Friday, February 29, 2008
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Wednesday Hero
29 years old from State College, Pennsylvania
East Coast-based SEAL team
February 4, 2008
"There are only approximately 2,500 SEALs in the Navy and they really are a brotherhood," said Naval Special Warfare spokesman Lt. David Luckett. "This is another unfortunate reminder of the risks and sacrifices these amazing warriors and their families make on a daily basis."
Koch leaves behind his parents and a fiancee. He enlisted in July 1998 and entered SEAL training in January 1999, according to The Virginian-Pilot of Norfolk. He received the Bronze Star, Joint Service Commendation Medal and three Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medals.
Navy SEAL Michael E. Koch died Feb. 4 after being wounded by small-arms fire during combat operations in Iraq alongside fellow SEAL Nathan Hardy, who was profiled last week.
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.
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
"Legacy of Ashes" and the Missing in America Project
A friend sent me this link to this video
http://www.ksdk.com/video/default.aspx?aid=67740&sid=138863&bw=hi&cat=7
(and the video you want to watch is "America's Legacy of Ashes" )
And I found the Missing in America Project website
The least offensive words that come to my mind to say about this are "outrageous", and "disgraceful",so it's probably best if I make no further editorial comment about all this,in the interests of keeping this a G-rated post.
Just, spread the word, would you?
http://www.ksdk.com/video/default.aspx?aid=67740&sid=138863&bw=hi&cat=7
(and the video you want to watch is "America's Legacy of Ashes" )
And I found the Missing in America Project website
The least offensive words that come to my mind to say about this are "outrageous", and "disgraceful",so it's probably best if I make no further editorial comment about all this,in the interests of keeping this a G-rated post.
Just, spread the word, would you?
Friday, February 22, 2008
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Soldiers Angels Web Surfing
Brought to you Early this week, due to the fact that there's a Winter Storm Watch in my area, and I have a feeling once I get to work tonight, I might not be home till Friday or Saturday,lol. Sheesh....enough Winter already, come on,Spring!!
Last week's 'surf' was short and sweet, This week I have Tons of interesting posts by and about Soldiers Angels to pass on.
The biggest news, of course, is 700 soldiers in need of adoption! and Angels are spreading the word about that here and here and , here (and,lol, kudos to Beth at that last link, for throwing a little music in with that plea,perfect song to pick! :)
Willie in Germany featured Soldiers Angels in the News , great round-up!
Members of Soldiers Angels, among others, helped wish troops from PA
Soldiers Angels Network had, among many other posts (and thank you, Shelle, for featuring my post about the Living Legends Team!) This interesting post and This post,about yet another amazing member of Soldiers Angels.
(and I'm going to leave Soldiers Angels Network as my Featured Blog for another week,because y'all should be checking them out!IMHO :)
One of the Upcoming Events that Soldiers Angels Louisiana lists is the Soldiers Angels Conference in California Feb. 21-23. Holly Aho lets us know that we can Listen to key Soldiers Angels Leadership on Feb.23 via Talking with Heroes
Laurie at Soldiers Angels New York had an important Milestone this past week,Congratulations! Laurie :) and, she also reminds us that the Gulf Coast Still Struggles
Going back to Greta in Louisiana, she posts about a fallen Army hero Fort Polk Mourns the Loss of a Hero , Rest in Peace, Pvt. Michael Fremer.
And she also posts about the Big Easy Cafe in Iraq
Aunty Brat over at Tanker Brothers posted about a visit to a VA hospital, check out the video at B*N*S*N Extra!
Stacy at Keep My Soldier Safe A/K/A G.R.I.T.S. had posted about Lex ,whom many of you may have heard of, back here in January. And she posts the follow-up, about attending the ceremony where Lex received the honorary Purple Heart, here
(with a link to a beautiful video, but you will need to take tissues to watch.)
That's the 'surf' for this week, and now I'm off to see if that 80% chance of precipitation shows up, and I get to spend lots of extra time at work! Stay warm,everyone!
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Wednesday Hero
29 years old from Durham, New Hampshire
East Coast-based SEAL team
February 4, 2008
It was Hardy's fourth deployment in Iraq, according to his father, Stephen Hardy, a professor of kinesiology a the University of New Hampshire. His mother, Donna Hardy, is an administrative assistant in UNH's psychology department.
Nathan Hardy grew up in Durham and was a 1997 graduate of Oyster River High School. He joined the Navy after graduation.
Other family members include his wife, Mindy, and their 7-month-old son, Parker; and a brother, Ben, of Middlebury, Vt.
Another brother, Josh, died in 1993 while a senior at Oyster River High School.
