"The Christmas They Never Had"

Another picture from our collection of pictures taken at the 2008 Arlington wreath laying,
to remind you of their theme for the 2011 wreath laying, the 20th anniversary of wreaths being laid on the graves of fallen heroes at Arlington National Cemetery for the holidays....the mission to cover all the 300,00+ graves at Arlington this year....to give "The Christmas They Never Had"

Wednesday Hero

This Weeks Post Was Suggested By Michael



Lt. Cmd. Edward Henry "Butch" O'Hare
From St. Louis, Missouri
Fighting Squadron Three (VF-3)
March 13, 1914 – November 26, 1943


From Butch O'Hare's Medal Of Honor citation:

The President of the United States of America, in the name of
Congress, takes pleasure in presenting the Medal of Honor to
Lieutenant Edward Henry "Butch" O'Hare (NSN: 0-78672), United States
Navy, for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in aerial combat, at
grave risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty, as section
leader and pilot of Fighting Squadron Three (VF-3), attached to the
U.S.S. LEXINGTON, on 20 February 1942. Having lost the assistance of
his teammates, Lieutenant O'Hare interposed his plane between his ship
and an advancing enemy formation of nine attacking twin-engine heavy
bombers. Without hesitation, alone and unaided, he repeatedly attacked
this enemy formation, at close range in the face of intense combined
machinegun and cannon fire. Despite this concentrated opposition,
Lieutenant O'Hare, by his gallant and courageous action, his extremely
skillful marksmanship in making the most of every shot of his limited
amount of ammunition, shot down five enemy bombers and severely
damaged a sixth before they reached the bomb release point. As a
result of his gallant action--one of the most daring, if not the most
daring, single action in the history of combat aviation--he
undoubtedly saved his carrier from serious damage.

The U.S. Navy's first Flying Ace. Awarded the Medal Of Honor, Navy
Cross, 2 Distinguished Flying Crosses & the Purple Heart. An airport
and a Navy destroyer named after him. And a connection to Al Capone.
You can read much more about Lt. Cmd. O'Hare here.  

These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so thatothers 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.

"We appreciate the support"

From The Sand Docs comes a good post

The Best of Care Packages

World Team Sports: The Exceptional Athlete Matters

As we have for the past 4 years, we're planning on volunteering again this April for the
Face of America bike ride  from World Team sports.

If you want to know Why? we keep volunteering year after year?
Check out this video from World Team sports:

Rest in Peace, Frank Buckles

Via the  Army Times  and the  Washington Post,
two very good articles about the passing yesterday of the last surviving World War I US veteran
Frank Buckles

You can also see more about Frank Buckles at Pershing's Last Patriot

Rest in Peace,Sir.

Our condolences to his family and friends.
-----------------------------

and so we lose one of the last few links to the war referred to as 'The Great War'

In the last few years before his death, Frank Buckles called for "the restoration and re-dedication of the D.C. WW I memorial as a National and District of Columbia WW I memorial" as you can see here on
The World War I Memorial Foundation website

My husband and I had accidentally stumbled across the DC memorial while on a visit to the National Mall in 2007

and when I blogged about it at the time, the condition of the memorial reduced me to tears, and I asked:
..."if we allow the memorials to those who have fallen in a war to become dilapidated and in need of repairs, are we not dishonoring the memory of those who served and gave their all? "

---------------------------------
There are several ways you can remember Frank Buckle's extraordinary life, and pay tribute to his memory.....the family has requested that contributions be made in his honor to Survivor Quest , the non profit which is behind the documentary about Frank's life

and might I also suggest that you consider contacting your Senators and Congress members, to let them know you support the Frank Buckles World War I Memorial Act legislation, to rededicate the District of Columbia WW I memorial to include the wording "National World War I Memorial" , to honor all those like Mr. Buckles, who served in that 'war to end all wars'.

Make Military Family TIME's 2011 Person of the Year?

