Tuesday, October 31, 2006

Valour-IT Fundraising Competition

It's here! The Valour-IT 2006 Fundraising Competition, October 30 to November 10. The goal: $180,000 for Valour-IT.
Project Valour-IT, in memory of SFC William V. Ziegenfuss, provides voice-controlled laptop computers to wounded Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines recovering from hand and arm injuries or amputations at home or in military hospitals. Operating laptops by speaking into a microphone, our wounded heroes are able to send and receive messages from friends and loved ones, surf the 'Net, and communicate with buddies still in the field without having to press a key or move a mouse. The experience of CPT Charles "Chuck" Ziegenfuss, a partner in the project who suffered severe hand wounds while serving in Iraq, illustrates how important this voice-controlled software can be to a wounded servicemember's recovery.

Bloggers have broken up into four teams, Army, Navy, Marines, and Air Force, each with a goal to raise $45,000.

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I just wanted to pass on the word about the fundraising competition (in between packing, and working a crazy schedule flipping between 11 pm to 7 am shifts and 3 pm to 11 pm shifts due to some temporary shortages at work,lol. Can anyone say 'What is sleep?" :) I logged on for 'just a second' to check my emails and saw the news about the competition....no time even to join a team, or join all the teams.....so I'll just say go to this page 

 
and you can choose which team you want to make your donation through. Thank you! if you can donate to this worthy cause!!
 
God bless our troops.
 
 
 
 
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Sunday, October 29, 2006

Will be moving this week :)

Just a reminder that blogging will be sporadic for the next week or so, am in the process of moving to a new place :)
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Please Help Welcome Home the 172nd

You may remember back in July when the 172nd Stryker Brigade tour got extended? 
 
Well, via Anysoldier.com come this posting saying that they could use our help.
 
 
 
** Together Forward - Homefront **

Operation: Quiet Comfort, in coordination with the American Red Cross at Fort Wainwright, Alaska, is assisting the families of the 172nd Stryker Brigade who's 12 month tour of duty in Iraq has been extended for an additional 4 months. This combat-experienced brigade is patrolling the streets of Baghdad as part of "Operation Together Forward" and more than 3,800 troops are affected by this extension!

Many of these families spent the last 12 months in the lower 48 and returned to Alaska to welcome their soldiers home...but their soldiers aren't coming home just yet. These families are staying strong for their soldiers but they need assistance in so many ways.

In anticipation of their hero's arrival, and transfer to their next duty stations, many families shipped their household goods - including winter clothing - to the next destination. These heroes need their minds focused on the battle and not worrying over their families at here at home.

** PLEASE HELP **

Financial contributions can be made to:

FTWW MFES
1024 Apple Street
Fort Wainwright, AK 99703

Contributions sent to the "Fort Wainwright Military Family Emergency Services" fund will be used "EXCLUSIVELY" for our military members and their families.

OQC member, Lisa Shivel from Ft. Greely, Alaska is serving as the Volunteer Project Coordinator for "Together Forward-Homefront". She has agreed to accept the following specific items.

172nd Stryker Brigade's EXTREME BARRACKS MAKEOVER!

1500 TWIN Sheet Sets w/pillowcases - good quality WHITE only (they can be washed and bleached) - No flannel please

1500 TWIN Comforters - DARK solid colors only (black, dark green, navy, gray)- No red please

1500 STANDARD pillows

500 Shower Curtains with Curtain Rings

Your contributions during this extraordinary time will be hand-delivered by Lisa and her family to the American Red Cross station at Fort Wainwright. Shipping labels must be clearly marked with full names and return addresses.

Packages without a return address will NOT be accepted by Lisa or her family for their safety and security.

Please send your bed linen donations to:

Lisa Shivel
P O Box 31247
Ft. Greely, AK 99731

Thanks very much to those of you who are stepping up to the plate - this is time sensitive...The need is YESTERDAY.

Folks,

I'm sharing the attached email to help everyone understand just how difficult things are at Fort Wainwright. I don't believe we can do much more than we've been doing and still maintain our focus on our primary mission at Operation: Quiet Comfort...but I can't turn my head and pretend I don't know.

You can read this email - intended for you - but I will summarize a couple of key points here that Margie and I talked about on the phone yesterday before this email arrived:

1. There are SO many wounded returning to Fort Wainwright that they've had to reopen a barracks scheduled for demolition to house them. There is a new hospital being built but it will be some time before it's complete - and the wounded continue to arrive daily.

2. There are 1500 heroes returning from 14+ months of duty in Iraq to barracks that have a bed only...no sheets, warm blankets or pillows. In addition, there are no shower curtains. DON'T EVEN ASK ME HOW THIS CAN HAPPEN! I DON'T HAVE ANSWERS - AND YES, IT DOES BOGGLE THE MIND (and then-some).

