Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Milblogging.com Claim

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Wednesday Hero

This Week's Post Was Suggested And Written By Kathi


SSgt. Renee A. Deville
SSgt. Renee A. Deville
44 years old from Webster New York
401st Civil Affairs Battalion
September 1, 2008
U.S. Army

SSGT Renee A. Deville was an Army Reservist who deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom with the 401st Civil Affairs Battalion from Webster, N.Y. She arrived at Walter Reed August 10, 2006, after being injured in a mortar attack.

While at Walter Reed, Deville was assigned to Chosen Battery, Warrior Transition Brigade, and was among three graduates of the Army's first Basic Noncommissioned Officers Course Stand Alone Common Core offered to Warriors in Transition.

Deville, who successfully completed every aspect of the course from a wheelchair, was lauded by SGT Major of the Army Kenneth O. Preston as exemplifying the Army's 'Warrior Ethos', at the graduation ceremony for the course on March 28, 2008.

Deville was also the impetus for a new playground being built behind the Mologne House at Walter Reed in 2007.

An October 2007 Washington Post article about the opening of the playground says that SSGT Deville's mention of her children's limited recreational options to Col. Bruce Haselden, the garrison commander, helped set in motion the playground project.

Staff Sgt. Renee Antoinette Deville died September 1, 2008 in her room at the Mologne House at Walter Reed. She was 44.

She is survived by her husband and 4 children, her mother, a brother, and two sisters.

SSGT Deville was laid to rest in Arlington National Cemetery on September 19, 2008.


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.

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AOL Journals are Shutting Down

So, I'll be migrating to blogging full time over here, from my 'real blog'.....my 'first blog'...
Mail Call! Supporting the Troops

to the NEW Mail Call! Supporting the Troops here on Blogger.

Friday, September 26, 2008

Soldiers Angels Web Surfing

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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.

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Wednesday Hero


Click Image For Full Size
Yeoman 3rd Class Margret Ueberlauer
U.S. Navy

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.

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Monday, September 22, 2008

"Soldiers Mean More"

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

A Short Round Up of Blog Posts about the 2008 Milblog Conference

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.

Friday, September 19, 2008

Over at my Family Blog....

I'm wishing a Happy 2nd Birthday on Monday to my Sweet Niece Charlotte

(and you can see Charlotte's story on A Red Thread to China )

Soldiers Angels Web Surfing

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

Wish I was in Vegas, at the 3rd Annual Milblog Conference.....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!

However, since I couldn't be there, 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.

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Wednesday Hero

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

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.

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Monday, September 15, 2008

From Spirit of America

(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

Toys For Troops

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!

News from Survivor Corps

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

Soldiers Angels Web Surfing

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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'.

Thursday, September 11, 2008

2.996....I Remember...Catherine Carmen Gorayeb

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



( crossposted )

Tuesday, September 09, 2008

Wednesday Hero

SSgt. Andy Pena
SSgt. Andy Pena

U.S. Air Force

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-Mothan 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.

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Monday, September 08, 2008

Project 2,996

(crossposted from my blog Mail Call! Supporting the Troops )

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.

Saturday, September 06, 2008

Soldiers Angels Web Surfing

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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.

Wednesday, September 03, 2008

Wednesday Hero

Lance Cpl. Ryan T. McCaughn
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
U.S. Marine Corps

"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.

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Tuesday, September 02, 2008

Farewell,Alan Waddell

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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

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.)