Operation New Year's Eve

A very cool way to send messages of support to our troops!

From  Paul Rieckhoff , of  Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America

comes this

Click here: Operation New Year's Eve

'Operation New Year's Eve' is a campaign that lets Americans send text messages of support to our troops via the tallest billboard in Times Square. Almost one million people will be in Times Square to see the sign, and people worldwide can view the sign by visiting www.operationnewyearseve.org. Visibility is limited during the day, but there will be a clear shot of the billboard all night long.

You can send your own message by sending a text to 94444. Just add the word 'CARE' before your message (for example: "CARE Thank you for everything you do!"). The word 'CARE' will not appear on the sign.

Standard rates apply, and posting a message to the billboard costs $0.99. Due to high volume, there may be a delay, and your message may not appear immediately.

The Durst Organization, Sign Lab Media, which runs the billboard, and Fountainhead.com, a media company, have all generously donated their time to put this project together. It hasn't cost us a cent, and a portion of the proceeds from the $0.99 charge will be donated to IAVA.

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Please spread the word!

 

Soldiers Angels Web Surfing

Last one of 2007...Wow, where did the year Go?!

There were tons of holiday posts by and about  Soldiers Angels since Christmas, and I know I'd never be able to include them all.

So, I'd like to feature what I think is a most important  post by  Sgt. Hook

as it says once again why I continue to support Soldiers Angels, no matter what kind of 'grade' they receive from AIP.

And, because this post combines a story about both veterans, and adoption, two subjects of great interest to me, here's a post by Greta at Soldiers Angels Louisiana

(and,btw, Greta will be facing surgery directly after the New Year rolls in.....please keep her in your thoughts and prayers!)

This was a great post  Magi Inspired Gift #9 , that touts two of my faves....

Soldiers Angels  AND  Anysoldier.com   , among several other very worthy troop support groups.

I came across posts by Three 'New-to-me" Angels, nice way to end the year :)

1.  Click here: Inside Out - I'm An Angel! An enthusiastic new Angel who 'gets it'.

 

2.  And these are 'two teenage girls dedicating our time in efforts to save the earth" at, appropriately enough Save the Earth.....and they urge others to  Adopt A Soldier

 

3.  Support My Troops is a husband and wife team with the wife getting ready to deploy in January, and they are listing support groups for the troops, awesome! and of course I came across them because of  their post  Soldiers Angels

 

 

Lastly, as  she does every week...Life in the Northeast posts for us to  Remember

 

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This week's featured Blog of the Week will be  Soldiers Angels Medical Support

 

Thanks! as always, for going on this 'surf' with me. I've enjoyed this the past year, and look forward to 'surfing' with all of you in the coming year! :)

 

Tags: Soldiers Angels

Happy New Year!!

To all my readers....wishing you and yours all the best for 2008!

 

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Christmas 2007 in MN

We had a wonderful time, visiting with my family, all of us together for the first time in 4 years.

And, we had lots of Snow while we were there!

We also managed to break our camera screen, right after we got to the Redskins-Vikings game on the 23rd,but our pictures of the game still turned out!

Click here: Redskins-Vikings game in MN 2007

I'll slowly get caught back up, on checking in on everyone else's blogs,etc. (I Hope!:) and get back into the swing of 'real life'......but just wanted to share the pictures, and also to wish everyone

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

 

Wednesday Hero

This week's hero was suggested by Cindy & Kathi

 

 

 

Each year, around this time, since 1992, the Arlington National Cemetery has something happen to it. It gets covered in vibrant green Christmas wreaths. The wreaths are donated by a man named Merrill Worcester who is the owner of the Worcester Wreath Co. in Maine. From the Worcester Wreath Co.'s website:

Each year Worcester Wreath donates Maine wreaths to adorn the headstones of those who serve and those who sacrificed to preserve our freedoms. In 2007, over 10,000 wreaths are destined for the annual wreath-laying ceremonies at Arlington. In addition, 2,500 wreaths will be sent to Togus National Cemetery in Augusta, Maine. Worcester Wreath also donates ceremonial wreaths that will be used as part of the Wreaths Across America events at over 230 State and National veterans cemeteries all across the Country.

Sometimes a hero is one who sacrifices everything in their life to help others. And sometimes a hero is one who sacrifices nothing more than their time.

We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. To find out more about Wednesday Hero, you can go here.

Tags: Wednesday Hero

Merry Christmas!

Sending Christmas wishes,from Our House to Yours!

We'll be visiting family for the holidays,so...see y'all when I get back!

And Thank You, to all who read this little blog!

 

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Wednesday Hero

This Weeks Hero Was Suggested By Leo

SSgt. Mike Mills    

Welcome to this week's installment where all the member bloggers of Wednesday Hero collectively honor many of the real hero's found in this country who's names and bio's have been provided to us for these humble tributes by blogroll creator Indian Chris @ Right Wing and Right Minded.

Many of them are those that have paid the ultimate price for our country protecting it both here and abroad from the many threats we face from our enemies wishing us and them harm, some are not. In either case they are the real American heroes of today and we now both salute and offer our prayers. To join us if you wish to please start by reading the post below.(Introduction courtesy of  Chicago Ray )

 

SSgt. Mike Mills

 

On June 14, 2005 SSgt. Mike Mills's life was forever changed. The HETT(Heavy Equipment Transport System) he was riding in was hit by an IED.