3. This base is soon to be at 167% capacity with new service members and their families arriving daily.

( Read the rest of the post here  

 
------------------------------
So, please consider doing what you can to help. And please also pass this on.  These soldiers have been asked to go way 'above and beyond'...can't we give them a wonderful welcome home as our thanks?
 
 
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Saturday, October 28, 2006

Weekend Web Wanderings

I figured it was about time for another 'gratuitous grandbaby pic" :)

So here's our 'little guy" and his parents at his baptism last weekend.

And we are gearing up around here for a move next week, so I'd like to give an alert to all (5 0r 6 ? :) of my readers that blogging may be sporadic for the next week or so. ( And this would seem the appropriate time to also say " I hate packing!!!")

Before I go wandering around the Internet pointing out places of possible interest, I want to give a Shout Out to a very special Sgt. First Class.  I met him through the  Letter Writing Team  at Soldiers Angels and continued to correspond with him. This past week he sent a Thank You to me that was totally unexpected and moved me to tears. I still don't think I did all that much, just continued writing letters describing 'our dorky lives'...but you never know what your letter is going to mean to someone who's deployed, when you sit down to write it. ( HInt Hint :)

So, "B"....this one is for you. Thank YOU, for the job you've been doing. You're in the home stretch now, stay safe and we look forward to hearing you are back in the USA soon!!

And now, without further ado (and I use that word because an argument ensued this past week over it's pronunciation between the 14 year old and myself,lol. Which should give you a glimpse into just how exciting our lives get around here.) here are places I surfed by on the web, for you to check out or not....I just point 'em out, the rest is up to y'all .

JP has had numerous posts up regarding the crackdown on Milblogs, the one that WAS the most recent yesterday evening (before the computer froze and I lost the post and then it was time to go to work,arghhh!) is 

Milblogs in the News: Milblogs-Losing a Precious Resource

and The Tanker Brothers blog is going to continue...sort of...with guest bloggers.  Click here: http://www.tankerbrothers.com/  (and you're going to have to scroll down, because the permalink seems to not be working for me here,look for this post:

Wednesday, October 25, 2006
"...Another Fine Mess You've Gotten Us Into!"

 

Moving on? This link I know you're gonna click on,lol, just because of the mental picture you'll have from the title 

 
Via Noble Duty Milblogger Coalition (or 'The Blog formerly known as 'A Soldiers Perspective' and still called that but now prefaced by NDMC,only not in the title bar on the blog...and they ALWAYS have great stuff,however much trouble the name gives me:) 
 
and also 
 
 
T.F. Boggs answers previously submitted questions as only he can :)
 
'Afghanistan Without a Clue's 'plan for global saturation' seems to be going well...he has a second post up on the Sandbox 
 
AND a great post on his blog 
 
 
Another post on another blog that is worth a look is this one from MySpace 
 
Kat at Yikes has a really interesting post up about 
 
(which reminds me that her Holiday Card Drive is still going on ) 
 
which then reminds me that it's time to start posting this link 
 
Lastly, if anyone was upset and/or offended by CNN posting a video of insurgent snipers taking shots at our troops?  Michelle Malkin has the best suggestion I've seen about what to do about that  
 
(So put on some Filter and go see what you can do to support OUR snipers)
 
That's a wrap for this edition of web wanderings.  Hope everyone has a good weekend! and God bless our Troops!
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

 

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Thursday, October 26, 2006

The Auction Results are in!

The winning bid was $1530.00! 

Here's a Thank You from SC Eagle 

 
Noodlehead from  SavetheSoldiers  made a YouTube video to help the efforts.  
 
 
 (sorry,I can't seem to get the logistics of embedding on AOL.)
 
And here's the most complete listing I could find of all the bloggers and websites who participated in spreading the word. (Not going to include myself, if you're here, you know I have been talking about this all week.)
 
 
 
 
 
Sources for list:
 
 
 (who teamed up with
and Lt. Col. Buzz Patterson(who donated 3 of his books for the auction) and also   Mary Ann, A  Soldier's Angel in Ohio, to make this auction happen....and I think they did a phenomenol job!!)
 
For other news....the PayPal donations are at $ 30,647.72 !!
______________________________________
 
I said in my  second post  about this that the reason this touched my heart and I wanted to try and spread the word about this family was in memory and honor of a dear friend of mine, Kathy Vandall, who lost her own battle with cancer several years ago. 
 
We became friends in the last years of her life after I first coached her youngest son's soccer team (not very well, I might add, I was a coach simply because no other parents wanted to volunteer...not due to any super soccer coaching skills on my part!)
 
The other parent who co-coached the team with me decided to organize a benefit for Kathy and her family after he learned her story.  I will always remember what a fantastic lift that gave to Kathy and her family, and how much they appreciated and treasured  the love and support they got from our small community at the benefit.
 
Just as I am sure the Stanley family appreciates and treasures the outpouring of love and support from so many friends and strangers on the web.
 
And so somewhere tonight, I think an angel named Kathy is smiling down  on all the fantastic folks who organized this, bid on the auction, donated, tried to spread the word, and are praying....and she is saying
"Y'all did well !"
 
