Thursday, August 31, 2006

As Sept. 11 nears....

I have been remiss in not mentioning sooner that the 2,996 tribute reached their goal of assigning the names of all the victims to be honored by bloggers on Sept.11,2006  Click here: 2,996 » Cloud 2,996 

In other news as Sept. 11 approaches, I saw this story when I got online this afternoon 

 
and that led me to 'Google' the names of the three firefighters in the photo. Which led me to find out some things I didn't know. One being that the three firefighters in the photo started ..."a charitable organization dedicated to benefiting members of the FDNY, NYPD, EMS and Port Authority Police that suffer career-ending injuries or death, including those affected by the terrorist attacks on 9/11, not covered by existing benefit programs."
 
The second thing I learned was that one of the firefighters in the photo,George Johnson, was also already known prior to 9/11 for another act of heroism, donating bone marrow. 
 
And here is a link to a 1997 press release about that.
 
 
And that prompted me to mention that Soldiers Angels  is requesting the nations help in a bone marrow drive for a Navy Seal
 
 
and there is more about Justin here 
 
While I was researching all this, I received an 'alert' for a new journal entry from another AOL journaler whose journal I enjoy reading, and she had some words about remembering 9/11 that I wanted to include here,also. 
 
I don't have a yard to fly the flag in on Sept.11,since I live in an apartment building, but I plan to have my post up for the 2,996 tribute that day honoring Jonathan Cappello, and I will be remembering all those who died that day in my prayers.  If you are part of the 2,996 tribute, another AOL journaler posted some additional helpful links for research that I wanted to pass on    http://journals.aol.com/mmartinez07/UnhappilyEverAfter/entries/2006/08/27/helpful-info-for-the-2996-project/856
 
I used her son's suggestion of trying Dogpile.com and I,too, found some more information about the name I am honoring.Plus a few of the other links she suggested were also helpful. Thank you,Mandy!
 
As I've been researching the name I was assigned(and shedding some tears along the way) I have been contemplating how I wanted to handle posting my tribute. Naturally, I will post the tribute on Sept. 11, and I will also post a link to the main 2,996 blogroll,so that anyone can access all the tributes from this page. But I am also thinking that I should perhaps leave my tribute post up for the entire week of Sept. 11. I know for myself I want to take the time to read each of the tributes, and I believe I should devote more than just one day to doing that.
 
 
 
 
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Tuesday, August 29, 2006

Honoring Fallen Soldiers

Saw the above, on a Journal that has now gone private ,so I've removed the link.

A fellow Angel  has set up this page in memory of a soldier fallen a year ago   http://www.geocities.com/brassylady57/InMemoryOf.html 

From the friend who runs this site 

 
comes a link to a video about how the Patriot Guard Riders  helped shield the family of fallen Navy Seal Marc Lee 
 
The vitriol spewed by the Phelps group during the video made me want to vomit....but I had tears of pride in my eyes for all the fine folks who countered their hatred. Rest in Peace, Marc Lee, and God bless the many who came to honor you on the day you were laid to rest.
 
And our thoughts and prayers are with all the families of the fallen.
 
 
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Sunday, August 27, 2006

Received this via Email,Please pass it on.

TWO THOUSAND ONE, NINE ELEVEN (2001-911)

Two thousand one, nine eleven
Three thousand plus arrive in heaven
As they pass through the gate,
Thousands more appear in wait
A bearded man with stovepipe hat
Steps forward saying, "Lets sit, lets chat"

They settle down in seats of clouds
A man named Martin shouts out proud
"I have a dream!" and once he did
The Newcomer said, "Your dream still lives."

Groups of soldiers in blue and gray
Others in khaki, and green then say
"We're from Bull Run, Yorktown, the Maine"
The Newcomer said, "You died not in vain."

From a man on sticks one could hear
"The only thing we have to fear.
The Newcomer said, "We know the rest,
Trust us sir, we've passed that test."

"Courage doesn't hide in caves
You can't bury freedom, in a grave,"
The Newcomers had heard this voice before
A distinct Yankees twang from Hyannisport shores

A silence fell within the mist
Somehow the Newcomer knew that this
Meant time had come for her to say
What was in the hearts of the five thousand plus that day

"Back on Earth, we wrote reports,
Watched our children play in sports
Worked our gardens, sang our songs
Went to church and clipped coupons
We smiled, we laughed, we cried, we fought
Unlike you, great we're not"

The tall man in the stovepipe hat
Stood and said, "Don't talk like that!
Look at your country, look and see
You died for freedom, just like me"

Then, before them all appeared a scene
Of rubbled streets and twisted beams
Death, destruction, smoke and dust
And people working just 'cause they must

Hauling ash, lifting stones,
Knee deep in hell, but not alone
"Look! Blackman, Whiteman, Brownman, Yellowman
Side by side helping their fellow man!"

So said Martin, as he watched the scene
"Even from nightmares, can be born a dream."

Down below three firemen raised
The colors high into ashen haze
The soldiers above had seen it before
On Iwo Jima back in '45

The man on sticks studied everything closely
Then shared his perceptions on what he saw mostly
"I see pain, I see tears,
I see sorrow -- but I don't see fear."

"You left behind husbands and wives
Daughters and sons and so many lives
Are suffering now because of this wrong
But look very closely. You're not really gone.