If you haven't heard about the

Grassroots effort looks to make the "Military Family" Time's 2011 Person of the Year

(h/t Milblogging.com )

via the Like It For Time website:

The letter to TIME Magazine is below.
 Revise at will and then copy, paste, print, sign, and put in the mail on Friday, March 4th.

• If you think you'll forget to mail the letter on Friday and you'd rather mail it today because this is when you'll remember, mail away.
• If you want your letter to the editor to be considered for publication in TIME Magazine, be sure to include your full name, address, and phone number in the letter.
• OPPORTUNITY TO WIN A KINDLE: Share the letter - with enthusiasm! - on your blog or facebook page and encourage people to mail it in, and you'll be entered to win the latest model Kindle. (One winner.) Used just once, it's as close to brand-new as it can be without being in the original, unopened package, and it even comes with a leather case. TO BE ENTERED TO WIN: Email likeitfortime@gmail.com with the link to the blog or facebook page where you encourage others to send their letter to TIME. Write "letter share" in the subject line. The winner will be announced on March 4th on Enlisted Spouse Radio.
• MAIL YOUR LETTER TO: TIME Magazine Letters / Time & Life Building /Rockefeller Center / New York, NY 10020
• THANK YOU. Your participation is both necessary and greatly appreciated. Have fun, and good luck to all of us!

Dear TIME Magazine Editor(s),

I’m writing this letter to ask you to consider the military family as your 2011 TIME Person of the Year. If you accept nominations from the public/your readers, please consider this an official nomination.

Military families will be the first to say they don’t want to be honored or praised, but I understand Person of the Year isn’t an honor; it’s a “recognition of somebody’s effect on the world,” as Richard Stengel has said.

I also understand Person of the Year is, as another TIME editor has said, “given to the person, group, or thing that has most influenced the culture or the news during the past year.”

Evidence of the military family’s impact on recent news and popular culture can be found in the efforts of Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden to raise awareness of the military family, in Oprah Winfrey’s multiple shows honoring the military family, in the upcoming fifth season of Lifetime network’s “Army Wives,” and in the E! Entertainment channel special, “E!Investigates: Military Wives.” Any time the wars in the Middle East are in the news, so is the American military family.

Regarding the military family’s effect on the world, Rudy Giuliani was chosen for Person of the Year following the September 11 attacks because he “embodied what was really most important, what we learned about ourselves, which was that we could recover,” explained a TIME editor.

The military family embodies what is most important after a decade of war and multiple deployments: a resilient and unifying force even as the families grow weary of being separated - sometimes permanently - year after year, those years apart filled with agonizing anxiety and uncertainty about the future of their families. That resiliency speaks volumes about who we are.

When the American Soldier was chosen for 2003 Person of the Year, it wasn’t for making the news. It was, according to TIME, “[f]or uncommon skills and service, for the choices each one of them has made and the ones still ahead, for the challenge of defending not only our freedoms but those barely stirring half a world away.”

According to a February 2009 study conducted by Boston University’s Sloan Work and Family Research Network, “43.2% of active duty forces have one or more children.” Without a military family care plan—siblings, grandparents, spouses, or others to care for those children—nearly half of our deployed forces would be rendered useless.

The challenges the families of service members experience don’t include the direct threat of mortar rounds and IEDs, but they do include the 24-hour awareness that mortar rounds or IEDs could kill the person they love - their parent, their child, their best friend - any minute of any day, as well as the unique task of trying to maintain a sense of normalcy for children who have a revolving parent and a home environment that is in a perpetual state of flux.

I hope you’ll give this nomination the serious consideration it warrants.

Sincerely,
----------------------------


Please pass the word about this, won't you?and Thank You.

Celebrating today!

