Saturday, July 29, 2006

2,996

Just came across this tonight and wanted to pass it along.

 Hat tip to Katey's Kafe.

(And have signed up myself.)

After 9/11, my youngest sister said,

"We should remember and celebrate all of the innocent lives taken away on that day. "

There is a blogger who has started a project to do just that.

The 2,996 Project

"The idea is simple, but powerful: have a special tribute for each victim of 9/11, with each tribute being created by a different blogger.

2,996 stories…

2,996 voices…

2,996 remembered…

2,996 is a tribute to the victims of 9/11.

On September 11, 2006, 2,996 volunteer bloggers will join together for a tribute to the victims of 9/11. Each person will pay tribute to a single victim.

We will honor them by remembering their lives, and not by remembering their murderers."

The blog is here 

and the project page to sign up is here

Five years after that awful day, this seems like a beautiful way to "remember and celebrate".

 
 
 
 
 
 
Tag:
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Wednesday, July 26, 2006

THIS is WAY cool! Congratulations,JP, and GREAT Interview!!

Am getting ready to leave for work, but had to take a minute to let y'all know that JP over at Milblogging.com had an interview in the Wall Street Journal......please go check it out!

 
Way to go,JP!
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Tuesday, July 25, 2006

Wednesday 'Surfing'

Well, I started out wanting to tell you to go check out the posting by Kat at Yikes! 

Click here: Yikes!: ~~Words...... 

It's a fantastic post, and also fills you in a little on what the LIVING LEGENDS TEAM does at  Soldiers Angels .

And then,as so often happens when I think I have an idea planned out for a blog post (or, actually, when I think I have an idea for almost anything,lol,just ask my family)  I GOT SIDETRACKED.

I happened to see this post on  My Rambling Mind  about the Vice President reenlisting a soldier who is an amputee. And a commenter asked "Shouldn't this soldier have been medically discharged?"

And so that sent me to, of course,GOOGLE:) because I thought I had seen stories previously of amputee soldiers who were still active duty.

Some of the results of my search led me to this 2004 article

 
This MSNBC story 
 
And in USATODAY 
 
And this from ABC news 
 
But I think THIS was the most important find of my search
 
Having by then completely gotten 'off topic' from what I had originally intended to write about, I decided to stop by Blackfive....and in the 'gee,great minds think alike' category (I only WISH I had a mind like Matt!!) I find this post that seems in keeping with the theme of wounded soldiers staying active duty 
 
and clicked on the article about Scott Smiley 
 
Then,while continuing to peruse Blackfive, I found out about a wounded Marine via a link to Fuzzilicious Thinking 
 
so I wanted to ask y'all to please go by there and get the info to send at least a card of support to this Marine!
 
And then I was disgusted,enraged,resigned to the fact that it was bound to happen, by THIS 
 
and in relaying that news to my boyfriend, we BOTH then got sidetracked because he FINALLY decided that we would join the Patriot Guard Riders
(even though we don't have a motorcycle right now!:)which I have been wanting to do for quite awhile, to show my respect and support for our fallen soldiers and their families.
 
Finally, since so much of this post ended up being "brought to you via Blackfive"...I think this would be the appropriate place to plug Matt's upcoming book 
 
Well, this ended up being not  at all what I started out to write about, but that's my 'surfing' post for today.
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Sunday, July 23, 2006

For More on the Milkin Family

Learned via a fellow Soldiers Angel member that  Anysoldier.com has an update by a fellow soldier from Sgt. Milkin's unit.

If you go to the Anysoldier.com site http://anysoldier.com/ and click on "Where to Send", it says on that page

July 22:If you read only one update today, read This one" (and click on the "This".)

They also have links to more articles about this tragedy, and a link to a Google listing that has more articles.

And the soldier's update on Anysoldier has more specific information on donations.

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Thursday, July 20, 2006

Deployed Soldier's Family found Murdered

If you've seen this story 
 
then you know this soldier and his extended family are in need of prayers.
 
I have not found any address to send cards to, but I did find two news stories about memorial funds that you can donate to:
 
 
This story says "A memorial fund for the family has been set up as well. You can donate at any U.S. Bank branch under the account name "Kirkland House Fire Victims." and here is the US Bank website http://usbank.com/
and this story 
 
says " Also, the Washington National Guard set up a financial assistance fund in Leonid Milkin's name at the American Lake Credit Union in Camp Murray. The account number is 13743. "

Camp Murray Branch
Camp Murray, Bldg. 16
Tacoma, WA 98430
Voice: 253-582-3831
Voice: 800-228-2377
Fax: 253-582-1320
Email: amlakecu@aol.com

http://www.americanlake.org/
 
This is just an unimaginable tragedy, and my heart goes out to this soldier and his remaining family. Please keep them in your prayers.
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Monday, July 17, 2006

Please Check out "Hunts for Heroes"

Here's a Vietnam veteran who's come up with a fantastic idea.