All of those people, even those who've never met you
All of their lives, they'll never forget you
Don't you see what has happened?
Don't you see what you've done?
You've brought them together, together as one.

With that the man in the stovepipe hat said
"Take my hand," and from there he led
Three thousand plus heroes, Newcomers to heaven
On this day, two thousand one, nine eleven

Author UNKNOWN (What a shame!)

September 11, 2006, will soon be approaching. On this day, please wear
red, white and blue to work or school to show your support for those
who
lost their lives on 9~11~01 and to honor the heroes who worked to save
them and the families left behind. At noon your time on September 11,
2006, no matter where you are or what you are doing, stop, put your
hand
on your heart, and say the Pledge of Allegiance out loud or to
yourself
and say a prayer for our nation.

In addition, for those of us who drive to work, please drive with your
headlights on to also give honor and remembrance to those who
perished on
September 11th.

If all of us do this together in every time zone round the world, we
will
have a powerful chain of thoughts surrounding us. Please keep this
going
to your friends and family.

By September 11, 2006 hopefully enough people will have read this and
will
join together in unity.
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Saturday, August 26, 2006

Gratuitous 'Grandmother' pic,shopping,misc.:)

Well, y'all knew I'd have to put at least ONE pic of the new grandson up

Things have been 'hectically happy' around here,so this is going to be short.

There was a very cool post the other day on the  2,996  blog,just click on the link. And it looks also like they ARE going to reach their goal!

Other than that, I think I'll just send you 'virtual shopping', by suggesting you check out THE book that everyone who reads milblogs has been waiting for, by Matt at Blackfive

 
And check out this cd  "A Tribute to Heroes"  Check out the sample clips at the bottom of the page,there's some great music on it. And the proceeds benefit  Operation  Helmet   
There are two songs on the cd from Iraq Unplugged ,and one from the Kory Brunson Band ,both of whom I've mentioned here before:)
 
Or, you can go check out  Proud Army Wife  ,she's got some good stuff posted...I like the Fort Lewis Ranger newspaper blog link she had posted.
 
Well, I'm off once again to hold a baby!
 
Hope everyone has a good weekend, and as always, God bless our troops!
 
 
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Thursday, August 24, 2006

Welcome to the World,Aiden!!

Little Aiden arrived at 9:09 a.m this morning:) He is, of course, completely beautiful!  He weighed 7 lbs. 13 oz, and has a big thatch of black hair.

My son, his father, is awed and estatic. Aiden's mother was glowing, and all the assorted grandparents and great-grandparents on both sides of the family were  overjoyed!

I am heading off to catch a few hours of sleep, as I have to work again the night shift, and will be going back to the hospital this evening so I can hold him for the first time. So far, this grandparenting stuff seems way cool to me!!!!

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And I didn't know this was going to happen today, but it's very nice 'icing on the cake' for such a special day for me. I had submitted one of my blog posts to CarnivAOL and it got accepted for this week,wow!

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Wednesday, August 23, 2006

Birthdays,2,996 Update,and Tomorrow I'll Be a Grandma!!

I'm late to the party on this one,but  Anysoldier.com  just celebrated 3 years:) Congratulations, and Happy Birthday, Marty and crew!

I have also 'met' some wonderful servicemen and women through writing letters from addresses gotten from Anysoldier  I'm thinking in particular of Melody, and also of my favorite sailor:) Bill, who is on his way home from his SECOND deployment....Yay!!

Another birthday I want to mention is Mary Ann, of Soldiers Angels Germany....it's today! and there's still time to stop by and wish her a Happy 50th! 

 
Under the heading of more "things that make you go 'Yay'"...I first learned of Kyle Anderson from Soldiers Angel Holly Aho  I remembered him partly because I have a son named Kyle, and partly because a lot of my family lives in MN....there hadn't been an update on him in a LONG time, but I happened to see today that he's bought a house!! Check it out here.
 
And it looks like  2,996  might be able to reach goal after all, of one blogger each to honor one victim. They got some major help today in that Michelle Malkin wrote about it 
 
and the 2,996  site afterwards got overloaded...which is a GOOD thing!:)
 
I agree wholeheartedly with what Katie Favazzo the blogger who alerted Michelle Malkin to the project, wrote in her blog about the project...."what will probably be the first major coalition among bloggers to date--and arguably the most important. "
 
I'd also like to thank Journals Editor Joe, for mentioning the project twice!
 
Another celebration that I'm late in mentioning is that Kat just had her one year 'Blogiversary" this past weekend.
 
And the upcoming celebration for ME and my family, is that tomorrow my first grandson is sceduled to come into this world via C-section!!  I'm SO looking forward to meeting little Aiden:)
 
Well, that's my short post for this evening...must get ready to go to work.Have a great rest of the week!
 
 
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Tuesday, August 22, 2006

Fun 'GEEK'Stuff:)

This...is a 'Woo Hoo'. I have been wanting to try and make one since I first saw one:)  (and I think they call it that because you go 'WOO HOO'

when it works,LOL.)

 

These are pics from our 2003 Hawaii vacation, which was a 'Woo Hoo' vacation in itself:) and our 2004 MN vacation. Enjoy!! I love stuff like this!!