Celebrating our wedding anniversary today
Celebrating Three Years

Two Posts Worth Checking Out

After the recent release of the Army's January Suicide Data

I came across two very good posts, related to the topics of 'asking for help' and suicide,
which seemed to me worth passing along:

From The Unknown Soldiers blog the post Badge of Honor introduced me to someone unexpected who asked for help, and now advocates for others in the military to do the same.

and from the Off the Base blog  A Journey from the Brink of Suicide

"The Christmas They Never Had"

                     (photo from 2008 wreath laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery)
It's Friday, time for a reminder about Wreaths Across America's program to attempt to lay wreaths on all 330,000 + graves at Arlington
"The Christmas They Never Had"

And this is the way the wreaths would be laid upon the graves....one wreath at a time, by volunteers.
To honor and remember those who gave their lives in service to our country.

A Documentary I would love to see

I came across this article this morning
Film tells true story of survival and wartime romance

which led me to the website for
Surviving Hitler: A Love Story

A Welcome Home! to..

To Afghanistan and Back  And Back Again

Welcome Home! and Thank You..for the job you did, and also for blogging about it, so we could share in some of the highlights of your past year.

Support for Military Kids, and now Teens

My alert Mom sent a link to an article from the Minneapolis Star-Tribune
Teens in military families finally have voice by Kelly Smith

and that led me to also check out this website
Operation Military Kids

If I was aware of this before now? I had forgotten this service existed, for the children of military families. Be sure to check out your state link on OMK's site, and see what's available in the area near you.

From the VFW..

The Veterans of Foreign Wars is proud to announce the Department winners of the 2010-2011 Voice of Democracy audio-essay competition. This year's theme is "Does My Generation Have a Role in America's Future?" The following students are competing for a chance to win up to $30,000 in college scholarships and other incentives. Check out the winner from your area.

2010-2011 Voice of Democracy State Winners

Congratulations! to all the State Winners!

Wednesday Hero

Cmd. David John Sperling
78 years old from Pensacola, Florida
Attach Squadron 153
April 3, 1929 - March 17, 2008


From the citation upon being awarded the Silver Star:

The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Silver Star to Commander David John Sperling (NSN: 0-555189), United States Navy, for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action as the Pilot of a jet aircraft while attached to Attack Squadron ONE HUNDRED FIFTY-THREE (VA-153), embarked in U.S.S. CORAL SEA (CVA-43). On 25 October 1967, Commander Sperling flew as a major group leader in a coordinated Air Wing assault on the Phuc Yen Air Base near Hanoi, North Vietnam. Being the prime operating base for MiG fighter aircraft, Phuc Yen was defended by the most concentrated and formidable array of surface-to-air missiles, anti-aircraft artillery and automatic weapons to be found in all of North Vietnam. Courageously leading his group of attack aircraft over 120 miles of hostile territory into this bastion of defensive armor, Commander Sperling exhibited outstanding airmanship and unwavering determination while maneuvering for the highly vulnerable attack position. In spite of the unprecedented barrage of surface-to-air missiles and anti-aircraft fire, he calmly established the essential bombing pattern and delivered his ordnance with exceptional accuracy on the revetted enemy airplanes to destroy or damage several parked MiG aircraft. His resolute actions and professional skill set the tone for the remainder of his force and succeeded in turning a potentially disastrous situation into a highly successful assault on the enemy. Commander Sperling's gallant and inspirational leadership upheld the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.

Cmd. Sperling's 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.



--

Yay! 2011 Milblog Conference website up and running!

via Milblogging.com  the word is out
2011 Milblog Conference website and registration launched

You can find the website  Here

(and I'll place a link over in the sidebar)

So excited! as it looks like I'll be able to attend this year!! :)

"Free Mail"!..and" it's a small world after all"..

So, I got home from work yesterday and had the unexpected surprise of a piece of 'free mail' waiting for me:)
('Free mail', for those of you who don't know, is how we troop supporters refer to the letters we receive back from someone who is deployed....it's free for them to mail a letter to us from a war zone.)

In the 'life is too cool' and 'it's a small world' departments , it turned out that the soldier I had sent the letter to had all kinds of family and personal ties to the region where I live... as she put it:

"I thought you might find this amazing that we have this in common. Who would have thought that 7,000 miles away, we were close by?"......and she ended  with .."it was good to hear from someone close to home!"

