There are thousands of ways to say thank you - cards, flowers, flying a flag 7,000 miles away in the middle of Afghanistan.

The latter was the choice of U.S. Army Maj. Michelle "Missy" Wood, a former MSU Department of Police and Public Safety student employee who served in Uzbekistan from July 2003 to April 2004.

Wood flew two American flags - the first on Jan. 17 in Afghanistan during Operation Enduring Freedom and the second on Jan. 20 at Camp Stronghold Freedom in Uzbekistan, where she served as a Support Operations Officer for the Army's Logistics Task Force 406.

DPPS employees, including Wood's mother Shirley Wood, sent care packages to her and her fellow soldiers. To officially say "thank you," Maj. Wood presented both flags to DPPS officials in a ceremony held Friday.

"In appreciation for your support of the armed forces and on behalf of Task Force 406, we flew flags in Afghanistan and Uzbekistan for (DPPS)," Maj. Wood said at the ceremony after being introduced by Police Chief Jim Dunlap.

"I know as a department, we're really pleased to receive the flags and it meant a lot to us," Dunlap said in acceptance.

Wood, who graduated from MSU in 1992, said she was especially thankful for the DPPS' treatment and support of her mother.

"They always asked me how she's doing - that was almost a daily thing," Shirley Wood said, who works in the department's budget and finance office.

"I would hear from her by e-mail and she would e-mail us pictures. There wasn't a lot she could tell us about what was going on, and it was a very hard time, but I'm very proud of her and we're glad she's home.

"The department gave me support you could not believe -it was outstanding, they went above and beyond."