God bless and hold the Stanley's close in the days ahead.
Please  keep them in your prayers.
 And please don't forget that PayPal donations can continue to be made at
 
 
 
 
 
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Wednesday, October 25, 2006

WEDNESDAY HERO

Capt. Lyle L. Gordon Capt. Lyle L. Gordon 30 years old from Midlothian, Texas Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 361, Marine Aircraft Group 16, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, Marine Corps Air Station Miramar January 26, 2005

 

Ever since Marine Capt. Lyle Gordon was a kid growing up in the small North Texas town of Midlothian, he had dreams of flying high and fast. As a thrill-seeking youngster, he must have watched the 1980s fighter pilot movie “Top Gun” hundreds of times, his mother, Mary Gordon, recalls.

“ ‘I’m gonna fly, I’m gonna fly,’” she said. “That’s all he ever wanted.”  

Most recently, Gordon had visions of one day blending his loves of flying and animals by owning a horse ranch. There, his piloting skills would come in handy, as he could fly high above his sprawling dream ranch while getting a bird’s-eye view of his herd.  

 The Texas A&M University graduate was killed in a helicopter crash in Iraq on January 26, 2005. Gordon was one of 31 service members who died when a CH-53E Super Stallion went down in a sandstorm near Ar Rutbah.  

Gordon’s family said Friday they take comfort in knowing he was fulfilling his dream of serving as a pilot in the military. Finding the good in any situation is a lesson they learned from him.

“He was always happy no matter what,” Mary Gordon said. “He could find something to laugh about in almost any situation.”

Gordon graduated from Midlothian High School in 1993 and earned a bachelor’s degree in animal science from Texas A&M in December 1999.

He had always wanted to attend the university and was proud to be a member of Corps of Cadets Company E-2, the outfit in charge of caring for A&M’s canine mascot, Reveille.

“He said, ‘If I’m not in E-2, then I’m not in the Corps,’” his mother said. “That’s the kind of person he was. He had a direction. He knew exactly what he wanted. He didn’t care if anyone followed him. He was going to do it.”  

Before going to Officer Candidates School, Gordon made one last trip to the Bryan-College Station area to say goodbye to old college buddies. It was then that he met his wife-to-be, Kaci Yates, Class of ’00. The two corresponded through letters before getting married 2002.  

 While in Iraq at Christmastime, Gordon helped deliver more than 100 packages to soldiers. People in his hometown had gathered to make care packages, which then were sent to Gordon. He, in return, dispersed them to soldiers who lacked much correspondence from home.  

“He was always getting some package from us, but he also knew there were a lot of boys over there that never heard from anyone,” Mary Gordon said. “He just wanted to bring some joy to them.”  

Gordon’s time overseas was nearing an end. He was due to return home in March, his mother said. “But instead he went to his final home,” she said. “We are blessed that he wasn’t sent home an invalid with a body he couldn’t use and an angry young man. We feel that God blessed us by that.”  

These brave men and women have given their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.

 We Have Every Right To Dream Heroic Dreams. Those Who Say That We're In A Time When There Are No Heroes, They Just Don't Know Where To Look

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero blogroll. If you would like to participate in honoring the brave men and women who serve this great country, you can find out how by clicking here.

Blogs Participating In Wednesday Hero

  Yankee Mom  

Bear Creek Ledger

 Mail Call! Supporting The Troops

 Yeah, Right, Whatever  

CrosSwords  (*New Participant:)

 Gazing At The Flag *(New Participant:)

Hooah Wife & Friends

Right-Wing & Right Minded      

 

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Quick Auction Update: WOW!!

Holy cow! What a jump since I went to bed last night for the

Military Family Compassionate Auction  !!

Ebay: $1,009.00  PayPal $25,730.19

Here's Why: 

 
 
This is such wonderful news for the Stanley family! Bless everyone who is getting involved, and who is donating!!
 
 
 
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Tuesday, October 24, 2006

Update,My Dorky Life, and Quick Spin Across the Net

(Today's pic: My brother-in-law is a  "biker"  ! Nothing to do with anything, just a picture I like, and something I've always wanted to say.I believe the next line in this phrase should be..."neener,neener"? :)

Auction Update via Third Wave Dave~ Ebay: $406 PayPal: $18,321.17 !

The auction ends the 26th...but the need will continue beyond that. See links in posting below for PayPal and snail mail donation links,also.

And, if you need a smile? SC Eagle is sharing one today:)

 
My Dorky Life:)
 
If your arm was swollen, and had a reddened area with red streaks radiating outwards from it, most people would go to a doctor. This is what they taught me in nursing school (100 years ago,lol:) but when it happened to me, I decided the best course of action was "ignore it, and wait to see what happens. It doesn't hurt, and other than the itching, doesn't really bother me." (NOT what they taught me in nursing school, but ask any nurse....we are not good patients!:)
 
However, my son's fiancee convinced me to get it checked out. So I was given THREE prescriptions...because the ER doc wanted to treat it as both a possible infection, and/or an allergic reaction.  Out of the three prescriptions? the doctor wrote conflicting instructions on TWO of them, and I could not get the prescriptions filled until they were clarified. THAT makes me feel SO much better about getting it checked out...I lucked into a doc who can apparently 'get it right' ONE out of THREE times. Gotta love those odds!
 