"Our hearts go out to Steve and Donna Hardy, and their son, Ben, at this incredibly difficult time," UNH President Mark Huddleston said in a statement. "We know it was Nate's dream to become a U.S. Navy SEAL when he graduated from high school, and he pursued that dream and excelled at it. His death has stunned all who knew him, and all who know his parents, who both are so much a part of the UNH community."
Navy SEAL Nathan Hardy died Feb. 4 after being wounded by small-arms fire during combat operations in Iraq.
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.
Farewell to a "Quiet,Dedicated" Angel
My Soldiers Angels Letter Writing Team Leader, Rhonda , sent me an email this morning to say that,sadly, a gentleman who'd been a member of the Letter Writing Team since August of 2006 had passed away.
His name was John David Dean
and Rhonda says of him "he was rather quiet, but So dedicated to our troops" and that she will miss his quiet presence, and wished to see him remembered for his dedication in some way.
His Legacy.com guestbook is Here ,if you'd like to leave your condolences for his family, who said in their email to Rhonda ..."John was very proud of our Armed Services and was honored to be a part of Soldiers's Angels."
Mr. Dean was also a member of the Soldiers Angels Wounded TLC team.
Rest in Peace, John David Dean, and my deepest sympathy to your family and friends.
His name was John David Dean
and Rhonda says of him "he was rather quiet, but So dedicated to our troops" and that she will miss his quiet presence, and wished to see him remembered for his dedication in some way.
His Legacy.com guestbook is Here ,if you'd like to leave your condolences for his family, who said in their email to Rhonda ..."John was very proud of our Armed Services and was honored to be a part of Soldiers's Angels."
Mr. Dean was also a member of the Soldiers Angels Wounded TLC team.
Rest in Peace, John David Dean, and my deepest sympathy to your family and friends.
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Prayers Needed-Please Spread the Word
Mary Ann at Soldiers Angels Germany tells us
Prayers needed for our Hero DJ Emery
Adding my prayers to all the others, and asking you to please help spread the word. Thank you.
Prayers needed for our Hero DJ Emery
Adding my prayers to all the others, and asking you to please help spread the word. Thank you.
Monday, February 18, 2008
A Year with the Soldiers Angels Living Legends Team
In January of 2007, I joined the Soldiers Angels Living Legends Team , after months of prayer and questioning myself over whether or not I thought I could be a part of this team.
January 2007 was also the month when my fiancee's son left for Army Basic Training . The question I vacillated and prayed about for so long was, would I be able to join this team and send out condolence cards to the families of fallen soldiers, while I had someone so close to me who was most likely going to eventually be headed off to war?
As the mother of a currently deployed soldier wrote on a blog that I read....the great "What If?"...cannot help but always be in the back of your mind, when someone you love is in a war zone. Could God give me the Grace to set that "What If?" aside so that I could give support to others?
January 2007 was a brutal month to join the team....there were 83 fallen soldiers that month. As I received email after email from the team leader, with information on the fallen soldiers and where to send the cards, I must admit I went through days of despair,crying out to God "I don't think I can do this after all. This is too much sadness.." I often thought of that old saying "God never gives you more than you can handle " ....I really thought God was pushing the limits pretty heavily that first month I was on the team!
However, I was given the Grace that I needed to continue on the team....through prayer, and also through encouragement from the team leader at the time, who was a very nice lady named Cathy.
A few months after I joined, however, Cathy left that team...she had been the team leader for a number of years. Her leaving took me by surprise (because I'm not ever someone who is 'in the know' about the behind-the-scenes goings on at Soldiers Angels),but she was replaced by someone who was Just as encouraging, and who gave me the strength to continue on with the team,Terri Rager.
"Terri resides in Akron, Ohio with her son, Nate, an Operation Iraqi Freedom II Veteran who was wounded in Iraq in 2004......Terri is a member of Soldiers' Angels where she served as team capt. and then team leader of Living Legends, a team who provide comfort and support to the families of our fallen Heroes and she maintains their Fallen Hero blog ."
Terri with her son,Nate
In the months after that, I received loads of encouragement from Terri, as the Living Legends team continued to support the families of our fallen heroes. I also got to 'know' her, as you do with someone whom you email back and forth with so frequently....she was always positive, and always left me feeling uplifted when I felt overwhelmed by sadness for the many families we were trying to support.
She's also,LOL...'devious". (just kidding,Terri:)She'd been researching information on one of our fallen soldiers, and mentioned she was unable to find something. I happened to find the information she needed, and emailed it to her. Faster than the speed of light, an email came back from her..."Thank You" and then..."Have you considered becoming a researcher for the team?" (I should have seen that coming!)
