The First MAIL CALL!Supporting the Troops

Good-Bye Little Blog~AOL Journals Shutting Down

2008-09-30T13:46:00.000-07:00

Well, I was saddened to read today that AOL Journals will be closing down on Oct.31,2008.

Since I had a suspicion this might be coming? I had already started a Blogger blog, where I've been cross-posting.

You can find me on Blogger at this link

I started this little blog on AOL in March of 2006. I learned a lot about blogging using AOL Journals, and I'm sad to see AOL decide that they wanted to get rid of this particular product .

I won't be posting here anymore, I'll leave this post up so that you can follow me to my new 'home', just remember the link is here

Mail Call! Supporting the Troops

Hope to see you there!

Kathi

Soldiers Angels Web Surfing

2008-09-26T09:09:00.000-07:00

Another weekly surf of the web for news by and about Soldiers Angels

Here's a new Angel at Everything is going to be all right Welcome! and 'Happy Angeling':)

Over at Soldiers Angels Louisiana Greta talks about My adopted soldier

Wounded Warrior Support talks about a Priceless moment

Shelle and SA get kudos at Wingtip 2 Wingtip

And Soldiers Angels get a Thank You from Balad CASF Medic to all Angels over at Soldiers Angels Germany

From the Victorville,CA Daily Press, a story about Quilters Honor Soldiers

View from the 8th Floor recently participated in a Blanket Making Marathon

And Willie at A German-American Friendship Bracelet covers

News and stories around Soldiers Angels

Finally, last Sunday Life in the Northeast asked us once again to Remember...

That's the surf for this past week.

Tags: Soldiers Angels

Wednesday Hero

2008-09-24T12:08:00.000-07:00

Click Image For Full SizeYeoman 3rd Class Margret Ueberlauer Yeoman 3rd Class Margret Ueberlauer hands out toys to HIV infected children during a community relations project at the Camillian Center in Pattaya, Thailand. The USS Abraham Lincoln Strike Group is on a scheduled deployment in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of responsibility.

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 site, you can go here.

Tags: Wednesday Hero, US Navy, Military

"Soldiers Mean More"

2008-09-22T17:59:00.000-07:00

Wow. Go here Soldiers Mean More and check out the video and song.

A Short Roundup of Blogposts about the 2008 Milblog Convention

2008-09-22T17:52:00.000-07:00

While I'm sure more posts will surface in the next few days (as their blog writers 'surface' from recovery from partying on Friday night, judging by some of the pics floating around,lol)

I'm just going to try and do a quick post linking to some of them.

2008 Milblog Convention Links

Mudville Gazette had some good links up to other's posts There Will Be Stories

The guys at Blackfive have some posts up Here and Here

Soldiers Angels-Holly Aho weighs in with So You Missed the Milblog Conference...

Terri from A Soldier's Mind had extensive coverage

Matt Bernard from Veteran's Affairs had a good post up here

Francis Marion from Where I Stand! had the Obligatory Milblog Conference Post

Lt. Nixon Rants weighed in here

Toby Nunn had several good posts on his blog

Finally, JP from Milblogging.com, who received numerous kudos for his speaking (and clothing choices,lol:) has only managed thus far to post This

and I had to go to Shelle over at Soldiers Angels Network to find out who won the Milbloggies !

That's the quick and dirty on the links thus far.

Soldiers Angels Web Surfing

2008-09-19T16:12:00.000-07:00

My weekly surf of the web for news by, and about, Soldiers Angels

While I can't be in Vegas.....there are quite a few Angels there, like Greta , of course....and Shelle and Holly ,to name just a few. Hope y'all have a great time!

I'll just pass on a few tidbits I came across this week. The awesome folks at the Quilter's Compass Blog check in again with Soldiers Angels Quilts

New Angels!

At So Very Blessed, they Adopted a Soldier, inspired by Ky Woman

And here's another new Angel at eRevolution.us

Over at Tanker Brothers, they have a video tribute to All the troops, sent in by a Canadian I've Got Your Back

And lastly, the Ladies of Liberty blog highlights a Fallen SA Hero who was laid to rest today Fallen SA Hero: SSGT Renee A. Deville

Godspeed,Renee....you touched the hearts of so many in Soldiers Angels.

Tags: Soldiers Angels

Wish I was in Vegas!!

2008-09-19T15:40:00.000-07:00

at the 2008 Milblog Conference

ah well....maybe next year.

Wednesday Hero

2008-09-16T15:27:00.000-07:00

LCPL Jason Hanson 21 years old from Forks, Washington 3rd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force July 29, 2006

LCPL Jason Hanson died when a gasoline truck near a building he was in exploded, causing the building to collapse in Al Anbar province, Iraq. Three other Marines were also killed in the blast. Lance Cpl. Anthony E. Butterfield, 19 yrs. old, of Clovis, California; Cpl. Phillip E. Baucus, 28 yrs. old, of Wolf Creek, Montana; Sgt. Christian B. Williams, 27 yrs. old, of Winter Haven, Florida. Hanson graduated in 2003 and joined the Marines in 2005. He married his wife just before shipping out.

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 site, you can go here.

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

From Spirit of America

2008-09-15T07:57:00.000-07:00

(Can you tell that I'm catching up on all the things that work and life have prevented me from posting about lately?lol:)

Good things going on over at Spirit of America , and I highly recommend also checking out the Spirit of America Blog

Tags: Spirit of America

Toys For Troops

2008-09-15T07:50:00.000-07:00

From the Toys for Troops blog, comes this post Helping Families of Injured Soldiers

about an event this coming weekend, if you're in that area, you might wish to check it out!

and also consider checking out the whole Toys-For Troops blog!

Tags: Toys For Troops

News from Survivor Corps

2008-09-15T07:39:00.000-07:00

Two things I've been meaning to pass on from Survivor Corps

From the Survivor Corps Blog, a Survivor Corps US Program Update that tells about a visit by Jerry White to BAMC

and also, Survivor Corps has been criticizing the Use of Cluster Muntions in the Recent Russian Georgian Conflict

Tags: Survivor Corps

Soldiers Angels Web Surfing

2008-09-15T06:15:00.000-07:00

My (belated) weekly surf of the web for news by, and about, Soldiers Angels

(sorry for the delay in posting, work has been busy!)

This post from Jenn is worth reading A little Angel and a Vet......A memory!

Quilter's Compass Blog gives us Soldiers Angels Workshop No 1

View from the 8th Floor attended the Pentagon Memorial Dedication, and posts about Remembering 9/11

Hurricanes

MS Soldiers Angels/MS VA Team posted about Gustav and then very shortly was posting again about Dang Hurricanes

and then Soldiers Angels Texas was posting Hurricane Ike Affects Angels in Texas

Our thoughts and prayers are with all those affected by the recent hurricanes.

Soldiers Angels Louisiana writes about Great News for Arnold Crabtree

While the Ladies of Liberty team highlights their new Angels on that blog, I was particularly struck by this post about Angel Nancy

A 'surf within a surf'

Willie at A German-American Friendship Bracelet covers

News and Stories around the Soldiers Angels

and

News and Stories around LRMC

Lastly, Life in the Northeast asks us to Remember...

both HERE and HERE

Thus ends this belated 'surf'.

Tags: Soldiers Angels

2,996.....I Remember....Catherine Carmen Gorayeb

2008-09-11T02:27:00.000-07:00

2,996...I Remember....Catherine Carmen Gorayeb

Name:	Catherine Carmen Gorayeb

Age:	41

Residence:	New York, NY, United States

Occupation:	marketing director, Random Walk Computing

Location:	World Trade Center

Link to a photo of Catherine Carmen Gorayeb at Voices of September 11

Catherine Carmen Gorayeb ("Cathy") was a working single mother of a beloved daughter, Katie, who was 2 years old at the time Catherine died.

From some of the tributes left in her Legacy.com Guestbook

I got a glimpse of this much-loved woman, and I include excerpts below:

From one of her brothers:

It's hard to find reason in this loss...Cath was just a happy, pretty, smart, single-mom trying to make her way in the busy world of New York...I guess the only thing that I can point to is the way this horrible loss has pulled our family (and I mean our extended family) together...and I know that would have made Cathy very happy.

From those who knew her at various times in her life:

I will always remember her smile andher efforts to help me when possible. She was happiest when she was leaving the office to pick up her daughter

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

When I think of Cathy, I will always think of a person who made anything and everything possible for herself. Nothing seemed too intimidating.

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

I knew Catherine as Kate's mom. I worked at the nursery in Battery Park City that Kate attended. The children at the nursery knew her as Bagel Mom. Every single time she came to pick up Kate, she always had fresh bagels from the bakery. Catherine would come in the door and would enthusiatically proclaim "I am the bagel mom" and would pass out bagels with Kate to all of the children in Kate's classroom. She was very vivacious and had so much energy. Caterine always addressed every child in the room by name before taking Kate home.

I also remember one day when we were doing musical and dancing activities with the children. There was a basket full of sunglasses in the classroom and each of the children and teachers were wearing sunglasses. Kate always loved to dance to the song "Put Your Hands Up Baby." Kate was dancing in front of the mirror when her mom came to pick her up. Catherine grabbed a pair of sunglasses and sang and danced with Kate in the mirror. I didn't know Catherine well, but I do know that she loved Kate to pieces and that Kate loved her.

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

I want to let you know that it was a great getting to know you in high school. You always had a quick smile for everyone in the hallways. In our senior year I remember hearing that a group of "the cool girls" were going off to St. Lawrence. It sounds like you had a great time and cast your bright light into the world and onto all those around you. It has been quite some time since then. We just had our 25 year Class Reunion. Wish you were there. I want to assure you that we were thinking of you. You are one not easily forgotten

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

I think about Catherine often and am very pleased to have found this tribute site.

Catherine and I worked together at Netscape, and frankly I am obliged to say that she was largely responsible for my first promotion there. At the time, Netscape was the hottest thing in the business world and New York sales office was a hot bed of activity. But the insanity of the "dot com" boom was no match for Catherine. While the VP in charge kept revenues flowing through the door, Catherine ran the operation with relentless energy. Anyone who was there would tell you that not only did Catherine dot all the "i's" and cross all the "t's," she also kept the "sh's" from hitting the fan.

Catherine's energy was not limted to her professional life. I considered her a trusted friend and valued advisor. I know I am not alone.

If I am lucky enough to meet Kate someday I will tell her how much she was and still is loved by her Mom. The most amazing thing about her love for Kate was the energy and joy that would radiate from Catherine's face with just the mention of her name.

Please know that Catherine made a tremendous difference in my life and that when I think about her I am reminded of how important the people we interact with every day really are. I am also reminded of how much energy Catherine was able to summon on any given day. Hopefully, the next time I'm feeling a little over-taxed by life's daily grind, the memory of Catherine's high-octane tenacity or better still, the smile she wore for Kate, will be enough to get me through the day.

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

As a "Kathryn" myself, and as someone who was a single mother for many years? The story of Catherine's life touched my heart, and that was why I wished to post a tribute to her this year as part of the 2,996 Project

I found, while researching Catherine, that her story continues to touch lives of people who never met her. At this website I found several references to a memorial bench with her name in Rhode Island.

I was able to find a link to a picture of that bench, and I leave you with that link

Tags: 2996 , 2996 Project , 9/11

Wednesday Hero

2008-09-09T14:19:00.000-07:00

SSgt. Andy Pena Staff Sgt. Andy Pena performs in-flight calibrations on a HH-60 Pave Low while flying Sept. 3 over Ellington Field, Texas. He and members of the 55th Rescue Squadron deployed from Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz., to Ellington Field in response to Hurricane Gustav with less than 24 hours after notification. Sergeant Pena is an aerial gunner.

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 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. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.

Tags: Wednesday Hero, US Air Force, US Military

Project 2,996

2008-09-08T09:25:00.000-07:00

Having been one of the bloggers who has participated in Project 2,996 since 2006, I wanted to mention that it Is still going on this year, as you can see here

Project 2,996 in 2008

although only a handful of bloggers have signed up thus far

2008 List of Tributes

I happened to see an article in the paper today that suggests many people feel it's time to 'move on' from remembering those lost on September 11?

But I have found in being part of this project that just learning what you can about One life lost on September 11,2001 seems to make that person's life, and loss, a part of your heart ever afterwards.

And that, I believe, helps us to remain true to the words so many said after that day "Never Forget."

I have not forgotten those I previously posted about for 2,996

Jonathan Neff Cappello

Gerard(Jerry) P. Moran

John Patrick Salamone

Yuguang Zheng and Shuyin Yang

and this year on September 11 I will be posting about the life of someone else lost on that day, and will hold that person in my heart, and keep their family and friends in my thoughts and prayers.

Tags: 2996 , 2996 Project

Soldiers Angels Web Surfing

2008-09-06T09:53:00.000-07:00

Another weekly surf of the web for news by, and about, Soldiers Angels

Starting out with the latest from Sage at Lawn Darts,another great image

Lawn Darts #19- Dear Soldier,How Are You?

That image segues nicely into a post from Soldiers Angels~Medical Support

Letters from the front

and continuing with that theme, this post on Ladies of Liberty Lady Katie's Mom

Little Drops...into the pool of Life has Something Everyone Should Read

A 'new-to-me' Angel reposts An Angel's Creed

In other Angel tidbits from around the web, Greta posts on her Kiss My Gumbo blog about the aftermath of Gustav and her evacuation which went well thanks to a fellow Soldiers Angel and milblogger Life Interrupted

Another Angel writes about State Fair & Stuff...

Wounded Warrior Support has a poignant Farewell,Brave Warrior....

and Life in the Northeast posted Remember...

Thus ends the 'surf' for this past week. Thank you, as always, for taking this brief trip around the web with me.

Tags: Soldiers Angels

Wednesday Hero

2008-09-03T02:33:00.000-07:00

Lance Cpl. Ryan T. McCaughn 19 years old from Manchester, New Hampshire 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force November 7, 2006 "I just can't believe it," said Nicole Cote, mother of L/Cpl. McCoughn. "It's not supposed to happen this way. Your kids aren't supposed to leave you." McCoughn joined the USMC during his Senior year of High School. "He said he needed to do this. He said if he could keep one dad from going to Iraq and he could take his place instead, then he'll feel like he's accomplished something." Lance Cpl. Ryan T. McCaughn was killed on November 7, 2006 while conducting combat operations in Anbar province, Iraq. He leaves behind his mother, father, step-father and two brothers.

