Operation COOL HERO

The above pic, emailed to me last summer from a soldier in Iraq, says it all. It's that time of year again,when the temperatures in Iraq are going UP!

Here's what Soldiers Angels is doing to help out the troops regarding the heat:

OPERATION COOL HERO

With temperatures ranging from 110 at night to 150 and higher during the day,
Soldiers’ Angels is answering the call to help provide our heroes with some cool comfort.

Pasadena, California -- Summertime is quickly approaching and here at home that means gearing up for family vacations; the end of the school year; graduations and celebrations; picnics, fairs and fireworks. Going to the beach, or perhaps a little fishing; camping in the family R.V. or in dad’s smelly old tent. The lazy days of summer are just around the corner. Not so over in Iraq and Afghanistan where the brave young men and women of our United States Armed Forces are working hard in arguably the most dangerous conditions our military has faced in several decades. The latest threat to their safety: high temperatures. Serving in a vast desert with a blaring sun, the temperature can reach 140 degrees and higher on any given day, with very little relief when the sun goes down.

Soldiers’ Angels is a nationwide all volunteer, nonprofit organization dedicated to the vital mission of service and support to the brave men and women of the United States Armed Forces. It’s members work tirelessly to insure that those soldiers who are risking so much for our freedoms know that we support them and appreciate all that they do for us. Operation Cool Hero is the latest project designed to provide an additional layer of support and comfort to those brave soldiers, marines, sailors and airmen.

Through Operation Cool Hero, Soldiers’ Angels will be providing every soldier that has signed up with a cooling scarf. The cooling scarf is a great way to beat the heat. The "magic" in these cooling scarves comes from hundreds of tiny hidden non-toxic polymer crystals that hold many times their weight in water. By soaking a cooling scarf in cool water for 15 minutes, these crystals become "energized" and become a comfortable, portable evaporative cooler that can lower body temperature by several degrees.

Why is this important? Aside from the general morale and comfort of our soldiers, a recent letter from a soldier in Iraq to Patti Patton-Bader, Founder of Soldiers’ Angels, says it all: “It is HOT HERE! It is hard to think!” This can cause a major safety issue for our soldiers – when it is just so hot that they can’t think or react to what is going on around them.

If you would like to help us send these cool scarves to our brave heroes to help them feel a little more comfortable and let them know that WE CARE about them, please do so in one of the following ways:

1. PAY-PAL :: To send your donation via PayPal, visit their website at www.paypal.com and send to donations@soldiersangels.org. Make sure that you put “Operation Cool Hero” in the comments section. PayPal accepts all major credit cards and ATM/Check Cards. You do not need to have a PayPal account to use this totally secure service.

2. Check or Money Order :: Send your check or money order made payable to "Soldiers' Angels" with Operation Cool Hero in the memo section to:

Soldiers' Angels
1150 North Loop 1604 West
Suite 108-493
San Antonio, TX 78248

Please also let your friends and anyone you think would be supportive of our brave soldiers know about this need and see if they would be willing to help.

If you would like more information about this topic, please call us at (615)676-0239 or by email at info@soldiersangels.org.

TO SEW COOL SCARVES TO SEND TO TROOPS CLICK HERE

 

Wondering what the weather is like 'over there'?

Click here: 10 Day Local Weather Forecast for Baghdad, Iraq - weather.com

Click here: 10 Day Local Weather Forecast for Qandahar, Afghanistan - weather.com

 

 

 

Want to see what the scarves look like? Visit the Soldiers Angels Store .

 

May 29,2006 Memorial Day

On this Memorial Day, I could spend all day directing you to the numerous excellent posts that are out there about honoring this day, or remembering the fallen.....so I have decided to point to just a very few posts/videos that I feel capture the true meaning of this 'holiday'.

I found two posts about fallen soldiers,one that is primarily a pictorial account, and I felt that they both seemed to embody the spirit and meaning of this day.I think sometimes when the fallen are reduced to just 'numbers' it can seem overwhelming, or we lost track of  the fact that these are individual lives lost,lives which had a great deal of meaning to family and friends , and the loss leaves an irreplaceable hole for them, and their community.....and,I think, our country at large.