More vacillating on my part. Research is a lot more involved than just sending a card. You are reading any and every article you can find about the fallen hero, and his family, and the pain they are going through over the loss of their loved one. And then you have to distill that information into an email to send out to the team.....but the words you have read are forever engraved in your heart and mind, no matter how much you edit them down into something that will give the team members a glimpse of the life of that fallen hero in just a few paragraphs.
I finally agreed to 'give it a try', and became a researcher. Unbeknownst to me at the time,Terri was in the process of getting ready to step down as Team Leader, so that she could devote more time to her position as Vice President of
Silver Star Families of America
Silver Star Families is a not-for-profit, all volunteer organization founded for the purpose of establishing a Service Flag to honor our wounded military men and women and to provide assistance and support in any and every way possible to our Wounded Armed Forces and their families. The Silver Star Families of America was founded on April 11th 2005, and received 501 c 3 status on December 5th 2005.
SSFOA honors Wounded Heroes with our Silver Star Banner and Silver Star Flag. One of our goals is to see that America never forgets the service and sacrifice of our Military, including our Veterans. Every time someone sees the Silver Star Flag, we want them to remember the blood sacrifice made by so many for this great Nation. We would also like them to remember the other wounds that are not so easy to see such as PTSD. SSFOA recognizes ALL wars, past and present.
SSFOA is obviously another very worthy support organization, and Terri,as the mother of a soldier who'd been wounded, was obviously a great choice for them to make as Vice President!
But now I was suddenly emailing with yet Another person, a fellow researcher, and she was getting ready to step into Terri's shoes as Living Legends Team Leader.
Janet Freniere.
Janet brings to the position the uniqueness of being a 22 year Air Force veteran, as she is a retired Master Sgt . She was Active Duty Air Force from April 1977 to March 1999.
Some highlights from her Air Force career are:
Two tours of duty to Osan Air Base in South Korea
Coordinated and supervised four separate Thunderbird Demonstration Team airshows for USAF Academy graduations
Selected for and received an incentive flight in an F-15 after being picked as the Pacific Air Forces Airfield Management NCO of the Year in 1994
Flew over Mt. McKinley, broke sound barrier
and although I could list Many,Many other highlights from a very long and illustrious career.....This one was my personal favorite :)
Met Chuck Yeager’s F-4 aircraft when he flew into Peterson AFB in Colorado; was hugged by General Yeager
(Hey, I read " The Right Stuff " .....woo hoo,Janet, that must've been an Awesome moment! :)
Janet is every bit as positive and encouraging as Terri and Cathy were. (and every bit as 'devious',ha ha....somehow, I ended up becoming the Team Co-Leader somewhere along the way, and I'm still not sure exactly how....)
And I think Janet's being a veteran brings an extra level of committment to her leadership.
The Soldiers Angels Living Legends Team remains a very challenging team to be a part of, and there are still days when I hang my head in sorrow and question "can I continue to do this?", after researching the life of a fallen hero, and the effects of the loss on his family and friends. (especially when there are many parallel's in that hero's life to our Own currently serving service member.)
But, God continues to give me the Grace I need, and sends me Angels like Terri, and Janet, to uphold me.
There are over 135 Angels currently on the Team. Some of them are researchers, some send cards for every fallen hero, and some send cards only on certain weeks. There are also Angels who send Remembrance cards, on the anniversary of the fallen hero's death, so the families will know their loss is not forgotten even though time has passed.
Besides sending condolence cards, the Living Legends Team also offers each family a wreath or live memorial tree, and they do things such as sending teddy bears to the young children of the fallen,to let the families know that they are supported.
This team has put us in contact with people who are towering heroes in the midst of their grief...families who, after they have laid their loved one to rest, contact us and say "I want to join this Team, to do the same for others that was done for me."
While I think each and every one of us on the team would be happy to see the day when this team would no longer be necessary? Until then....it's an honor, a blessing, and a privilege to be a part of this team.
January 2007 was also the month when my fiancee's son left for Army Basic Training . The question I vacillated and prayed about for so long was, would I be able to join this team and send out condolence cards to the families of fallen soldiers, while I had someone so close to me who was most likely going to eventually be headed off to war?
As the mother of a currently deployed soldier wrote on a blog that I read....the great "What If?"...cannot help but always be in the back of your mind, when someone you love is in a war zone. Could God give me the Grace to set that "What If?" aside so that I could give support to others?