 

The attack resulted a cracked clavicle and scapula bones, dislocate shoulder, broken left hip, 4 out of 5 bones broken in his foot and being set on fire. The driver in the truck behind him ran with a cooler of melted ice which he threw on Sgt. Mills to put him out.

 

He spent three months in the Brooks Army Medical Center at Ft. Sam Houston, TX with the injuries listed above plus 2nd, 3rd and deep tissue burns to 31% of the left side of his body.

 

The first thing he remembers thinking after the attack was that his soldiers needed him and he needed to get back to them. "Then the guilt set in about what I did to my family. I've totally screwed that up. Look at me, no don't. I look hideous. How can I face my kids looking like this. They'll be embarrassed to be seen with me. What if they won't love me anymore? Speaking of love, my wife, oh my god. How can I expect her to stay with me. I'm not a man anymore. She's not going to want be intimate with a freak. What if I can't work, how do I support myself, my family. I had the nightmares and couldn't sleep. I wasn't eating and was loosing weight. I didn't really care. If I didn't start eating, they where going to put the feeding tube back in. Who cares, I've totally screwed up my life anyways."

 

But he found out just how much is wife loved him, when she stood by his side throughout the entire ordeal. She was there for every wound dressing and even learned how to change the dressings herself.

 

 

 SSgt. Mike Mills now runs the site For The Veteran... By A Veteran in which he helps veterans, soldiers and their families find information they may not have been given after their medical discharge or retirement.

 

 

Some may say that Mike gave his country more than enough when he was severely maimed by an IED on that fateful day of June 14, 2005, but Mike continues to give to his fellow servicemen, as well as to his nation!

 

 

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

 

We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived

 

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your blog, you can go here.

Tags: Wednesday Hero, Military, War on Terror

"Christmas in Fallujah"

Came across this, thanks to   Paul Rieckhoff

Billy Joel wrote this song based on letters he received from troops serving in the combat zones.

 

Joel gave the song to a virtually unknown 21-year-old singer named Cass Dillon--a guy he chose because he wanted a singer the age of many of the troops in Iraq.
Check out "Christmas in Fallujah" here (with lyrics):

 

Joel and Dillon have pledged the proceeds of the song to Homes for Our Troops

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Let me know what you think of the song...I've already heard from one currently serving soldier,who Doesn't like it....and I'm still undecided, how I feel about it.

 

Quote of the Day

When I got dressed to go to the Wreaths Across America ceremony in Staunton on Saturday

I came downstairs and asked April how I looked?

Her answer?......"Overtly American"

ROFL. This is what I was wearing:

(the picture is me on the left, with my aunt Lynn )

 

Wreaths Across America-Staunton National Cemetary 2007

 

 

Here's the few pictures I took at the ceremony today (my batteries started going out, one of these days I'm going to figure out this whole camera thing)

It was Cold, and we actually had Less of a turnout than last year, but it was still very moving.

 

Tags: Wreaths Across America

Soldiers Angels Web Surfing

My weekly post with a Sampling of what's out there in the blogosphere by,and about,

Soldiers Angels

 

In the News

Soldiers Angels Network (which is a great place to find out stories in the news about Soldiers Angels)  had this story posted earlier this week

JCC students 'adopt' a soldier]Indy Star.com

 

Across the Ocean

From Soldiers Angels Germany comes two posts  Going Home

and  Clark-Wells Wedding at BAMC

Willie posts appreciation on   A German-American Friendship Bracelet

 

In the USA

Soldiers Angels Texas told about   Pearl Harbor Remembered,66 years later

Tanker Brothers passed on a press release  From Nashville,TN

 

"New-to-me" Angels

Politically Incorrect and Loving It  urged folks to  Be an Angel..Adopt a Soldier

and   Generic Blog   has adopted Two soldiers! Hurray!

 

Utterz for Our Troops

Don't forget this program   Utterz for our troops

SoldiersAngels.org and EmailOurMilitary.org have joined with Utterz com
to give everyonea new way to say send good wishes and holiday greetings
to our service men and women.

To create a good wishes/holiday greeting for our troops, follow these simple steps. Utterz will make donations to Soldiers' Angels for each person who does!

 

Remembrance

And lastly,  Life in the Northeast , as she does every Sunday, posted   Remember

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That's it for the sampling of this week's past postings. This meme will be on hiatus next week, as we're traveling to the 'Great White North' to celebrate the holidays with family! :)

 

Tags: Soldiers Angels

Utterz for our Troops

From the   Soldiers Angels website   comes yet Another way to send messages to the troops this holiday season!

(and Utterz will make donations to Soldiers Angels for each person who does!)

Click here: Utterz - Utter for our Troops

 

 

Want to see what some of them look like?  Go here  http://trooputterz.blogspot.com/

 

 

(You Know we're going to do this for Our Soldier....I'll post up a link after we get this done! :)

 

 

Tags: Utterz, troops, soldiers angels, emailOurMilitary

Wednesday Hero

This Week's Hero Was Suggested By Louie

 

Bill Juneau 36 years old from Rush City, Minnesota November 27, 2007  

Welcome to this week's installment where all the member bloggers of Wednesday Hero collectively honor many of the real hero's found in this country who's names and bio's have been provided to us for these humble tributes by blogroll creator Indian Chris @ Right Wing and Right Minded.

Many of them are those that have paid the ultimate price for our country protecting it both here and abroad from the many threats we face from our enemies wishing us and them harm, some are not. In either case they are the real American heroes of today and we now both salute and offer our prayers. To join us if you wish to please start by reading the post below.(Introduction courtesy of  Chicago Ray )

 

 

 

Bill Juneau 36 years old from Rush City, Minnesota November 27, 2007

 If there was one thing Bill Juneau loved as much as his country, it was his dog, Jake.