"Hunts for Heroes"  www.huntsforheroes.org  

Their mission statement says in part  "We are dedicated to providing quality hunting and outdoor related activities to men and women that have been wounded on the field of battle in service to our country in the war against terrorism.  We organize hunts with professional guides and outfitters throughout the country for heroes that enjoy the outdoors. "

and be sure to check out what motivated Billy Hodges to start this in the "About" link on his site  http://www.huntsforheroes.org/about.html

Folks like Billy were the heroes of MY generation to those of us who had ties to the military (my Dad had just gotten out of the Army back then, and my aunt deployed as an Army nurse for a year) but I was just a kid in those days and organizations such as

Soldiers Angels

didn't exist for us to tell those soldiers or nurses how much they meant to us, and how much we looked up to them,and honored them for their service.So,sadly, all many of them remember is being spat upon, or called names, or keeping quiet about their military service as if it were a shameful thing.

But, instead of holding on to bitterness about that, vets like Billy, or the fine folks who started the Patriot Guard Riders , seem determined to ensure that THIS generation of those serving our country gets the support and respect that THEIR generation missed.Which to my mind just shows yet again how admirable and honorable the veterans of the Vietnam era are.

Hunts For Heroes has some pics of past hunts on the site http://www.huntsforheroes.org/pics.html

Although Billy doesn't have it posted on the site yet, here's a link to a slideshow of a Fishing Tournament that Hunts for Heroes recently had  http://www.vicadhosting.com/slideshow/hunts_for_heroes/

and here's two newspaper articles about the event

http://www.thevictoriaadvocate.com/old_front/story/3585433p-4143523c.html

 

http://www.thevictoriaadvocate.com/matad/front/story/3585429p-4143510c.html

So it looks like Hunts For Heroes is off to a fine start! And my best wishes to Billy for continued success with this organization! (And please spread the word about them!)

Update: Heard from Billy and he says his current site is only temporary, and a new one should be up by the end of the month.

And anyone wishing to donate at this point in time can send "a tax deductible check to El Campo Vol. Fire Dept (HUNTS FOR HEROES FUND) ,Box 1328 El Campo, TX 77437  We plan to give away $5,000 to wounded soldiers, spouses and dependents at our next event in November."

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Saturday, July 15, 2006

Speaking of 'Surfing',Help a Soldier,and Listen to HOOAH radio!:)

Some Soldiers Mom has a post up about an amputee soldier and a surfing trip. Check it out Click here: Some Soldier's Mom: SURFIN' U.S.A.

I have been busy with work and sadly, having to get rid of the family cat,who was just getting too mean to have around with the new grandbaby due in Sept.She's never really liked people!lol,not the best pet in the first place,but we had her for 5 years.
 
So I  have been remiss in not posting this link sooner...Blackfive now has 3 posts up on how to help a Navy Seal,I'll post the third and you can check out his links to the first two
 
 Some Soldiers Mom also mentions this, and a request from The Online Chaplain 
 
and The Online Chaplain also has a new post up today,reading his posts always feels to me like taking a refreshing drink of cool water 
 
while I do MY 'surfing' on the Internet, I love to listen to Hooah radio   
Click here: HOOAH!!!! Radio - Operation "Rip The Knob Off!"   They play all types of music, so there's something for everyone!!
 
and A Soldiers Perspective has a post up honoring a fallen soldier
 
 Doc in the Box has some timely thoughts about  current events
 
Lastly, this site belongs to a fellow Soldiers Angels member who makes pottery 
 
And that's my mini post about places you can 'surf' to yourself this weekend,and the music to listen to while you're surfing.
 
Hope everyone has a great weekend, and God bless our Troops!
 
Oh,P.S Added a "Click to sign my map"area to my "All About Me"...thanks! to Emily for giving me the idea from seeing her page!

 

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Wednesday, July 12, 2006

Hurray! Sgt. Kevin Downs is home!!:)

Saw this post yesterday at Bear Creek Ledger but didn't have time to post about the wonderful news before I left for work.