When the redness and swelling subsided...it looks like it was possibly a cat scratch.  Can't recall that particular incident? but since we seem to specialize in raising 'attack kittens' ("Look, there's a leg...get it!  Try the arms!":) I can believe that could have happened. So kudos to Emma, for convincing me the 'Denial' method of treatment wasn't the best course of action!
(and you really wanted to know all that,didn't you? ) So, on to the
 
Quick Spin Across the Net
 
More Depressing Milblog News
 
Aunty Brat (another blogger at Yikes!) has a response that expresses well the feeling about this
 
Should have passed this one on sooner...Soldiers Angels Europe has a new project  
 
Homecoming pics!
 
Another soldier should be home now!! 
 
Leslie's cousin's project 
 
An interview with the man who brainstormed the 2,996 project 
 
And the Benadryl is making me sleepy, so I really meant it when I said "Quick Spin."
 
Wednesday Hero is due tomorrow,so please stop back by :)
 
And I leave you with, from my friend Schlaggy
 
 
 
God bless our troops!
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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Monday, October 23, 2006

AUCTION UPDATE:EBAY$401 PAYPAL $16,924 !!

Woo Hoo! The Ebay bidding is up to $401.00 and the PayPal donations are $16,924.09  !! AWESOME RESPONSE!!
(But don't take my word for it, check out  Third Wave Dave (Monday afternoon~ And now the total is even higher!!)
 
 
and for how Spc. Stanley and family are responding to this outpouring?
 
 
 
 
and there is also an update on how Ellicia is doing 
 
and a great day that the family had 
 
 
There's still time to bid! The auction will continue till the 26th, and you can place your bid  here
 
Or you can just donate via PayPal  here
 
Or you can send donations (and cards, if you wish) to:
 
Ellicia Stanley
CMR 416 Box 1441
APO, AE 09140-1441
 
It is heartwarming, to see so many folks doing so much for this family.  Again, please SPREAD THE WORD!
 
 
 
 
 
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Saturday, October 21, 2006

UPDATES: Auction,Homecomings, and This N That

AUCTION UPDATE   A link to updates on the auction for Spc. Reid Stanley and family by Third Wave Dave 

and also there is a listing of bloggers posting about this so far

Anna at A Rose By Any Other Name
Army Wife Toddler Mom
Third Wave Dave
Chris
Pam at BlogmeisterUSA
Marathon Pundit
Gawfer2001
Brainster

Lonestar Pundit
The Right Place
Semper Gratus
SomeSoldiers Mom
Tanker Brothers
Warm & Fuzzy Conserva-puppies
Milblogging.com
My Life As A Military Spouse

Truth Laid Bear
Op-For
Kasee267
Hugh Hewitt
BlackFive - Uncle Jimbo
Hillary Needs A Vacation
Unconsidered Trifles
Soldiers Angels - Holly Aho
Soldiers Angel - Kathi (and yeah, I'm on here twice, I cross-posted on my MySpace blog...didn't realize they'd also list that)
Common Sense America
Milblogs

Why not consider posting yourself, and adding your name to the list? Let's spread the word about this! (and for more info, see my previous post.)

I'd also like to pass on that for those not interested in participating in the auction, but who would like to contribute something? You can go here

 
Thank you, for whatever you can do, either posting, or participating in the auction, or contributing directly! (and the auction link islisted in the post below also.)
 
HOMECOMINGS!!
Two are home, Yay!!
 
 
 (and he is the very FIRST Milblog I ever read,way back on his first deployment....he just finished his THIRD one!)
 
 
(Why not stop by and leave them a welcome note?:)
 
And three are coming home soon!
 
 
 
 
THE SANDBOX AGAIN (and I'm a dork,lol)
 
I keep mentioning The Sandbox and then find out yesterday that one of the bloggers I have listed in my blogroll had a post up there!!!(and I somehow missed it ) so please go check out
 
 
by Sack at Half A World Away  (and sorry, Sack, for not seeing this sooner!)
 
ANOTHER MILBLOGGER BOWS OUT
 
Hate to see this, as milblogs are what led directly to me becoming a member of Soldiers Angels (and also introduced me to Anysoldier.com )
but Milbogging.com has the story here
 
 
and a related story earlier
 
 
It seems kind of ironic, that there is this crackdown on blogs when the President himself espoused blogs as a way to get information back in March ?
 