 

The accident-prone black Lab, who has been hit by two cars, had a toe amputated on his right paw and survived eating 42 candy bars in one sitting, once fell off a dock and through the ice on a lake while Juneau was hunting withhis best friend, Dan Bock. Bock said Juneau jumped into the icy, chest-deep water to save his dog.

"He threw that wet dog on the deck and sacrificed everything to save him," said Bock. "Bill's just that type of guy."

Juneau, a 10 year veteran of the Chisago County sheriff's deputy, was in Iraq helping to train Iraqi police recruits when his convoy was hit by and IED 50 miles outside Baghdad.

 A spokesperson for DynCorp, the private firm Juneau was working for, said Juneau was driving the lead vehicle in the large convoy that included U.S. Army personnel as well as members of the Iraqi National Police Force. The convoy was headed for a scheduled training mission. An Iraqi translator and a U.S. Army soldier sustained injuries in the blast as well.

His twin sister, Bridget Sura, said he wanted to help Iraqis rebuild their country and create better lives.

 "He would often sugar-coat the bad stuff, because he wanted us to know about the positive things," she said. "But we still worried every minute of every day."

Another reason he joined was because he loved adventure, she said. While with the Chisago County Sheriff's Department, he started and led the country's SWAT team. Jake, his dog, has been embraced by Juneau's sister's family.

 "He has more lives than a cat," Sura said, adding that they recently discovered a chocolate stash he'd hidden in his kennel. "Jake is a part of my brother," she said. "He[Bill] will be missed by a lot of people. This will leave a hole in a lot of people's hearts."

 

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

We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your blog, you can go here.

Tags: Wednesday Hero

Beliefnet's Winner of the Most Inspiring Person of 2007

Dr. Liviu Lebrescu won

Click here: Beliefnet's Most Inspiring Person of the Year 2007 Award -- Beliefnet.com

and here is the information about him.

Click here: Beliefnet Most Inspiring Person of 2007 - Nominee Heroic V-Tech Prof. Liviu Librescu -- Beliefnet.com

although so many of the nominee's were also very noteworthy people, like

Maj. Scott Southworth 

The enduring picture that I carry in my mind from thoughts of the Virginia Tech massacre, is that of the professor who sacrificed himself to save his students.

“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends (John 15:13).”

 

Voices from America-Send our Troops a Holiday Message!

This   is just awesome!

My thanks to CJ over at  A Soldiers Perspective  for alerting me to this one

 

 

Click here: Voices from America - Support the Troops :: Mozes

 

Voices from America

Major recording artists are joining forces to support our U.S Troops this holiday season.
Call 1-888-312-2612 (toll free) and leave your message of support for the troops.
The troops can access your messages through the support of Armed Forces Entertainment.

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Please pass it on!!

 

Vote for the Most Inspiring Person of 2007-2 Days Left!

Vote for the Most Inspiring Person of 2007

Beliefnet has chosen 10 nominees for the Most Inspiring Person of 2007 Award. We need your help in choosing the final winner. You may vote once each day for your favorite candidate. You can vote again in 24 hours. Voting will end on December 10th. On December 12th we will announce the winner of the People's Choice Award--the nominee who received the most votes--and the Most Inspiring Person of 2007 winner, who will be chosen by Beliefnet editors from the three finalists with the most votes. We will also make a donation to the nonprofit organization of his or her choice.

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I got this email from someone who is trying to see that Prof. Liviu Librescu, the professor and Holocaust survivor who died last April 16 protecting his students from the gunman at VA Tech, wins this contest.

 

You can vote here:

 

http://www.beliefnet.com/mipy/2007/vote.html

 

You can only vote once a day, and remember  VOTING ENDS DEC.10.   (sorry I didn't receive this sooner,but please spread the word.)  Thanks!

 

 

 

(  crossposted  )

 

 

 

Tags: Virginia Tech shootings, Virginia Tech

Soldiers Angels Web Surfing

My weekly 'surf' from the past week in the blogosphere, for news by and about

Soldiers Angels

I missed  linking before to Fbl's   Fundraising and Thanksgiving  post about 

Valour IT  Worth the read!

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Around the Globe

Soldier's Angels Germany posted about   Medical Warriors

And Willie in Germany   Visited Outpatients at Landstuhl 

Nelly of Soldiers Angels Europe posts a  Thank You to Our Donors

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Here in the USA

Greta of Soldiers Angels Louisiana tells about   Marines Paying it Forward in LA

I came across this news story from NJ.com  

Soldiers await cards from their special angels

Soldiers Angels Texas tells us about  American Airlines DFW Donates to Texas VA Hospitals

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From the Deployed

 Sgt. Hook lets us know that the   169th Civil Air Patrol   is teaming up with Soldiers Angels.

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"New-To-Me" Angel Blogs and Bloggers

Jennifer's Adoption Journey 

 Jennifer has not only  'adopted' a soldier  through Soldiers Angels, but she is also in the process of trying to  adopt a child from Kazakhstan  !

(and since many of you know my sister and brother-in-law recently finally welcomed their beautiful  Charlotte from China , I was doubly excited to come across an Angel with an adoption blog :)

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Somehow, I've missed up till now that there's a blog for

Soldiers Angels- Operation Outreach

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Tennessee Soldiers Angels VA Team  is blogging now. (and those VA Teams are a 'blogging bunch' :)  Check out the blogroll!