(And you have to have an AIM pages profile to make one,with pics on it. More info on that here   Click here: woohoo 

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Hey,It's "BE AN ANGEL" Day!

Woke up this morning (first day of high school for my daughter, I was giving her a ride to school:) and found out from this
 
that today is "Be an Angel" day!!  Who knew?
 
So, naturally, I turned to Google ,LOL, and I found this 
 
 
and then this 
 
 
BE AN ANGEL DAY

BE AN ANGEL DAY is a non-profit, non-denominational event celebrated annually on AUGUST 22. This is a day on which people around the world are encouraged to be like the angels - God's selfless servants - and 'do one small act of service for someone; be a blessing in someone's life.' The 1st Annual BE AN ANGEL DAY was celebrated August 22, 1993.
 
Now, you just KNOW that I'm going to take this holiday I newly discovered to once again tout   Soldiers Angels  
 
If you're looking for a way that you could "be a blessing in someone's life"?  Why not consider becoming an Angel EVERY day?  I know I keep 'harping' (pun intended,lol) on what becoming a member of Soldiers Angels has added to my life....but it's also a way for you to bless a total stranger's life.
 
And you know, you're going to find yourself 'blessed' in return...in so many unexpected ways. 
 
I know I've repeated over and over, when talking about my "Angels Work"
that it's rare to receive a reply to letters I've written to soldiers.
 
But boy! when you DO receive that rare reply, it always seems to be a doozy!
 
I'm specifically thinking of a letter I received awhile back that reduced me to humbled tears.  This soldier had lost my original letter to him during a move that his unit made, and when he came across it again,sent me a letter APOLOGIZING to ME, for taking so long to reply!!  (And I ALWAYS stress in my letters, for either the Letter Writing Team  or the Cards Plus team, that a reply is neither EXPECTED or REQUIRED)   So, this soldier "had me at 'I want to apologize' " 
 
("You had me at 'hello.'" Jerry Maguire (1996)
 
The soldier then went on to write....."All is well for me in Iraq. It has been crazy hot. Today it was 113 degrees.I was flying and the air felt like a hair dryer blowing in your face. We got back to base.....I was so hot and we were so worn out by then. We returned to the barracks,and we had no power no lights, no hot water, and no a/c. ......so, I'm sitting in my room, with my flashlight, catching up on mail."
 
And that's the part when I got tears in my eyes, that last line. When I sit down to write a letter, I'm usually sitting on my couch in my air- conditioned living room, with the TV going because someone else is usually watching it, and possibly someone else in the house sitting over across the room on the computer.
 
And here is a total stranger that I wrote a letter to, on the other side of the world, sitting in 113 degree heat in a dark barracks  and using a FLASHLIGHT to write me a reply?
 
I think I know who the REAL "Angel" is, in that story!(God bless you, Scott!)
 
And that's why, today on "Be An Angel" day, I wanted to share this story of an Angel that I came across. And then urge you all to consider being an Angel for a soldier yourself.
 
By the way, if you ARE thinking of becoming a Soldiers Angel ? There's a fellow member who has just started a blog, and has posted 3 of the letters she writes to soldiers.....go check it out, it's AWESOME!!!
 
 
 
Have a great "BE AN ANGEL" day!!!
 
God bless our troops!
 
UPDATE   Yay! Another Soldiers Angel member got listed in the TOP
 
 
Her entry is the 2nd one  
 
Go,LJ!!!
 
(And, to put it all together, which it took me till now to do!lol. Because I work nights and sleep during the day.....the angel who got second place above is the SAME angel that does pottery, and I've mentioned her website here before     
 
 
 
 
 
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Sunday, August 20, 2006

Happy Anniversary AOL Journals! My Past 6 Months in J-Land

I only started my journal in March, but so much has happened to me since then!
 
On May 25, I was selected as a Guest Editor 
 
and that is when I really started to feel like a member of the "J-Land" community:) So many people stopped by to leave comments, and make me feel welcome!   Because I was Guest Editor, I got to 'meet'
 
 
 
 
 
and I also got to 'meet Leslie 
 
and I also,of course, got to meet Joe the Journals Editor, and even got him later on to feature my post about the 2,996 project  (not that I wanted him to feature my post, just the project!LOL) by sending him several emails!
 
Since I had the opportunity to be Guest Editor, I also got to feature some of the few military AOL journalers I had found, like Bruce   and Charles  (who is home now,HURRAY!)
 
Because I started paying attention after my own stint to each week's Guest Editor's, I also came across Maria  and  Myra   And,of course, I think EVERYONE now knows   Stevie  !!LOL after his go-round as Guest Editor:)
 
I know a lot of myfriends ask when I am going to get a 'real' blog? But, I like it here. You can meet other journalers on either the main
AOL Journals message board  or the J Land Bar and Grill  or just by doing 'searches' for journals that might interest you, and leaving comments on journals you like:)
 
Since becoming a journaler in J-Land, I have learned how to use hyperlinks,how to do 'tagging', how to post pictures,how to link my Instant Messenger to my journal,and just yesterday, thanks to Sepintex, I FINALLY was able to put a Flickr badge in my "All About Me" section,YAY!!:)
 
So, I'm very happy to be here. Being an AOL journaler has enabled me to grow, and learn, and to meet some great folks, and most of all it's enabled me to use this journal to get the word out about my favorite topic, supporting the troops!
 
