Soldiers Angels Web Surfing

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

Other great posts!

Check out A new angel gets her wings by Greta on Soldiers Angels Louisiana

and also A simple thank you means so much

Soldiers Angels Network posts about the Soldiers Angels Cookie Book

gives a book review

and reminds us about writing patients in Germany

Soldiers Angels Texas has the Texas Garden Flag Design Winner!

Ballseye’s Boomers has adopted a new soldier

and The Bells and Whistles of Me started out adopting one soldier , has picked up 2 more, and is spreading the ‘adoption bug’ to friends!

A Soldiers Angel in Bakersfield posts Be an Angel for a Marine here in B-town on the Southwest Voice website.

and lastly, mr.blackandwhite posts,among other things, about the need for cooling scarves in Help somebody this weekend

That’s the ’surf’ for this past week!

Thank You!

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

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.

World War ONE: A War Forgotten?

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

Soldiers Angels Web Surfing

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!



Soldiers Angels Louisiana 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!

Operation Love From Home, and Toys for Troops

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!

'Family Things'

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:)

Wednesday Heroes

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.

Monday Potpourri of Things to Pass On

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.)
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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

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.

Congratulations, Patti!

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.
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Congratulations again, Patti!
and

Happy Mother's Day!

To All the Mom's out there.....




wishing you a Wonderful day!

Soldiers Angels Web Surfing

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.

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 !!!

Wednesday Hero

CSM Robert Prosser and LTC Erik Kurilla1st 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.

Links About the 2008 Face of America bike Ride

(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:)

Monday-Please Vote for Soldiers Angels Founder

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.

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

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!

Adopt a Troop in Prayer?

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