(From the transcript President Discusses War on Terror, Progress in Iraq in West Virginia )
"Q.....This is my husband, who has returned from a 13-month tour in Tikrit.....His job while serving was as a broadcast journalist. And he has brought back several DVDs full of wonderful footage of reconstruction, of medical things going on. And I ask you this from the bottom of my heart, for a solution to this, because it seems that our major media networks don't want to portray the good.
They just want to focus on another car bomb, or they just want to focus on some more bloodshed, or they just want to focus on how they don't agree with you and what you're doing, when they don't even probably know how you're doing what you're doing anyway. But what can we do to get that footage on CNN, on FOX, to get it on headline news, to get it on the local news? Because you can send it to the news people --can you use this, and it will just end up in a drawer, because it's good, it portrays the good. And if people could see that, if the American people could see it, there would never be another negative word about this conflict.
 
THE PRESIDENT:.........
And one of the -- there's word of mouth, there's blogs, there's Internet, there's all kinds of ways to communicate which is literally changing the way people are getting their information. And so if you're concerned, I would suggest that you reach out to some of the groups that are supporting the troops, that have got Internet sites, and just keep the word -- keep the word moving."
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Well, I think as the commenter said on the Milblogging.com story about the blogger bowing out....we just aren't going to see the same blogging that we saw even two years from those in the military....another reason Matt at Blackfive says he wanted to write 'The Blog of War'
 
I'd hate to see milblogs disappear altogether. Well, we'll just have to watch and wait and see what happens, I suppose.
 
And those are my updates for this evening.
As Always, God bless our Troops!
 

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Friday, October 20, 2006

Military Family Compassionate Auction

(Again, a Welcome to any readers who came by from the LangaList !Thank you, for stopping by here.)

Via The Radio Patriots

AUCTION UNDERWAY!
UPDATE
The e-Bay auction of Lt. Col. Buzz Patterson's three-book set to benefit Army Spc. Reid and Ellicia Stanley is underway (scroll down to next post).

To place your bid, go here.
--------------------------------------------------------------
 
I've placed a picture of Army Spc. Reid and Ellicia Stanley and their family at the top, so you can see whom this auction will benefit.
 
Again, the story of what this family is facing is here 
 
The auction is going on for 10 days, please be sure and spread the word!
 
This story has touched so many hearts.
 
In my own case, I want to spread the word about this in memory and honor of my dear friend Kathy Vandall, who passed away several years ago from cancer after a valiant 5 year battle. She left behind a loving husband and two young sons. Her courage and strength in fighting so hard for so long not to leave her family remains an inspiration for me to this day, and a testament to the power of love for me. And I will never stop missing her friendship and laughter.
 
My prayers continue for the Stanley family.
 
And while I hope you'll add them to your own prayers, you can also take action for them by participating in the auction, and/or by spreading the word about the auction.
 
Thank You.
 
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Thursday, October 19, 2006

Thursday Web Wanderings

I guess I really can't refer to my meanderings around the web as 'surfing' when I have run out of beach pictures to post....so I'll just call them 'Wanderings' and post whatever pics I want The above being another shot of Gooseberry Falls  (and I am going to have to either go on vacation again somewhere soon, start taking some more pics around here, or start stealing pics from my sis and brother-in-law:)

Before I start my wandering, I want to give a big Thanks! to Fred Langa at Langa.com , for listing this little blog as one of the web sites in 'Load the Code' in his LangaList newsletter (and Welcome! to any readers who might have come this way because of that:) I came across the LangaList several years ago, and I have learned a great many things about computers and computing from the newsletter, and look forward to continuing to learn new 'geek' stuff,lol,which the great thing about the newsletter is even a 'half a geek' like me can understand it.

AUCTION

A Swift Kick and a Bandaid sent me to The Radio Patriots for this info about: 

  The count is underway for an October 19th launch of the e-Bay auction of Lt. Col. Buzz Patterson's books benefiting Army Spc. Reid "SC Eagle" Stanley at KAFSTORM.blogspot.com and his wife Ellicia. The auction bidding will begin at 10 p.m. ET, Thursday night, 10/19.

Constitutional Public Radio is honored to join Buzz Patterson in this 10-day-long benefit auction for Army Spc. Reid Stanley and Ellicia, who is battling cancer of the brain, breast, and lungs. SC Eagle, stationed in Germany, was deployed to Afghanistan, and now faces another, more personal war, one with Ellicia's life in the balance. They have three young children. And mounting expenses.

(Read the whole post here ) That starts TONIGHT,folks!

ON THE WAY HOME

Yay! Sean at Doc in the Box !

BLOG CLOSING :(

Some Soldiers Mom has decided to hang up her 'blogging boots' after almost 2 years. Very sad to see her go,hers was one of the very first milblogs I ever started reading...but wish her all the best in the future! A very great lady.