Then when I got home from work this evening, saw that I had gotten a comment on a previous post about Kevin Downs, that led me to this video.(Thank you! to ch1on1 )

 
A big WELCOME HOME! to Kevin. As your friends said, you ARE a true hero! and we will continue to hold you and your family in our prayers.
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Tuesday, July 11, 2006

Some New Links Added, and Milblogging.com (again:)

Have added some new links to my 'Other Journals' and 'Favorite Sites' sections, and wanted to mention them.

Added to OTHER JOURNALS

 
 
and,departing from the "all military,all the time" theme....I've also added links to journals from two paramedics,a nurse, a blog dedicated to fallen police officers, and the journal of a firefighter/EMT who's also a veteran. (Hmmm...although I still think there's some sort of theme going on there )
 
 
 
 
 
 
Added to FAVORITE SITES
 
 
 
 
and last but not least, this isn't really a 'blog', but he's a soldier and seems like a very fine young man, and I just like his page! Click here: Here to Please Jesus
 
And the other day when I stopped by Milblogging.com, I was pleasantly surprised to see that JP had mentioned me again. Thanks,JP! 
 
Yes, I'm a shameless fan of his,lol, but I first 'met' him back when he was serving in Afghanistan and had a now defunct blog, and took time to send me an email encouraging me to become a member of  Soldiers Angels .
 
And if you read his mention of  how many milblogs I've submitted, and are saying to yourself "holy cow,Kathi,do you just park on the computer all day?"LOL.Please remember I was just unemployed for the last 5 months,so had a LOT of extra time on my hands. And also, I frequently come across new milblogs by clicking on links in comments on milblogs I'm reading. My family will attest to the fact that I'm an extremely fast reader, and after reading a new milblog for a few seconds, I'll just pop over to Milblogging.com and see if it's already listed there, and if it's not,heck...I just submit it! (and then go back and read some more.)
 
All of which leads to me giving you a few MORE links here, to milblogs that I've submitted to Milblogging.com but didn't have room to list on my links.
 
Posted by at 2 comments:

GIRL SCOUT COOKIES AVAILABLE TO SEND TO THE TROOPS!

Hey all! There are still Girl Scout cookies available at The Angel's Store!!

 
Why not send a case to a 'Cookie Monster' you know today?
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Monday, July 10, 2006

A One Year Anniversary:)

It's been a year since I joined  Soldiers Angels  and overall,what a rewarding and interesting year it's been, often in unexpected ways.

I have met some wonderful folks serving in the military, and corresponded with them through letters and/or emails.(And I've  met some great folks through  Anysoldier.com  )  I've also 'met' online,or read the blogs, of some great troop supporters, and some wonderful military wives.

And it's because of  Soldiers Angels  that I decided to start this journal,which led to me being AOL Guest Editor the week of Memorial Day 2006....something I never imagined happening back when I started this in hopes of  interesting/encouraging other folks in supporting the troops!(Because for me, it's all about 'getting the word out' and being featured like that certainly brought some more attention to my humble little effort:)

There's been some sadness,too, over so many  wounded  soldiers, and so many casualties  .And  yet, when you read the stories of those who are recovering from their wounds,like those mentioned in  my previous post  ,you can find stories of hope, courage, and inspiration.

And when your heart breaks for those left behind struggling to put their lives back together, like  Heidi   or   Mary  ,you find that you can at least, as  Emily  reminds us, turn to our Lord and God in prayer. I never realized when I joined Soldiers Angels  that becoming a member would increase and deepen my prayer life.

But writing letters to soldiers, and sending cards to deployed soldiers and wounded soldiers, and reading the blogs of soldiers, troop supporters, and military families...has all led to areas of growth that I never expected in my life when I first set out on this journey.

So who knows where the journey will lead me in this coming year? I'm looking forward to finding out!

I'll continue to share the journey here with whoever stops by:),and you knew THIS was coming,right? 

If you'd like to start your OWN journey of supporting the troops? Consider stopping by

Soldiers Angels

Anysoldier.com

Angelsncamouflage

AdoptAPlatoon

America Supports You

and see where the journey takes YOU!!

It's been an honor and a privilege to support our troops this past year. God bless all the men and women in our military!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Saturday, July 8, 2006

A Recovering Soldier in the News,and Updates on Others

This morning I went by Contact Right   and discovered that Elijah's roommate was

 in the news

 

Reading Joe's story reminded me that there are a number of sites of  recovering soldiers that I've previously listed on here, and so I thought I would list them again.

