Many people make a career out of the military. But most choose to return to civilian life once their service obligation is fulfilled. Often they have battlefield skills that don't easily translate to the private sector, which can make finding a job difficult. Garett Reppenhagen is a former vet who now helps other veterans find work once they leave the military.

"Changing the world two feet at a time." That's the motto of The ASHE’ Foundation, which just shipped 10,000 pairs of shoes and more than two tons of medical supplies to Ghana.

Below, CNN Producer Annika Young explains why she went to Los Angeles to meet the people behind the massive shoe drive.

I have shoes, several pairs in fact. Tennis shoes, pumps, wedges, sandals, flip flops, even cowboy boots. I have shoes. I never imagined not having shoes. Admittedly, I never gave much thought to the fact that somebody, somewhere, doesn’t have one pair. Does that make me a bad person? Don’t misunderstand me. I ache over homelessness and poverty. I pray for the “big” things, but I never thought about shoes.

Dion Fearon did. She is the founder of The ASHE’ Foundation. ASHE’ is a Yoruba word that means ”the power to make things happen.” Fearon made something happen after receiving an e-mail bearing the image of feet clad with flattened two-liter soda bottles, fastened only with strips of fabric. It was that imagery that tugged at Fearon until the tugging became a pull and the pull a push to start a movement that became “Shoes for Africa.”

The ASHE’ Foundation’s mission is change the lives of millions of children in African nations who have been orphaned by HIV and AIDS. It was after hearing Fearon’s story and then meeting her in person, so bright-eyed with passion and purpose, that caused me to examine myself, head to toe.

Now I see shoes. I see what a new or gently worn pair of shoes can mean for a child who has never owned a pair. I see shoes like The ASHE’ Foundation sees shoes. I see the importance of “doing” something. You may never be the one to start a foundation or write a check, but the idea is to do “something.”

–Annika Young, CNN Writer/Producer

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To learn more about The ASHE’ Foundation and its upcoming mission to Ghana and it domestic effort “Shoes for L.A.” log on to www.theashefoundation.org.

Tammy Duckworth was flying high as a combat helicopter pilot in Iraq - until her aircraft took at direct hit from a rocket-propelled grenade. She survived, but lost both of her legs. Today she is an assistant secretary at Veterans Affairs, where she works to aid other wounded vets. She spoke to CNN's Don Lemon about her experience, and what the VA is now doing to help heal the wounds of battle - both physical and mental. A special Web site aims to reach vets even if they live far away from a VA facility.

CNN's Don Lemon interviews Princeton University's Dr. Cornel West about his new memoir, "Brother West: Living and Loving Out Loud."

Seniors dealing with health problems, loneliness and chronic pain still go to the airport most days, sometimes in the middle of the night, to greet U.S. troops and say "thank you" on behalf of the nation. Their story is now told in a new documentary film, "The Way We Get By."

Juarez, Mexico, is just across the border from El Paso, Texas, which makes it prime real estate for drug traffickers to move narcotics into the U.S. Rival drug gangs have now turned the city into a battlefield, with more than 2,000 murders so far in 2009. That's 10 times more than in 2007. CNN's Don Lemon speaks with the Juarez mayor and a reporter from the Los Angeles Times about why the city has become the deadliest in the world.

Countless people had been skeptical from the outset of the runaway balloon saga. Even before the sheriff in Larimer Co., Colo., determined it was an alleged hoax, a professional body-language analyst explained to CNN's Don Lemon the numerous "hot spots" that signaled a probable deception.

President Obama pledges to eliminate the controversial policy that prohibits openly gay people from serving in the U.S. military. CNN's Don Lemon discusses the president's commitments to gay rights with CNN Political Editor Mark Preston and Chicago Sun-Times columnist Lynn Sweet.

The savage videotaped beating death of Chicago honor student Derrion Albert horrified people around the world. Grammy-nominated musician Nas was so outraged he posted an open letter exhorting teens to end the senseless bloodshed. CNN's Don Lemon spoke with Nas about why he wrote the letter, and whether violent lyrics in his own music might have played a role in creating a permissive culture of violence.

As part of the on-going series "Pioneros: Latino Firsts," CNN's Don Lemon profiles former Education Secretary Lauro Cavazos, the first Hispanic to hold a cabinet-level post in a presidential administration.