AN INTERVIEW ON MILBLOGGING.COM

Check out Keith Kawasaki's interview with Murph of Three Hour Tour 

 
(and then go check out Murph's blog:)
 
MORE FROM 'THE SANDBOX'
 
I find myself going by there pretty often, there's just some great stuff continually being posted there. I really like this post
 
and then I also went to check out Capt.Traversa's blog 
 
PENDLETON 8/INNOCENT 8
 
This guy is asking some good questions ,and his entire blog seems a  good read  
 
Other places to go for the latest updates?
 
 
(Hat Tips to Yankeemom and Andi's World , for pointing me in those directions.)
 
I 'wandered' around quite a bit more....but I have a 14 year old breathing down my neck,lol, who wants 'her' computer time,so I guess it's time to close this post.
 
Before I do,though, just in case there ARE any first time readers stopping by here ?(and looking for ways to support the troops?)
You can check out my blogroll, or read this from the archives for a few suggestions 
 
This is How It Started for this blog
 
Here's something about letters from the troops
 
 
And here's a little something about my 'Angels Work'
 
Thanks! to all who stopped by, and God bless our Troops!
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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Tuesday, October 17, 2006

WEDNESDAY HERO

We have a new member of our little club.  Beth at Yeah, Right, Whatever.  So head over and welcome her.  And if you have any questions, Beth, or anyone else, please feel free to ask.

 

ArmyAir Force 

 

Army Staff Sgt. Tanisha Denton(Left), Staff Sgt. Stacy McGill(Center) and Senior Airman Armando Pena(Behind) assist Senior Airman Brett Batson(Right) in transporting a wounded Soldier from a helicopter into the Balad Air Base, Iraq, hospital Oct. 1.  

These brave men and women risk their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.

We Have Every Right To Dream Heroic Dreams. Those Who Say That We're In A Time When There Are No Heroes, They Just Don't Know Where To Look

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero blogroll. If you would like to participate in honoring the brave men and women who serve this great country, you can find out how by clicking here.

Blogs Participating In Wednesday Hero

Yankee Mom

Bear Creek Ledger

Mail Call! Supporting The Troops

Yeah, Right, Whatever

Hooah Wife & Friends

Right-Wing & Right Minded      

 

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Sunday, October 15, 2006

'Book-Tagged'

I actually got 'book-tagged' over on Yahoo 360, by my friend Missy

but I thought it would be fun to pass it on.

Here's the 'rules:

1. Grab the nearest book. If you are currently reading something, that'll be fine too.

2. Open the book to page 123.

3. Find the fifth sentence.

4. Post the text of the next 4 sentences on your Blog along with these  instructions.

5. Don't you dare dig for that "cool" or "intellectual" book in your closet  I know that is what you were thinking!

6. Tag 5 people

"Nine Months at Ground Zero" The Story of the Brotherhood of Workers Who Took on a Job like No Other by Glenn Stout,Charles Vitchers, and Robert Gray

"Before then,people would be in positions where they would hamper somebody else. For instance, when we were using the man basket to pick steel out of the South Tower, it was being handled from a crane with a 350-foot boom on Liberty Street. Con Edison and the Bureau of Water and Sewer Operations needed to get at the watermain that ran up Liberty Street and the gasmain, and shut them off. But the matting for the crane was in the wrong spot."

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

I just started reading this, so I wasn't even up to page 123 yet. Image How did I come across this book? Well, I always check out the New Non-Fiction section when we go to the library,lol. (can you say 'uber-geek'?)

For a summary:  From Booklist
Although the attacks on the Twin Towers on 9/11 are etched into our consciousness, few of us understand the enormity of the task of the subsequent search and rescue and protracted debris removal. The shots of the site with the coming and going of trucks is the most any of us remember about the grueling cleanup project. As the men who originally built the towers, coauthors Charles Vitchers and Robert Gray were uniquely qualified to help. Unasked, they devoted nine months of their lives, not to mention the stress, sleep deprivation, and loss of family life that went along with it. The scale and complexity is nearly unfathomable: 400 million pounds of twisted steel; 600,000 square feet of thick shattered glass; and mountains of the trappings of office life, including chairs, desks, and other furnishings; all mixed with the scattered remains of almost 3,000 victims. Through this account of their heroic effort, beginning at the moment of first impact, we can begin to get a sense of what the men and women went through who dealt with the tragedy firsthand. David Siegfried
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

And now I need to 'book tag' 5 others.

I'll try

Proud Army Wife

Unhappily Ever After

Leslie's Universal/CAtholic Thoughts

A Red Thread to China

and Terry's Timeout

Just something fun to start the week out. Have a good week!

