2011 Milblog Conference!

Leaving at O'Dark Thirty on Saturday to head up to the
2011 Sixth Annual Milblog Conference 
Yay! :)

Wednesday Hero

This Weeks Post Was Suggested by Michael


Col. Robert L. Howard
70 years old from Waco, Texas
Army Special Forces MACV-SOG Special Operations Command Korea
July 11, 1939 – December 23, 2009


You learn very quickly that Col. Robert Howard was an amazing man. Wounded 14 times in 54 months of combat. 8 Purple Hearts, 4 Bronze Stars, 2 Distinguished Service Crosses. And the awards go on from there. But it's the three Medal Of Honor nominations for three separate actions within a thirteen month period that stand out.


1st Lt. Robert Howard Receives The Medal Of Honor

You can read more about Col. Robert L. Howard here and here and a tribute page dedicated to him 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.

2011 Milbloggies

I Voted !  Have you? lots of great blogs nominated this year, don't forget to Vote Now :)

(if you want to review the finalists one last time before voting? they are listed  Here  )

Congratulations! to all those whose blogs were selected as finalists, and Best of Luck!

Advice for Veterans

Via Veteran's Advantage , a post to help Veterans avoid scams

6 Ways to Prevent Veterans from Being Taken Advantage of by Scams

Check it out, good advice for all of us, actually.

Surfing the Web..

Time for another 'surf' around the blogosphere, to highlight blog posts and articles that I hope you find interesting:

this was a short, but powerful blog post from Canadian veteran Paul Franklin The value of time

One person making a positive difference..a nice story from ExploreBaltimoreCounty.com

For wounded soldiers, Lutherville woman brings Trouble ... and a smile

Today(April 25) is the start of the Warrior 100k ..a 3 day bike ride in Texas where 14 wounded servicemen and women who served in Irag and Afghanistan join former President George W. Bush in a 100 kilometer mountain bike ride.

An excellent blog I've recently come across My Yellow Ribbon  is also nominated for a Milbloggie  in the US Military Parent category..(and don't forget,voting for the Milbloggies is also due to start today!)

and the 'theme' for the remainder of this post seems to have evolved into 'remembering'..

the tragic losses of Tim Hetherington and Chris Hondros generated many blog posts, here are two of them

from The Kitchen Dispatch The Gratitude Post: Tim Hetherington's Final Passage

and from Gazing at the Flag Chris Hondros~A Remarkable Life

Today(April 25) is also ANZAC day, as one of my favorite Aussie bloggers points out

Marion's Meepings Lest We Forget

That's the 'surf''!

Woot! Can't Wait for Saturday!

and the Milblog conference  !! looking forward to seeing old friends, making new friends, and just generally having an interesting, informative, and fantastic time :)

Wednesday Hero

Capt. Lawrence Rollo


Capt. Lawrence Rollo cradles a Nigerian baby while visiting with locals during a community relations project at the Light of Dawn Government Junior Secondary School Tomarow as part of Africa Partnership Station (APS) West. APS is an international security cooperation initiative designed to strengthen global maritime partnerships through training and collaborative activities to improve maritime safety and security in Africa.

Information And Photo Courtesy U.S. Navy. Taken by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Darryl Wood


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.

Our weekend volunteering at the Face of America Bike ride 2011

Our weekend volunteering with the Face of America Bike Ride got off to a soggy start on Sat. the 16th. Due to calls for severe weather, the start of the ride was changed to inside the Hyatt where the riders were staying, so the 'Banner Hanging Team' went on to set up banners at the first rest stop.

Here's the set on Flickr of some of our photos from the weekend
Flickr set Face of America Bike ride 2011

and here's a link to a short video of the riders coming into the first rest stop

and then the riders leaving the first rest stop

once again, the seniors at Brighton Gardens at Tuckerman Lane in N. Bethesda, MD made a great banner to cheer the riders on..
as did all those who sent in banners from all over the country, from Nevada and Indiana to Connecticut and New Jersey! Our heartfelt Thanks! to all the groups who donated banners! It is so wonderful to have folks from all across the country expressing their support of the riders :)

Day One ended early, due to the weather..it was cold, rainy, windy and miserable..the riders were awesome! but the ride got cut short for most of them at the lunch stop (although a few hardy souls did finish the ride) volunteers and riders alike were all sopping wet !!