Thanks! AOL Journals, and HAPPY 3RD ANNIVERSARY!!
 
(For lots more about what's going on for the Anniversary, check out AOL Journal Editor's Joe's blog here )or you can click on the 'tag' below,to surf all the journals joining the celebration:)
 
 
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Friday, August 18, 2006

Two Interesting Stories from fellow AOL Journalers

From Maria's Musings comes this  
 
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Thursday, August 17, 2006

A Reminder of the 2,996 Tribute for Sept.11

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.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

With 20-some days left before Sept.11, there are still about 1,000 bloggers needed to each post a tribute to one victim of 9/11. I personally feel this wil be the most important thing I have ever participated in on the Internet....being part of a worldwide remembrance of the many lives lost on that day,honoring their lives one by one.

Once again, the sign up page is here http://www.jamulian.com/db911/

The blog is here  http://www.dcroe.com/2996/

And some research links are here http://www.dcroe.com/2996/?cat=6

So, please consider signing up today.

-------------------------------------------------------

On a related note, I received an email today from the

World Trade Center Memorial Foundation

and they have a series of podcasts listed that are worth a listen.

 

Let Us Never Forget.

 

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Tuesday, August 15, 2006

A Father's Tribute to his fallen son

Kat at Yikes! has a powerful post up today,by the father of Mike Stokely

 
and then she has her own tribute posted
 
 
Rest in peace,Sgt.Stokely, and we will be remembering your family in our prayers today.
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Monday, August 14, 2006

A Hometown Hero with a Camera!

Read an article in our local paper tonight, about a Staff Sgt. from my area who is now a combat photographer in the Air Force

The War In Focus Posted 2006-08-14
Jacob Bailey’s Mission In Iraq: Document Conflict With Camera

By Heather Bowser

 
and so you know me,LOL, after reading the article, I went searching on the web...and found Staff Sgt. Bailey's website   
 
and his Flickr feed 
 
Go check them out!!! Great pics!
 
And Stay Safe! Staff Sgt. Bailey....you'll be in our prayers. THANK YOU! for your service to our country.
 
 
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Please Check Out A friend's video:)

Paulette , a USO volunteer and fantastic troop supporter that I'm privileged to be linked up with on my Yahoo 360 page has a GREAT video that she's put together,please go check it out!

http://video.yahoo.com/video/play?vid=f7ec7489b12b5b52634ee9b18d4b840f.699100&fr=yvmtf

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Another Memorial Bike Ride

From Maria's Musings comes a link to a memorial bike ride being planned to honor fallen EMS workers.  http://www.emsbikeride.org

And the Ride to Remember is still going on right now, to honor fallen firefighters.

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Sign a Giant VFW 'Thank You' card for troops at Walter Reed

Let's thank our troops at
Walter Reed Medical Center.

In just a few short weeks, we’ll mark the 5th Anniversary of September 11th… the day America’s "war on terror" began. Thank the men and women who have left their families and homes to defend freedom around the world. Honor these heroes who have already sacrificed so much.

Sign the VFW’s Thank You Card for our troops wounded in the war on terror.

VFW will deliver the giant "Thank You" Card to Walter Reed Medical Center on September 11th to let these brave men and women know that we have not forgotten them and we are deeply grateful for their sacrifices.

We need all signatures by August 23rd in order to deliver the card on September 11th.

Every signature means so much, so please pass this on to help us deliver the biggest "Thank You" Card ever.

And thank you for supporting our troops and veterans.

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Received this as an email forward today,,the link from the email is here

Please consider signing the card!!!   And then the link to pass the message on is also here

What a nice way to both honor the memories of all those lost on Sept.11, and remind our wounded troops at Walter Reed that we are grateful for their service to our country,and what that service has cost them.

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Congratulations,Willie!(and let's help her project:)

Soldiers Angels "International Goodwill Ambassador", the awesome Wilhelmine Aufmkolk("Willie") who recently received an extremely cool 'thank you' from some troops 
 
has a project that I'd like to ask you to participate in
 
"Welcome Back – till you get Home - Greetings"

Dear Angels,

we are working on a "Welcome Back Book" for our heroes who are returning to their duty stations in Germany after a year long deployment from Iraq or Afghanistan....

Can you please send
"Welcome Back – till you get Home - Greetings" for these wonderful soldiers who are returning back to their duty stations Germany?

Just put yourself into the shoes of a single or unaccompanied soldier who returns after such a long absence…. No big “welcome home” signs at the airport.. no family waiting – yes back, but still not HOME !! Soldiers Angels Europe would like to show them the same appreciation as their counterparts receive when they arrive on home soil – to tie them over till they get to take their block leave and finally make it “home” to visit friends and family.. our work shouldn’t stop with just sending packages, these soldiers worked just as hard over the course of their deployment.

They've made just as many sacrifices, fought just as hard for a cause and a country we try to support here and back home. And yet miss being welcomed or loved when they return from a completely selfless and stressful year away.. think about that for a moment and how that must feel…

I'd like to have these by August 30 thank you all so much!

Please send only:

- e-mail greetings and

- do not forget to write your name and your e-mail address on it, that way they are able to write back!