From Sieg's Welt  he lost a friend recently, and he first told us about it here and then  posted a link to the funeral photos  here  .

From  Argghhh!!!The Home of Two of Jonah's Military Guys    comes a several part posting on

"the impact on two families of the death of a soldier". I am putting a link  to the third posting  

The Burial

because it has links in it to the first two posts,which I urge you to also read.

Blackfive  has numerous postings up about Memorial Day, but I wanted to point in particular to the two video tributes he has posted  here  .

Kat at Yikes! emailed me a link to a video

Click here: YouTube - true meaning of memorial day

 

that she found on a friend's blog , who in turn had found it on another blog.

Trish has a thoughtful post  Click here: Yahoo! 360° - Trish's Blog - Never Forget.....

and Christopher Michel has an extemely good editorial on Military.com

I especially like his  urging to "honor the dead by supporting the living." So, on this Memorial Day, I'm once again going to urge you to check out  the links I have to some of the organizations supporting the troops......

Soldiers Angels

Anysoldier.com

Angels N Camouflage

Adopt A Platoon

GUEST EDITOR ENTRY

Since I started my journal to share my experience supporting the troops...I am extremely honored to be chosen as Guest Editor the week of Memorial Day.

 

I'm pretty new to the AOL journal 'fold' here, as I only started this journal in March. My little 'All About Me' blurb and my info at the top of the page pretty much has me covered 

My first journal entry describes how I came to join Soldiers Angels,and shortly after that I wrote why I started this journal.(I know,THAT should have been the First entry,but sometimes I do things a little backwards,lol.)

 

And I think that's enough to say about me:) because one of the things that all 3 of my readers (thanks,Mom, Sis, and Missy!)know is that I LOVE to post LINKS!!!

 

 

Reading MILBLOGS  is what led me to become a member of Soldiers Angels, and there are several very good milblogs right here on AOL:

 

Destination:Iraq    Carter is doing a wonderful job , in his words....."to  give  loved ones and strangers a small insight into the challenges and dangers soldiers are facing every day over here."

 

For the OTHER war front, Bruce's Deployment to Afghanistan is a treasure of weekly updates on what he is doing, and pictures.

 

 

My OIF Deployment is Kristi 's effort to tell you what it's like for an Army National Guard single mom to get ready to leave for deployment.(And I hope she'll be able to continue blogging after she reaches Iraq.)

 

 

In the non-AOL category, Matt at Blackfive's SOMEONE YOU SHOULD KNOW series has introduced me to some amazing stories of heroism and courage.

 

Through Blackfive, I was led to Holly Aho-Soldiers Angel ....who blogs the way I aspire to, and is an awesome supporter of the troops in countless ways.

 

 

And another fantastic troop supporter,Kat at Yikes!  reminds us of what's important to remember,especially this holiday weekend.(and I have greatly enjoyed being able to participate in some of her projects.)

 

 

Joe told me "6 to 8" picks,lol, and I did want to particularly mention two more blogs listed on my 'Favorite Sites'.

 

Capt.Jason  is a blog about a soldier recovering from an IED. It's written by his mother, who is a hospice chaplain, and has been staying at Walter Reed as his caregiver....and she is also active in the peace movement. A most interesting perspective, and a very thought-provoking read.

 

And Learning to Live  is Heidi's blog of  her journey as a war widow,which seems an appropriate blog to conclude this list with on Memorial Day weekend.

 

 

And this Memorial Day, I urge all of you to consider pausing at 3 pm for the

 

National Moment of Remembrance

 

to " remember the sacrifices of America's fallen from the Revolutionary War to the present"

and to... "Recognize those who served and those who continue to serve "..

 

In closing,here is a link to the poem   "Will They Remember?"   by a Marine.

 

 

(The picture with this post came from the Arlington National Cemetery website. )

 

My thanks again to Joe, and AOL, for this opportunity to be Guest Editor! Thanks also to all of you who have stopped by here......please feel free to look around , or check out some of my other links on the left, and/or leave a comment....and y'all are always welcome to stop by again!

Welcome! and Good Luck! to the Canadian Angels:)

Via Milblogging.com  I just discovered that a group of 'Canadian Angels' have started  "The Canadian alternative to Soldiers Angels, carrying on their great tradition of caring for troops overseas....."