She was writing back to say how much my letter had brightened her day....and it certainly brightened my whole evening, (after a tough day at work,too! )to have received this unexpected and heartwarming 'thank you' from a deployed soldier....and all because I had taken a few moments to send a letter of support and appreciation to a stranger serving our country, to tell someone I'd never met that 'you and those serving with you are not forgotten, by those of us back here at home"

You know where I'm going with this, don't you? :) 

You can send your Own letter of support to someone...(.there's no guarantee you'll get 'free mail' in return, remember, you're writing to someone in a war zone, who's kind of busy!).....but if you want to brighten a stranger's day and support the troops?...there are several ways you can do this.

If you are already a member of Soldiers Angels? you can check out the Letter Writing Team

or, if you just want to go by Anysoldier.com , that's another great way to support those serving with just a simple letter or note.

Think about it, won't you?

"The Christmas They Never Had"

                                    (Photo from 2008 Wreath Laying at Arlington National Cemetery)

Time for a Friday reminder of  Wreaths Across America's program to attempt to cover all the graves of our nation's fallen heroes... "The Christmas They Never Had"  in December 2011 at Arlington.

"Great minds think alike"lol..Thanks! Airman Mom

I see Airman Mom had the same idea, posting blogs worth checking out to pass on to others, please go check her post out
So Many Blogs,So Little Time....

A Farewell and a Hello

As one favorite blogger prepares to return home
The Sand Docs-The Final Countdown
(and safe travels home to all of the team! Thank you! for the job you've been doing)

he introduces us to another blogger preparing to deploy shortly
Surfing Surgeon Stuck in the Sand

Wednesday Hero

This Weeks Post Was Suggested By Michael


Petty Officer First Class Robert R. Scott
26 years old from Massillion, Ohio
December 7, 1941


Robert Raymond Scott joined the U.S. Navy in 1938. Was was assigned to the U.S.S. California and was stationed in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. On December 7, 1941 the California was hit by a torpedo during the attack. While other personnel were evacuated, Machinist's Mate First Class Scott remained at his station. He didn't survive. For his actions he was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor. And the U.S. Navy named the destroyer escort USS Scott (DE-214) in his honor in 1943.

From his citation:

For conspicuous devotion to duty, extraordinary courage and complete disregard of his own life, above and beyond the call of duty, during the attack on the Fleet in Pearl Harbor by Japanese forces on 7 December 1941. The compartment, in the U.S.S. California, in which the air compressor, to which Scott was assigned as his battle station, was flooded as the result of a torpedo hit. The remainder of the personnel evacuated that compartment but Scott refused to leave, saying words to the effect "This is my station and I will stay and give them air as long as the guns are going." 
 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. 

Happy Valentine's Day!

For the link to our PhotoCardsDirect Valentine to our Troops, click  Here

You can send your own free E-card to the troops (and help Soldiers Angels in the process)
Click  HERE for details


You can also, through  AOL , send a virtual  Valentine gift and AOL will make a donation to the USO,
click  HERE  for information on how to do that :)

and Happy Valentine's Day!!

"The Christmas They Never Had"

                                                                  
                       (Picture from 2008 Wreath Laying in Arlington)

                       It's Friday, time for a reminder about Wreaths Across America's hopes to cover
all 330,000 + graves at Arlington in December 2011
                          "The Christmas They Never Had"

Love the Troops with Free E-cards

Thanks to  PhotoCardsDirect.com  patriotic Americans can send a free Valentine's Day e-card to anyone and make money for  Soldiers' Angels  care packages at the same time!


Read more about it HERE

and here's  a link  to one of the free e-cards we designed :)

Woot! Best Valentine/Anniversary Gift Ever from..