January 2007 was a brutal month to join the team....there were 83 fallen soldiers that month. As I received email after email from the team leader, with information on the fallen soldiers and where to send the cards, I must admit I went through days of despair,crying out to God "I don't think I can do this after all. This is too much sadness.." I often thought of that old saying "God never gives you more than you can handle " ....I really thought God was pushing the limits pretty heavily that first month I was on the team!
However, I was given the Grace that I needed to continue on the team....through prayer, and also through encouragement from the team leader at the time, who was a very nice lady named Cathy.
A few months after I joined, however, Cathy left that team...she had been the team leader for a number of years. Her leaving took me by surprise (because I'm not ever someone who is 'in the know' about the behind-the-scenes goings on at Soldiers Angels),but she was replaced by someone who was Just as encouraging, and who gave me the strength to continue on with the team,Terri Rager.
"Terri resides in Akron, Ohio with her son, Nate, an Operation Iraqi Freedom II Veteran who was wounded in Iraq in 2004......Terri is a member of Soldiers' Angels where she served as team capt. and then team leader of Living Legends, a team who provide comfort and support to the families of our fallen Heroes and she maintains their Fallen Hero blog ."
Terri with her son,Nate
In the months after that, I received loads of encouragement from Terri, as the Living Legends team continued to support the families of our fallen heroes. I also got to 'know' her, as you do with someone whom you email back and forth with so frequently....she was always positive, and always left me feeling uplifted when I felt overwhelmed by sadness for the many families we were trying to support.
She's also,LOL...'devious". (just kidding,Terri:)She'd been researching information on one of our fallen soldiers, and mentioned she was unable to find something. I happened to find the information she needed, and emailed it to her. Faster than the speed of light, an email came back from her..."Thank You" and then..."Have you considered becoming a researcher for the team?" (I should have seen that coming!)
More vacillating on my part. Research is a lot more involved than just sending a card. You are reading any and every article you can find about the fallen hero, and his family, and the pain they are going through over the loss of their loved one. And then you have to distill that information into an email to send out to the team.....but the words you have read are forever engraved in your heart and mind, no matter how much you edit them down into something that will give the team members a glimpse of the life of that fallen hero in just a few paragraphs.
I finally agreed to 'give it a try', and became a researcher. Unbeknownst to me at the time,Terri was in the process of getting ready to step down as Team Leader, so that she could devote more time to her position as Vice President of
Silver Star Families of America
Silver Star Families is a not-for-profit, all volunteer organization founded for the purpose of establishing a Service Flag to honor our wounded military men and women and to provide assistance and support in any and every way possible to our Wounded Armed Forces and their families. The Silver Star Families of America was founded on April 11th 2005, and received 501 c 3 status on December 5th 2005.
SSFOA honors Wounded Heroes with our Silver Star Banner and Silver Star Flag. One of our goals is to see that America never forgets the service and sacrifice of our Military, including our Veterans. Every time someone sees the Silver Star Flag, we want them to remember the blood sacrifice made by so many for this great Nation. We would also like them to remember the other wounds that are not so easy to see such as PTSD. SSFOA recognizes ALL wars, past and present.
SSFOA is obviously another very worthy support organization, and Terri,as the mother of a soldier who'd been wounded, was obviously a great choice for them to make as Vice President!
But now I was suddenly emailing with yet Another person, a fellow researcher, and she was getting ready to step into Terri's shoes as Living Legends Team Leader.
Janet Freniere.
Janet brings to the position the uniqueness of being a 22 year Air Force veteran, as she is a retired Master Sgt . She was Active Duty Air Force from April 1977 to March 1999.
Some highlights from her Air Force career are:
Two tours of duty to Osan Air Base in South Korea
Coordinated and supervised four separate Thunderbird Demonstration Team airshows for USAF Academy graduations
Selected for and received an incentive flight in an F-15 after being picked as the Pacific Air Forces Airfield Management NCO of the Year in 1994
Flew over Mt. McKinley, broke sound barrier
and although I could list Many,Many other highlights from a very long and illustrious career.....This one was my personal favorite :)
Met Chuck Yeager’s F-4 aircraft when he flew into Peterson AFB in Colorado; was hugged by General Yeager
(Hey, I read " The Right Stuff " .....woo hoo,Janet, that must've been an Awesome moment! :)
Janet is every bit as positive and encouraging as Terri and Cathy were. (and every bit as 'devious',ha ha....somehow, I ended up becoming the Team Co-Leader somewhere along the way, and I'm still not sure exactly how....)
And I think Janet's being a veteran brings an extra level of committment to her leadership.