And if you could add a picture to your greeting, that would be just great (but not necessary, if unwanted)

Thank you for your help.

E-mails are send to: (josephinefs2654@gmail.com)

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I sent my email today! Please consider sending yours
 
And then AFTER sending your email, would you also please consider sending a "snail mail" card to a wounded soldier?  
 
THANK ALL OF YOU SO MUCH!!  ( And aw,heck....if you can participate in projects like these....why not just go ahead and go to the Soldiers Angels website  www.soldiersangels.org  ?? and you can either sign up to ADOPT a soldier.....or you can sign up for just the LETTER WRITING TEAM  (read info on it here first:) Or take a look at the many SOLDIERS ANGELS OPERATIONS  and see if there's something you want to get involved in!!)
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Saturday, August 12, 2006

30 years later...A Tribute to an Angel

I had the honor tonight of receiving an email from a Vietnam Veteran. I answered his email,and we "talked" back and forth for awhile.

To my surprise and awe, later in the evening he sent this email.

Dear Kathi....
 
After talking with you and getting to know a little about you, your family and your involvement in such a very special group as the Soldier's Angels I decided to share my own personal story with you about my "special angel".  Please feel free to forwarded this to your group if you like......
 
  Her name was Sister George Bernard, I first met her as a sassy and brash senior in high school, the year 1967.  Sister Bernard knew that all the boys in her typing class at the senior year was there for only one reason, an easy class, well maybe two...girls !!  She was, even back then, a tough member of the Sisters of Notre Dame order, maybe 5ft 2, deaf, and mean as a rattle snake stuck on a barb wire fence !  At least that was our description of her from a senior in high schools view point.  She ruled her class with a wooden ruler and demanded strict attention and disclipine in her classes, some how we all survived and I graduated high school in 1968.
  Soon after graduation I found myself in the military and headed across that big pond to a little country called Viet Nam.  I was in country only about a month when I received my first letter from Sister Bernard or Sister George as I would soon come to call her and for the next 22 months not once did a day go by that I did not receive a letter from this feisty lil woman.  She shared her hopes and faith with me in ways that religion never could impress upon me and always she ended her letters with a simple quote.  I came to share with her my life in those days in many ways that I could or would not share with my own family, she was my guardian angel during many moments of terror, she was my comforter in faith and healing during a hospital stay due to my wounds.  Literally the woman did not miss one day for 22 months.......
  My story of the horrors of war and my experience's are not any different than the thousands of others there, but even upon my return to civilian life, Sister George helped me thru 15 yrs of PTSD....only we didn't know that what is was called back then, night mares and alcoholism.
  I'll make this story short and say that in 1988 at the age of 92, Sister George Bernard died in the country of Africa doing missionary work.
  Some 30 years later I am even more grateful for this Soldier's Angel and the smiles and tears the telling of this story has brought to my heart and eyes tonight.
Please pass this on to your group my thanks and prayers for your cause from an eternally grateful vet for his Soldier's Angel.....
oh..by the way, the simple quote she aways wrote at the end of her letters was.
"To thy own self be true, it then follows, as the nite the day, thy cannot be false to another.." 
 On July 13Th of this month I celebrated 20 yrs of sobriety.....thanks to the seeds planted by one very special woman.
With deepest gratitude
----------------------------------------------------------
 
I got permission to post this here, and am also passing this on to my fellow Angels, as this veteran asked. This tribute brought tears to my eyes,and also renewed my commitment to continuing to write to our troops. 30 years ago, a very special woman decided to do the same, and I feel honored to humbly attempt to follow in her footsteps.
 
I know this veteran's Angel is now resting from her work in the arms of her Lord. God bless the soul of "Sister George" and God bless "her" veteran, and all of those who have served our country in the past!
 
 
 
 
 
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Weekend 'Surfing'

In another case of I just never quite know where I'll end up when I start "surfing" the Internet?

I started out on this site  Click here: Operation Just Cause Ring  that I came across from a post on a Yahoo 360 page  It says in part  The purpose of this ring is to establish and maintain an unbroken ring of remembrance pages of all our POW/MIA's, to include incident reports where available.

We want these heroes' stories told!

Rather than the POW/MIA bracelets that first appeared back in the sixties (and are STILL being worn today!) this is a symbolic bracelet, or ring, that will remain in place until they are all home or adequately accounted for.

Dose anyone else remember those POW/MIA bracelets from the Vietnam war? I had one,in the 70's(showing my age now) but sadly,it has gotten lost over the years,and I no longer recall the name that was on mine.

In keeping with the 'remembrance' theme,the other night when I was surfing through blogs listed on the 2,996 blog, I came across a comment from someone who said "I wonder if anyone would do this for all the fallen soldiers in the current war?"  While this person has obviously never seen

 
there are also many other tributes to our fallen warriors out there. A Google search  for "honoring the fallen" yielded 2,070.000 results.
 
Speaking of soldiers, I have been remiss, in not directing you sooner over by Contact Right to ask y'all to please give Elijah a word of encouragement, as he is facing surgery again.
 
Continuing my surfing,I went by A Soldiers Perspective ,where I found this and wanted to pass it on 
 
And then, I don't quite remember how I got there (lol,"lost" on the internet again) but I came across this letter by a father of a soldier
 
and y'all know I wholeheartedly endorse his message!!
 
