesville recently introduced From Soldier to Soldier, an awareness and fundraising campaign to support wounded veterans and their families.

The campaign is based on the sales of a designer version of the survival and friendship bracelets worn by many U.S. and allied soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan. For every bracelet sold, $25 will be donated to Homes For Our Troops and other organizations that support returning wounded veterans and their families.

Just last week, HFOT finished building a home for a disabled veteran, Staff Sgt. Jason Letterman, in Hinesville.

The campaign is part of a national effort to raise money for veterans-aid organizations and bring attention to the needs of returning heroes.

"We are very pleased to partner with Thomas Hill Jewelers in support of this unifying cause," said Niels Christiansen, CEO of LovelinksAmerica, the Massachusetts company behind the national campaign. "From Soldier to Soldier is neither pro- nor anti-war. It is pro our young men and women who put their lives on the line for our country and made sacrifices."

Soldiers who wear the bracelets in the field braid them with parachute cord. They are known as survival bracelets because the cord can be unraveled and used for many purposes. Soldiers also exchange them as friendship bracelets. They often sew uniform buttons onto the bracelets as clasps, Christiansen said.

The designer version has a sterling silver clasp shaped like a uniform button and is tightly braided. The button clasp symbolizes the uniform. The braided bracelet symbolizes the bond between soldiers. To some, each knot in the bracelet symbolizes a fallen hero, Thomas Hill owner Chrisie Hill said.