The Soldiers Angels Living Legends Team remains a very challenging team to be a part of, and there are still days when I hang my head in sorrow and question "can I continue to do this?", after researching the life of a fallen hero, and the effects of the loss on his family and friends. (especially when there are many parallel's in that hero's life to our Own currently serving service member.)
But, God continues to give me the Grace I need, and sends me Angels like Terri, and Janet, to uphold me.
There are over 135 Angels currently on the Team. Some of them are researchers, some send cards for every fallen hero, and some send cards only on certain weeks. There are also Angels who send Remembrance cards, on the anniversary of the fallen hero's death, so the families will know their loss is not forgotten even though time has passed.
Besides sending condolence cards, the Living Legends Team also offers each family a wreath or live memorial tree, and they do things such as sending teddy bears to the young children of the fallen,to let the families know that they are supported.
This team has put us in contact with people who are towering heroes in the midst of their grief...families who, after they have laid their loved one to rest, contact us and say "I want to join this Team, to do the same for others that was done for me."
While I think each and every one of us on the team would be happy to see the day when this team would no longer be necessary? Until then....it's an honor, a blessing, and a privilege to be a part of this team.
Friday, February 15, 2008
Soldiers Angels Web Surfing
My weekly meme of news by and about Soldiers Angels in the blogosphere.
It's a short 'surf' this week,mostly due to time constraints on my part :)
Soldiers Angels Texas links to Operation Price of Freedom and I strongly urge you to follow the links. I had the privilege of hearing Chuck Ziegenfuss speak in person last year at the Milblog conference, and I was deeply moved.
Two 'New-to-Me' Angel blogs
a href="http://michigansoldiersangels.blogspot.com/">Angels Updates is "all about the Michigan Soldiers Angels"....as a former Michigander myself? great to see them out there :)
You Have My Word has a great post......Lest We Forget
(and they've both been added to the blog where I try and keep a listing of
Blogs By Members Of Soldiers Angels )
------------
Soldiers Angels Network had so many great posts, that I just decided to send you over there to the whole blog, plus make them the Featured Blog of the Week.
And, as always, Life in the Northeast last Sunday posted....Remember
That's it for this week's surf. Hope everyone has a good weekend, and God Bless Our Troops, and their families.
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Happy Valentine's Day :)
Valentine's news from around the web....
Kat at Yikes!, for her
Operation:Valentine 2008
received 5,320 cards to send to deployed service members! Very cool !
and if you want to see one of the recipients of the cards? go check out this pic at
Doc in the Box: Valentine's Day in Iraq
JP at Milblogging.com got a Fantastic Early Valentine's Day gift, a quilt made by his wife and sons...you can check it out here Happy Early Valentine's Day!
Speaking of early Valentine's surprises? I got one also,you can see it here
An Early Valentine Surprise
Yup, we're 'gettin hitched' as they say :)
Not sure on the exact date yet? But I feel sure I'll be posting the news,when we do :)
Here's a link to the message we sent to Dustin in Stars & Stripes
And here's the Valentine's message for Dustin and his lovely wife, Ashleigh
That's all the Valentine's news I've got right now :)
Wishing everyone a Happy Valentine's Day!
Wednesday Hero
21 years old from Nokomis, Illinois
2nd Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne (Air Assault)
June 26, 2006
"His platoon leaders described him as the type of soldier every leader wants: A very talented, dedicated soldier, who did everything that was asked of him." That's what Lt. Col. Greg Butts, commander of the Army's 2nd Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division, said about Cpl. Ryan J. Buckley at his memorial service. "I'm glad I could come here. It was an opportunity to recognize one of my great soldiers."
Cpl. Buckley lost his life on June 26, 2006 when an IED detonated near his Humvee during combat operations in Baghdad. "I held him while he died," Spc. Richard Morris, a fellow soldier who was wounded in the attack, said after the service. "He was my best friend. This nation has lost a hell of a soldier."
Ryan Buckley, a 2003 graduate of Hillsboro High School, was attending Lincoln Land Community College in Springfield in March 2004 when he left school to join the Army. He had told his mother on 9/11 that he planned to join the military to defend his country. Jennings Carter, who recently retired from the Army, was the commander of the Litchfield Army Recruiting Station when Buckley signed up. Carter said Buckley was an unusually cheerful young man. "Every time we saw him, he was always smiling," Carter said. "Before he went to Iraq, we saw him a few times. He was always happy. He would come by and tell us what he was doing."
Jean Buckley, Buckley's aunt, said he was always a responsible young man, who took his school work seriously, as well as his role in the school bands. The talented French horn player was awarded the John Philip Sousa award his senior year as the outstanding band member.