UPDATE   Thanks! for playing along

Leslie

Mandy

 

 

 

 

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"It Only Takes One Person To Make A Difference"

Via  Blackfive and then One Marine's View ,I was led to the original posting on this story here on One Marine's View:

Can you imagine this... a young soldier... (and a purple heart recipient) is called upon to serve his country.. twice... leaving behind a young wife and his children. While in Iraq, he hears of abuse allegations and he expresses his wishes and fears to social workers after his 9 year old daughter was hospitalized, only to be told he has no parental say so because he is not in this country, but told that "the wife is the custodial parent.... she is here" and he is expected to carry out his dangerous missions as he is wondering who is helping to protect his own children back home. (Read the entire post  HERE )

After reading these, I went by the V.O.I.C.E.S. site

 
and read Chelsea's Letter, from a link on that site:
 
Dear Judge and the Attorneys,
My name is Chelsie and I am now ten years old. I have been waiting and waiting for a chance to talk to the Judge to tell him why I am afraid for my little sister and my little brother and for me to go back to Louisiana but nobody lets me talk or will listen to me. I was afraid last year and they let me stay with my Nana and Papa till my dad came home from Iraq, now they say I have to go back to live with my mom. That's not right.
My dad fought in the war and he was very brave and now he has to fight for us. He is a good dad and we know he loves us very much. He takes care of us and makes sure we do our homework so we can grow up smart.
My dad gave us his Purple Heart because we were brave while he was gone. It is very special and it makes us feel like everything will be okay. I don't have any money except a little in my purse but if an attorney would work for us to make sure we don't have to go back to our bad life where bad things happened I would give you the Purple Heart. I love it and I think it must be worth a lot of money because you have to be brave to get one. My dad has spent all of his money on the attorneys and they tell him he has to get another one there in Louisiana. If you know anybody who needs a Purple Heart please call me. I don't want to be afraid anymore.
Love,
Chelsie
 
And I was reduced to tears.
 
While the heartening news is that the children were temporarily placed back with their Dad last weekend (and their older brother is also shown in this pic with them)
 
the site will tell you that the fight is not over yet.
 
So I am reposting this, to try in my own small way to help 'get the word out' and get this former Army soldier and his children as much support as possible.
 
Please feel free to repost, to pass the word and the site links via emails, and to do whatever you can to pass this along. At the very least, I hope you will join me and so many others in sending up prayers for these children and their father and family.
 
( And Bryan Fluharty was originally listed on  Anysoldier.com while he was deployed....his postings there are still up, you have to click on "Where to Send', and then 'Search AnySoldier.com Contacts' and then on the 'Search' form, click 'OLD' and type in the name 'Fluharty')
 
Whatever you can do to help? As Maj. Pain says "It Only Takes One Person to Make a Difference."
 
 
 
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Saturday, October 14, 2006

Life goes full circle


Life goes full circle

Just a short video.....how time flies:)

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Friday, October 13, 2006

Hottest 2007 Calendar, and....Shopping!:)

Sometimes supporting the troops can be...mmm... easy on the eyes!Image

From the website  

HOTTEST 2007 CALENDAR
 

You may have heard about it or seen it in the media, now you can order the 2007 America's Heroes Reconnaissance Marines Calendar for yourself and/or all your friends. 100% of the proceeds go to our wounded heroes and their families as directed by those who have been awarded the Purple Heart.

 

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And today, my son's fiancee and I went SHOPPING! for the Marine we have just co-adopted:) We went WAY overboard, but had a super fun time putting together his first care package. Picture two women going through Wal Mart,lol, saying "Oh, we have to get THIS...and what about THAT?" and madly throwing things into the cart. 
 
Naturally, we went with a 'Halloween' theme This guy is either going to think we are completely nuts (not an impossibility) or realize that we were having an absolutely wonderful time shopping to try and send just a little bit of 'home' to a complete stranger, as our small way of trying to say 'Thank You' and 'Someone is thinking of you.'
 
If you'd like to see how much fun shopping like that can be? You can always stop by Soldiers Angels and adopt a soldier yourself!!  There were over 700 soldiers submitted recently, so 'Adoptive Angels' are really,really needed!!
 
Well, that's the 'eye candy',lol, and the news for today from here in our neck of the woods. Hope everyone has a good weekend, and God bless our Troops!
Tag
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Thursday, October 12, 2006

"At The Right Time,We Remember"

I don't believe that I have mentioned that, via, as always, Milblogging.com

('where those who want to be in the know...go':)

I was alerted to the fact that Garry Trudeau, creator of Doonesbury, has launched a military blog on his website "featuring entries emailed in by service members stationed in Iraq and Afghanistan."

 
There are already many Fantastic! posts on there,this is a Do Not Miss site! so please check it out.
 
I checked it out today,and left a comment on one of the posts. To my surprise (and this is,yet again, one of the things I Love about the Internet:) I received an email tonight from the son of a WW II Pacific Army veteran who had read my comment.
 
He shared with me something he had written to honor his dad (and all veterans) for Memorial Day in 2000, and has since updated. It was so moving that I asked his permission to share it, which he graciously gave.
 
So, from MIKE, son of a WW II Army veteran, here is:
 
AT THE RIGHT TIME, WE REMEMBER
 
I wasn't there when the American Colonial Army stood winter guard in the snows of Valley Forge wearing bloody rags for boots as they fought for my freedom.
 
I wasn't there in the war of 1812.
 