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 site, you can go here.

Tags: Wednesday Hero, US Marines, War on Terror

Farewell,Alan Waddell

2008-09-02T05:42:00.000-07:00

The sad news came in an email this morning that Alan Waddell has passed away at the age of 94.

I have been following his website for years.

It's called Walk Sydney Streets

When Alan began walking Sydney,Australia suburbs for his health several years ago, and began documenting his walks in photographs, one of his sons came up with the idea of a website displaying the pictures, and people across the world began following Alan's walks.

It is a site that was always a delight to visit. Alan's zest for life, and his dry sense of humor, came across in the comments with the photos of his walks. Exploring Sydney 'with' Alan was one of the treasures of the Internet.

Farewell, Mr. Waddell, and Thank You.....you were a bright spot on the Internet that always made me smile, and you will be missed.

The email from his son,John, said that Alan's son, Graham, will be maintaining the website in his father's memory.

My deepest sympathy to his family.

Burn Clinic in Scania Shutting Down

2008-09-01T02:36:00.000-07:00

Only 3 weeks after I blogged about the Burn Clinic at CSC Scania that was being run by military volunteers for children, comes the news that the clinic will be shutting down in 2 to 3 weeks.

Made a Difference for That One blogged it Here (h/t to Deb for alerting me to his post) and so I emailed Jimmy Compton (jimmycompton@gmail.com )to confirm, and just received this email from Jimmy

Yes, it's true. We have maybe two to three weeks before the doors are shut. I will make sure your package gets delivered.

Thank you so much for doing what you could in the short amount of time.

Jimmy

I didn't ask Jimmy the reason for it shutting down, and it seems strange that as recently as July 2, there was this Defenselink news article about the clinic, with no mention of it shutting down?

But I wanted to spread the word about this.

Thanks to all those who tried to pass the word along.

(and if you know more about the closing, let me know.)

Soldiers Angels Web Surfing

2008-08-30T15:34:00.000-07:00

My weekly surf of the web for the past week's news by, and about, Soldiers Angels

The story to start off with,of course, is Patti Receives Prestigious VFW Award for Service Congratulations! Patti!

Two other news stories worth passing on: From the McCook, Nebraska McCook Daily Gazette Soldiers honor local 'angels' for support of troops

and from the Rogersville Review in Rogersville,TN Locals sew love into quilts for wounded soldiers

In breaking news, with New Orleans scrambling to evacuate Soldiers Angels Louisiana takes time to thank the Patriot Guard Riders who are remaining to honor SFC David J. Todd Jr.

Earlier this week on Soldiers Angels Louisiana , Meloney gave an update on what Acadian Soldiers Angels have been up to SA and Bikin on the Block

Soldiers Angels Texas says September 13 Is the Date for Welcome Home The Troops

and also November 5 & 6 is Houston Stand Down

Two good stories from Soldiers Angels Germany Vietnam Vet honors families of those serving today

and

Soldier's nonprofit group helps Georgian orphans

Talking with Heroes show that will air on Sept. 7 Special Salute to American Military Family, LIVE Talk Show Event, Loveland, CO will have among their guests, Jenn Page - Soldiers' Angels - Colorado VA Team Leader for the Colorado VA Hospitals Region 3 and Coordinator for the Soldiers Angels VA Teams.

From the Woodland,CA Daily Democrat comes the news that 'Soldiers' Angels' sets event to thank veterans

Homefront Six has a great review of All the Way Home (which, btw, if you order from the Angels store HERE 20% of each purchase goes to Soldiers Angels)

and, since we're on the subject of veterans, and a river trip? that naturally leads into the next post by a new addition to the Soldiers Angels Bloggers, Soldiers Angels of IL Coming Home Project Event (And stop by and check out the whole Soldiers Angels of IL blog :)

To end the surf, as usual, Life in the Northeast posted last Sunday for us to Remember...

Tags: Soldiers Angels

Sept.1-Two Years of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll

2008-08-27T02:16:00.000-07:00

In 2004, Indian Chris of Right Wing & Right-Minded first came up with the idea of a post each week to honor a military hero.....you can find that very first post Here

Over time, that idea involved into the Wednesday Hero Blogroll

September 1,2008 is the second anniversary of that Blogroll, and to help the Blogroll members mark that occasion, here is a slideshow of the Wednesday Heroes honored for that second year:

I'm honored to be a part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. Thank you, Chris, for starting this post each week, to remember.

Tags: Wednesday Hero

Wednesday Hero

2008-08-27T02:02:00.000-07:00

Lt. Col. Nathan Blood Lt. Col. Nathan Blood, brigade effects coordinator for 4th Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light), Multi-National Division - Baghdad, says "Hello" to his 16-month-old daughter, Mackenzie, during a web camera communication.

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 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. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.

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

A Round Up about Run for the Fallen

2008-08-26T15:17:00.000-07:00

In reading over the comments listed on the Final Day Event page on the

Run for the Fallen blog (and they are worth taking the time to read)

I was led to check and see what other posts were out there about

Run for the Fallen

First of all, Hat Tip to War on Terror News , for leading me to the story in

Stars and Stripes 4,000-mile Run for the Fallen reaches its Arlington goal

which has a link to a photo gallery, and also the video of the remarks by the Run founder, Jon Bellona.

I found a few postings about Local Runs for the Fallen around the country:

5K Run for the MS Fallen

USS Bullhead Park in honor of 35 fallen New Mexicans

Connecticut

Remembering Heroes

Soldiers Angels New York had two posts remembering two Fallen Heroes

Sgt. John David Rode

LCPL Nicholas J. Sovie

And at Don't Ever Put Down the Pen! the father of fallen hero

Sgt. Scott Lange Kirkpatrick

had this touching post about Run for the Fallen~The Final Day's Event

and you might want to take some time to read more of Mr.Kirkpatrick's blog

(Mr. Kirkpatrick also mentioned in one post friend Deb's blog Remembering the Fallen where she lists each day those who fell on thatparticular day, and links to their Legacy.com guestbooks, for messages to be left for the families.)

Another parent, at We Remember , also traveled to Arlington for the Final Day Event and blogged about it ....her blog is also worth exploring further.

This is just a short compilation of posts I've found worth taking the time to read.....if you have a link I missed, please send me an email( kasee267@aol.com ) and I'll add to this.

Run for the Fallen touched many, many lives and hearts.

Tags: Run for the Fallen

Volunteering at the Last Day of Run for the Fallen

2008-08-24T14:38:00.000-07:00

My husband and daughter and I got up at 3 a.m. this morning to drive to Arlington,VA, to volunteer through Soldiers Angels

at the Final Day Event of Run for the Fallen

Got to the Pentagon staging area a little after 6:00 a.m. and got our assignment to stand and cheer the runners on at the Tidal Basin.

We got two good videos of the runners as they passed us:

and part two,after they had circled around and were heading to Arlington National cemetary

Saw lots of other Angel volunteers! and the speech given at the end by the founder of the Run was very moving. This was an amazing and awe-inspiring effort, 10 weeks of running one mile at a time in honor and memory of our fallen from Iraq and Afghanistan.

(also, Didn't see several folks I was hoping to....sorry I didn't have a chance to say Hello!)

While the runners and volunteers went on into the cemetary after the run, we had to head back home.....but we were So humbled to have been a small part of the last day of this Run.

To all the runners....thank you, for remembering.

Tags: Run for the Fallen

Soldiers Angels Web Surfing

2008-08-23T07:42:00.000-07:00

My weekly surf of the web for news by, and about Soldiers Angels

Short 'surf' this week, the family and I are preparing to go to northern Virginia as volunteers,through Soldiers Angels, on the last day of the Run for the Fallen

There was an important FYI from the inestimable Shelle Michaels, about a new position she has taken. Stop by and wish her well, and nice to know that she'll still be volunteering with Soldiers Angels!

Soldiers Angels Wounded Warrior Support checks in with some Lighthearted Fun

MS Soldiers' Angels/MS Soldiers' Angels VA Team passes on the word about the Coming Home Project in September.

Soldiers Angels of Alabama tells us Bama Soldier is 'Marine of the Year'

and Soldiers Angels Texas posts a video

Calling All Angels...This is Worth Watching, Grab a Tissue

Remember, you don't have to wait for my weekly 'surf' for the latest Soldiers Angels news....you can check out BlogNetNews.com/Soldiers Angels anytime, for the latest posts about Soldiers Angels!

That's the surf!

Tags: Soldiers Angels

Wednesday Hero

2008-08-19T13:50:00.000-07:00

Pvt. Nathan Z. Thacker 18 years old from Greenbrier, Arkansas 2nd Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division October 12, 2007 Pvt. Nathan Z. Thacker had only been in the country for two weeks before his death, according to the soldier's father, Stephen Thacker. Thacker's father said his son felt a duty to enlist. "He said it was his job. Even after he got his orders that he was going over there, he said it's his job." Thacker had attended Guy-Perkins High School in Guy, Arkansas. He earned his GED in 2006, his father said. Thacker enlisted in the Army in April 2007 and completed his training at Fort Benning, Ga. He arrived at Fort Drum in August 2007. His honors include the Purple Heart. "Nathan was an excellent man," sister Sabrina Black said. "He loved me, I loved him, and I"d give anything to have him back." Pvt. Thacker was killed when an IED was detonated near his vehicle near Kirkuk. Three other soldiers were injured in the attack. Pvt. Thacker is survived by his parents, siblings and his grandfather.

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 site, you can go here.

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

Remembering Sgt. Mike Stokely

2008-08-18T17:56:00.000-07:00

The Thunder Run posts Three Years On... please go read this tribute to Sgt. Mike Stokely.

David at The Thunder Run links to others posting in remembrance of Mike Stokely, and those links are worth reading also.

You may remember I posted after the 2007 Milblog conference that the most meaningful moment for me was meeting Robert Stokely, Mike's father. To once again hear Robert Stokely speak about his son, Michael, the link to my post is here

To the Stokely family.....keeping you in our prayers here.

A Book By the Wife of a Wounded Soldier

2008-08-18T13:23:00.000-07:00

In my last Soldiers Angels Web Surfing post, I noted that MS Soldiers' Angels/MS Soldiers' Angels VA Team had written about

Local Hero Headed Back for Surgery #20

I have found the link to the book on Amazon.com

A Soldier's Courage by Janis W. Galatas

Another book I want to read now!!

Survivor Corps

2008-08-18T12:49:00.000-07:00

I learned about Survivor Corps when I read and reviewed "I Will Not Be Broken" by Jerry White, one of the founders of Survivor Corps.

They are doing some interesting things over on their website, they now have a Survivor Corps blog and also a discussion page, you can check the page out Here

The discussion page is Here and one interesting thread that caught my eye was

Reintegration of U.S Veterans

Survivor Corps is building a new program to help servicemembers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan overcome physical and psychological injuries, reclaim their lives, and reintegrate with their families and communities. What do you think are the most urgent issues facing American veterans?

There were some thought-provoking replies on that one, from a U.S. Veteran.

Tags: Survivor Corps

The Ship Grandad served on in WW II

2008-08-16T03:02:00.000-07:00

Several years ago, I wrote about My Granddad's Service in WW II

aboard the U.S.S. Pamanset

This week, Mom sent me the picture she had of his ship, and the frame has his Lieutenant bars at the top! :) Thanks,Mom!!

After I first wrote about Grandad, I was contacted by a former shipmate of his, who sent me this picture

that he had of my Grandad (on the left) on the ship.

Two pictures hanging side by side that I will always treasure!

Soldiers Angels Web Surfing

2008-08-14T18:02:00.000-07:00

My weekly 'surf' of the web, for news by, and about Soldiers Angels

Starting out with that amazing picture from Lawn Darts, if you haven't seen it yet, please go now

Lawn Darts # 16- A Soldier's Angel Keeps Him Warm

For more beautiful things to look at, Quilter's Compass Blog has a link to pictures of 15 completed Soldier's Angels Quilts

Soldiers Angels Texas has the New Soldiers Angels PSA and

Soldiers Angels Texas also tells us Texas VA Hospital's In Need of Volunteers

Soldiers Angels Louisiana has news Blue Star Mothers hosted back to school event

MS Soldiers' Angels/MS Soldiers' Angels VA Team passes on this news Local Hero Headed Back for Surgery #20

Great post by a 'new-to-me' Angel blogger, American Soldier Supporter about What does it mean to be a Soldier's Angel?

Wingtip 2 Wingtip posts Soldier's Angels Pretty in Pink

Life in the Northeast again last Sunday asked us to Remember...

and, while I wrote about the post by Soldiers Angels Germany that I blogged about yesterday

Military volunteers run burn clinic in Iraq, providing "tenderness and Tylenol"

when I cross-posted the Soldiers Angels Web Surfing on Hooah Wife and Friends (as Greta and company so graciously allow me to do every week :) I didn't feel the need to recopy that part of the post here, as you can read it in the post below this one.

However, I Would like to extend Thanks!

to all the blogging friends who posted the news themselves, either because of MaryAnn's original post, or because they saw it on the Dawn Patrol at Mudville Gazette , or just because I mass-emailed them about it,lol :)

You all Rock!

The Thunder Run

Little Drops...Into the Pool of Life

threehourtour's blog

BostonMaggie

Deb_Inside

Soldiers Angels New York

Assoluta Traquillita

Tanker Brothers

Made a Difference for That One

UPDATE Unfortunately, I have learned just 3 weeks after posting this that the Burn Clinic is shutting down.

Burn Clinic at Scania Shutting down

My Thanks, to all of you who tried to spread the word, or tried to send donations.

That's the surf, for this past week!

Tags: Soldiers Angels

Military Volunteers Run Burn Clinic in Iraq

2008-08-13T06:35:00.000-07:00

UPDATE Unfortunately, I have learned just 3 weeks after posting this that the Burn Clinic is shutting down.

Burn Clinic at Scania Shutting down

My Thanks, to all of you who tried to spread the word, or tried to send donations.