Best Husband in the World, of course:)

Tony surprised me today with ELEVEN books from my Amazon Wishlist

(yes, I know all the 'cool kids' have Kindle's or Nook's, but I'm still 'old school' so far :)

the books are:



The Nightingale of Mosul: A Nurse's Journey of Service, Struggle, and War

Northern Disclosure


Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption


With the Old Breed, at Peleliu and Okinawa Summary | E.B. Sledge | BookRags.com

No Time for Fear: Voices of American Military Nurses in World War II

Biggest Brother: The Life Of Major Dick Winters, The Man Who Led The Band of Brothers

Simon Johnson& James Kwak's13 Bankers: The Wall Street Takeover and the Next Financial Meltdown [Hardcover](2010)  ('brother recommended:)

(WAR) BY JUNGER, SEBASTIAN(Author)Twelve[Publisher]Hardcover{War} on 11 May -2010

and then there are three that I read a Long time ago, and actually loved so much that I bought the set for my brother as a gift,too, and then somehow both our sets got lost along life's highway....good science fiction, and although I've since discovered there's a 'prequel' book....I first fell in love with just the trilogy and Yay! I finally have it again:)

Tripods Trilogy (The White Mountains / The City of Gold and Lead / The Pool of Fire)

(you know, I've often thought this would be a good set to send to someone deployed)

so, now I just need to finish reading
One Dog at a Time: Saving the Strays of Afghanistan  (from my Christmas gifts)
and then start on my Valentine/Anniversary gifts:)

oh, and in case you were wondering?
I apparently bought Tony a set of some kind of tools,LOL, for his Valentine/Anniversary gift
 which was also a surprise to me! :)

Wednesday Hero

This Weeks Post Was Suggested By Cindy


SSgt. Ronell Bradley


On Sept. 21, 2005, SSgt. Ronell Bradley gave two legs and part of a hand for his country when the Humvee he was riding in was hit by a roadside bomb and now he needs our help to get his handicapped-accessible home built. If you're in the Charlotte, South Carolina area you can help. You can read the piece 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. 

National Resource Directory

Back in November, I had written about the NRD state widgets  but in case you haven't taken the time to check out the National Resource directory website itself ? http://www.nationalresourcedirectory.gov/

Here's an article from the US Department of Defense explaining a little more about the website
Directory Links Wounded Warriors, Families to Resources By Elaine Wilson

I've also added a link in the sidebar, under the NRD Virginia widget, that links to the main website.

AFIRM (Armed Forces Institute of Regenerative Medicine)

Via a friend and fellow nurse (and a fellow 'Kathy':)....she forwarded this awesome information about
AFIRM

Go check the website out, this is fascinating.

. 

Nurse's Memorial at Arlington National Cemetery

One thing I learned while recently reading
We Band of Angels: The Untold Story of American Nurses Trapped on Bataan by the Japanese

was that there is a section at Arlington called the  Nurse's Section

While I'm distressed by my own ignorance (how did I Not know this before now?) it is definitely a section I plan to visit the next time we are in the Northern Virginia area.

Worth Watching..An American nurse in WW I

Just finished watching this episode on Hulu

Great Americans An American Nurse at War

about an American  Red Cross nurse during World War I.

Definitely worth watching.

News from the 9/11 Memorial

If you haven't ever checked out the website for the  National 9/11 Memorial in New York,
the website is  HERE

Via their newsletter, I came across both this book
Miss You, Pat by Sharon Watts  
a remembrance of FDNY Captain Patrick J. Brown.

and this touching story on their Memo blog
On the Wings of Memory, Flight Attendant's Story Makes a Full Circle

We Will Never Forget.

Friday Reminder "The Christmas They Never Had" Wreaths Across America

                                      (Picture from 2008 Wreath Laying in Arlington National Cemetery)

It's time again for a Friday reminder about Wreaths Across America's
"The Christmas They Never Had"
to attempt to cover all 330,000+ graves at Arlington National Cemetery in December 2011.

Please spread the word!

Belated Birthday and Anniversary Wishes to..