And while emailing with the writer of The Thin Blue Line the other day, I came across this link 
 
which motivated me to do another Google search ,lol(can you tell I love Google? I need to buy some stock, I think:) for "soldiers and beef jerky",of all things!  Because, you may or may not know this, but beef jerky is one of THE most requested items by soldiers to be sent in care packages.
 
Well, for MOST soldiers,LOL.  Because one of the results of the search, to my surprise and delight, was a link to an archived posting of something that I first came across as THE GOLDEN RULES OF CARE PACKAGES. It was written in 2004 by my old friend JP Borda of Milblogging.com, on his now defunct blog that he had while he was in Afghanistan.
 
You may recall, I have said that I read this posting right after I signed up for Soldiers Angels and I emailed JP in a complete and utter panic,lol (I apparently don't understand at all the meaning of the word 'satire':) and said "Oh my gosh, I have SENT some of these things!" and he emailed me back and said "It's just a joke, keep doing what you are doing, we appreciate your support."
 
So,I couldn't end this surfing post without posting the link to this. Any long time troop supporter, I think, will get a smile out of it:) and any one considering sending something to the troops? It's SATIRE:) Like JP said in his email to me all those years ago, they appreciate what we send!
 
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Friday, August 11, 2006

One Month From Today........

One month from today I will posting my tribute to Jonathan N. Cappello ,as part of the 2,996 Tribute .

Since as of today there are still about 1,300 bloggers needed to join the tribute to ensure that  each victim is remembered in the 'blogburst("simultaneous, co-ordinated posting by a large group of webmasters and bloggers on a given topic".) on the Internet on Sept. 11,2006, I thought this would be a good day to repost about the 2,996 Tribute.

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".

---------------------

I also wanted to add that on the 2,996 blog, there is a sidebar with a link to hints on how to do 'Research'  

 Click here: 2,996 » Research 

 which helped me a great deal in my own research.

----------------------

You may be wondering how I recall what my youngest sister said about the events of 9/11? I remember it because she posted her thoughts as part of The September 11th Digital Archive

under the Stories of September 11th  section. She came across the site in 2003, and I didn't learn about it and post my own story until 2004. I posted

How did you witness history on September 11th?

I was on my 2nd day of orientation for a new job, & the group of us waiting wondered why no one had come to take us to the orientation class...one girl left to find out & came running back saying"a plane has just hit one of the World Trade Center Towers".We all followed her to the lobby television, & were just in time to see the second plane hit LIVE,which was horrifying. Everyone in the nursing home who could be was gathered around the television for awhile. We went to class, & while we were in there, an announcement came over the loud speaker announcing an imminent prayer service"for our country" & the girl announcing it was weeping. We didn't know why until we took a break, & saw a replay of the collapsing of the towers,which gave me a chill to my bones that I will never forget. On my way home, I heard a man who had witnessed the crash of Flight 93, & HE was weeping, saying over & over"It was just obliterated".I looked at all the cars around me, & realized that all of us driving were listening to all the accounts, & I thought"I should just go home."My daughter & I were staying with my parents, & when my daughter got home from school, she came running into the house terrified, saying"Planes are crashing all over!" & she was afraid to go to the 2nd floor of the house. She was in 4th grade, & the school had let them watch the television coverage.I remember us being glued to the TV for the next several days.Although I knew no one personally, Tom Burnett had gone to my brother & sisters' high school & was a "local" boy(Bloomington MN). I just remember a great aching sadness from that time, the horror almost being too much to grasp.

--------------------------

and you can still post on the digital archive today.

-----------------------------------------

But the main purpose of this post is to remind you that there are only 30 days left until the Tribute......if you haven't already signed up,please consider doing so today, to honor one of the victims.

http://www.jamulian.com/db911/

 

NEVER FORGET.

------------------------------

 

 

 

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Tuesday, August 8, 2006

"Angels Work"

Awhile back, "Willie" (Wilhelmine Aufmkolk) of  Soldiers Angels Germany  sent out an email asking for any Soldiers Angels members to send her any stories about their  "Angels work."

It's been awhile since I've done a post about my own "Angels work",so I've been mulling this one around in my head for a bit. I don't have any big flashy stories to share  about fundraising activites or the like.I'm basically just a member who writes letters, and sends cards.I've never even been in a financial position to "adopt" a soldier,and commit to sending care packages and letters on a regular basis.

So I guess if you were to equate me to a military rank, I'd be a "Private"?  But I'm not alone...there are thousands and thousands of others just like me.This is the backbone of what Soldiers Angels is, and why it works. It's the single mom in Michigan, and the retired couple in Arizona, and the family in Texas, and the grandmother in California. Working in their own many different ways with the singular goal of making sure that "No Soldier Goes Unloved."

Soldiers Angels , after all, was STARTED by someone who describes herself as "just an ordinary mother." And while Soldiers Angels has grown far beyond those humble beginnings of Patti Paton-Bader writing letters and enlisting others to join her in writing letters......with astonishing accomplishments in so many projects like   Valour IT  or      First Response Backpacks  or   Blankets of Hope ,to name just a few, there are still thousands of "Privates" out there who quietly write their letters each week for the Letter Writing Team , or send out cards for theCards Plus Team or the Wounded TLC team .