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And this wonderful crafter at  Sugar Bear Designs  and her husband have recently become  Angels

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Lastly, Aimee, who always takes time at the end of each week to Remember our Fallen....for once, had only  Happy News  to post last Sunday!

And that seems like a good way to end this week's 'surf'! :)

Tags: Soldiers Angels

December 7th-Remember

American Ranger has a good post up

Click here: American Ranger: A Date Which Will Live in Infamy

as does Gazing at the Flag

Click here: Gazing at the Flag: Pearl Harbor Day ~ December Seventh

and Instapinch

Click here: instapinch.com » Blog Archive » December 7, 1941

 

who reminds us that the veterans from WW II are fast disappearing.

 

 

God bless the veterans of the 'greatest generation', and please remember them on this day, and always.

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Update: and from  lawhawk , a post about a new memorial being dedicated today, to the victims of the USS Oklahoma.

 

Click here: Official Web Site of the USS Oklahoma Crew Members and Family

 

Tags: WWII, December 7, Pearl Harbor

Wednesday Heroes

Welcome to this week's installment where all the member bloggers of Wednesday Hero collectively honor many of the real hero's found in this country who's names and bio's have been provided to us for these humble tributes by blogroll creator Indian Chris @ Right Wing and Right Minded.

Many of them are those that have paid the ultimate price for our country protecting it both here and abroad from the many threats we face from our enemies wishing us and them harm, some are not. In either case they are the real American heroes of today and we now both salute and offer our prayers. To join us if you wish to please start by reading the post below.(Introduction courtesy of  Chicago Ray )

 

 

This Week's Hero Was Suggested By Mark Bell

Marty and Sue Horn           Born in Philadelphia, Marty Horn spent 20 years in the Army as a Military Policeman, retiring in 1993 and going to work in Internet technologies.      In 2003, his son Brian Horn deployed to Iraq. Trying to support their son’s unit, Marty and his wife Sue, who also served as in the Military Police, put together the concept of  Any Soldier      In essence, Any Soldier is an effort to provide support and encouragement to those who are in harm’s way.    Due to overwhelming requests for ready-made care packages on the AnySoldier.com  site, Sue Horn started  TreatAnySoldier.com     Using his background in Internet technologies, Marty built and maintains the web site. The Any Soldier program slowly expanded to include other Army units. In 2004, the program opened up to include all service branches.. In 2005, the websites for AnyMarine.com., AnySailor.com, AnyAirman.com, and AnyCoastguardsman.com were launched. In the words of the Any Soldier web site: "The success of Any Soldier has far exceeded expectations and continues to grow with the invaluable help and guidance of our supporters, board members and Support Team."    In the words of Marty Horn: "It is the supporters who deserve the credit."   Thanks to the efforts of Marty and Sue, their son Brian, and a dedicated staff, over 950,000 servicemen and women received support and encouragement they would never have been able to get through the Any Soldier program.    

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

 We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your blog, you can gohere.

Tags: Wednesday Hero, Anysoldier, Military, Support the Troops, War on Terror, US Army, US Navy, US Marines, US Air Force

My Daughter's Church Solo

I wasn't going to do this on this blog,LOL, I posted it on my 'family' blog...but what the heck are parents for, if not to embarass their children? :)

My daughter's church solo yesterday.

 

Soldiers Angels Web Surfing

The Big news is, Rachel Ray and Dunkin Donuts :)

Click here: Soldiers Angels Network: Rachel Ray Dunkin Donuts Support Our Troops

 

 

 

The NC Soldiers Angels VA team and the PGR are teaming up

 

Click here: NC Soldiers' Angels VA Team: PGR Christmas and Army Family Adoption

 

 

 

Some soldiers have the Christmas Spirit,thanks to Soldiers Angels :)

 

Click here: 6 Months in Kabul: Christmas Spirit

 

 

 

Awesome Quote of the Day, on Thursday

 

Click here: Soldiers' Angels Germany: Quote of the Day

 

 

 

This Angel has the best essay I've seen in awhile, about 'why we do what we do'.

 

Click here: Q&A « Life As I Know It

 

 

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And lastly, he's not an 'Angel' but he Is a soldier. And, if you want to know what the Receiving end of mail call is like?  Check out this post by JP at  Milblogging.com

 

 

Georgia Students Show Off Their Appreciation for the Troops

 

 

Priceless! :)

 

Enjoy the 'surf'!

 

 

 

Tags: Soldiers Angels

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Your Grinch Name :)

From my friend,Sasha    http://www.myspace.com/sashaispretty

go here

Click here: Grinch Name--Discover your true identity

to find our your Grinch name :)

(Mine is  CRABBYGROUCH CRANKYSHORTS  )

Leave yours in the comments!

 

 

Wreaths Across America 2007

Hey all, Wreaths Across America is going to be laying wreaths at National Cemetaries again this year, to honor our fallen.

The main website is here

Click here: Maine Remembrance Wreaths Decorate Veterans Cemeteries

 

and here's a list of all participating locations, by state

 

http://www.wreaths-across-america.org/invite.html

 

The Wreath Laying will take place on Saturday, Dec. 15 at noon (EST)

 

Please check the listings for the nearest ceremony in your state, and consider attending the ceremony. I did it last year and am looking forward to participating again this year.

 

 

Wednesday Hero

Welcome to this week's installment where all the member bloggers of Wednesday Hero collectively honor many of the real hero's found in this country who's names and bio's have been provided to us for these humble tributes by blogroll creator Indian Chris @ Right Wing and Right Minded.