Jose Pequeno

Ben Hardgrove

Eric Edmundsen

Noah Galloway

Kevin Downs

Kenny Lyon

And here is a new site I came across  Click here: Jarod's Home Page

 

And I also mentioned before a soldier who is battling cancer

and his wife also is blogging.  Click here: Two Blue Lines

Lastly, via  CampDoha.org  is a listing of how to send letters to "any wounded soldier."

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Friday, July 7, 2006

Congratulations,Patti!

How very cool! The founder of  Soldiers Angels  has been interviewed by

Michael Yon

 

Great interview,Patti, and Congratulations!

Update: And more about Soldiers Angels! 

 

Also,two things of interest from Blackfive

First, the establishment of  The Warrior Fund

and second, the story of another hero in the  Someone You Should Know  series.

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

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Thursday, July 6, 2006

Thursday 'Surfing'

Had to put a pic that included a view of  Diamondhead, only because I am still chuckling because of it. Last night my daughter and her dad and I were playing Jeopardy! on the computer (thanks! to my oldest son for giving me that:) and a question came up about 'this Hawaiian volcano was given this name because originally sailors thought they had found these gems there' (or something like that.)

Anyway, we all stared at the screen blankly for a few seconds and suddenly it hit me, and I started laughing and said "Oh my gosh, we've BEEN there" as I hurriedly typed in my answer:)

I shouldn't even have been off work last night, but I ended up celebrating my 4th of July by working a double shift, and staying over an extra 8 hours to cover someone who didn't come in (the joys of the nursing profession)and so work arranged for someone else to cover me for my shift last night.However, it's back to work as usual later today!And that, I suppose, is enough about my oh-so-interesting personal life.

There's no particular 'theme' to my surfing today,lol, I was just in the process of doing laundry at the same time and these are some of the places I came across in between putting clothes into the washer and dryer.

First up, Devon Gibbons family has posted a very moving 'Thank You'.

 
And there is a connection between Devon Gibbons and Soldiers Angels featured artist
which is Renegade Rail
If you go by their web site, the clip of their song "Heroes" moved me to tears.Scroll down their web site under "Renegade Rail News" to learn how they heard of Devon and what they are doing for Soldiers Angels
 
And if you liked their music?You can go to http://www.newcountrystar.com/  and scroll down on the left to click on "Vote' after you enter the site, and then scroll down to "Best Duo or Band" and be sure to vote for "Renegade Rail" (as there is also a band called just "Renegade")They are currently in Second place!
(NOTE: You'll have to copy and paste the link to  http://www.newcountrystar.com/  into your browser,if you click on it from this page it will say you already voted! sorry about not realizing that sooner!)
 
Next,via Milblogging.com came a link to an article entitled " Military Research:Don't tread on my blog: A study of military weblogs" by the University of Oklahoma Dept. of Communication.
 
While checking that out, I was tickled when I clicked on Literature Review to learn that I fit hardly ANY of  the parameters for "blog creators" mentioned in the article citing a 2005 study by the Pew Internet and American Life Project
 
It says: " The survey found that blog creators tend to be:
male (57% of the blogging population);Nope,I'm female:)
 young (48% are under age 30); Nah,I'm 45!
broadband users (70%);Ok,'yes' on this.
 veteran Internet users (82% have been online for 6 years or more);I actually got my first computer in 2002,when my uncle gave me a 'hand-me-down"
 well educated (39% have college or graduate degrees); I are a high school graduate,lol, who later earned a certificate in Practical Nursing at a vocational-technical center.
and relatively well-off financially (42% live in households earning more than $50,000).OK, this is definitely NOT my household,lol!
 
Anyway, that just struck me as humorous,what the heck am I doing blogging then?LOL.I'm an anomaly!
 
In no particular order,some other places I 'surfed' by today:
 
 
Via Blackfive:Someone you should know  I was led to this
 
This  Click here: Blue Crab Boulevard » Blog Archive » Farewell  describes a memorial service held by his company for  Pvt.Benjamin J. Slaven
 
One of my favorite 'reads' is getting ready to come home!    Destination Iraq
 
Two other blogs I hadn't stopped by in awhile:
 
 
And via A Soldier's Perspective  I was led to this site
Click here: Your About To Enter The Warzone  (WARNING!Graphic Language and Images!)
 
And that's all for today,as always,GOD BLESS OUR TROOPS!
 
 
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Monday, July 3, 2006

Happy 4th of July!

I think I posted my previous July 4th wishes too early

So, once again, I want to wish everyone a Happy 4th of July!