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

Hat Tip to Soldiers Angels Germany for this one:

Military volunteers run burn clinic in Iraq, providing "tenderness and Tylenol"

Please go check out the link, and watch the two videos.

The two videos are "about the burn clinic for children at CSC Scania in Iraq. It is operated by volunteers from the US Military and using donated medical supplies.

SGT Joseph Barzeski of 3rd Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division is the current NCOIC, but the clinic was started by 1st Battalion, 125th Field Artillery, 34th Brigade Combat Team, Minnesota National Guard.

It began as a Family Practice clinic for the local Iraqis, but as time went on the medics saw more and more burn victims due to the high number of cooking and heating accidents common in Iraq."

If you'd like to help?The contact information and needed supplies listed at the end of the first video are:

Items needed are:

Medihoney antibacterial cream

Kerlix

Xeroform petroleum dressings

Non-adhesive dressings

Chucks

Tylenol/paracetemol (Infant,Child and Adult)

Motrin/Ibuprofen (Infant,Child and Adult)

IV line sets

Benadryl (Child and Adult)

Additional items needed are:

Flip flops/Sandals

Sneakers

Clothes

Toothbrushes

Toothpaste

Toys

Stuffed Animals

Socks

Crayons and Coloring Books

PLEASE DO NOT SEND CASH OR CHECKS

Mail your donations to:

Jimmy Compton

SOC

CSC Scania

APO AE 09331

For more information, send your email to :

jimmycompton@gmail.com

"Thank you to all the volunteers around the world who extend their hand to help another."

And, please spread the word on this one, would you?

Wednesday Hero

2008-08-13T05:34:00.000-07:00

Spc. Matthew A. Koch 23 years old from West Henrietta, New York Company C, 70th Engineer Battalion, 3rd Brigade, 1st Armored Division March 9, 2005 Spc. Matthew A. Koch was on his second tour of duty when he was killed by an IED that was detonated near his vehicle in Taji. He was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star and Purple Heart. He previously was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal, Good Conduct Medal, Army Service Ribbon and medals for service in the fight against terrorism. Koch enlisted in the Army in January 2002 after the attacks on September 11, 2001 and re-enlisted because he wanted to help the Iraqi people. "He was a brave soldier who made the greatest sacrifice anyone could make for everyone else's freedom," Diane Worman, Koch's mother, said through tears. "He realized that by being over there, he was going to make a difference in the lives of those people." She said her son once unsuccessfully sought green cards for an Iraqi family that had been threatened for helping Americans. "He always looked out for the other guy, never thought of himself. He volunteered to go to C Co before our first deployment so that one of the guys from our Platoon didn't have to deploy early and would have a chance to marry his fiance. That's Koch for you, always looking out for his buddies." - David A. "Buch" Buchanan. "He really loved the service and went back," said James Worman, Koch's stepfather. "He had no problem. He was dedicated to the fact that people over there needed help. He was always concerned about other people. He loved children. He was a nice, soft-hearted kid."

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 site, you can go here.

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

The 2008 Milblog Conference, and a Baby Shower

2008-08-10T11:06:00.000-07:00

Well, I haven't blogged about the 2008 Milblog Conference , which will be held as part of the Blog World & New Media Expo Conference in Las Vegas Sept. 20-21,2008 at the Las Vegas Convention Center........mostly because I won't be able to go!

However, that doesn't mean I shouldn't help spread the word about it!

Especially now that I saw Andi's blog post HERE , that once again they will be having a Baby Shower at the Milblog Conference......this time, for Joey and Jayme Bozik, who are expecting their first child, A Girl, on Christmas Eve.

If you don't know the story of Joey and Jayme Bozik, Blackfive has posts Here

and I found a link to a news video about Joey and Jayme's upcoming new home

http://abclocal.go.com/wtvd/story?section=news/local&id=6173189

and you can see more pics at the Operation Coming Home blog

(and find out more about Operation Coming Home at their Website )

Anyway...to get back to the Baby Shower info:

If you aren't attending the MilBlog Conference, but would like to send a gift to the Boziks, they are registered at the following places:

Even though I can't go to the Milblog Conference this year.... I can sure go shopping! :)

Lastly,check the comments on Andi's post. , the baby's name will be

Violet Skye Bozik

So....let's go shopping to welcome Violet to the world in December!

And......please....... Spread the Word! :)

Jerry White's Interview on GMA

2008-08-10T09:29:00.000-07:00

Well, I blogged Weds that Jerry White, the author of "I Will Not Be Broken"

was going to be on Good Morning America this past Thursday.

If you 'd like to see his interview? I have a link

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GtsXmdwrqeA

Soldiers Angels Web Surfing

2008-08-08T16:55:00.000-07:00

My weekly surf of the web for news by, and about, Soldiers Angels

Soldiers Angels-Medical Support posts We Need Your Help

Tennessee Soldiers Angels has a Moment of Thanks Reminder

Two items from Soldiers Angels Texas

Houston Va has opened a new domiciliary for Homeless veterans unit.

and

KBR Soldiers' Angels Supporting the Troops

Willie at A German-American Friendship Bracelet posts

News about our hero Matthew Braddock

(and be sure and check out some of Willie's other posts) like news and stories around Soldiers Angels

or news and stories around Walter Reed Medical Center

She does them fairly often.....good round-ups!....but you don't have to wait for me to mention them here, if you are checking out BlogNetNews.com/Soldiers Angels at least once a day (and you Are doing that, aren't you?:) You can find Many great Soldiers Angels posts!

Moving on.... Soldiers Angels New York tells us about the Navy SEAL Lt. Michael P. Murphy 5K Benefit Run/Walk

Shelle Michaels is going to be one of the guests on the TalkingWithHeroes.Com Talk Show Program on Aug. 17.

Congratulations! Chuck Ziegenfuss and Valour-IT ! Shelle posts on Wingtip 2 Wingtip Chuck Wins...

Keep My Soldier Safe, a/k/a G.R.I.T.S. has a great post (and lots of pics) about the Soldiers Angels Meet & Greet in Mississippi

A 'new-to-me' Angel who's also an author urges folks to consider adopting a soldier over at Squirrel's Treehouse

and lastly, Life in the Northeast posted as always for us to Remember...

I hope that gives you enough sites to 'surf' for the weekend!

Tags: Soldiers Angels

Jerry White to be on Good Morning America on Thursday

2008-08-06T14:21:00.000-07:00

Jerry White, the author of "I Will Not Be Broken", a book that I reviewed back HERE

in June,

will be on Good Morning America tomorrow morning.

You can find out more info about his appearance HERE

Wednesday Hero

2008-08-05T16:06:00.000-07:00

Senior Airman Kimberly Bickford 332nd Expeditionary Aircraft Maintenance Squadron Senior Airman Kimberly Bickford performs a pre-load check July 28 on an F-16 Fighting Falcon at Joint Base Balad, Iraq, to ensure the cable that releases the bomb is operational.

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 site, you can go here.

Tags: Wednesday Hero

Blogging has been light here......

2008-08-05T14:42:00.000-07:00

well, blogging has been light of late over here, but that doesn't mean nothing has been going on.

Since this past weekend, I was spending some more time over at my family blog

posting about my husband having A Close Call

and then we posted the Pictures and found out that yes, it Was A Tornado

and then I just Had to spread the news that my brother had Created a New Term !

Soldiers Angels Web Surfing

2008-07-31T16:31:00.000-07:00

My weekly surf of the web for news by, and about Soldiers Angels

Pictures!

starting out with a wonderful picture posted at Soldiers Angels Germany that was included with a blanket sent to a wounded hero "Thank you for all you do to protect our freedom."

Soldiers Angels Texas has a pic from the recent Dallas Area Angels Meet & Greet

and Tennessee Soldiers Angels has some great photos from the VETERAN'S HONOR BRUNCH AT EAST TN NURSING HOME

Coolness!

Soldiers Angels Louisiana blogged 1,000 Cool Scarves sent to LA Guard

E.T.Phone Home!

Over at MS Soldiers' Angels/MS Soldiers' Angels VA Team ,they blogged about a "free call day" for soldiers stationed in Iraq and Afghanistan on Aug.17, sponsored by the VFW. You can read about it HERE

Supporting Our Wounded

View From the 8th Floor has a great post up Supporting Our Wounded Warriors

Remembering the Fallen

Life in the Northeast posted for us to Remember... last Sunday.

That's all for the 'surf' from this past week, but there's lots more postings being written by Soldiers Angels, and you can always check out blognetnews.com/Soldiers Angels for the latest.

Or, if you want to 'surf' some more? You can check out the

Angel Toolbox

on the Soldiers Angels website....lots of great info and links there.

Tags: Soldiers Angels

Wednesday Hero

2008-07-30T07:08:00.000-07:00

1st. Lt. Thomas M. Marti 27 years old from Ward, Arkansas

C Troop, 1st Squadron, 40th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division October 14, 2007

An Eagle Scout, Thomas M. Martin took on cleaning up an old red train caboose as a service project. "He remodeled it to make it where people could go inside. If you saw it before and looked in it after he was through - it was daylight and dark", said his former principal, Robert Martin, who is no relation. "Tom was involved in Key Club, German Club and band, making All-Region Band his sophomore year", said Robert Martin. "He was a wonderful young man. Those that knew him knew he was funny and outgoing."

Lt. Martin died in Al Busayifi, Iraq of wounds sustained from small-arms fire when insurgents attacked his unit during combat operations. He enlisted in the Army in 1998 after graduating high school and served in Korea before accepting an appointment to the United States Military Academy at West Point, graduating in 2005. "He was very polite and respectful. I can't think of him ever overreacting; he had a wonderful, good-natured personality", said Pat Hagge, a family friend. "It's a terrible tragedy; he was a great young man." Lt. Thomas Martin is survived by his parents, Edmund and Candis.

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 site, you can go here.

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

A Local Silver Star Recipient

2008-07-28T15:27:00.000-07:00

Our local newspaper had this story this morning

Kite Receives Silver Star for Actions in Iraq by Jeff Mellott

Sgt. 1st Class Chad Kite, who hails from Elkton,VA and is a 1998 graduate of Spotswood High School in our area, was awarded the Silver Star on July 16 at Ft. Lewis Washington.

You can read more about the award ceremony and see a picture of SFC. Kite HERE

Around the Web

2008-07-26T07:39:00.000-07:00

Various places I've been surfing this morning (instead of organizing my storage room in the basement)

Two pleas for help.......

Boston Maggie had this posted the other day, and updates follow

Supporting a Friend I Haven't Met Yet

and Aunty Brat sends out this Soldiers Angels Alert

URGENT help needed!

Please spread the word about both of those needs,if you would!

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

Did you know there's now "Milblogs TV"? Check out the first episode at The Mudville Gazette http://www.mudvillegazette.com/archives/030575.html and then check the sidebar for links to other postings.

Continuing over at Mudville, the husband and I have been watching the HBO miniseries

Generation Kill

and the second review that The Mudville Gazette links to is worth the read http://www.mudvillegazette.com/archives/030583.html

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

I made Milblogging.com :) JP has the write-up about our meet-up here

Milblogger Meets up with Friends

(and links back to me, so you may get dizzy,lol,going in a circle. Once again, what a Great time we had, meeting up with he and his family! :)

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

Lastly, Michelle Malkin is just one of the many who blogged about the death yesterday of Randy Pausch Randy Pausch, R.I.P.

and if you've not yet taken the time to view "The Last Lecture", it's posted (along with other videos) on Prof. Pausch's homepage HERE

Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends.

Soldiers Angels Web Surfing

2008-07-24T15:34:00.000-07:00

My weekly 'surf' of the web, for news by and about Soldiers Angels

Last week was light surfing, LOTS of great links to pass on This week!

First up, two 'new-to-me' Angels, yay! always happy to come across new Angel sites :)

Over here at What's Up with the Marsh Fam , 'Momma' Marsh blogs about joining Soldiers Angels

and then coming across this post on Steph's Crop-Life Documented led me to this website Scrapping for Soldiers

Two! 'Meet and Greets'!

Penny Sandford blogged about the Mississippi one in A Mississippi Hero with two and four legs

and then Stacy at Keep My Soldier Safe, a/k/a G.R.I.T.S. blogged more on the same event at WOUNDED WARRIORS ARRIVED IN MISSISSIPPI

and in Texas, Texas Soldiers Angels posted about the Austin Area Angels have Meet and Greet

and there's also been some Houston VA Hospital Bingo going on in Texas :)

Soldiers Angels of Alabama told about a Local family welcomes one of their own Welcome Home! to Will and all the 'Waterdawgs'!

The Soldiers Angels Ladies of Liberty had the 62nd QM CO Commander- DeShaunda Reports in

This was a 'cool' story on the GoDanRiver.com website Church helps soldiers stay cool

Soldiers Angels-Medical Support blogged Chaplain Bell Puts in "The Fix" at Bagram E/R

And Willie at A German-American Friendship Bracelet had

19.07.2008 news and stories around Soldiers` Angels

and

19.07.2008 wounded heroes news and stories

Life in the Northeast posted last Sunday for us to Remember...

and lastly, the Fayetteville, NC Observer posted about what was done by the widow of a fallen soldier, Sgt. Adam D. Quinn , with the tree that she was given by the Soldiers Angels Living Legends Team in this story

Tree honors husband, father By Meghan Cooke

That's the conclusion of the Soldiers Angels Web Surfing for this past week.

Tags: Soldiers Angels

July 23rd--3 Family Birthdays!

2008-07-22T15:53:00.000-07:00

Happy birthday to....Sue!

Happy Birthday to....Ben!

Happy birthday to....Dustin!

Hope you each have a wonderful day!

Wednesday Hero

2008-07-21T13:41:00.000-07:00

(posting this early , Wednesday will be reserved for another post this week.)

This Weeks Hero Was Suggested By Toni

1st LT. Frank B. Walkup, IV 23 years old from Woodbury, Tennessee 2nd Battalion, 35th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division June 16, 2007 Toni already has a great post up on her site, so I'll just link to it.

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 site, you can go here.