at the lunch stop, we met Irvine

a service dog from the Paws for Purple Hearts program  Irvine came out both days to especially cheer on the riders from the Walter Reed contingent! :)

here's a link also to my Facebook album of Day one 

Day Two started out cold and windy, but Yay! no rain!!
here's a link to my Facebook album of Day Two

we took some video of the start of the ride on Day Two, you can see them Here and Here

and then, sadly, we had to leave before the riders came in at the end of the ride this year (had commitments to get back to at home ) but we were able to help hang banners at the end of the ride before we left

It was another great year of volunteering, and another great bunch of riders to cheer on again this year!
----------------------------

for an idea of the kinds of riders we had the opportunity to cheer on? you can check out this video from Fox news HERE

and I also found a photo gallery in Phillyburbs.com  HERE

(I'll add any more links to stories, blog posts or photos as I find them)

Year Five of Volunteering at the Face of America Bike Ride..Here we come:)

My daughter and I began volunteering in 2007  at World T.E.A.M. Sports Face of America Bike Ride

and volunteered again in 2008 , 2009 and last year

This coming weekend is the 2011 Face of America ride, and we'll be volunteering again! along with some of the other great volunteers we've gotten to know over these last years...looking forward to seeing old friends, meeting new friends, and most of all.....Cheering on the Awesome Riders!

Got a last few banners that arrived in the mail today, from some wonderful folks in Connecticut,Thank You!!...once again, folks from around the country did a fantastic job making banners for the volunteer 'Banner Hanging Team' to use to cheer the riders along.

The blog will be silent while we're gone, possibly might post a few pics onto my Facebook while we're volunteering this weekend, otherwise...I'll tell you all about it when we get back! :)

Enjoy your weekend, Support our Troops and our Wounded Warriors and our Veterans!

Wednesday Hero

This Weeks Post Was Suggested By Steve


Lt. Col. Charles L. Brown
86 years old from Miami, Florida
October 24, 1922 - November 24, 2008


For extraordinary heroism in military operations in WWII he was awarded the Air Force Cross our nations award for valor second only to the Medal of Honor. He flew 29 combat missions as a B-17 pilot. His many other military decorations included the Purple Heart for wounds received in combat. Upon being offered a position with the United States Department of State he took early retirement from the Air Force and continued to serve his nation as a senior Foreign Service Officer spending six years in Southeast Asia as Inspector-In- Charge, Agency for International Development, U.S. Dept. of State

Sadly couldn't find too much information on Lt. Col. Brown. The best source was his obituary. 
 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.   

One of the most powerful pieces of writing I've seen lately..

via The Sandbox
This Space is Iraq,This Space is My Memories

"The Christmas They Never Had"

It's Friday, time for a reminder post about Wreaths Across America's mission in 2011 to cover all 330,000+ graves at Arlington National Cemetery with wreaths for
The Christmas They Never Had

                              (picture from 2008 Wreath Laying at Arlington National Cemetery)

Surfing the Web..

Here's a couple of my fave blogs to follow lately ..

Off The Base always has great posts,IMHO

and Surfing Surgeon Stuck in the Sand  (took over at the same base where The Sand Docs were serving)  is doing a cool series of posts introducing the 'team members' serving with him


moving on, this is interesting, in searching for blog posts about April 6th being the anniversary of the entry into WW I of the US, I came across this blog
The Land of Good Neighbors(C)-Benner Family, World War One, Canada

I've posted previously about this blog
WW I: Experiences of an English Soldier

and this is another WW I blog new to me
World War I: American Soldier's Letters Home

some random blog posts I thought worth mentioning were

Hachinohe Farm Clean Up from I'm Big in Japan

and this Olmsted scholar, Traveler of Morocco, posted Running Inspired in Rabat
which led me to check out Team Red, White and Blue

lastly, Levi Aho at Living My Dreams posted an update on his bicycle ride
Socorro,NM to the Valley of Fire and inbetween

That's the surf! have fun checking all the posts out!

Woot! Banners! :)

Got several more banners in the mail today to use to cheer the riders on at the
2011 Face of America Bike ride

A huge Thank You! to those who've sent banners so far, y'all are Awesome!! :)

there's still time to get some banners to me, but only just...the absolute last day I could receive any in the mail would be the 14th...so, if you're wanting to send any banners in? please shoot me an email at kasee60 (at) gmail (dot) com right away!