Many of them are those that have paid the ultimate price for our country protecting it both here and abroad from the many threats we face from our enemies wishing us and them harm, some are not. In either case they are the real American heroes of today and we now both salute and offer our prayers. To join us if you wish to please start by reading the post below.(Introduction courtesy of  Chicago Ray )

 

 

 

Sgt. Antwan L. Walker 22 years old from Tampa, Florida 2nd Forward Support Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division May 18, 2005          Sgt. Antwan Walker was excited about coming home from Iraq to celebrate his 23rd birthday with his family and friends. His mother, Andrea Pringle, was busy planning the party when an Army official unexpectedly came to her house. She said he told her Thursday that her son was killed the previous day by a bomb blast in Ramadi.     The Department of Defense hasn't publicly confirmed his death. Sgt. Antwan Walker, known as Twan to his friends and family, joined the Army in 2000. Pringle said her son joined to earn money for college.    "Twan had a lot of goals in life," She said. "He was very ambitious and very smart."     Sgt. Walker had been in Iraq for about a year. He called his family often but didn't want to talk about war. Instead, he talked about starting a real estate career and his three children.   "He was such a good dad," his mother said. "All he wanted to do was make a good life for his kids."     In April 2005, Walker wanted to talk about the fighting. He told his mother five soldiers he was traveling with were killed. His phone calls became more frequent after that. Pringle said she had days when she couldn't eat or sleep because of her worries. But she never forgot to give her son her support. "I always told him I'm proud and be safe".      

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

 

 We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived

 

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your blog, you can go here.

Tags: Wednesday Hero, US Army, Military, War on Terror

Operation Santa-Now THREE Ways to Send Christmas Cards to Wounded Warriors

Gazing at the Flag  passed on the word about this one

 

Operation Santa/Marine Moms Bethesda

 

but you've got to hurry, as cards need to be postmarked by Dec.3 !

Operation Santa  is putting together Christmas stockings with gift cards and treats and cards to deliver to the OEF/OIF veterans at

Bethesda

 Walter Reed

 Balboa Naval Hospital 

Brooke Army Medical Center

 

If you want to send  Christmas Cards to be put into the stockings? send them to:

Operation Santa

c/o Marine Moms Bethesda

P O Box 22

Cordova MD 21625

 

Please note: The cards must be glitter and coating free - these come off and can cause secondary infections in the wounds. Don't seal the envelopes - they are screened.

They should be postmarked by December 3.

Contact Jane at jane@marinemoms-bethesda.org for more information about the cards.

 

If you want to help out with the stockings? They can use our donations to purchase stocking stuffers and pay for postage.  Again, check out their post here

Click here: Marine Moms Bethesda

 

or you can contact Carrie at wrcostan@comcast.net for any one interested in supporting the efforts or for more information about the stockings.

 

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As I said  in my post last Saturday

 

No, You CAN'T send Cards to 'Any Wounded Soldier' at Walter Reed

 

 

But now you can use  OPERATION SANTA ABOVE to send cards to our nation's armed forces who were wounded in our country's service.

 

OR you can send them to:

 

VFW POST 8208

PO Box 653

Ruckersville
VA 22968

 

(They are accepting cards to deliver to the patients at Walter Reed and Bethesda Hospitals as well as to other hospitals where there are Patients from this war)

OR

you can send a batch of cards in UNSEALED envelopes (so they can be checked first) to be delivered to the wounded at   Landstuhl Regional Medical Center

That address is:

21st TSC, Medical Transient Detachment
ATTN: Soldiers' Angels
UNIT 23203
APO AE 09263

My thanks to Carol, for reminding me of the address at Soldiers Angels Germany, and you can also send cards to the staff at Landstuhl, as this post says here

Click here: Soldiers' Angels Germany: Christmas at Landstuhl 2007 - Staff

 

and if you wish to do more than send a card for the patients? check out this post

 

Click here: Soldiers' Angels Germany: Christmas at Landstuhl 2007 - Patients

 

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I hope I've given you plenty of ways to send Holiday Cheer to our nation's wounded this Christmas, but time is running out to get this done!

 

 

OPERATION SANTA needs cards postmarked by Dec. 3 

 

 

And the US Postal Services deadlines for Domestic Holiday Mail are:

 

Domestic Mail Class	Date
First-Class Mail	Dec. 20
Priority Mail	Dec. 20
Express Mail *	Dec. 22
Parcel Post	Dec. 15

* For Express Mail, check with your local post office for the most recent information

 

(But please keep in mind that the VFW post in Ruckersville,VA would need cards sent SOONER than those deadlines, to be able to review and gather the cards together to deliver)

 

And the

 US Postal service deadlines for

 

International Mail Addressed to Europe are

Global Express Guaranteed® (GXG) 4/*	Express Mail® International (EMS)5/*	Priority Mail® International6/*	First-Class Mail® International

Dec 19

Dec 17

Dec 11

Dec 11

 

Tags: Christmas cards, Soldiers Angels , wounded soldiers, holiday mail, Operation Santa

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Another Way to Send a Christmas Card

The VFW has a page to sign a giant Christmas card here

Click here: Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW): Email - Sign our Giant Christmas Card to our Troops

it needs to be signed by December 10!

 

(and here's a link about the veterans hospital it will be sent to)

Click here: James A. Haley Veterans' Hospital - Facilities Locator & Directory

 

 

Tags: Christmas card, veterans

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Popcorn and Pancakes (and whiskers on kittens..)