Tags: Wednesday Hero, US Army

More about the Afghanistan Outpost Attack on 7/13/08

2008-07-21T05:51:00.000-07:00

For more about the battle that killed 9 soldiers in Afghanistan.......I came across this link, those losses hit home in a personal way for a Soldier's Angel

Click here: Fuzzilicious Thinking: CPL Jonathan R. Ayers

FBL went on to post an update

Click here: Fuzzilicious Thinking: "Normal Humans Wouldn't Do That"

which linked to a Stars and Stripes article with an interview with some of the wounded from that battle

Soldiers recount deadly attack on Afghanistan outpost

For more on the battle, another Soldiers Angel friend has a very good post up, and it got featured on Milblogging.com

In the Blogs: Not for Nothing, And Knowing It: A Special Thanks to Milbloggers (Again)

Those left behind continue to be held in our thoughts and prayers.

Soldiers Angels Web Surfing

2008-07-19T17:54:00.000-07:00

My weekly surf of the web for news by, and about Soldiers Angels

This past week, Soldiers Angels Louisiana told us Reason #gazillion why I’m an angel

Soldiers Angels Texas asked us to Give a Veteran Some Tank Support

Stacy at Keep My Soldier Safe, a/k/a G.R.I.T.S.

Got the Mississippi Soldiers Angels VA Website up and running,hurray!

And then Willie at A German-American Friendship Bracelet keeps us updated on

News and stories around "Landstuhl regional Medical Center"

and

News and stories around "Brooke Army Medical Center"

That's all for the 'surf' this week!

Tags: Soldiers Angels

America's Freedom Broadcast Radio

2008-07-19T15:14:00.000-07:00

Gotta give a shout-out to the wonderful folks at

America's Freedom Broadcast Radio

America’s Freedom Broadcast Radio is dedicated to the men and women who carry on the fight for our freedom and liberties and to those that precede them in defense of Freedom and Democracy World Wide. Our goal is to give our Military, their families, Veterans and first responders a place to listen in from any where in the world so they can connect to their loved ones through music and messages of support. Our Staff is dedicated to letting everyone serving this country know we here at home are supporting them and their families, no matter where they are deployed to in the world.

They found out through a mutual friend that Dustin's 21rst birthday was on July 23, and they posted a great picture on their website for several days wishing him a Happy Birthday! They also recorded messages from family and friends to be played for him on his birthday.

Thanks a million,AFB radio!!! You guys are awesome!!

A Chilling Prescience by Michael Yon

2008-07-17T12:38:00.000-07:00

When the sad news first came out about the deaths of 9 U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan on July 13 U.S. troops died in Taliban attempt to storm base

I recalled that Michael Yon had predicted something like this attack on this outpost would happen.

I went back and found the two quotes of his that I recalled.....and, though he was off by a year in his original estimate, his words seem chillingly prescient now.

From an October 30,2006 article in The Weekly Standard, in his article Censoring Iraq

the pertinent quote by Yon is: (emphasis mine)

"Early this spring, when I reported from Afghan farms about this year’s bumper opium crop, people thought I was using that opium. Now it is common knowledge that the opium trade is fueling a Taliban comeback. Mark this on your calendar: Spring of 2007 will be a bloodbath in Afghanistan for NATO forces. Our British, Canadian, Australian, Dutch, and other allies will be slaughtered in Afghanistan if they dare step off base in the southern provinces, and nobody is screaming at the tops of their media-lungs about the impending disaster. I would not be surprised to see a NATO base overrun in Afghanistan in 2007 with all the soldiers killed or captured. And when it happens, how many will claim they had no idea it was so bad and blame the media for failing to raise the alarm? Here it is: WARNING! Troops in Afghanistan are facing slaughter in 2007!"

and here, in his 3 part series on a visit to Afghanistan in 2006

The Perfect Evil, Part I of III

Perfect Evil Part Two of Three

The Perfect Evil, Part III of III

is this quote:(again,emphasis my own)

"There is a widespread notion that Afghanistan is safer for our troops than Iraq, yet Coalition and NATO combat deaths in Afghanistan are per capita nearly identical to those in Iraq. In 2007, per capita combat deaths will–-in my opinion–-likely be significantly higher in Afghanistan than Iraq. Why? There are many reasons, but one of the most important is that after years of neglect and dawdling, our European allies are awakening to the reality that a monster really is under the bed. But this awareness is not keeping pace with the threat. Our European friends are still not providing their people with proper equipment, all while the Taliban is getting stronger from the billion-dollar narcotics backwash that floods enemy coffers. As in Iraq, troop numbers are also dangerously low in Afghanistan, where the handfuls of friendly forces additionally lack sufficient air power to stretch their security resources."

In searching for the quotes, I came across this post on The Captain's Journal:

Nine U.S. Soldiers Killed in Kunar, Afghanistan: What Can We Learn?

which seemed a well-reasoned summary of the possible lessons to be learned from this tragedy, to prevent a recurrence.

And then, I was appalled to come across this article in the Military Times

U.S. pulls out of attacked Afghan base

Barely have the families of the 9 fallen soldiers begun to mourn, when they find that the outpost their loved ones died fighting in has already been abandoned.

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

I close this post by remembering those 9 fallen heroes.

I have included a link with each soldier's name, for you to learn just a little bit about them individually.

From the DOD website:

The Department of Defense announced the death of nine soldiers who were supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. They diedof wounds suffered when their outpost was attacked by small arms fire and rocket propelled grenades from enemy forces in Wanat, Afghanistan, on July 13. They were assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 503d Infantry Regiment (Airborne), 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, Vicenza, Italy.

Killed were:

1st Lt. Jonathan P. Brostrom, 24, of Hawaii.

Sgt. Israel Garcia, 24, of Long Beach, Calif.

Cpl. Jonathan R. Ayers, 24, of Snellville, Ga.

Cpl. Jason M. Bogar, 25, of Seattle, Wash.

Cpl. Jason D. Hovater, 24, of Clinton, Tenn.

Cpl. Matthew B. Phillips, 27, of Jasper, Ga.

Cpl. Pruitt A. Rainey, 22, of Haw River, N.C.

Cpl. Gunnar W. Zwilling, 20, of Florissant, Mo.

Pfc. Sergio S. Abad, 21, of Morganfield, Ky.

Our thoughts and prayers are with their families and friends and their fellow soldiers.

Visit to Arlington National Cemetary

2008-07-17T05:23:00.000-07:00

This past weekend, we visited Arlington National Cemetary for the first time. I've put together a slideshow of the pictures that Tony took.

What I don't think our pictures, or any pictures I've ever seen, convey....is the Vastness of Arlington. It's just immense.

We walked to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, and JFK's memorial, and could see the Pentagon in the distance in one section we were in.

It was a quiet and reverant place to visit.

It's also the place where the Run for the Fallen will finish up the cross-country run to honor our fallen heroes from OIF on Final Day Event: Sunday August 24

We hope to make it up to Arlington again, for that final day of the run, but I also noticed last evening on the Run for the Fallen website that on Day 63,August 16, the Run will be quite close to us here

RFTF.Day63.Aug16.Waynesboro, VA to Shannon Hill, VA (49.81 mi.)

and there is a link on Flickr to the fallen heroes that the Run will be honoring that day HERE

If you haven't checked out the Run for the Fallen Website? take some time to look over it HERE

Tags: Run for the Fallen , Arlington National Cemetary

Wednesday Hero

2008-07-16T02:17:00.000-07:00

Spc. Kisha Makerney 23 years old from Fort Towson, Oklahoma 120th Engineers, Oklahoma Army National Guard

Spc. Kisha Mackerney isn't being profiled today because of something she did on the battlefield. She's being profiled because her spirit and determination.

In 2002, Makerney joined the Oklahoma Army National Guard out of a sense of patriotism, because, as she put it, "I love our country and our people." Between 2004 and 2005, she served in Iraq as a gunner and helped provide battalion security.

She returned home in early 2005 and was in a terrible motorcycle accident on June 25, 2005. The front wheel of her brand new bike had blown out and sent her flying into a highway sign. She looked up at her now mangled bike and was angry.

That's when she noticed that her left leg below the knee was missing. The first thing she thought of when she saw her leg was that her military career was over. Makerney pulled herself out of the ditch that she had landed in and was able to flag down a passing motorist. She was taken a hospital in Hugo, Oklahoma before being flown to Dallas, Texas.

As soon as word spread about her accident, her fellow soldiers, her second family, rallied and rushed to her bedside. "Even before I was out of surgery they were waiting in the halls," she said. Continue reading Spc. Kisha Makerney's story here.

(There are some despicable comments by a few readers on the story. Just ignore them. )

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 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. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.

Tags: Wednesday Hero, US Army, Military

I met 'The Webmaster'! :)

2008-07-15T02:58:00.000-07:00

The 'webmaster' of Milblogging.com ,that is. (And, you know what? he looks more like a Boohbah than I thought he would :)

This past weekend, my husband and I had the pleasure of meeting JP and his family, and also seeing his mother again,( whom I'd met at the 2007 Milblog conference.)

(yes, JP temporarily lifted the restraining order, lol......however, he Did make sure that we met in a public place :)

Back in 2005 when I sent my first email to a blogging National Guard soldier stationed in Afghanistan, I had no clue that I'd become one of those legions of ladies who are JP's fans.....affectionately referred to as 'Crackheads', or 'Crackhead Hausfraus'.

And I could never have imagined that we'd stay in touch online over the years after his first deployment,while JP went on to found Milblogging.com and become a megastar in the Milblog world.

(I was not paid to write that....heck, JP's such a wheeler-dealer that I had to Pay, to get a Milblogging.com T-shirt :)

Seriously, when you spend several years online chatting with someone, and following the adventures of he, and his family, and his Platoon on his second deployment......and praying for him, and worrying about he and his family and platoon......I don't think I can quite describe what it feels like, to finally meet your online friend in person and give him a big ole Hug.

My husband and I had a wonderful time at the meeting, and it was a meeting filled with laughter, and talking, and More talking,lol. My husband and JP both share a snarky sense of humor, so they got along as well as I always thought they probably would.

JP and his family are just plain 'good folks'. His wife is every bit as beautiful in spirit as well as person, his sons are adorable (and yes, his youngest child Is a 'Care Bear':) and his mother has been just as supportive of Me over the past months of my stepson's deployment, as I had tried to keep her spirits up, also, while Her son was deployed.

I always say I love the Internet......but this past weekend was the real reason why I do. It's all about the People that the Internet gives you an opportunity to become close to.

It was Great, meeting the 'Webmaster of Milblogging.com" and his family:)

Thanks,JP!..... as always...dude, you rock!

Soldiers Angels Web Surfing

2008-07-11T19:15:00.000-07:00

My weekly surf of the web for news by, and about, Soldiers Angels

I start out with very sad news today, via Soldiers Angels Germany

Recovered

The news that the bodies of Sergeant Alex Jimenez and Private Byron W. Fouty(who were kidnapped along with PFC Joseph Anzack during an ambush in May 2007),have been recovered.

Anzack's body was recovered earlier this year.

Our thoughts and prayers are with their families.

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Life in the Northeast posts the names of other recent Fallen Heroes in her July 5th Remember... post.

Keeping the families and friends and fellow soldiers of all our Fallen Heroes in our prayers,also.

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Before continuing with the 'surf', I wanted to remind you that you can always find the latest major blog posts by members of Soldiers Angels anytime at blognetnews.com/soldiersangels

and so I have lately been altering my Soldiers Angel Web Surf to try and highlight the posts I come across by lesser known Angel bloggers.

For instance, an Angel whose blog I've mentioned before has heard from her Adopted Soldier :)

Penny Sanford blogs Yippee! We heard from our Adopted Soldier!

A 'new-to-me' Angel blogs about becoming a member of Soldiers Angels in this post New Button on her blog All About Kimberly and she has a brother who is currently serving in Iraq.

It turns out that July 12 is his Birthday! as she posts here on His blog http://tommienotes.com/?p=44

So why not stop by and wish her brother a Happy Birthday!

Quilts and a quilting Angel were the subject of this news article from an online TN news outlet: Woman seeks volunteers to make quilts for wounded soldiers

and then a quilting Soldiers Angel who is retired from the Air Force and a current military wife blogs on Sew Bee It Quilts for the Troops

Lastly, 'Brat', posting at Soldiers Angels New York introduces us to a 109 year old Every Day Hero

That's the 'surf' for this past week, thank you, as always, for taking the time to stop by and check out the links.

Tags: Soldiers Angels

Wednesday Hero

2008-07-08T16:39:00.000-07:00

Sgt. Kenneth J. Schall 22 years old from Peoria, Arizona 2nd Battalion, 70th Armor Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 1st Armored Division May 22, 2005 "It was very tough not to be touched by him in some way," said Terri Schall, Sgt. Kenneth Schall's mother. Kenneth Schall was enrolled at Glendale Community College and was studying to become a history teacher when the country was attacked on September 11, 2001. The event spurred him to join the Army. He served a four and a half month tour in Iraq in 2004 and returned in February of 2005. Terri Schall last spoke to her son on Mother's Day in 2005. "He sounded great — tired — but he said he was doing OK", she said. Sgt. Kenneth Schall died when the Humvee he was riding in was involved in an accident in Yusafiyah, Iraq. Along with his mother, Sgt. Schall is survived by his father and two younger siblings.

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 site, you can go here.

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

More on MOMENT OF THANKS

2008-07-06T05:30:00.000-07:00

Via the Soldiers Angels website :

Moment of Thanks is a special website where anybody can personally thank America's Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines for their service and sacrifice. Soldiers’ Angels has teamed up with Shezoom.com to support their goal of sending 100,000 support messages via the Moment of Thanks website. To ensure the troops themselves see the encouraging messages, Soldiers' Angels has been given postcards about the site from SheZoom, which will be included in the care packages sent to deployed service members.

Sponsored by Kodak and led by SheZoom.com, Moment of Thanks offers several ways for people to share their heartfelt wishes with the troops, including uploading videos and photos, and sending written messages. It also includes messages of gratitude for the troops from stars of the entertainment, sports and politcal world.

It's so important for our troops to know they are loved and appreciated for their service, so please check out the Moment of Thanks website and leave your message of thanks for all our service members do for us. If you're a service member yourself, please visit and take at look at all the grateful Americans who value your service!

For more about the idea behind Moment of Thanks, you can listen to founder Stacey Artandi on a SpouseBUZZ podcast.