And in keeping with 'supporting our troops', two sites I'd like to mention.

A Yahoo 360 friend,  Trish has a post that pointed me to Anysoldier.com   Stop by her post and find out how to send a card to a wounded soldier, and a birthday card to another soldier.

And yesterday I came across this site 

which is trying to honor the fallen soldiers by name. Please go check it out.

God bless! to all of you, and God bless our troops!

Posted by at 4 comments:

A Little more on the "CP8", Something Cool from Xerox,a Memorial,and Remembering the Fallen

Have found two more links regarding the Camp Pendleton 8

 
 
 
a very cool way to send a card to a soldier from the Xerox company
 
 
Check out their FAQ  for exactly how they are doing it...and then pick out a card
 
And via Freedom Isn't Free   I found this about a Memorial
 
and sadly, she is remembering another fallen soldier.
 
Our prayers continue for all the families and friends of the fallen.
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Sunday, July 2, 2006

The "Camp Pendleton Eight"

I'm sure some people are going to feel this is controversial, but as you've probably heard in the news, there are 8 men(7 Marines and their Navy corpsman) who are currently being held in the brig at Camp Pendleton.

 
and there is also a groundswell of support building for the defense of these men
 
 
I have found websites set up for 6 of the 8 men.
 
HM3 Melson A. Bacos http://www.patriotdefensefund.com/

LCPL Tyler A. Jackson http://www.fightingfortyler.com/

PFC John J. Jodka http://innocentmarine.com/

CPL Marshall L. Magincalda http://www.helpdefendourmarine.com/

LCPL Robert B. Pennington http://www.defendrob.com/

CPL Trent Thomas http://www.defensefundformyhero.com
 
I was unable to find any websites for
SGT. LAWRENCE G. HUTCHINS III

LCPL. JERRY E. SHUMATE,JR (Update: http://friendsofjerry.blogspot.com/   ) 
 
I have my own reservations and questions about the case against them, keeping in mind the previous case of  Ilario Pantano
 
The military justice system will determine the matter, but for what it is worth right now, I am passing these sites on for all of you to check out.
 
As for me, these men and their families will be in my prayers.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
UPDATE:   Via Bear Creek Ledger ,found a site for
 
 
She also has some other posts about the Camp Pendleton 8 
 
 
As does  Daily Life of a Marine Mom (Look for Thursday,June 29 post)
 
 
 
 
and a lot of these posts lead to other links, but I wish I was seeing more about this out there in the blogosphere.
 
If you know of any other posts, or of a website for Sgt. Lawrence Hutchins, please feel free to post them in the comments or email them!
 
 
Posted by at 1 comment:

Saturday, July 1, 2006

Weekend/Holiday 'Surfing' and Happy 4th of July!

Sorry the time between my posts are getting longer! but working full-time again has curtailed my Internet time,lol.

I want to wish everyone a "Happy Holiday", although I'll be working on the 4th. While you're enjoying the time off (if you have it) please take a moment to remember our troops,as always.

Proud Fan at  Freedom Isn't Free  says it very well,I think:)

For other places to 'surf', I'm not specifically posting a Fourth of July theme, just posting some different sites that caught my eye

Kat at Yikes! has a nice post up about becoming a Soldiers Angel

 

I first came across The OIF Alphabet on Tbone's War Journal (some language) and decided to put it all together in one place 

View "The OIF Alphabet'  (again,some language)

and then saw that Josh at Talking Salmons had also come across it.

 
Then,when I was catching up on my milblog surfing today, I found out that Midnight in Iraq has some hilarious postings up about a prank he's pulling
UPDATE Apparently he has deleted those postings when I checked today 7/4/06.
 
And by the way, if you like pictures? He has a Flickr photostream  
 
For more great photos? There are two "Dan's" who always have great pics
 
 
The second 'Dan' listed is a contractor, and that reminded me to tell you that a contractor who has written a book has changed from Yahoo 360 to a new site 
 
Via the comments section on another blog, I came across a new blog 
 
You might like to check out the Milblogger of the Week, Tanker Brothers, at Milblogging.com 
 
And via Blackfive, there is a story with links about Thomas Tucker,Kristian Menchaca, and David Babineau 
 
and also a link to raw footage video of the 502nd Infantry Memorial Ceremony for them 
 
One of my 'e-pals' in Iraq specifically asked me to please remember the families and friends of the fallen in my prayers this holiday, and so I will pass on that request to all of you.
 
Have a safe and happy holiday, and God bless our Troops.
 
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