Well, really, I don't have anything to write about 'whiskers on kittens'...but I just had the Raindrops on Roses song from the Sound of Music pop into my head when I was trying to think of a title for this post.

(I wrote this over on my   family blog  and then decided to share it here,also )

Some of y'all may remember my infamous 'pancake story' ?

Click here: The Pancake story

Last night we were finishing putting together the Christmas boxes to send to Dustin, and Mom had suggested that we pack the cookie package with popcorn.  So Tony put a bag of popcorn into the microwave and turned it on, and then we went upstairs to look for the right sized box to pack stuff in.

While we're discussing which box out of the many empty boxes I have been saving might work best, I suddenly say "Is that the smoke detector going off downstairs?" and we run back down into black smoke just Rolling out of the kitchen, and the smoke detector beeping crazily.

Tony grabs the smoldering bag of popcorn out of the microwave and throws it in sink, and then he and I are running around throwing open windows and doors and turning on the kitchen stove fan. I ask him "What did you Set the microwave on???!! Did you use the popcorn button?!" and he says "Yes, I used the popcorn button! I think it said like 3 minutes?" and I'm like "I think you pushed the popcorn button more than Once,then, it's only like a minute forty seconds!!"

and then he turns to me and smiles and says "Well, honey, I guess you're not the only one in the family now that's had a microwave accident!" and we both start cracking up.

He washed up the microwave plate and wiped down the microwave and, after the smoke had cleared a little, popped a second bag of popcorn (on the Right setting:) and then we left the bowl sitting out for the popcorn to cool until we finished packing the boxes this morning.

On the way back from the post office this morning after we had mailed the packages, I thought about the Popcorn accident again, and started laughing until I had tears in my eyes. Tony asked me "What is it?" and I gasped out "You want to know what the best part of the story is?  After all that, we didn't even Use the popcorn to pack the box with after all!!" and collapsed back into laughing my head off, while he started laughing,too.

Just another 'day in the life', here on the 'Dork Family Homestead' :)

 

No,You CAN'T send holiday cards to 'Any Wounded Soldier' at Walter Reed..

but here's some things you Can do.

 

We've all seen the email forward that says "Send a holiday card to 'any wounded soldier' at Walter Reed Army Medical Center",

but,unfortunately, that is just not possible.

And if you want to read the news straight from a source who's spent time at Walter Reed? here's what a veteran friend of mine had to say about it.

Click here: No Christmas Cards for Walter Reed | This Veteran’s Life

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You can also read this on Walter Reed Army Medical Center's website

Holiday Cards to Wounded and Recovering Soldiers

 

and this on Snopes.com

Click here: Urban Legends Reference Pages: Cards for Recovering Soldiers

(and   Snopes.com  ,by the way, is where I always go to check out the veracity of any email forwards I receive....a practice taught me by my mother,thanks!Mom :)

 

So, with all the above information in hand, if you receive an email forward regarding sending Christmas cards to Walter Reed, please send one of the links above to the sender, so they will know that it is Not possible to do that.

But,all is not lost,for all the many fine folks who want to do something for our wounded warriors during this holiday season!

  On the post at  This Veteran's Life  in the comments, a commenter named 'Bigjohn Miska' had this to say:

"We here at VFW POST 8208, PO Box 653, Ruckersviile
VA 22968 will accept and deliver cards and gifts to the patients at Walter Reed and Bethesda Hospitals as well as to other hospitals where there are Patients from this war.Feel free to pass this onto all you know!"
Bigjohn

John Miska CDR
VFW Post 8208

Here's the website from John   http://www.adoptasoldier.us/ 

 

the website at Walter Reed with the information about not accepting Christmas cards also lists several ways To do something for our wounded soldiers for the holidays.

 

And, as a member of   Soldiers Angels  , I would like to pass on that Soldiers Angels has a program in place for sending cards and letters to wounded warriors not just at the holiday season, but all throughout the year

Click here: Soldiers' Angels - Wounded TLC Team

 

So,even though you Can't send a Christmas card to 'Any Wounded Soldier', there are still plenty of ways you Can do something to let our wounded know that they are cared about, and that they are not forgotten, this holiday season.

UPDATE:  If you have a group that is interested in sending a bunch of cards? or just want to send them yourself, you can send them in UNSEALED envelopes (so they can be checked first) to be delivered to the wounded at the hospital in Landstuhl,Germany.

That address is:

21st TSC, Medical Transient Detachment
ATTN: Soldiers' Angels
UNIT 23203
APO AE 09263

(and here's the website for Landstuhl Regional Medical Center)

Click here: LRMC Home Page

My thanks to Carol, who reminded me that this information is posted at Soldiers Angels Germany.  Check out more at MaryAnn's posts here

Click here: Soldiers' Angels Germany: Christmas at Landstuhl 2007 - Staff

and here

Click here: Soldiers' Angels Germany: Christmas at Landstuhl 2007 - Patients

Tags: Soldiers Angels, wounded soldiers, Christmas cards

Soldiers Angels Web Surfing

Hope everyone had an enjoyable day yesterday!

This week's  Soldier Angels  web surf is going to be short (as everyone breathes a sigh of relief,lol :) my work schedule got changed at the last minute, so I'm rearranging my life in a hurry in order to go in early.