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UPDATE: Here's our Thank You we posted there http://momentofthanks.com/node/526

Tags: moment of thanks

Project Healing Waters

2008-07-06T05:26:00.000-07:00

Because of a story in our local paper

Wounded Find Healing Waters by Jenny Jones, Daily News-Record

I found out about This very worthy project

Project Healing Waters

Please go read more about them, they are doing great work!

(and there's also another good article from the Richmond Times-Dispatch)

Streams of Solace for Injured Vets by Rex Springston

Soldiers Angels Web Surfing

2008-07-05T10:17:00.000-07:00

My apologies, the SA Web Surf didn't appear last week, because I was quite busy with the Soldiers Angels Living Legends Team

There were 56 US casualty announcements sent out by the DOD for the month of June, 29 soldiers fallen in Iraq and 27 soldiers fallen in Afghanistan, and the Angels on the Living Legends Team worked diligently to support the families of each of them.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to each of those families.

On June 22, Life in the Northeast posted some of the names of those fallen soldiers in her Remember... post, and you can find out more about those soldier's lives at the Living Legends Team Fallen Heroes blog.

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I am also in the process of making some changes in the Soldiers Angels Web Surfing.

While I have been posting 'news by and about' Soldiers Angels on a (mostly) weekly basis for over a year now, with the advent of the BlogNetNews.com-Soldiers Angels link, it is now possible for you to check out the major blog posts by members of Soldiers Angels anytime you wish.....( and you Are doing that,right? :)

So, I think my SA Web Surfing post is going to be evolving into something a little different....... now that you have that link to use as a source for Soldier's Angels news, I think I'll be featuring posts from that link Less on this Web Surf, and concentrate More on posting links that you might Not see featured at that link.

For instance, I often come across blog posts by members of Soldiers Angels like this Angel over at Bag Blog Another 4H Story , who starts out by posting about a T-shirt that her daughter received from her adopted soldier....go check it out, cool T-shirt :)

While she goes on to write about a 4H story? it is just always nice, I think, to run across other Angels, and what they are talking about, and see what kind of folks belong to Soldiers Angels......we 'Angels' come in all shapes and sizes, and are all over the world!

Another link I want to pass on, is the link to the blog of the most excellent 'Aunty Brat'......a tireless member of Soldiers Angels who hails from Canada,and has heretofore been blogging over at TankerBrothers while those fine soldiers were deployed.

They are home now,yay! and while 'Brat' will still continue to guest blog there, and also on Soldiers Angels New York ( and you can Also find her at NewsBlaze......hmmm,Greta? I think you might have some competition,lol, for someone else trying to 'take over the 'net') :)

'Brat' has, as I mentioned once before, started her own personal blog Assoluta Tranquillita ......go check it out, particularly a recent post about a comic strip that she wished to spread the word about.

Another interesting Soldiers Angels member that I've only recently come across is 'KJ', over here at Musings...while I stumbled across her blog because of that particular post, her whole blog is a great read, here's the main link for you to check out more.

In case you missed them at the BlogNetNews link?

Willie at A German-American Friendship Bracelet has posted

Walter Reed Medical Center news and stories

and

Brooke Army Medical Center news and stories

Speaking of BAMC? I came across this link because of Soldiers Angels, in the NewsofDelawareCounty.com, with an address to send cards to a recovering wounded soldier at BAMC, who is also being supported by SA

Wounded soldier recovering in TX

And check out this very interesting post at the many facets of donna, a member of the Soldiers Angels Wounded TLC team

Sadako Sasaki and 1,000 paper cranes

For more about sending mail to the troops? (in this case....emails) Soldiers Angels Louisiana reminds us that we have until July 10th to Send a Marine an email of Support

and View From the 8th Floor reposts her own email she sent Don't know what to say to a Marine?

and then tells us *Still* need emails for those Sailors,too!

Lastly, the word is spreading about the Moment of Thanks website (sponsored in part by Soldiers Angels)

and you can see a video from our very own Laurie Martin,VP of SA, right HERE

I know I passed on a lot of links, but hope you can take the time to 'surf' and check them all out!

Tags: Soldiers Angels

Wednesday Hero

2008-07-02T07:08:00.000-07:00

Click Image For Full Size Lance Cpl. Julie Martinez Lance Cpl. Julie Martinez, a radio operator with the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, checks the communication capabilities during a backload of Marines from Combat Logistics Regiment 3 to the USS Essex June 9.

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 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. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.

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

Book Review: I Will Not Be Broken by Jerry White

2008-06-26T16:40:00.000-07:00

Just finished reading I Will Not Be Broken by Jerry White and this is an amazingly uplifting and hope-filled book.

In 1984, Jerry White lost his leg in a landmine accident while on vacation in Israel. He later became a co-founder of the Landmine Survivors Network, which has recently changed it's name and broadened it's mission to become Survivor Corps

The book is a compilation of Jerry's own experiences and the lessons learned in surviving by many other people he's met, and it's subtitled "5 Steps to Overcoming a Life Crisis".

The book breaks down the keys to surviving and Thriving during that survival, into the 5 steps,which you can find listed on the website for the book, and for me, that was part of why I felt the book would be such an invaluable tool for anyone recovering from a cataclysmic loss in their life. Because of my volunteer work with Soldiers Angels , I was particularly thinking of wounded soldiers while I was reading this book.

Many wounded soldiers refer to the day they almost lost their life in combat as their "Alive Day", and although Jerry doesn't use that term in his book, I found this sentence on page 7 that seems to epitomize what "Alive Day" means...." I want to encourage all of us to honor our toughest dates - the tragedies that bind us - in an effort to transform victimhood into survivorship."

The book does a wonderful job, in my opinion, of giving practical advice for How to "transform victimhood into survivorship",and is also filled with the stories of How so many Other survivors of tragedies have done exactly that.

It's an easy read, and I would recommend it highly to anyone who is currently facing a life-altering tragedy in their life, or the life of someone close to them.

MoveAmericaForward Telethon today!

2008-06-26T15:20:00.000-07:00

The MoveAmericaForward Telethon is happening right now, from 4 pm to midnight EST (1 pm to 9 pm Pacific time)

You can check out the livestream of the telethon "From the Frontlines" here http://www.ustream.tv/channel/from-the-frontlines

and on the MoveAmericaForward website they have a widget with a running total of donations Here

Tags: MoveAmericaForward, From the Frontlines

Wednesday Hero

2008-06-24T16:21:00.000-07:00

This Weeks Hero Was Suggested by Mary Ann

Staff Sgt. Jude Voss 1st Battalion, 3d Special Forces Group (Airborne) His courage illustrates a combat truth to these veterans of World War II, Korea and Vietnam: Soldiers aren¢t thinking about glory or ideals in the midst of a battle. They fight for the men to the left and right of them. And that's just what SSgt. Jude Voss did in September of 2006 when, without consideration to his safety, SSgt. Voss ran through enemy fire and the burning, smoking debris of a truck to rescue Sgt. 1st Class Greg Stube. Sgt. Stube was in a bad way. Uniform burning and legs busted, but because of the actions of SSgt. Voss he is alive today. Because of his actions that day, SSgt. Voss was nominated for and received the Silver Star Medal for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action. "I did what everybody out there would do" Voss said. "I was just the closest guy." You can read SSgt. Voss's story here.

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 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. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.

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

Huskers, The 2008 Milblog Conference, and Letters from Home Needed

2008-06-24T16:00:00.000-07:00

Here's an event you might want to check out, if you're a military Husker fan

Husker Fans Salute to the Troops

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JP at Milblogging.com has UPDATES on the 2008 Milblog Conference

( which I won't be able to attend this year, sigh....but if you have a chance, consider going!!)

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Lastly, Major Pain at One Marine's View is asking for Emails of support for his Marines

LETTERS FROM HOME-WHAT WOULD YOU SAY?

Can you send these Marine's a good word?

(and pass the word on about this,please)

Remembering the Fallen

2008-06-24T15:39:00.000-07:00

Two sites I wanted to pass on, about Remembering the Fallen.

The first is a site that a friend is working on

Click here: Remembering The Fallen

where she is in the process of going back to the very beginning of the war and listing the names of those fallen and a link to their Legacy.com guestbooks........she's doing this to encourage people to continue to go by and sign the Guestbooks, so the families and friends will know their fallen soldier has not been forgotten.

She's currently up to 2003.

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The second site to pass on is a link that a PGR friend sent me

a Run For the Fallen that started on Flag Day and will go on for ten weeks.

Soldiers Angels Web Surfing

2008-06-20T07:31:00.000-07:00

My weekly 'surf' of the web for news by, and about, Soldiers Angels

Willie at A German-American Friendship Bracelet covers some Soldiers Angels News and Stories

and also, in case you can't get enough of a 'fix' of Soldiers Angels links from her post and my web surf? has a link to BlogNetNews.com, for more stories by blogging members of Soldiers Angels

http://www.blognetnews.com/soldiersangels/

I won't link to all of the posts on that link, but you'll see quite a number of posts from the Ladies of Liberty blog and that's a blog I want to urge you to check out Ladies of Liberty

partly because they are featuring a lot of Angels on there....it's always nice, to see the folks who are member Angels :) and they're also featuring the LOL servicemembers who are being supported by the Ladies of Liberty

For more news about Soldiers Angels? How about this story?

Wounded Soldiers And Veterans Get Assist From WWE®

Way to go, Oklahoma City Soldiers Angels! and WWE !

This....is just way cool, I think. The author of this blog and her family have adopted a soldier through Soldiers Angels, and getting the care packages together prompted some memories of his WW II deployment in Occupied Japan from an Uncle.

She blogs it here The Connecting Threads of War

Two things I wanted to highlight, from Soldiers Angels Texas....the first is a video Welcoming Troops at DFW Airport

and secondly, National Guard Troops in Iowa Need Angel Help

Lastly, I wanted to share a post from Soldiers Angels Germany From the Soldiers' Angels mailbox

because it's a Thank You from the parent of a Fallen Hero to the Team at Soldiers Angels that I'm honored to be a part of The Living Legends Team

That's the 'surf' for this past week!

Tags: Soldiers Angels

Wednesday Hero

2008-06-17T22:04:00.000-07:00

Click Image To View Full Size Capt. Jamie Riddle(Left) and an Iraqi Flight Instructor School student walk to the flightline before a recent mission at Kirkuk Air Base, Iraq. The Iraqi air force recently established the school for Iraqi pilots. Captain Riddle is an instructor pilot with the 52nd Flying Training Squadron

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 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. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.

Tags: Wednesday Hero, US Air Force, Military, War on Terror

As Milblogging.com Nears a Milestone...

2008-06-17T09:41:00.000-07:00

As Milblogging.com nears a Milestone Milblogging.com Approaches 2,000 Military Blog Milestone I decided to take a look back through the archives over there.

After all, over the years JP has gone from calling me a 'Milblogging.com fan' to referring to me as a 'Milblogging.com FANATIC' (and there was that paper served that said 'restraining order'....LOL, just kidding:)

Anyway, the idea for looking through the archives originated because I was wondering why, in his Milestone post, JP hadn't linked back to his very first entry on Milblogging.com?

I noticed on the Milblogging.com website that there was a handy link listed at the bottom of the home page that said BLOG ARCHIVES and thought to myself "oh, this will be easy."

Imagine my surprise when I clicked on the link and came to a page that said UNDER CONSTRUCTION (not sure 'surprise' is the word I want to use there.....'chagrin'? 'cursing'?'frustration'?)

So, it seemed my only solution was to scroll backwards in time, all the way back to October 31,2005,which is where I found the first entry

Hmmmm...not very auspicious, was it? Fortunately for all of us, Milblogging.com evolved....as did JP.....

From then:

To Now:

Actually, scrolling through the Milblogging.com archives all the way back to the beginning was like scrolling through the evolution of Milblogs themselves. I came across references to so many of the first milblogs which have now faded into the mists, as their writers returned to 'real life' from deployment, and ceased blogging.....and I recalled the excitement of discovering them for the first time, and avidly reading them as often as I could.

I also came across the numbers JP posted as he added milblogs to the Milblogging.com database, like Saturday,November 5,2005: A listing of 505 milblogs going on to Sunday,February 12,2006: 1,209 Milblogs in the database and Friday,September 8,2006: Tada! Here's the #1,500 military blog!

So, as you can see, it's taken awhile for Milblogging.com to get near this Milestone of 2,000 Milblogs. Currently, the site lists " 1,998 military blogs in 37 countries with 5,261 registered members " Yes,JP and Milblogging.com have come a long way, from that first posting of 505 milblogs spread over 15 countries .

JP started out with a dream of creating a database of military blogs for everyone to access......and I personally think he's done a Great job, at making that dream a reality!

So, here's to you, JP! Congratulations! on nearing this important milestone!

and Thanks! for letting all of us share in the journey, as you made that dream come true!

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Three years later,there are still many great milbogs being added to the database. If you haven't yet checked out Milblogging.com ......what are you waiting for? Go HERE

Tags: milblogs, milblogging

Soldiers Angels Web Surfing

2008-06-16T09:11:00.000-07:00

Due to a high school graduation for a cousin on Saturday, and Father's Day on Sunday, this is a Belated installment of my weekly 'surf' of the web for news by, and about, Soldiers Angels

Speaking of Father's Day? Soldiers Angels Germany has a post you won't want to miss Best Father's Day Ever

Sadly....Soldiers Angels Germany also posts about 9/11 "Truthers" harassing deployed Soldiers and Marines

but, on a happier note.....the Kodak moment of the month winner for June 2008, The Return

On that same theme.....Soldiers Angels of Alabama posts a Welcome Home

Moving on with the 'surf'....I've got 'cookie news'.....and more......

Wounded Warrior Support writes about The Power of a Cookie...

which segues nicely into this post by a 'new-to-me' Angel, Trying Our Best , who is trying to get the ball rolling on a Cookie Swap of cookie recipes. She's not only a Soldiers Angel, but also a Marine wife, who is one of a group of bloggers over at This site My Crazy Amazing Military Life

For other 'new Angel bloggers'.....'The Brat' is now blogging! over here at Assoluta Tranquillita

and there is a new site for Virginia Angels

In no particular order, some posts by veteran blogging Angels....this one from Da Goddess will warm your heart Hombrecito and the Award

Soldiers Angels Texas had an interesting D-Day story

Soldiers Angels Louisiana posted about Project seeking Veterans who are musicians

and Soldiers Angels-Medical Support wrote about Another Eagle Scout project to help our Wounded soldiers

Meet Some Angels

I came across a number of Angels featured in the news, or on blogs.