I wasn't in the trenches when the German's seared the lungs of young American men with mustard gas as they fought for my freedom in World War One.
 
I wasn't at Pearl Harbor when a single Japanese bomb detonated a million pounds of black powder on the Arizona and instantaneously killed over one thousand American sailors preparing to defend my freedom against the Japanese and the Nazis.
 
I didn't see the bullet riddled bodies of theAmericans who died defending my freedom in Korea.
 
I only vaguely remember the nightly news clips of  American soldiers as they carried out our government's orders in the jungles and swamps and tunnels of Vietnam. 
 
I have never been with a family who lost a son or a daughter defending Kuwait.
 
I wasn't there with any of them when they suffered as prisoners of war in any of these wars.
 
I have never been with a family whose child died in a peace time military training exercise.
 
Not every one of our veterans saw combat. Some were clerks, cooks, mechanics, machinists. Some served during war time, some served during peace time, some serve in peace today, ready for battle tomorrow. Today they prepare for the ongoing war against terrorists. Some gave their lives, some suffered wounds, some saw things that no human should ever have to see, and many did things that no human should ever have to do. And all gave their daily life, for a period of time, while many more gave their time to work in the industries that sustained our veterans.
 
Not all of those who have protected my freedom were even in the military. Some of them were the firemen, policemen, and paramedics who risked their lives each day, rushing in where most of us would never tread. Some of them were "just" passengers on commercial airline flights who, with faith in Christ, calmly chose to fight, and die if necessary, rather than let Flight 93 be used as a weapon against their country and their fellow citizens.
 
When I tried to join the US Air Force, my application was turned down for medical reasons.
 
But because others were there, I am priveliged to continue to live in the greatest nation the world has ever known and to enjoy the greatest freedoms that any people have ever known.
 
And so I thank you, veteran, whoever you are, and wherever you are.
 
Thank you Vet. Thanks Dad. This Memorial Day, I remember WHY I am free, and I thank you.
 
I know that when you were asked, at the right time, like Christ, you gave your life for me.
 
Romans 5:6-8
While we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.  Why, one will hardly die for a righteous man--though perhaps for a good man one will dare even to die.  But God shows his love for us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us. 
 
Mike 
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Thank you,Mike, for sending that to me. My thanks also to your father, for his service to our country.
 
It seems appropriate, to close with this quote :
 
"Only two defining forces have ever offered to die for you,
Jesus Christ and the American G. I.
One died for your soul, the other for your freedom. "
 
 
 
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Hurray! and Thank You to Everyone:)

My grandson is out of the hospital this evening. Thanks so much to everyone, for all the prayers and encouragement!!

And now I can just settle in to wishing I was in Hong Kong,lol, with the rest of my family. My youngest sis just flew over to join my parents, who are visiting my brother and his family. You can check out my sis and brother-in-law's blog here   http://emanoff-china.blogspot.com/

Thanks! to my sis for sending the pics, and my brother-in-law for posting them:)

And for news about Angels and Soldiers?

Billy at Hunts for Heroes has his new site up now

And have you checked out the Coalition Angels?

Click here: Coalition Angels

and some of their projects? Click here: Coalition Angels Projecs

The Online Chaplain has a new post up 

 
and here's a new (to me) blog I came across today 
 
Enjoy the surf:) and thanks again for all the care and concern:) We are extremely,humbly grateful for all the prayers and good wishes.
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Wednesday, October 11, 2006

WEDNESDAY HERO

Spc. Genaro Acosta 26 years old from Fair Oaks, California 1st Battalion, 44th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, 4th Infantry Division (Mech) November 11, 2003 "Everywhere he went, he would not take his cross off," his brother Fernando Acosta said. "He was a very strong believer in God." The avid Los Angeles Lakers fan with a fondness for the cartoon character Scooby Doo "felt very strongly about helping other people out," Fernando Acosta said. He re-enlisted this year despite his concern over the dangers because "he figured it was the right thing to do," his brother said. "I know that he did not die in vain," said his widow, Roxanne Longoria Acosta. "He was proud of what he did."

These brave men and women have given their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.

We Have Every Right To Dream Heroic Dreams. Those Who Say That We're In A Time When There Are No Heroes, They Just Don't Know Where To Look

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero blogroll. If you would like to participate in honoring the brave men and women who serve this great country, you can find out how by clicking here.

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Tuesday, October 10, 2006

Update on my grandson

Aiden continues in the hospital, and the doctors are continuing to run tests on him. He will stay again at least tonight, they are running a second 24 hour EEG on him, and hopefully we will know some more tomorrow.

I should have the Wednesday Hero post up tomorrow, and hopefully when this family crisis is over I can return to exhorting folks to support the troops :)

Many people have sent encouraging emails, and have been keeping our family in their prayers, and I want to once again say a giant Thank You! It has helped enormously to know so many folks are lifting our little guy (and the rest of us) up in prayer, and to know that so many people care:)

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