And if you read over the information for each of those teams, I think you'll see that the common denominator stressed is that You Very Seldom Hear Anything Back! from any of these soldiers you are writing letters or sending cards to. I can personally attest to that,lol out of the hundreds and hundreds of letters and cards I've sent in the past year,the replies I've received would equal only a fraction of the total.So you have to be pretty committed to writing to total strangers without any expectation of receiving a response.

And that is why I am so awed and honored,to consider myself numbered among these many "Privates" in Soldiers Angels. OUR "Angels work" is to take that half hour in the evening to write a letter to a soldier we've never met, and most likely never will meet, solely in the hopes that when his or her name is called at 'mail call' and he or she is handed the letter...that they will walk away with a smile, and the feeling that someone somewhere cares about them, is thinking of them, and is grateful for the job that they are doing and their decision to serve our country. 

Or to take that same time the NEXT evening, to write a card to someone who lost a limb when they were wounded,or lost their eyesight,or suffered a brain injury, and let them know that someone is thinking of them, and is mindful of what their service to our country cost them, and will never forget it. It's an astoundingly uplifting and heartwarming feeling, to realize that you are only one of THOUSANDS who are doing the very same thing.

And the really astonishing thing is that it's not even limited to just people here in the United States! I've seen folks on the Soldiers Angels forums  from England,Finland,Germany, New Zealand, and Australia!! And although the Canadian Angels were formed to take care of their own troops in somewhat the same way as Soldiers Angels ,many of the folks participating in that are still ALSO "working angels" at  Soldiers Angels !!

So, after long consideration of Willie's question about "Angels work"? For myself, I believe this expresses what I am trying to do whenever I write someone a letter that tells them about the time I drove into the metal donation thing at the Dairy Queen drive thru window, or got the chips display caught on my jeans while in Subways

"I hope it will give them a smile for a moment, and remind them that someone is thinking of them, and someone cares about them."

And that's what I think my own small part in "Angels work" is.

I'm a "Private". And honored to be one!

"May no soldier go unloved.
May no soldier walk alone.
May no soldier be forgotten,
Until they all come home."
The Motto of Soldiers Angels

 

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Monday, August 7, 2006

Great Post on Maria's Musings

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Sunday, August 6, 2006

Soldiers Angels Care Pages

Check Out Soldiers' Angels CarePages

 
From the Soldiers Angels forums I'm combining two posts from SA
News & Updates(since we first experienced a little "technical difficulty" getting to the Message Boards on the CarePages) to let you know
 about a new feature for folks to stop by and leave words of encouragement for wounded/recovering/ill soldiers.(These pages are
 set up much like the CaringBridge pages I've frequently mentioned.)

 "Hi Angels,

My name is Brenda Love and I am the new Soldiers' Angel Care Page Coordinator!
I also help Bonnie Averett with the wounded Heroes in Texas.

CarePages  is a wonderful new site we have been given the opportunity to use. What we do on this site is share with our readers the many "hills and valleys" our wounded and ill Heroes are traveling with their families. We follow their progress as they recover and learn how they need our support.

We also have a place for you on our Message Board to leave messages of support and encouragement to each soldier. As we build our site I will keep you posted weekly on new Hero additions.

Unitl Next Week...........Angel Hugs! Very Happy Soldier Brenda"

(Once you click on the link above, you will have to register and log

in to be able to visit a CarePage.After you are registered and logged in,

Click on "Visit a Care Page"...)

and type in  NavalHeroJustin   .Justin's story is one of battling cancer(his story and the Bone Marrow Drive for him have been featured on numerous blogs, including  Blackfive )  When you're on the page,

please leave a message of support on the "Message Board" on his page for Justin and his family.

And then, while you're visiting, please go check out the page for   benhardgrove  (who has been mentioned  before on this blog  )

 
and you can leave a message for Ben and his family on his page,also!
 
I'm really excited to see  Soldiers Angels  teaming up with
CarePages , and hope y'all will take the time to stop by and leave
some encouraging words  for these soldiers!!
 
And something cool about these pages I just realized? Once you visit a page, you'll receive an email to your registration email address whenever that page is updated!!
 
And please check back on the Soldiers Angels forums   in
 another week,to see the name Brenda will have posted then  
THANK YOU!

 

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Sharing a Sunday Smile:)

"And now,for something completely different"(to quote Monty Python's Flying Circus:)

From my friend  Missy  , comes a link to this video...just thought I'd share a Sunday smile!

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-5628733099857233320&sourceid=top100newfeed

"Radio Disney,Crazy Frog".

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Saturday, August 5, 2006

I've Been Linked!:)

How very cool  I added  A Soldiers Perspective  back to my blogroll ( CJ had been going to end his blogging, and he instead started a coalition of bloggers) and I found out that he had added ME to his blogroll.(THANK YOU!:) I am in 7th heaven,LOL, as far as I know the only other blogroll's I'm listed in are Maria's Musings and Soldiers Angel-Holly Aho .