MaryAnn has a nice post up

Click here: Soldiers' Angels Germany: Thanksgiving at the Landstuhl Fisher House

 

and then Michelle Malkin has a very sobering opinion piece, which I'm including because it mentions what Soldiers Angels has done (along with other groups and charities) for the Johnson family

Click here: Stop Before You Gripe - Yahoo! News

 

and as ever, please keep the Johnson family in your prayers.

 

 

Fbl has the final fundraising totals for Valour IT

 

Click here: Valour-IT: Voice-Activated Laptops for OUR Injured Troops: Final Fundraising Totals

 

 

Soldiers Angels Texas has a post about a program I wasn't aware of before

 

Click here: SOLDIERS' ANGELS TEXAS: Let's Bring 'Em Home

 

 

Don't forget Greta's Mardi Gras program :)

 

Click here: Soldiers’ Angels Louisiana » Mardi Gras to go boxes

 

 

and here's news from Soldiers Angels network about holiday greeting cards

 

Click here: Soldiers Angels Network: Greeting Card Publisher GalleryCollection.com Donates Holiday Cards for Troops to Write H

 

 

This week's featured blog will be  Angels in Arizona  , they're posting some good stuff there :)

 

Enjoy the surf!

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For other links? I also got a short  Hooah Roundup post up over at Hooah Wife and Friends today

 

Click here: Hooah Wife and friends » Blog Archive » A Short After-Thanksgiving HOOAH ROUNDUP

 

 

and we got our link from our Stars and Stripes holiday message for Dustin

 

Click here: Dustin McClenney | Stripes Messages

 

(and as I mention over on Hooah Wife, you can send your own holiday message to a currently serving soldier here )

 

http://messages.stripes.osd.mil/

 

Hope everyone has a good weekend!

 

 

 

Tags: Soldiers Angels

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Happy Thanksgiving!

Wishing everyone a wonderful day, filled with food,laughter, and family and friends...and...Food!

I'm thankful today for all the wonderful people I've gotten to know online, like each of You!

 

And, in the spirit of

 

Today is the last day for this program from America Supports You

Click here: The Giving Thanks Campaign

THE ASY GIVING THANKS CAMPAIGN
This holiday season, America Supports You is giving you a new way to send your thanks to the troops - by text message! When you send your message of thanks to 89279 (TXASY) between November 17th and 22nd, you'll receive a special thanks in return. Also, we'll be displaying those messages on our ASY Giving Thanks widget far and wide across the internet. Just another way that you can support our brave military men and women serving in 177 countries across the world

 

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Wednesday Hero

Welcome to this week's installment where all the member bloggers of Wednesday Hero collectively honor many of the real hero's found in this country who's names and bio's have been provided to us for these humble tributes by blogroll creator Indian Chris @ Right Wing and Right Minded.

Many of them are those that have paid the ultimate price for our country protecting it both here and abroad from the many threats we face from our enemies wishing us and them harm, some are not. In either case they are the real American heroes of today and we now both salute and offer our prayers. To join us if you wish to please start by reading the post below.(Introduction courtesy of  Chicago Ray )

 

 

 

Spc. Roger G. Ling 20 years old from Douglaston, New York Company C, 1st Battalion, 34th Armor Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team February 19, 2004  

      

When Spc. Roger G. Ling's Humvee was struck by a homemade bomb in October of 2003, he survived the attack and he worked to keep his superior officer, Lt. Matt Homa, alive.  

  Spc. Ling was riding in the backseat of the Humvee when it was hit. It destroyed Lt. Homa's door.  

 "It almost killed me. From what I've been told, Roger helped keep me awake until my medic arrived." said Lt. Homa. "Ling was a good kid. You could count on him to do anything."  

Spc. Ling was killed, along with Second Lieutenant Jeffrey C. Graham of Elizabethtown, Kentucky, when their unit came under fire from insurgents in Khalidiyah, Iraq. Only two miles from where he'd survived the attack just four months earlier.  

 Leona Ling said she was grateful her brother came home in August of 2003 just before leaving for Iraq. "He had to have his tonsils taken out," she said. "It was a blessing in disguise because we got to see him again."   In phone calls home, the soldier spoke wistfully of returning to New York and going to college. "He wanted to hear about what was going on at home and all the latest family gossip," Leona Ling recalled. Survivors include his father, Wai Ling, a U.S. Army veteran.      

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

 

We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived

 

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your blog, you can go here.

 

Tags: Wednesday Hero, US Army, Military, War on Terror

A Visit with a Milblogging Friend and fellow Soldiers Angel

Had a milblogging buddy (and fellow Soldiers Angel  )visit with us this weekend, and had a Great time! 

She's my friend, Courtney, and blogs over at   Cat is my co-pilot

We took her up to  Skyline Drive  and got some great pictures up there, I think.

It's always so much fun to see in person the folks you talk to so often online!

Thanks for coming to visit,Courtney!! :) We loved seeing you!

Soldiers Angels Web Surfing

Blog posts I wanted to highlight both by and about   Soldiers Angels

The two Big news items to pass on about Soldiers Angels are:   Patti Patton-Bader winning the Microsoft Above and Beyond Award.

Click here: Microsoft Above and Beyond Effort Award: Patti Patton-Bader

 

(and for information about All the winners, you can go here:

Click here: Microsoft Above and Beyond Awards winners

and especially check out my friend Paulette :)

Click here: Microsoft Above and Beyond USO Promotion and Success Award: Paulette Nelson

(who blogs here  Click here: Yahoo! 360° - My Rambling Mind   )

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and the other big news is:  that the Army won the online competition for fundraising for Valour IT ! Yay!