"He was always a protector," Jean Buckley said. "It's such a sad time. We're so thankful for the Ryans of the world. I appreciate all the veterans and all they've done for this country."
Cpl. Buckley was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star for his service in Iraq from Nov. 30 to June 23. Bronze Stars were presented to his wife of one year, Tina Buckley, his mother, Sally Nation, and father, Dennis Buckley.
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.
Friday, February 08, 2008
Soldiers Angels Web Surfing
I always greatly enjoy doing this weekly meme :) because I get to spend all week reading blog posts by and about Soldiers Angels and then get to pass all this on to all of you:) Here's this week's 'surf'.....
Huge News! :)
Greta sent me This bit of Fantastic News! "Thanks to the generosity of an anonymous benefactor, a contribution of $25,000 will be made in honor of the author to Soldiers' Angels "......Read all about it at Soldiers Angels Network,
Power Line: Power Line Book of the Year: World War IV
God Bless Golfers! and Chris Choeppner!
Read here on GolfWRX.com about Chris Choeppner's Soldiers Angels Fund , Chris was injured in Iraq back in January and his buddies at GolfWRX decided to run a giveaway of a putter to all those who donate to Soldier's Angels in Chris' name. This is running through the end of February. You can read the thread, but I especially wanted to highlight part of what Chris Choeppner had to say:
..."What Soldiers Angels does in a nutshell is to take care of Deployed Troops, and let them know that people back home are thinking about them. An example of this would be the Adoption's. What the soldiers do, is log on and submit their name for Adoption, or the Family can do it. What happens then, is that the Soldiers Angels have a family "Adopt" the Soldier for the length of thier deployment. I can tell you...My whole unit has been adopted by different famlies on there. All the people are volunteers, that just want to help. Then, for the length of the deployment,the Adopted family sends the servicemember, little care packages and cards and letters and the like. I'll tell you...The feeling you get at mail call when you have a care package is second to none, especially when you aren't expecting it....
For me..the cause got a little more personal....When I was hit, I was Medevaced to the CASH (Combat Aid Support Hospital) You arrive there with just what is on your back. I recieved the Backpack that Ryan posted pics of. Inside the bag was a change of clothes, shower and Hygine items, Shower Shoes, Books, Cards from Home, and a Hand Quilted blanket. Let me tell you...Getting something like that really makes you feel good. It really does. Everything in the bag, was done by the Soldiers Angels".....
It appears Chris is on the mend now, and back with his unit...wishing him the best, and also all those golfers!!
This 'N That
Speaking of donations, View from the 8th Floor recommends donating to support embeds for independent journalists Interested in accurate reporting on the war?
Soldiers Angels New York tells us What's New ...a job posting board for veterans, among other things.
Soldiers Angels Texas posts news about something in My state :) D-Day Memorial receives trove of clippings and also the needs of an IRAQ COMBAT SUPPLY HOSPITAL
Butterfly Wife is still sending Cards !
Soldiers Angels VA Team posts Vietnam Veteran loses Arm for Second Time
Soldiers Angels Louisiana updates a post about Nickelodeon, and Linda Ellerbee , and links back to ArmyWifeToddlerMom ...worth following all the links!
Life in the Northeast, as she does EverySunday, honors the Fallen with Remember
New-to-Me Angels
Who are also much 'craftier' than I!
Danielle's Semi-Daily Journal , and she links to another crocheter who's making granny squares for afghans,for both wounded vets And children with cancer, Kimberblog!
---------
And this week's Featured Blog is Gazing at the Flag
That's it, for this week's surf! God Bless Our Troops, and Their Families!
------------------
( crossposted From my real blog ,
and also crossposted AT Hooah Wife and Friends ,where I'm graciously allowed to be a Guest-Poster,
and crossposted on MySpace and Yahoo 360 ,LOL, do you think I might be too many places on the web?? :)
Wednesday, February 06, 2008
Wednesday Hero
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.
This week's hero is a good one. Robert Cone is the second Cousin of Wednesday Hero's partner in crime, Greta.
Robert S. Cone
85 years old from Delray Beach, Florida
506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division
Surrounded by family, feted by a U.S. congressman and a Veterans of Foreign Wars color guard, one of the few surviving members of the "Filthy Thirteen" was honored on October 8, 2006 in a backyard on Massapoag Avenue.
Robert S. Cone, 85, now of Delray Beach, Fla., finally received the 13 military medals he was due for his service on D-Day during World War II, including the Bronze Star, Purple Heart, POW medal and Presidential Unit Citation.
"To tell you the truth, I never expected it. I'm very honored to get it and really feel good about it," Cone said.