Supporting the Troops-'Cooling ties'

So, the husband has been busy today

sewing on 64 'cooling ties'

to send to some troops!

(see why I love that man? :)

Wednesday Hero

This Weeks Post Was Suggested By Cindy



Marvin Hume
89 years old
Cape May, New Jersey


89-year-old Marvin Hume loves his country and the Man and Woman who fight for it. Every evening, between Memorial Day and mid-October, for the last 38 years Mr. Hume, a Navy vet himself, has held a ceremony in New Jersey where he raises a flag that has been draped over a the casket of a veteran.

You can read the rest of the 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! to Milblogging.com!

Milblogging.com Hits 3,000 Milblog Milestone, Nearly 15,000 Members

Woot!

Supporting the Supporters

My Mom sent me this story from the Minneapolis Star-Tribune
Car repairs offered to troops as a thank you

about Shon Kingrey, general manager of Duluth Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram in Duluth,MN, and a former Marine who had served two tours in Operation Desert Storm, offering free car repairs to the families of deployed National Guardsmen from 2 Duluth-based units, the 148th Fighter Wing and 1/94th Cavalry

Here's the letter Mr.Kingrey placed in his ad:

Dear Honored Heroes,

There are few moments in the span of a lifetime that equal the emotional impact of a military deployment. It is truly an event whose memory will reverberate through the archives of your family history. For it is not just you who are being deployed; but your spouse and your children as well.


I can speak from experience... because I, and in turn my family, have gone through this ourselves...


My name is Shon Kingrey, General Manager of Duluth Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram, and I want you to know that we will do our part to support your loved ones while you are away protecting our freedom. In the event that your family car (regardless of make or model) has any problems or issues, our service center will take care of it for you, at no cost. Just tell your spouse to bring the vehicle in, and to ask for me personally. I will do everything in my power to make it right again. Additionally, we would like to extend to them a one thousand dollar discount across the board on any new vehicle, should they be in the market. We feel whatever costs we may incur in doing this pales in comparison to the cost you are paying for your country... that you are paying for all of us. Frankly, we feel it is the least we can do to show our appreciation. Godspeed, brave heroes; and come home safe. But until you do, know that those you hold dearest are being looked after.

According to the Star-Trib article , Mr. Kingrey had a surprising response to his ad, being called 'warmonger' and even 'baby-killer' by some, and the sincerity of his effort was questioned, to which his response was "What do I stand to gain? It's not like this is a money-maker."

Mr.Kingrey has an employee who will be deploying this month, and also has a son currently serving in the Army in Afghanistan.

There's more on this story in the Duluth News-Tribune  and it was also mentioned on their local
Fox21News and on the Minnesota National Guard website  Thus far, according to the stories, Mr.Kingrey and Duluth Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram have had two cars brought into the dealership.

I just wanted to give Kudos, to Mr. Kingrey and pass the word along about this. Thank you, sir, for assisting these deployed families..and thank you, also, for your service, and your son's service, to our country.

Surfing the Web..

Since I continually run across blog posts and stories that I wish to pass on, going to try out a new feature on the blog..'Surfing the Web'..to highlight stories I think (all 10:) of my readers might like to check out. (isn't it fortuitous,lol, that I just happened to have a 'surfing' picture to use from one of our trips to Hawaii? rhetorical question, I just wanted to slip in a gratuitous use of the word fortuitous :)

via Mare Contrare at Write Softly you can check out this Veteran's Farm

Loved this story on the DOD website  Disabled Vets Discover Miracle on Mountain

From the Defense Centers of Excellence blog, good information to pass on
Care Coordinator Links Service Members with TBI Support

The wife of a wounded warrior blogs over at Southern Girl Stand


 moving overseas, I'm Big in Japan reports he is back to Normal Shifts
(but volunteering in his off time to help)

and recently JP over at Milblogging.com had a post about Army Strong stories
and here's two posts over there that caught my eye this past week

Evaluating Your Leadership? Don't Look in the Mirror

and

Lessons on Training the ANA  (which reminded me a lot of things our soldier had said while he was doing the same job in Iraq a few years ago)

Well, that's the 'surf'! 

Giving 'The Christmas They Never Had'

From the  Wreaths Across America website comes  an update on the 2011 mission to cover all 330,000+  graves at Arlington National cemetery  Giving the Christmas They Never Had