Ladies of Liberty featured Angel Colleen

The NC Asheville Citizen-Times had Meet Your Neighbor: Sherry Stokoe

A CT teenager was profiled in Local teenager raises funds to help soldiers overseas

KLTV news in TX story was Soldier's Angels Show Support To Our Troops - And They Need Your Help

and the Northwest Arkansas Times posted Volunteers repair military family’s flood damage

Well, that's a lot of links for y'all to check out....Enjoy the 'surf'!

Tags: Soldiers Angels

Happy Father's Day!

2008-06-15T13:03:00.000-07:00

To all the Dads in my family.....and to all Father's Everywhere!

History in the Making...Effort to send Care Packages to the Troops!

2008-06-12T13:54:00.000-07:00

MoveAmericaForward has launched an effort to send the largest shipment of care packages Ever to our Troops!

** THE GOAL: **

To send the largest single shipment of care packages to U.S. troops in history. The shipment is scheduled to go out days before the 4th of July, as a gift from the American people to our military men and women - to thank them for ensuring that our nation remains safe and free. The entire effort is being organized by Move America Forward - the nation's largest grassroots pro-troop organization. Individuals can sponsor care packages via the MAF website: http://www.MoveAmericaForward.org

Between now and June 26th they're asking Americans to sponsor personalized care packages that they will then ship over as part of a mass shipment to our troops - just in time for the 4th of July holiday!

Check out their Campaign Store HERE

and read more about the effort HERE

The grand finale for the push will take place on June 26th when a Jerry Lewis style 8-hour Internet Telethon ("From the Frontlines") will take place. This cutting edge production “From The Frontlines” will be broadcast live online by UStream.tv and hosted by Melanie Morgan &Michelle Malkin. Live and taped reports will be broadcast from our troops serving in Iraq & Afghanistan during the historic 8-hour event.

A few other postings about this drive:

Soldiers Angels

Soldiers Angels Louisiana

Please spread the word!

Tags: MoveAmericaForward, blogplugs, aol journals, support the troops, care packages, US Military

Wednesday Hero

2008-06-10T22:43:00.000-07:00

Army Spc. Jeffrey A. Williams 20 years old from Warrenville, Illinois Support Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment September 5, 2005 SPC. Jeffery A. Williams was killed in action when an IED was detonated near his combat patrol in Tal Afar, Iraq. "Your time with us was far too short Dealing with your loss will be hard, When I think about what this world has lost I want to just shut out the world and cry, But I will not do that. Because you gave your life for something much greater than you or I So, I will remember you as the Hero that you are And never let what you did in your life cut short be forgotten And that is the best way I know to honor you"

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 site, you can go here.

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

Soldiers Angels Web Surfing

2008-06-06T09:22:00.000-07:00

Another weekly ‘web surf’ for news by, and about, Soldiers Angels

The June edition of the Soldiers Angels newsletter is out, go check out Calling All Angels

Now that summer is here…..folks are out on the road. Mary Ann of Soldiers Angels Germany tells us about a cool ROAD TRIP!!! that a vet is taking. (and the link to his blogging about it is Daniel’s Big Trip )

For more ‘on the road’……

I came across this story at the timesleader.com in Wilkes-Barre,PA A winning hand helps disabled vets

and figured it was time for a reminder that there is a Soldiers Angels Riding Club SARC of PA

While I really can’t see any good way to segue from ‘on the road’ to ’tissue packets’? ( maybe you Need ’tissue packets’ when you’re ‘on the road’? I know…Lame:) that’s where the next link is headed.

An unexpected mention of the Soldiers Angels Traveling Museum in a story in The Earth Times titled Creative Jones Takes Top Honors in National Tissue Pack Contest

(that’s what’s cool about doing this ‘web surf’….you just never know Where you’ll end up, when you’re looking for news about Soldiers Angels!)

Kudos to the top prize winner, but I want to mention the second place winner, here’s what the article said:

“The second place winner is Street Dogs Event Marketing recognized for their heartfelt entry for the Soldiers’ Angels Museum, a traveling museum that shows images and memorabilia from U.S. troops.
Soldiers’ Angels is the largest non-profit group of its kind that supplies U.S. soldiers with necessary items while they are stationed away from home.

The winning tissue packs display the message “You will need these” with the objective of inviting communities to visit the organization’s museum.
The tissue packs, emblazoned with the Soldiers’ Angels logo, would be distributed in a direct mail piece to targeted groups of potential donors. Street Dogs Event Marketing will be donating their $2,500 prize money to the Soldiers’ Angels Museum.”

Soldiers Angels Texas tells about another news article Texas Angel In Bay City, TX Makes Newspaper

Wendy’s Wonderings tells us a little more about the Soldiers’ Angels Cookie Cook Book

and KY Woman at Little Drops…..Into the Pool of Life not only urges folks to “do something for those defending us”, such as “visit Soldiers Angels “,but she also has a Great blog round-up of “what has been going on with our ‘Guys’ in other countries and here at home.” ( I So love a good blog round-up!:) Check out her post Time Slipping Away…

Lastly, as she does every Sunday, this past Sunday Life in the Northeast
asked us to Remember…

Short ’surf’….but chock-full of news, enjoy reading the links!

Tags: Soldiers Angels

Wednesday Hero

2008-06-04T09:56:00.000-07:00

Petty Officer 2nd Class Adam F. Kenney Petty Officer 2nd Class Adam F. Kinney, a Navy Corpsman with Company E, 2nd Battalion, 24th Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 1, gives an Iraqi Child a shot during a routine patrol. Kinney is assigned to Echo Co. for their seven-month deployment and will return to his parent command, 4th Tank Battalion in Fort Knox, Ky., upon his arrival.

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 site, you can go here.

Tags: Wednesday Hero

Bad News for a Bad Voodoo Soldier

2008-06-01T06:38:00.000-07:00

Was very distressed yesterday to come across this post on Milblogging.com

Army punishes Soldier for participation in Bad Voodoo’s War

(FRONTLINE) Sfc. Nunn reports to FRONTLINE that the Army punished him for his participation in the film "with a letter of reprimand in my permanent record so that I cannot be promoted or reenlist." He says that "nothing illegal happened and proper protocol was followed" and that he is appealing the Army's decision to ensure that "I leave with an honorable discharge instead of a general discharge and I am trying to clear my name and record as well."

Read the entire story here on FRONTLINE PBS, including a letter to PBS from SFC Nunn.

Stay updated on SFC Nunn’s blog over at TobyNunn.net

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If you haven't watched PBS Frontline Bad Voodoo's War ? I urge you to take the time now to do so, you can find the link to watch the entire story online HERE

I haven't seen too much discussion yet online of the repurcussions for SFC Nunn (of course, I could be using the wrong search terms?) but I did come across this thoughtful post here (even though the writer sometimes refers to SFC Nunn as "SFC Dunn")

The Costs of War

and the most excellent Troy Bouhammer weighs in here Why the Army ticks me off sometimes

With my husband's son currently deployed? it meant a great deal to both he and I, to be able to watch the PBS Frontline Bad Voodoo's War to try and gain some insight into what his son may be going through.

My husband (an Army veteran himself) made the comment as we watched the show that "the Army is Not going to like" some of what SFC Nunn was saying, and in the event, he seems to be proved right with that comment.

I tend to agree with the blogger at Only Wonder Understands , in his comment that "While the military is not commenting publicly on this, it is much more likely that Sfc. Nunn’s punishment is due to his honesty in the program......being honest about the good and bad of his job" (paraphrase mine)

and I can only hope, for SFC Nunn's sake, that as Troy Bouhammer says "I really hope the military leadership who’s deplorable actions imposed this punishment thinks twice or reverses their decision."

For whatever my humble opinion is worth? Discussion of this story, and the repurcussions it has wrought for Toby Nunn, should be going viral.....particularly on milblogs.

And also, to SFC Nunn (as I sit here wearing my "Bad Voodoo" t-shirt while I type this post :).......I'd like to say.......you have the utmost support and admiration of folks like my husband and I, and we wish you well, in your attempt to clear your name and record. You spoke the truth as you saw it, and we thank you for doing so and regret what that has cost you.

Tags: Bad Voodoo's War, Toby Nunn

Soldiers Angels Web Surfing

2008-05-31T15:19:00.000-07:00

Welcome to another weekly edition of Soldiers Angels Web Surfing, for news by, and about, Soldiers Angels

Starting out this week with Soldiers Angels of Alabama , who tells us What Soldiers Angels means to me

Then Life in the Northeast , who always writes the Remember… posts, talks about what a difference Soldiers Angels can make to the deployed soldier Soldiers Angels

Hooah Wife and Friends inestimable ‘Princess of Positive’ has a link to the video of the opening of the Big Easy Cafe on Kiss My Gumbo

and then here is the link to the interview she mentions on WWLTV in the above blog post Mother helps bring taste of N.O. to son in Iraq

Thank You!

2008-05-28T13:56:00.000-07:00

Tony and I would like to say a heartfelt THANK YOU, to anyone who has supported Dustin by sending cards, letters, and/or care packages thus far in his deployment!

We know there are many of you out there that we probably don't even know about? and we just wanted you to know how grateful we are, for folks like you who are supporting him.

Wednesday Hero

2008-05-28T12:43:00.000-07:00

Gen. Benjamin S. Griffin

General Benjamin S. Griffin, commanding general, U.S. Army Materiel Command, talks with Brig. Gen. Shallal Abdul Rasool Habeeb

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 site, you can go here.

Tags: Wednesday Hero

World War ONE: A War Forgotten?

2008-05-26T12:14:00.000-07:00

My intention when starting this blog post was to feature links to blog writings about the various wars in history. The idea came because of the gentleman who is featuring his grandfather's letters from WW I

WW1: Experinces of an English Soldier

However, I became sidetracked from that idea when I came across This blog post

Tueting's AP US History:World War One Veterans

Go read it. It's a reprint of an article at washingtonpost.com , by Edward G. Lengel, titled Why Didn't We Listen to Their War Stories?

The article starts out speaking about a visit by Frank Buckles to the World War I memorial in Washington,D.C. Frank Buckles is the last U.S. veteran of World War I, and you can read about Mr. Buckles here Frank Buckles, 107, old-school survivor

I have followed stories about Mr. Buckles since the Patriot Guard Riders had a ride to honor him in Sept 2007

and I have been to the DC World War I memorial, and cried over the condition it is in.

AVisit to the Wall, and Other Memorials

Our visit to that Memorial in Feb.2007 led me to read A World Undone: The Story of the Great War, 1914 to 1918 by G.J. Meyer which was an excellent history of a war I had previously known very little about.

I cried again today, reading the article about the last surviving U.S. veteran visiting the Memorial pictured above, which is not even a National memorial....there is no National Memorial for World War I.

Mr. Lengel says in his article that he has been told World War I has "poor entertainment value" (Mr. Lengel has written a book To Conquer Hell: The Meuse-Argonne,1918 )

and he asks at the end of the article

"Do we honor our veterans for all their sacrifices, or do we care only if they can tell us a good story?"

Memorial Day 2008

2008-05-25T13:41:00.000-07:00

Soldiers Angels Web Surfing

2008-05-23T12:42:00.000-07:00

My weekly (except I missed last week, apologies…I just ran out of time) of news by, and about, Soldiers Angels

There are Tons of great posts to pass on! I wanted to start out with, Woo Hoo:) a mention of Soldiers Angels in the National Review Online Thank you, Myrna Blyth!

Moving on………

Soldiers Angels Louisiana (our own Greta) has two good posts worth checking out

Ponchatoula WWII gets medals now

Thailand welcomes Louisiana National Guard

and Soldiers Angels of Alabama passes on that Guard unit due in Cullman for homecoming Welcome Home! to them on Thursday!

Nice video and story from KMBC TV in Kansas Soldiers Thank Students For Care Packages

and, you just never know where you’ll find a mention of Soldiers Angels. Check this out, in The Nantucket Independent Newspaper Keeping It in Perspective Very good read!

You can read in Veterans Today about the Soldiers Angels Ladies of Liberty

A ‘new-to-me’ Angel posts on War on Terror News Soldiers Angels Founder is ‘America’s Favorite Mom’

And this is another ‘new-to-me’ Angel, who is actually in my ‘neck of the woods’ Life with the Wheeler Family and is doing some great stuff! plus also just another good read We’ve briefly chatted online, hoping to someday meet her in person!

Ros at News Blaze links to a post from Soldiers Angels Germany Having a bad day?

and also posts The Hellraisers send a Soldier’s Angel Beanie Babies

Soldiers Angels Network reminds us that there are soldiers needing adoption! Volunteering is American; Soldiers’ Angels Needs You to Adopt a Hero

and an actor-blogger at Unscripted posts about Volunteers of America She’s just become an ‘Angel’, stop by and check her out

Soldiers Angels Texas blogs about the Texas Fallen Soldiers Project

and also writes It’s a Bird! It’s a Plane! No- It’s a Soldiers’ Angels Billboard - in TEXAS

(and here’s a pic, of said billboard )

With Memorial Day coming up, View From the 8th Floor blogs about what she will (and won’t) be doing Memorial Day Weekend

and Soldiers Angels Network reminds us of the National Moment of Remembrance

Life in the Northeast (blogging in a different location now) Always posts for us to Remember…

That’s the ’surf’ for this past week, of news by, and about, Soldiers Angels

Hope you enjoy!

Tags: Soldiers Angels

'Family Things'

2008-05-23T10:00:00.000-07:00

Although I usually post here mainly about supporting the troops, there are two 'family things' I wanted to share, one from my family blog

A Son's Love, and a Father's Day contest

and, from my youngest sister and her husband's blog, not anything in particular, but the whole blog :) A Red Thread to China because it's a great blog! (IMHO)

Operation Love From Home and Toys For Troops

2008-05-23T09:17:00.000-07:00

A few more things I've had sitting in my inbox to pass on.