(I've been ill for part of this week, so missed posting these earlier)

Both a gentleman who served in WW I and the Army Nurse Corps celebrated 110 years this past week.

On Feb. 1, Frank Buckles celebrated his 110th birthday, and via Milblogging.com I came across
this article about Mr. Buckles    Belated Birthday wishes to Mr. Buckles!

On Feb.2 , the Army Nurse Corps celebrated it's 110th anniversary....you can read more about this on the
Army Nurse Corps Blog  and  the Army Surgeon General's Blog

and you can find the Army Nurse Corps History page  HERE

(as many of you know, I'm a Licensed Practical Nurse, so it's always interesting for me to read about, and to celebrate, my 'sister nurses' and their accomplishments )

Also, I have a special place in my heart for the Army Nurse Corps because my aunt Lynn served , I had blogged about her service on the original version of this blog back in 2006
For My Aunt..A Thank You to an Army Nurse Corps Vietnam Veteran

And just this past week, I finished reading
















which was an excellent book, and it was illuminating to read about these nurses I had never heard of before, and their trials and survival during wartime service.

Wednesday Hero

Gunnery Sgt. Richard Romo


Gunnery Sgt. Richard Romo, team chief with Civil Affairs attached to 1st Battalion, 8th Marines, Regimental Combat Team 2, speaks to several Afghans during a patrol through the bazaar in Musa Qal'eh, Jan. 25. During the patrol the Marines inspected the location of an up-coming traffic circle in the bazaar.

Photo Courtesy United States Marine Corps.


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.




 

Philanthroper and 'Give an Hour'

Via my web-savvy, 'tweeting' brother-in-law(thanks,Adam:)...I was introduced to a new 'daily deal' site,
with a twist

as they say here, Philanthroper  ..."shares the story of a new 501(c)3 nonprofit every day. And if you'd like, you can give them $1. We're trying to make doing good a habit.."

Why did awesome brother-in-law Adam wish to share this with my 'non-tweeting' self?

Because the January 31 featured charity was a non profit called Give an Hour

and what is  Give an Hour ?  It's a non-profit "providing free mental health services to U.S. Military personnel and families affected by the current conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan "

So, although the 'deal of the day' has passed by on Philanthroper for Give an Hour?
This post is to tell you about two worthy sites to check out, and then...

Spread the word about them!!

Check out  Give an Hour  more thoroughly (and you can still donate to them directly on their website)

and Philanthroper can be found on Facebook and Twitter  and their website is  Here

'The Christmas They Never Had'

                                  (Photo from 2008 Wreath Laying at Arlington National Cemetery)

It's Friday, time for a reminder about 'The Christmas They Never Had'  which is the mission this year of Worcester Wreath Company and Wreaths Across America to lay 330,000+ wreaths to cover all the graves of our country's fallen heroes in Arlington.

'Pershing's Last Patriot'

World War I veteran Frank Buckles will turn 110 years old on Feb. 1

If you haven't visited the website about the film about him, and his hopes for a national WW I memorial, it's worth checking out

Pershing's Last Patriot

The 'Definitive Online Holocaust archive'

Yesterday was the International Holocaust Remembrance Day, and from this story, Yad Vashem, in partnership with Google, released over 138,000 images archived online.
The story about this is here 138,000 Holocaust-related photos now online, powered by Google and Picasa

 and the archive is here  Yad Vashem Photo Archive

We must never forget.

Wednesday Hero

Cpl. Jason A. Karella
20 years old from Anchorage, Alaska
2nd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force
October 9, 2008


Cpl. Jason A. Karella died supporting combat operations in the Farah province of Afghanistan when the Humvee he was riding in rolled over. He had given up his, as his Father described "best seat in the armored Humvee" to the turret gunner who wasn't feeling well that day.

"My son was proud of what he stood for," said his father, Kevin. "He had a fiancee named Beth and he said to me, 'Dad, I don't have to worry about Beth getting blown up in a market over there because we're keeping them busy here.'"