"He's finding it an honor, and he's a little embarrassed, to be honest," said Cone's son, Edward R. Cone, 45, who hosted the family barbecue that included a visit from U.S. Rep. Stephen F. Lynch.
Only a few members remain of the 101st Airborne Division's famed "Filthy Thirteen," an elite parachute and demolition unit that volunteered for a suicide mission on June 5, 1944, the eve of the D-Day invasion of Normandy.
The Filthy Thirteen, who shared a Quonset Hut in England, were a group of "pretty bad boys," Edward Cone said, renowned for hard-living and fierce fighting. They are believed to be the inspiration for the 1967 movie "The Dirty Dozen," although none of the Filthy Thirteen was a convict.
The unit's mission was to parachute behind enemy lines on the night before D-Day to blow up bridges and impede the Nazis.
Many were killed on the drop. The survivors found it difficult to reunite on the ground because the pilots had panicked when the Germans opened fire.
Cone said he spent two days in a hedgerow battle and was shot in the right arm. When he escaped to a French farmhouse, the owner turned him over to the Nazis and he became a prisoner of war.
His unit and his family thought he was dead. His mother, in Roxbury, received a telegram from the War Department saying he had been killed in action.
Cone spent 11 months in three POW camps in Germany before being liberated by the Russians near the Polish border. He fought alongside the Russians as they made their escape, his son said.
Cone walked to freedom through Poland, Russia and Romania, journeyed by ship to Egypt and was eventually flow to Italy, finally making his way home.
All the medal ceremonies had taken place without him.
Cone married Ida, now his wife of 61 years; became a postal worker and plumber; raised three children in Hull; and spoke very little about the war, Edward Cone said.
About four years ago, Edward Cone decided to find out whether any of his father's Army colleagues were still alive.
He found the Filthy Thirteen's leader, Jake McNiece, in Oklahoma, and put his father in touch by telephone. Their conversation was recorded by the BBC and played on the anniversary of D-Day.
Later, the History Channel filmed its own segment on the pair, which still airs, Edward Cone said.
The group reunited in Taccoa, Ga., the home of their jump school.
"My Dad and I drove from here to Georgia. I heard everything on that trip," Edward Cone said. "Three were alive from the unit. They talked and drank and told stories for days."
Three years ago, McNiece published a book, "The Filthy Thirteen: From the Dustbowl to Hitler's Eagle's Nest: The 101st Airborne's Most Legendary Squad of Combat Paratroopers."
It was McNiece who mentioned that Cone was due a few medals. Edward Cone and his fiance, Kate Guthrie of Leominster, who works at the Statehouse, gathered documentation and contacted Lynch.
The result was the Sunday party, also attended by Cone's daughters, Ronna Townsend of Monroe Township, N.J., and Natalie Gaudet of Hampton, N.H., and most of his seven grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
Cone admits he never talked much about the war before.
"I really didn't," Cone said. "But they insisted I tell the grandchildren and the great grandchildren. So I talk to them. I tell them stories. I tell them true stories. They all enjoy 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.
This week's hero is a good one. Robert Cone is the second Cousin of Wednesday Hero's partner in crime, Greta.
85 years old from Delray Beach, Florida
506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division
Surrounded by family, feted by a U.S. congressman and a Veterans of Foreign Wars color guard, one of the few surviving members of the "Filthy Thirteen" was honored on October 8, 2006 in a backyard on Massapoag Avenue.
Robert S. Cone, 85, now of Delray Beach, Fla., finally received the 13 military medals he was due for his service on D-Day during World War II, including the Bronze Star, Purple Heart, POW medal and Presidential Unit Citation.
"To tell you the truth, I never expected it. I'm very honored to get it and really feel good about it," Cone said.
"He's finding it an honor, and he's a little embarrassed, to be honest," said Cone's son, Edward R. Cone, 45, who hosted the family barbecue that included a visit from U.S. Rep. Stephen F. Lynch.
Only a few members remain of the 101st Airborne Division's famed "Filthy Thirteen," an elite parachute and demolition unit that volunteered for a suicide mission on June 5, 1944, the eve of the D-Day invasion of Normandy.
The Filthy Thirteen, who shared a Quonset Hut in England, were a group of "pretty bad boys," Edward Cone said, renowned for hard-living and fierce fighting. They are believed to be the inspiration for the 1967 movie "The Dirty Dozen," although none of the Filthy Thirteen was a convict.
The unit's mission was to parachute behind enemy lines on the night before D-Day to blow up bridges and impede the Nazis.
Many were killed on the drop. The survivors found it difficult to reunite on the ground because the pilots had panicked when the Germans opened fire.