Friend Kat at Yikes! , who's been doing card drives for the troops for quite awhile, like her current 4th of July Card Drive

is in the process of getting Operation Love From Home set up as a non-profit entity

and has a website set up for Operation Love From Home

Kat is one of the staunchest troop supporters I know, and one of my very first 'blogging friends'.....and also just an all around Great Person :) Please check out the Operation Love From Home website , and here's sending good wishes to Kat on her new venture!!

(and, have you sent a card yet, for her latest card drive? the deadline to get them in by June 7th is fast approaching!!....correction, she's extended the deadline to June 14th...but that's still coming up soon!!)

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I've also mentioned Toys For Troops before, and got an email recently that included the news that many of the soldiers they've been shipping Beanie Babies to, to hand out to children, have now come home. (including the son of the Toys for Troops founder, whose blog is here ) Hurray! and Welcome Home! to them!

These redeployments, though, mean that Toys For Troops is looking for new soldiers to send boxes of Beanie Babies (among other things) to....so, if you know a deployed soldier who has contact with children and might be interested in receiving a box of Beanie Babies to pass out to local children? stop by the Toys For Troops blog and see how to contact them!

Wednesday Heroes

2008-05-21T08:36:00.000-07:00

Sgt. John F. Thomas(Right) & Sgt. Ronnie L. Shelley, Sr.(Left) 33 & 34 years old from Valdosta, Georgia 2nd Battalion, 121st Infantry Regiment, 48th Infantry Brigade, Georgia Army National Guard July 24, 2005 & July 30, 2005 Sgt. Ronnie "Rod" Shelley and Sgt. John F. Thomas became best friends in the Georgia Army National Guard. They both were ex-Marines, both about the same age, and both enjoyed searching for arrowheads and fishing together. As their friendship grew, Thomas often came over to Shelley’s house for steaks and ribs barbecued by his friend. And when their infantry unit was sent to Iraq in May of 2005, they went to war together. When their unit was mobilized for combat duty in Iraq, Shelley promised to watch out for Thomas. "Ronnie said, 'Don't you worry, I'll bring him back safely,"' said Thomas' grandfather. But neither Sgt. Thomas or Sgt. Shelley made it back safely. Sgt. Thomas was killed July 24, 2005 by a roadside bomb near Baghdad. And Sgt. Shelley was killed six days later on July 30 by another roadside bomb, also near Baghdad. Shelley was a family man, married with three children, who was obsessed with having a neat yard, his wife said. "The grass had to be two inches," she said. "If the neighbor mowed the grass, Rod had to mow. He also wanted the biggest, baddest lawn mower." She said she fell in love with his "gorgeous blue ... eyes," and "he had a laid back attitude. I could not make him mad." Thomas was married but had no children. His grandparents said he dreamed of becoming a forest ranger. "John wanted to hike the Appalachian Trail. Now the only trail he can walk is the trail in heaven," the grandfather said. Mrs. Thomas, wiping back tears, said the soldier felt responsible for the others in his unit. "He cared for people," she said. "That's why he had so many friends. People cared for him." Killed alongside Sgt. Shelley were Staff Sgt. David R. Jones Sr., Sgt. 1st Class Victor A. Anderson and Sgt. Jonathon C. Haggin and killed alongside Sgt. Thomas were Army Spc. Jacques E. Brunson, Army Staff Sgt. Carl R. Fuller and Army Sgt. James O. Kinlow.

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 site, you can go here.

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

Monday Potpourri of Things to Pass On

2008-05-19T10:18:00.000-07:00

Obviously, I had no "Soldiers Angels Web Surfing" post on Friday.....last week was just hectic, and my work schedule was the same. This past weekend, I actually Never got on the computer at All,lol.....(I know,gasp...what is the world coming to?) and so I missed my Own Anniversary of One Year of Soldiers Angels Web Surfing on May 18th....sheesh, "dorks r us", I saved the link to my post a year ago for the whole month of May,lol, and then forget to log in on the anniversary date :)

Well, in case you're interested, here's the first Soldiers Angels Web Surfing post from May 18 a year ago HERE

I've really enjoyed the past year of doing those posts, and reading about other Angels and what they're doing, and reading Soldiers Angels news in general. And its been an honor and pleasure, to ask to cross post them over at Hooah Wife and Friends . I plan to continue posting the Soldiers Angels Web Surf, it just seems to be that lately 'real life' is interfering with getting those posts Done!

(Hopefully, check this coming Friday for a Soldiers Angels Web Surfing post.)

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

I have a few things I've been saving to pass on, and I want to get those posted today, before This week gets hectic :)

First of all, apologies to friend Cary Cartter, of The O Word for my not passing along sooner that he is on the radio ( blogtalkradio ) Worth a listen! and his blog is worth a look,too :)

I received an email about a book that looked interesting, if you want to find out more about it, it's called

I Will Not Be Broken : Five Steps to Overcoming a Life Crisis by Jerry White

I'm looking forward to reading it and will let you know what I think when I finish my copy.

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Short post, I know, but I just wanted to let folks know I was still around, just haven't had much computer time lately!

Hope everyone has a good week! :)

Wednesday Hero

2008-05-14T10:26:00.000-07:00

This Weeks Hero Was Suggested By Cindy

Petty Officer 2nd Class Chris Davila From Sierra Vista, Arizona On the sixth anniversary of the terrorist attack on the United States, Petty Officer 2nd Class Chris Davila raised an American flag over Camp Korean Village, Iraq, he brought with him from Arizona. Tuesday, May 6, 2008, Sierra Vista firefighter and emergency medical technician Chris Davila presented that flag to Fire Chief Randy Redmond as fellow firefighters looked on. Monday, May 5, 2008, was Davila’s first day back on the job with the department after being gone for nearly nine months, with seven of those months deployed as a Navy Reserve corpsman serving with a Marine unit near the Jordanian and Syrian border area in Iraq. And, as luck would have it, on his first shift saw him responding to a blaze in Sierra Vista. "Right back to work," he said with a laugh. You can read the rest of PO 2nd Class Davila's story here.

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 site, you can go here.

Tags: Wednesday Hero, firefighters, US Navy, US Military, War on terror

Congratulations,Patti!

2008-05-11T18:26:00.000-07:00

Woo Hoo! Patti Patton-Bader, the WINNER of the America's Favorite Mom contest!!

Soldiers' Angels Founder is America's Favorite Mom

Soldiers’ Angels founder Patti Patton Bader was named “America’s Favorite Mom” in a primetime television show Sunday night on NBC. Sponsored by Teleflora and hosted by Donnie and Marie Osmond, the show highlighted fifteen outstanding mothers who had distinguished themselves in categories ranging from Working Moms to Military Moms and “Non-Mom” Moms.

Humbled by the honor, Patti is thrilled to be able to use it to continue the Soldiers’ Angels mission of “May No Soldier Go Unloved.” As the grand prize winner, she will receive $250,000, a set of household appliances, and other valuable items. Patti hopes to apply the winnings to her plans for a small ranch that will allow newly returned soldiers to relax with their families after deployments.

“I really am lucky to know so many heroes in my life,” said Patti, who herself has two sons in the Army, one currently deployed to Iraq. “Whether they are the troops who serve our country or the amazing mothers here on this America’s Favorite Mom program, I am honored to be in the presence of such inspirational people and also am humbled to know that America thinks the same of me.”

Patti is also excited about the opportunities this platform gives her to help people learn more about America’s military heroes and options for supporting them and their families. The attention she has received through the America’s Favorite Mom events has already drawn a number of new volunteers who want to use their talents and connections to help support the troops.

In a nationwide online poll last March, Patti was voted “America’s Most Inspirational Mom” after having been nominated by her eldest son for founding and leading Soldiers’ Angels. On May 5 she appeared on the Today show as one of three selected finalists in the “Favorite Military Mom” category. A nationwide online poll was again conducted, and the results were announced on May 11, with Patti being named winner in both the “Favorite Military Mom” and “America’s Favorite Mom” categories. More information is available at the America's Favorite Mom website.

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

Congratulations again, Patti!

and

Tags: America's Favorite Mom, Soldiers Angels

Happy Mother's Day!

2008-05-10T08:47:00.000-07:00

To all the Mom's out there...wishing you a wonderful day tomorrow!

Soldiers Angels Web Surfing

2008-05-09T13:05:00.000-07:00

Welcome to my weekly ’surf’ of the web for news by, and about, Soldiers Angels

( there was no web surf Last week, because my daughter and I, among Many others, were busy volunteering With Soldiers Angels, at the 2008 Face of America Bike Ride It was an Awesome event to volunteer at!:)

The Angel who blogs at View From the 8th Floor was also one of the volunteers last weekend, and she has a great Round Up post with links HERE

Sorry I wasn’t able to do the surf post last week, because there were lots of good posts by and about Soldiers Angels …..but one post I still wish to pass on,however belatedly, was Laughing Wolf’s post at Blackfive here, Some Thoughts On Soldier’s Angels

Moving on to This past week’s collection of posts………

Homefront Six had an awesome Tuesday last week! GUESS where I was today!!!

Fuzzilicious Thinking posts about Valour IT here Receiving and Asking

and speaking of Valour IT ? I came across this post which picqued my interest into his explanatory post, which you’ll find here The View from North Central Idaho:Boomershoot 2008 Raffle Proceeds Just totally awesome,huh?!

The NC SA VA Team is having a get-together May 17 Gathering of Fayetteville Area Angels

and Soldiers Angels of Alabama talks about Operation Recruiter Appreciation on that same day.

and Soldiers Angels Germany tells us that The Soldiers Angels Sewing Team Announces BLANKETS OF BELIEF

Soldiers Angels Network passes along that LTC (CH) JAMES R. CHAPIN Needs Ongoing Assistance in Providing Clothing to Service Members on Emergency Leave

And,if you haven’t yet checked out the Soldiers Angels May Newsletter , you can find the link to that HERE

Lastly, Remembering Fallen Heroes

Soldiers Angels Louisiana Fort Polk mourns the loss of a hero

Soldiers Angels Texas Texas Lost 2 More Hero’s

That’s the end of the ’surf’ for this past week, Thank You, for coming along on the ride.

And don’t forget to watch Sunday Night, the results of teleflora’s and NBC’s America’s Favorite Mom !!!

Tags: Soldiers Angels

Wednesday Hero

2008-05-07T11:36:00.000-07:00

CSM Robert Prosser and LTC Erik Kurilla
1st Battalion, 24th Infantry Regiment (Deuce Four)

LTC. Erik Kurilla and CSM. Robert Prosser's story is an amazing one. One that

Michael Yon

has told far better than I ever could. Warning. The site contains very graphic images. Some may want to turn off images before viewing.

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 site, you can go here.

Tags: Wednesday Hero

Links about the 2008 Face of America Bike Ride

2008-05-06T09:00:00.000-07:00

(a pic of daughter April and I at the Lunch Stop in MD...Beautiful Park! and a Beautiful Day!)

Starting to find links to blog posts and pictures from both riders, and other volunteers, so wanted to pass them on to you.

My Angel friend over at View From the 8th Floor has her first post up, (with what I think is a wonderful picture of my daughter and I--Thanks!:)

What Would You Get Up at 4:30 am to Do?

and yes, we Did all get up at 4:30 am!! This was After getting lost trying to find our friend's place, as she had kindly offered for us to crash there so we wouldn't have to get up at 2:30 am.....given the choice, I'll pick 4:30 over 2:30 am Any day! So, there was a slight detour for April and I through Reagan National Airport, which is where we got turned around after we missed our exit....but that was nice,actually,LOL, I don't think I've been to Reagan National in years, and here I was driving past it at about 10 pm saying to April "wow, they've really changed this airport since I was last here!"and she's just like "MOM, could you please find the place we're going to?! I want to sleep!"

Still, I think we got More sleep than a lot of the riders, as you can see from Chuck Z's wife,Carren's, post here Day One Complete: 2008 Face of America Bike Ride

Chuck Z from From My Postion...On the Way! (whom I had heard speak at the Milblog conference last year, but was too shy to speak To him then, although I did chat with his wife back then for a minute) was there, and this time I Did speak to him,lol, And his wife,Carren (and please, nobody ask her about my Freudian slip of the tongue!)Chuck rode as half of 'Team Chuck Z" in the ride, and he has a post up, with some great pics

Top five things I learned on the Face of America ride

(and this is another example of 'cool things about the Internet', referencing back to my Happy Birthday,World Wide Web:) post...which JP of Milblogging.com linked to my Yahoo 360 cross-post,which was Way Cool...oh darn, I lost my train of thought......oh yes! if you had ever told me, back in 2005 when I first started reading From My Postion..On the Way! that someday, I would Meet both Chuck and his wife,Carren? I wouldn't have believed it! )

The Other half of "Team Chuck Z" was Laughing Wolf from Blackfive.....whom I Also had a chance to speak with, and hey y'all, this is like meeting Rock Stars! for little ole Me :) Laughing Wolf has a short post on his blog Face Of America, The Quick Version and then mentions the bike ride at the beginning of this post over on Blackfive

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UPDATE: This post got interrupted yesterday when my daughter had an accident at school....she got hit in the head with a softball during PE, Ouch! Mild concussion, but otherwise OK, and it Could have been a lot worse. Thanks! to all those who emailed me:)

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My Angel friend over at View From the 8th Floor was also starting a Round Up of her own, and she did a Great job, so to finish this post, I'm just going to send you over to Her Round UP

Face of America Bike Ride 2008-Blog Round Up

and I'll end with this picture of a blogging buddy and I, I finally got to meet her after trying for over a year! and roped her into coming out to help us on Day One at the lunch stop (what are friends for?lol:)

Tags: 2008 Face of America Bike Ride

Monday-Please Vote for Soldiers Angels Founder

2008-05-04T17:43:00.000-07:00

Soldiers' Angels founder Patti Patton Bader will appear on NBC's Today show on May 5, during the nine o'clock hour. She has been selected as a semi-finalist in NBC/Teleflora's America's Favorite Mom contest. Votes based on her appearance on the show with two other military moms will determine whether she moves on to the final round.

On Mother's Day (May 11), NBC will broadcast a prime-time special featuring the crowning of "America's Favorite Mom," the results of which will be determined by how many votes are received from May 5 to May 9. Each mother can only receive votes during the exact day she appears on the Today show, and the mothers with the five highest vote totals will move on to the prime-time special.