The webpage is here   Click here: Canadian Angels

and the blog is here   http://www.canadianangelsorg.blogspot.com/

Best of luck to them! and Welcome!

A video 'Thank You' to our Troops for this Memorial Day

A video 'Thank You' to our Troops for this Memo...

 

Using music from the Kory Brunson Band http://www.korybrunsonband.com/  (and if you want to download this song for yourself,click on the American flag on their page) and using pictures from many heroes,and letters from a first grade class in MI...I made this video as my small attempt to let the troops know that we say 'Thank You'.

Soldiers Angels Valour IT,CNN Specials,and This and That

I was getting ready to post about  Soldiers Angels Valour IT project  and saw where Laurie at Soldiers Angels New York  had beaten me to the punch!

That's OK, long as you learn something about this wonderful project.Check out all her links,she's got it covered!(Scroll back UP on the link,I am still 'half a geek' and can't figure out all this 'trackback' stuff very well....btw,any help in that area?feel free to email me and say "THIS is how you do it,silly!":)

I got an email from a military wife,alerting me to this special coming up  Click here: CNN PRESENTS: WOUNDED WARRIORS (airing Memorial Day weekend May 27th & 28th)

which seems an alternative for those of us who couldn't watch the HBO special that Missy mentions here Click here: Yahoo! 360° - Motormouth in all her glory - Something America needs to see -May 22, 2006

and CNN has a number of specials for the upcoming Memorial Day weekend,you can check them out here  Click here: CNN Pressroom

I received another unexpected  response today from a soldier....a wounded soldier I had sent a card to, who said "I made myself a promise to respond to each card and letter personally".and then thanked ME for taking the time to send a card!!!How incredible is that....I am always overwhelmed by the amazing soldiers I am privileged to come into contact with through  Soldier Angels.

And regarding "supporting the troops"? Kat has an important 'rant' up that I think is worth a read  

 Click here: Yikes!: "ARE YOU TIRED?"

Speaking for myself, yes, there are times I lag behind on writing letters because life has gotten busy, or just don't seemto have the same level of motivation ...but then I think of all the times I have received a letter, or email, or note in reply to something I've sent ....notes that say to me that what I'm doing DOES mean something to someone,that it is important to them to know that someone cares?    And I find renewed committment.

I don't mean to imply that I'm doing it BECAUSE I've received replies....those are rare (and treasured!:) I just mean that those few replies have made me feel that all the others who haven't replied? it probably meant just as MUCH to them, to receive a word of support or encouragement. And so, I keep writing, or sending cards.

Because, as Kat says...."if we won't do it,who will?"

 

Things I didn't do this weekend,lol,things I did, and Girl Scout Cookies!

Well, I didn't make it to the 142nd New Market Battle Reenactment.

Where 257 Cadets from the
Virginia Military Institute
made the difference between
victory and defeat...

But you can find out more about it here   Click here: New Market Home Page

(We've been other years,just had stuff to do on Sat.)While I was surfing the site,I came across something about one of the cadets, which led me to search for the book it inspired

Click here: The Ghost Cadet by Elaine Marie Alphin

 

which reminded me that a fellow Soldiers Angel member has ALSO written some books.Her site is here, go check it out!

Click here: loribakewell - loribakewell's Home Page

 

I also didn't go to the Joint Service Open House at Andrews AFB up the road, but if you like planes, check out this page from their site 

 

Click here: Joint Service Open House 2006 - Warbird and Other Static Displays

 

Things we DID do this weekend were go to church for Youth Sunday to hear my daughter sing a solo, and she did a wonderful job! and to hear her cousin preach the sermon...he also did a great job! I can't put a link to my church because we don't have a web page, gasp(and the pastor has never responded to my email about that yet!)

 

and then we all went back to my aunt and uncle's house for a big 'feed',so we had a great time of food and fellowship. (and then waddled home afterwards to watch Detroit beat Cleveland.:)

Speaking of food the Soldiers Angels store now has Girl Scout cookies in that you can ship to a soldier!!!  

Click here: http://www.angelsstore.org/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=GSCookies

 

Why not send a little bit of 'home' to some hungry soldiers?

 Have a great day!