Click here: BLACKFIVE: Army Victory

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This was a nice tribute to a member of  Soldiers Angels

Click here: Cohenside: A Soldier's Angel

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And Soldiers Angels Texas has a good post up.

Click here: SOLDIERS' ANGELS TEXAS: Dallas VA Stand Down 2007

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Two Ways to Send Holiday Messages to the Troops 

 (and a reminder, Walter Reed Army Medical Center does NOT accept Christmas cards mailed "To Any Soldier" )

"Text the Troops" from Soldiers Angels New York

Click here: Soldiers Angels New York: Text The Troops

 

or, if you personally have a deployed soldier (as we do, big shout out to Dustin!) Soldiers Angels Germany tells of a Stars and Stripes program to send a message to Your soldier.

Click here: Soldiers' Angels Germany: I Will Be Your Soldier

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and,because we are Finally going to visit with each other this weekend,Yay! This week's featured blog will be   Cat is my co-pilot

That's all, enjoy the 'surf'.

 

 

 

 

 

Tags: Soldiers Angels

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Negative Press about Soldiers Angels

A disturbing story has arisen in the past week regarding Soldiers Angels, and as a member of Soldiers Angels who has both on this blog and elsewhere on the Internet been a vocal proponent of the Soldiers Angels organization as a charity worth recommending to others, I feel led to weigh in with my thoughts about the story.

The story starts here, with a post on ROK Drop

http://rokdrop.com/2007/11/10/veterans-charities-failing-troops/

What caught my eye in that post was this:

"What really surprised me was that the charity group Soldiers’ Angels which is a very well known charitable organization promoted by many milblogs received a D grade."

I was anxious to see Why Soldiers Angels received a "D" grade? so I found the website for the American Institute of Philanthropy.

Click here: American Institute of Philanthropy - Charity Watchdog Helping Donors Make Informed Giving Decisions

 

What I found on their website was that for a payment of $3 (to cover postage and handling) I could get a 'Sample' copy of their  "Charity Rating Guide and Watchdog Report" 

Click here: Charity Rating Guide and Watchdog Report

 

and I realized that sending the $3 would give me no guarantee that any information about their rating for Soldiers Angels would be included in that 'Sample' report.

 

OK, so how Do I receive a copy of the full report?  Well, I have to donate at least $40 to become a member.

Click here: Become a member of American Institute of Philanthropy

 

and then I can receive a copy of the full "Charity Rating Guide and Watchdog Report."

 

I'm not prepared to spend $40 right now in order to gain a copy of their report, but if there's anyone out there who has done so? I'd sure like to hear If AIP lists in the report Why they gave Soldiers Angels a "D" rating? (Because I'm not sure,from the listing on this link here 

Click here: A to Z CharityListing

 

if they even Have a rating on Soldiers Angels listed in the Report? Soldiers Angels is not included in that list.)

 

I found something else on the AIP 'home' page that upset me, this article:

 

Click here: Soldiers Angels Lose Their Halos

 

Soldiers Angels gave their response to this article  here

 

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 I haven't seen too many bloggers mentioning this yet,but

Greta was the first to respond,with this post

 

Click here: Hooah Wife and friends » Blog Archive » Soldiers’ Angels Personal Statement

 

and please go read her entire post, as she includes links in it to ABC's original story,ABC's follow-up story,the video from ABC (in None of which, I might add, Soldiers Angels was mentioned) and there is also a link to the report card from AIP  which simply lists Soldiers Angels as having a 'D' rating,without saying Why.

 

 

and then Holly,who is The penultimate 'blogging Soldiers Angel',IMHO, posts, and questions whether the AIP report card affected giving to the Valour IT project this year

 

Click here: Soldiers' Angel - Holly Aho - Soldiers Angels & AIP - Did it affect your Giving?

 

and Holly has more indepth coverage than I of what is on the AIP website, plus be sure and check out the comments on her post.  It's in those comments that I was led to this post by Sister Toldjah Click here: Sister Toldjah » Project Valour-IT update

 

which led me to this post by lawhawk 

Click here: A Blog For All: Keeping the Fundraising Efforts Going

 

which made me aware that Soldiers Angels financials are available online here

 

Click here: Soldiers' Angels - Financials

 

I am not in any way qualified to make a comment on the Soldiers Angels financials, but I wanted to be sure that people are aware that this information Is freely and readily available online.(or,in other words...you don't have to pay $40 to view it.)

 

There are also several good comments on Holly's post by Beth at 

my vast right wing conspiracy

 

one of which mentions the BBB Wise Giving Report

 

When I decided to become a member of Soldiers Angels over two years ago, I came across this BBB Report while researching whether SA was a charity I could commit to, and I agree with Beth's comment on Holly's post, that the BBB's reservations about Soldiers Angels primarily seemed to be concerned with 'paperwork stuff."  I read the report back in 2005, and decided that I could in good conscience become a member of Soldiers Angels, and support them.

 

And,despite this current negative press about Soldiers Angels, I still believe in the organization and what they are doing.

 

Because,for me, the bottom line is encompassed in one sentence here in the post on Soldiers Angels Network about Patti Patton-Bader winning the Microsoft Above and Beyond Award

 

" Since (2003), the group's 100,000 members have sent tens of thousands of care packages and hundreds of thousands of letters to make sure no soldier is forgotten while serving."

 

And that's really what it's all about for me, and why I continue to be proud to say that I'm a member of   Soldiers Angels

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tags: Soldiers Angels