Patton Bader was selected as a semi-finalist after being voted "America's Most Inspirational Mom" in March. Her son, Staff Sergeant Brandon Varn, nominated her for starting a non-profit organization to support soldiers and their families. "My mom is one of the most amazing women in the world," he wrote. "She started an organization called Soldiers' Angels when I was deployed to Iraq. The organization is there to ensure, 'May no soldier go unloved.' It is the largest non-profit independent military support organization that has started since the onset of the 'War on Terrorism.' She puts her whole self into helping Soldiers, Airmen, Sailors, and Marines every day," says Varn. Patton Bader's other son, Specialist Bretton Varn, is currently deployed to Iraq and will appear with her via satellite on Today.

Prizes for the five winning mothers include $25,000 to $250,000 in cash, and a number of free services and products. But in keeping with her efforts to support the troops, Patton Bader wants America's soldiers to be the big winners. "I plan on using everything to help heroes. Everything," she says, referring to the wide variety of prizes she could receive if she is lucky enough to win . "It is a true honor to stand with these fourteen outstanding moms," she adds.

Soldiers' Angels encourages all Americans to visit www.nbc.com/Americas_Favorite_Mom to vote for their favorite mom, and to watch the Today show the week of May 5-9 and the America's Favorite Mom show on Mother's Day, May 11, to celebrate these remarkable mothers.

Tags: Soldiers Angels

May 3-Day One-2008 Face of America Bike Ride

2008-05-04T04:48:00.000-07:00

My daughter and I had a great time volunteering yesterday, for the first leg of the

2008 Face of America Bike Ride

Here's the slide show I put together of my pics

It turned out to be an absolutely beautiful day! We were on the 'banner team', we helped put up banners at the start of the ride, take them down, put them up at the lunch stop, take them down, and put them up at the last stop of the day .

The lunch stop was in a very pretty park, I separated out those photos here

We had a wonderful time seeing many Angels we'd met last year, and meeting new Angels and others who came to volunteer this year,and talking with some of the riders.

We also got to meet a 'blogging buddy' of mine,Finally, I've tried to get together with her before but it never worked out. It's always so much fun, to meet in person the people you've spent so much time talking to online!

The second leg of the ride,up to Gettysburg, is today. Looking forward to seeing other's pictures of those, and as I come across more photos/videos from the ride, I'll pass them along!

Tags: 2008 Face of America Bike Ride

Adopt a Troop in Prayer?

2008-05-01T15:33:00.000-07:00

With today being the National Day of Prayer

Psalm 28:7 The LORD is my strength and my shield; My heart trusts in Him, and I am helped; Therefore my heart exults, And with my song I shall thank Him.

I wanted to pass on a new (to me) website that I came across,

called Adopt Our Troops in Prayer

Wednesday Hero

2008-04-30T09:27:00.000-07:00

This Weeks Hero Was Suggested By Mary Ann

Wednesday Hero was started to put a face to the men and women of the American Armed Forces and what they do for us. Vary rarely has there been a member of a foreign military profiled. In fact, in the two years Wednesday Hero's been going on it's only been done once before. Here's the second.

Lance Corporal Matt Croucher 24 years old from Birmingham, England 40 Commando Royal Marines L/Cpl Matt Croucher is not only one of the bravest men alive, he's also one of the luckiest men alive. On the morning of February 9, 2008 L/Cpl. and his unit were searching a compound near Sangin in Afghanistan that was suspected of being used to make bombs to be used in attacks on British and Afghan troops. Walking in the darkness among a group of four men, Croucher stepped into a tripwire that pulled the pin from a boobytrap grenade. His patrol commander, Corporal Adam Lesley, remembered Croucher shouting "Grenade!" As others dived for cover, Croucher did something nobody expected. He lay down on the grenade to smother the blast. Lesley got on the ground, another man got behind a wall, but the last member of the patrol was still standing in the open when the grenade went off. "My reaction was, 'My God this can't be real'," said Lesley. "Croucher had simply lain back and used his day sack to blunt the force of the explosion. You would expect nine out of 10 people to die in that situation." L/Cpl. Croucher was that 1/10. Not only did he survive, amazingly he only suffered shock from the blast and a bloody nose. He was saved by the special plating inside his Osprey body armor. The backpack he was wearing was thrown more than 30ft by the blast. "I felt one of the lads giving me a top to toe check. My head was ringing. Blood was streaming from my nose. It took 30 seconds before I realized I was definitely not dead," said L/Cpl. Croucher. For his actions that day, L/Cpl. Croucher was in line for the VictoriaCross, the highest award for a British Serviceman, but it has yet to be awarded.

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 site, you can go here.

Tags: Wednesday Hero

Happy Birthday, World Wide Web :)

2008-04-30T09:18:00.000-07:00

Guido posted on Magic Smoke, the AOL Journals blog, WWW=15 ,that today is the 15th 'birthday' of the World Wide Web, and asked the question

"What changed when the Internet came into your life?"

While the WWW might have been around for 15 years? I only got my first computer, a hand-me-down from my uncle, back in 2001. That was an old HP computer, and I accessed the Internet with Dial-Up! which, although such a short time ago, seems like the 'stone age' to me Now,lol.

I've gone from dial-up access, to being a DSL user, to using a Cable link, and from Windows 98 to Windows XP (haven't gotten Vista yet, but one of my son's is using it)

I've learned a lot of technical stuff along the way,lol....I'm all self-taught, which means I have strange knowledge gaps that flummox other people, things they think I Should know, and I don't,because I learned it all by trial and error :)and by lots of reading of technical blogs and information ,that I only partially understood sometimes!

How has the Internet changed my life? well, for one....I spend more time sitting down,lol.

Seriously, the Internet has kept me in closer touch with my family, spread out around the country and the world as they all are. The Internet has meant that I could follow along more closely with both my brother's career, and also in the adoption by my sister and brother-in-law of their daughter, in a much more immediate way than using 'snail mail' and intermittant telephone calls.

And the Internet brought 'milblogs' to my attention, which in turn led to me becoming a member of Soldiers Angels....and both milblogs and Soldiers Angels has changed my life Enormously.

I have had the privilege of getting to know a great many fine and fantastic folks all over the country,and the World, through being a member of Soldiers Angels.

And access to the Internet led to my becoming a blogger myself,which has Also led to my meeting many wonderful new people.

Being a blogger, more so than being a member of Soldiers Angels, is what led me to meet the Founder of Soldiers Angels,Patti,when I attended the Milblog conference last year in DC. And also meeting Robert Stokely and briefly speaking with him, one of the most towering men of Christian faith I've ever had the privilege to meet. Over a year later, the brief conversation we had while in the lunch line still resounds within me, and, now that my husband/'s son is deployed, brings me a great deal of comfort and peace.

And being a blogger has brought me back to one of my first loves, writing.....whether I do well at writing or not,lol, I cannot imagine my life now without the outlet of blogging. I had forgotten,over the years, how much I loved writing and expressing myself, caught up in raising a family and working as I was.

I am one who is always amazed and delighted by the twists and turns that life takes one on, which in looking back you never realized it was going to take. I had no idea when I clicked on my first 'milblog' that reading it would lead to my becoming a blogger, troop-supporter, or that my life would expand so much because of the Internet.

For instance, I had no idea when I sent my first email to JP of Milblogging.com, before he ever even Started Milblogging.com, that one day I would be watching a PBS special about his platoon!

And when I first joined MySpace, I had no idea that one day my friend,Courtney, who then lived way across the country,would be coming down for a visit and what a wonderful time we would have getting to meet and know her better :)

Without the Internet, and Soldiers Angels, my daughter and I would never have gone last year to the Face of America bike ride to volunteer, and we would have missed out on meeting some people who have become friends since then. ( and,you can never have too many friends, can you? :)

Without the Internet and blogging, we wouldn't be excitedly preparing, when we go This year to volunteer at the bike ride, to perhaps afterward meet one of my 'blogging buddies' while we're up there.

(conversely, the Internet has also brought me back in touch with old friends who live very close by....and yet, we still haven't gotten together in person! LOL. because it's so much easier, in the busy day-to-day of life, to just send off a quick email.)

I could go on and on.....but I think the bottom line answer to the question Guido posed, "What changed when the Internet came into your life"?, for me, is that it brought me into contact with a great many more People,and that has enhanced my life enormously.

So, Happy Birthday, WWW! :)

Here's wishing you many more!

Need a Smile? Here's Two :)

2008-04-26T18:03:00.000-07:00

My friend JP, of Milblogging.com And Bad Voodoo fame, posted a hilarious picture the other day of his one year old's "artwork", you can see it

here How my kids cheer me up during deployment

And then today he posted a link to a video that features a song that is near and dear to my family's heart,lol.....go check out the video

Milblogger in the News: Ponte Vedra soldier’s platoon rocks out

(and if you want to see why I laughed about the song choice in the video, just check out Moment of Zen on my family blog :)

2008 Face of America Bike Ride~Next Weekend!

2008-04-26T07:32:00.000-07:00

Next weekend is the 2008 Face of America Bike Ride

where I'll be volunteering with Soldiers Angels , as my daughter and I did Last Year.

So, I figured it was time to do a "remix" of my photos from last year, and re-post my slide show from the 2007 Ride.

We had a Blast volunteering last year, and met a lot of great folks! Looking forward to it again This Year!

Tags: Face of America Bike Ride

Soldiers Angels Web Surfing

2008-04-26T06:52:00.000-07:00

My weekly ’surf’ of the web for news by, and about, Soldiers Angels
(Hey, I’m only One Day Late in posting this week….lol…I call that progress:)

I know that my blog seems to once again just consist lately of "Wednesday Hero" posts, and "Soldiers Angels Web Surfing" posts? but, part of that is because of my work schedule lately, part of that is because...it's Spring! yay!.....and part of that is because of the new puppy in our house,"Brownie"

Isn't she a cutie? :)

Well, moving on to the 'surf'........

Starting out with a ‘food’ theme, Soldiers Angels Network passes on
AN ANGEL REQUEST……………….

for recipe submissions for an Angel cookbook.

And Greta talks about Cookies for a Cause over at Soldiers Angels Louisiana.

Cookies fit in nicely with something you can take to a recruiter’s office for
Operation Recruiter Appreciation, 2008 (and there’s lots of other great ideas in that post,too!)

For other posts:

The Nevada Soldiers Angels VA Team posted
Guidelines for Listening to War Veterans

and Soldiers Angels Texas posted Now is the Time! We Need Your Help!

Soldiers Angels of Alabama had a great post that speaks for itself
How many go unloved?

Short surf this past week, but Thanks for coming along!

Tags: Soldiers Angels

Wednesday Hero

2008-04-22T23:41:00.000-07:00

Click To Enlarge Cpl. Markbradley Vincze gives students from al-Raqhaa School backpacks in the Monsouri area of Iraq. Soldiers from Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 1-76th FA, 4th BCT, 3rd Inf. Div., delivered backpacks, soccer balls and notebooks.

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 site, you can go here.

Tags: Wednesday Hero, US Army, War on Terror

Soldiers Angels Web Surfing

2008-04-18T13:15:00.000-07:00

My weekly post of news by, and about, Soldiers Angels in the blogosphere.

There is a wealth of good posts/news this past week:) but before I get started……did you remember that you can Still be Voting for Patti? The teleflora America’s Favorite Mom Online contest is continuing, and Now you can be voting for Patti for ” America’s Most Popular Mom ”

So, Angels…won’t you please Keep Voting !:)

And Now…..on to this week’s Web Surf…………

I came across This blog post There are angels,and then there are Soldiers Angels by a blogging writer,Elen, who mentions Another writer, JoAnn Ross….who came across Soldiers Angels while doing research for a book, and JoAnn blogged about that here.

So, Joann became a Soldiers Angel, and then Elen saw her blog post and adopted a soldier,too!! Yay!!

I ended up exchanging some emails with both Elen and JoAnn, and they both said that many more of their writer friends are checking out Soldiers Angels….so Welcome! to all these new Angels!!

In Other exciting news…….Greta is a radio star

Louisiana Angel Stars on Radio!

Way to go,Greta!!

On her Louisiana Soldiers Angel blog, Greta gives a Big Easy Cafe Update and then posts pictures Big Easy Cafe Started

Soldiers Angels Texas posted about Blankets of Hope

and then, Woo Hoo! Blankets for Hope Also got mentioned at About.com !!

Tennessee Soldiers Angels VA Team posted about Morristown Outpatient Clinic Opening

and Nevada Soldiers VA Team posted Soldiers Angels Visit the Armory

A Soldiers Angel told us about upcoming Soldiers Angels Events in San Diego

and Soldiers Angels Alabama tells us Bama Guard Unit to Deploy to Afghanistan

Globally, Nelly at Soldiers Angels Europe blogs New British Soldiers For Adoption

New Links!

AR Angel Cafe: Soldiers Angels Team Arkansas

and a new link from Shelle Michaels, Wingtip 2 Wingtip a place you can find “Soldiers Angels National Communication”, and be sure and read about Heroes Tax Relief Package

Lastly, at This link Golden Dragons:For the Soldiers and Families of the 1rst Battalion,14th Infantry Regiment Fighting in Iraq I came across A Note from LTC Boccardi

and the pertinent part of his note regarding Soldiers Angels said:

“I am astonished by a group called “Soldiers Angels.” This organization is unbelievable. It’s cared for by great Americans with true character that empathize with our sacrifice. They send me packages and mail that I deliver to our Dragons out on Patrol Bases. It impacts soldiers. I’ve seen them stop what they are doing, sit on their cots and start reading their cards from a complete stranger that simply says – “Thank You” in their own words. It’s because of you and the people of Soldiers’ Angels that we endure the unendurable. I will close with a note from a Soldiers’ Angels Card – “May No Soldier Go Unloved.”

and then saw where Soldiers Angels Germany had already also blogged about it Honoring Those Who Endure the Unendurable

and she has links at the bottom of that post to two very good posts,from Cassandra at Villainous Company,both posts worth checking out.

To end the surf, as always, Life in the Northeast asks us to Remember…

Thanks for ’surfing’ with me, until next time!

Tags: Soldiers Angels