Karella grew up in a strong military family, with his father a former chief warrant officer in the Army, and his brother Josh also having served in Iraq.

Marines recognized Karella for his incredible strength, which he used to carry large amounts of ammunition with him in the battlefield. They referred to him as "the walking ammo supply point" and "the walking arsenal." Well-respected among his peers, he was awaiting a promotion to Sergeant at the time of his death.

This page has a nice background piece on Cpl. Karell.

Information Was Found On And Copied From MilitaryCity.com


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.

Two More Heroes Lost

Via Right-Wing & Right Minded, we sadly lost two more Heroes from the 'Greatest Generation' last week

Ed Mauser, one of the 'Band of Brothers' from Easy Company

and Barney Hajiro, Medal of Honor recipient, who had been a featured Wednesday Hero post not long ago.

Godspeed,Gentlemen, and Thank You for your service to our country. Your family and friends are in our prayers.

Awesome blog..Turning Tragedy into a Love Story

Via Blackfive  I went over and visited this blog

Turning Tragedy into a Love Story-Patrick & Jessica

which is a blog by the fiancee (now wife) of SSG. Patrick Zeigler about his ongoing  recovery from 4 gunshot wounds to the head during the Ft. Hood shootings on Nov.5th, 2009, and also about how the shootings changed their lives forever. I have sat riveted here reading through the blog...Jessica writes honestly and emotionally about their journey, and there are parts that break your heart to read...but the overall message you walk away with is a message of hope, and it's a privilege to be able  to read this.

"The Christmas They Never Had"

                                          (2008 Wreath Laying in Arlington National Cemetery)

Posting another picture from the 2008 wreath laying event we attended in 2008, to remind everyone of the Wreaths Across America project for 2011, to cover all 330,000+ graves of our fallen in Arlington National Cemetery . To read more about this  click HERE

A "Virtual PTSD Experience"

This is interesting, the DOD announced yesterday
Interactive Simulation Launched to Provide Information on Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

You can check out "Psychological Health Island" at the T2 Virtual PTSD Experience

Wednesday Hero

This Weeks Post Was Suggested & Written By Beth


Maj. Dick Winters
92 years old from Hershey, Pennsylvania
Company E, 506th Regiment, 101st Airborne Division
January 21, 1918 – January 2, 2011


Maj. Richard "Dick" Winters passed away a couple of weeks ago and Beth has written a wonderful piece honoring his service and his life.

Some of the awards Maj. Winters was honored with for his service: Distinguished Service Cross, Bronze Star with one Oak Leaf Cluster, Purple Heart, Presidential Unit Citation with one Oak Leaf Cluster, American Defense Service Medal, National Defense Service Medal, European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with 3 service stars and arrow device, World War II Victory Medal, Army of Occupation Medal, Croix de guerre with palm, French Liberation Medal, Oorlogskruis with palm, Belgian WWII Service Medal, Combat Infantryman Badge, Parachutist Badge with 2 combat stars and the Medal of the City of Eindhoven

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.

"The Christmas They Never Had"

                                          (Arlington Cemetery 2008 wreath-laying)

This year (2011) will be the 20th anniversary of wreaths going to Arlington National Cemetery from the Worcester Wreath Company,
and if you check out the Wreaths Across America website  you will see that they have permission to lay wreaths on  All 330,000+ graves this year

This will of course be a Huge undertaking....so the time to start spreading the word about this is Now.

Please go by the website, read more about this theme of "The Christmas They Never Had" and what Wreaths Across America hopes to do this year.....and then pass the word along, please!

I know in 2008 my husband and I went to Arlington to participate in the wreath laying there, and it was an unbelievable event to be a part of.  I think that year there were only about 10,000 wreaths?  so I can only dimly imagine what it would look like to have the entire cemetery covered......but I feel certain it would be beautiful!