(Well, White Rose had my Yahoo blog linked on her old Yahoo 360 page , but that's only accessible by family and friends on Yahoo 360, and now White Rose has moved to the 'big leagues' of blogging:)

Sheesh, my own Sister and Brother-in-law don't even have me linked!(but they don't have ANYONE linked,lol, so that makes it easier to bear. And their focus is on their adoption journey,not sure I quite fit in there anyway:)

Well, I just wanted to share my 'geek excitement',lol..."things that make you go 'Wow!' on a Saturday" when you're sitting with your leg propped up because you MIGHT have a small blood clot, and fretting because you were SUPPOSED to start a new job this weekend! So I definitely am grateful for this link! I needed some good news.

My blog isn't gonna set the world on fire,lol, but I like writing this little journal and I enjoy sharing it.....maybe I'll get 4 or 5 readers now!!

Y'all have a good weekend!

Update: A new AOL journaler I came across via the message boards on AOL journals  Proud Army Wife   has me listed,too!!Yay! (and go check out her page:)      And oh my gosh, this humble little blog is also listed on Canadian Angels  blogroll.!:) Woo Hoo! My heartfelt thanks to everyone who thought my little effort here was worth saying "go take a look." 

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Friday, August 4, 2006

Teacher is blogging "A Ride to Remember"

Teacher blogging "A Ride to Remember"

This is the blog of a teacher who is riding cross country in the "Ride to Remember" 

http://cferek.learnerblogs.org/

Our local paper wrote about her blog today,so I checked it out. and then found this about the "Ride to Remember"

http://dynamic.firehouse.com/calendar/index.jsp?eID=169

which led me to this, where the schedule is listed

http://www.thechristianfirefighters.com/events.html

so just wanted to pass that on!!

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Thursday, August 3, 2006

A wounded Soldier and his family, and Soldier Ride

Via Andi's World 
 
the story of a young soldier struggling to recover from his wounds, and then his family was visited by another tragedy just recently.
 
His CaringBridge page is here   Ethan Biggers
 
Please consider going by and leaving an encouraging word.
 
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Tuesday, August 1, 2006

Tuesday 'Surfing'

Starting off with yet another gratuitous pic from our 2003 Hawaii vacation (which is the whole reason I started the 'surfing' post idea anywayjust because I love sharing the pics!) I'm going to try and squeeze a post in before I make supper (for everyone else in the house) before I leave for work. Only two more days at this job! and then I switch to a better shift,yay!

First up, the BearCreekLedger has an update on the Camp Pendleton 8.

 
And you'll be able to tell I had some time yesterday to visit a lot of blogs,lol. T.F.Boggs has a very thoughtful post about folks who say they "support the troops but not the war",please check it out 
 
I wanted to post that Kat at Yikes! is posting updates on some friends of hers who are at Walter Reed for surgery,here's one of the latest updates 
 
and you can go through her other posts to find out more. And I'd like to ask that you please keep both Norris and Janis, and also my uncle, in your prayers on Thursday, as they are both having surgery that day. Thank you!
 
Bruce has his new weekly post up, I just love reading his weekly updates,but most of all the pictures!
 
And it's that time of year again....after reading milblogs for the past two years, this seems like deja vu, but we have some bloggers already home, like  Afghani Dan  (Welcome home!)
and some who are on their way home.
 
Charles from Destination Iraq is heading home, and had a Year in Review post back on July 15 which was a fascinating read.
 
Midnight in Iraq is also getting ready to head home (but I found someone in his comments who is heading over )
 
The thing about these guys heading home , while we are so glad they ARE coming home! is that a lot of them only blogged because they were there. So, as Just Another Thunderhorse Roughneck says in his post, they won't be continuing blogging after they return. After spending a year reading their blogs, I'm going to miss their 'voices'. But, I'm grateful for all they shared while they were deployed.
 
I'll just have to make changes to my blogroll, I suppose! One blogger who IS still there had both joy and sorrow recently.
 
And there is one group who ISN'T coming home, which I suppose many of you know about by now
 
This was a great blow to these men, and their families. I went by Anysoldier.com last night, and if you click on the Where To Send page, there's an email that suggests sending some extra support to these men. You can click on the "Click Here to Search Anysoldier.com Contacts' bar, and do a search for "Alaska" and scroll through the listings to find some of the addresses. And please continue to keep the men and their families in your prayers!
 
For 'new' blogs? JP over at Milblogging.com has the latest
 'Milblogger ofthe Week' up, and I highly recommend checking the blog out. 
 
Via Contact Right I clicked on the homepage of someone in his comments, and found another troop supporter.
 
Gazing at the Flag has some great posts up about her troop support journey.
 
And via a blogger I haven't mentioned before, Yankeemom , but have come across many times, comes a link to a video( Update) that I found time to watch after work tonight that is a MUST SEE.(Warning Graphic Images of Violence) I agree with what Yankeemom said, this is absolutely and utterly chilling....but should be seen! It's an hour long,but MAKE TIME to watch it!
 
 
 
 
Well, I believe that's more than enough places for y'all to 'surf' by and check out!
 
I would like to add that even though the boyfriend and I have not yet gone on a 'mission' with the Patriot Guard Riders , we have received many,many wonderful and warm words of welcome from other members. (And PLENTY of assurances that you DON'T have to have a bike to 'ride' with them!) So, if you're considering joining? Go ahead and do it!!
 
That's all for today! God bless our Troops!
 
 
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