Cone said he spent two days in a hedgerow battle and was shot in the right arm. When he escaped to a French farmhouse, the owner turned him over to the Nazis and he became a prisoner of war.
His unit and his family thought he was dead. His mother, in Roxbury, received a telegram from the War Department saying he had been killed in action.
Cone spent 11 months in three POW camps in Germany before being liberated by the Russians near the Polish border. He fought alongside the Russians as they made their escape, his son said.
Cone walked to freedom through Poland, Russia and Romania, journeyed by ship to Egypt and was eventually flow to Italy, finally making his way home.
All the medal ceremonies had taken place without him.
Cone married Ida, now his wife of 61 years; became a postal worker and plumber; raised three children in Hull; and spoke very little about the war, Edward Cone said.
About four years ago, Edward Cone decided to find out whether any of his father's Army colleagues were still alive.
He found the Filthy Thirteen's leader, Jake McNiece, in Oklahoma, and put his father in touch by telephone. Their conversation was recorded by the BBC and played on the anniversary of D-Day.
Later, the History Channel filmed its own segment on the pair, which still airs, Edward Cone said.
The group reunited in Taccoa, Ga., the home of their jump school.
"My Dad and I drove from here to Georgia. I heard everything on that trip," Edward Cone said. "Three were alive from the unit. They talked and drank and told stories for days."
Three years ago, McNiece published a book, "The Filthy Thirteen: From the Dustbowl to Hitler's Eagle's Nest: The 101st Airborne's Most Legendary Squad of Combat Paratroopers."
It was McNiece who mentioned that Cone was due a few medals. Edward Cone and his fiance, Kate Guthrie of Leominster, who works at the Statehouse, gathered documentation and contacted Lynch.
The result was the Sunday party, also attended by Cone's daughters, Ronna Townsend of Monroe Township, N.J., and Natalie Gaudet of Hampton, N.H., and most of his seven grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
Cone admits he never talked much about the war before.
"I really didn't," Cone said. "But they insisted I tell the grandchildren and the great grandchildren. So I talk to them. I tell them stories. I tell them true stories. They all enjoy 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.
Sunday, February 03, 2008
February 3: Today is Four Chaplains Day
From the Wikipedia entry:
The Four Chaplains were four U. S. Army chaplains who were killed in action when the USAT Dorchester was hit by a torpedo and sank on February 3, 1943. They helped other soldiers board lifeboats and gave up their life jackets when the supply ran out. 230 of the 904 men aboard the ship were rescued
.On 19 December 1944, all four chaplains were posthumously awarded the Purple Heart and the Distinguished Service Cross.[2] The Chaplain's Medal for Heroism was authorized in 1961 and posthumously presented by the President of the United States to the families of the chaplains.
The chaplains were also honored with a stamp,issued in 1948
and by an act of the United States Congress, designating 3 February as "Four Chaplains Day."
The chaplains were Lieutenants Rev. George L. Fox (Methodist); Rabbi Alexander D. Goode (Jewish); Fr. John P. Washington (Roman Catholic); and Rev. Clark V. Poling (Dutch Reformed).
Friday, February 01, 2008
Soldiers Angels Web Surfing
My weekly meme of news by, and about, Soldiers Angels out in the blogosphere.
Nevada Soldiers Angels VA Team tells about New Flat Rate Boxes
Soldiers Angels Network has a link to a great story about The Cookie Lady
and Soldiers Angels Texas passes on this,about
The Vets for Freedom National Heroes Tour
New, and "New-to-Me" Angels :)
>Just Mary ,an AOL blogger friend, let me know she had become an 'Angel'. Yay!
(and she is one of those folks who is involved with The Giving Tree , which was started by CanyonSun04 , another Soldiers Angel member, so I already Thought of her as an angel, anyway :)
I found this 'new-to-me' Angel through her post
Click here: Jamie Dawn's Mindless Blather: Blog Church - Week 13
-------------
Life in the Northeast, as always, posts for us to Remember....
--------
And, this last one, by Soldiers' Angels Germany.....one of the most powerful posts I have ever read. The Final Gift
Another Sad Farewell
Gazing at the Flag lost a friend.....and has written a beautiful tribute.
Sgt. James Craig~Farewell,My Friend~Walk With God
Godspeed, Sgt. James Craig. Your family and friends, and the families and friends of all those lost that day, are being held in prayers by many.
Sgt. James Craig~Farewell,My Friend~Walk With God
Godspeed, Sgt. James Craig. Your family and friends, and the families and friends of all those lost that day, are being held in prayers by many.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)