Soldiers Angels Web Surfing

A 'surf' of the web for news by, or about,
Soldiers Angels

'Wrapping up' coverage of Angels and the recent holiday season,
the TimesNews online writes about PA Angels
Team contributes year-round support to veterans

and New York Soldiers' Angels has a post up about
Long Island Angels and Dollar Tree Stores


Coming up...Soldiers Angels Louisiana is gearing up for
Operation Overseas Mardi Gras 2011


Tennessee Soldiers Angels posts about the
New Angel Sewing Project

and check out a related post on The Quilt Show's Daily Blog
Teen Creates for Pillow Project

and with over 1,000 soldiers waiting for 'adoption', it was nice to see some new, and 'new-to-me' Angels blogging about adopting..

Grace Lines posts  Another Way to Give

Cat's Litterbox  is on the Letter Writing Team, but encourages others to also consider checking out 'adopting' in her post here

and from the Channahon-Minooka Patch in IL comes this great story about military wives joining Soldiers Angels and 'adopting'  Putting a Smile on a Soldier's Face

Lastly, New York Soldiers' Angels has
Cookies!-- Calling All Girl Scouts

That's the surf!


(For more Soldiers Angels news? you can also always check out the main Soldiers Angels website here )

Wednesday Hero

Seaman Leah King


Ship's Serviceman Seaman Leah King brushes off excess hair after cutting a Sailor's hair inside the barbershop aboard the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70). Carl Vinson and Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 17 are on a deployment to the U.S. 7th Fleet area of responsibility.

Information And Photo Were Found On And Copied From Navy.mil

Photo courtesy Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Travis K. Mendoza


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 Major Dick Winters

News just out that Major Dick Winters passed away in early January.

from PennLive  Dick Winters, who inspired 'Band of Brothers,' remembered as an American hero

Godspeed, Sir. My condolences to his family and friends, and the 'Band of Brothers' who served with him.

Four Virginia Band Members also participating in the US Army All American Bowl Marching Band

And Congratulations! also to the 4 Virginians participating in the US Army All American Bowl  in the Marching Band

Alexandria Foster of Williamsburg, Jonathan Hilgendorf of Bristol, Matthew Knopp of Lynchburg,
and Patrick Smith of King George.  Kudos to all of you! hope you have a wonderful time!

Both a Local and State Player in the US Army All American Bowl :)

Just realized (haven't been paying attention, apparently,lol) that we have both a Local player, Landon Turner
and also a player from Richmond, Curtis Grant , playing in tomorrow's
US Army All American Bowl

Best of luck to these young men! and also to all the other young men participating!!

The Veteran's History Project at the Library of Congress

Hat Tip to Milblogging.com for posting this one

The Veteran's History Project 

Please pass this on to any Veteran's you know!

Vets For Freedom Exec.Director Deploying

Vets for Freedom Executive Director Pete Hegseth is deploying to Afghanistan, and if you would like to sign up to receive email updates while he is deployed, you can do so at
http://www.petehegseth.com/

Our thoughts and prayers will be with Pete and all those deploying with him, and with his family and friends back home while he's deployed.


(and make sure to  check out The Unknown Soldiers blog over at VFF!)

Wednesday Hero

This Weeks Post Was Suggested By Kathi


Jordan Brown

An 11-year-old from Lebanon County in Pennsylvania, Jordan Brown has long been fascinated by World War II and one old soldier in particular -- Dick Winters, the Easy Company commander made famous by the HBO mini-series "Band of Brothers."

Mr. Winters, a Lancaster native who lives in Hershey, is 92 and has Parkinson's disease.

But a statue of him is going up in France, and Jordan has taken it upon himself to raise money for it by selling $1 rubber wristbands in the tradition of Lance Armstrong's yellow "Live Strong" bracelets.

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. 

Godspeed,to God's Will

Aunty Brat had the update on Dec.28, sadly
God's Will: Flying High

His family and friends are in our prayers.

Tostitos,the USO and the Connect to Home Bowl

Back in Dec. I linked to a post from Airman Mom

and now, for the rest of the story :)




too,too cool!