Soldiers Angels Web Surfing

Another 'surf' of the web, for news by, and about,
Soldiers Angels

Over at Angel Wings and Heartstrings , check out Soldiers Angels-Blankets of Hope

Soldiers Angels Washington posted WTB Soldiers Enjoy the View

For more about helping our Wounded Warriors? Soldiers Angels-Wounded Warrior Support had a post about Southern Mississippi Angels

From the Photo Reporter comes this editorial
Wanted: Volunteer Portrait Photographers for Our Soldiers


What are you doing Saturday,Aug.1 ? If you live in PA? you might want to check out
"Little" Sturges posted at webster107 ....Rock 107 and the Soldiers Angels Riding Club are sponsoring.

Short 'surf', but don't be fooled......it's summer, and there's Lots going on out there with Soldiers Angels.

I helped at a Soldiers Angels booth at the Sweet Dreams Event in Stuarts Draft,VA last Saturday. Angel Debbie did a Wonderful job of getting everything set up, and several other Angels came from around Virginia to pitch in and help .

(this would be the point in the post where it would be really cool, if I had a picture or two to share of the great table that Debbie put together? but alas.....my broken camera has still not been replaced:(

and it was also cool to come across this short notice locally (to me:) in the Community Pages of the News-Leader in Staunton,VA:

Ruritans make blankets for wounded soldiers, veterans: Kay Connor, a member of the Spottswood-Raphine Ruritan Club Citizenship & Patriotism Committee, introduced the Soldiers' Angels Foundation's Blankets of Hope and Blankets of Gratitude projects to the club after she spent 300 hours making blankets for the projects. Other Ruritans and women in the community pitched in and helped, with the end result of 26 blankets.

Fifteen fleece Blankets of Hope were mailed to the Transient Medical Detachment at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany. The blankets will be given to wounded soldiers for their medi-flight back to the states. Ten knitted and crocheted blankets were delivered to the Veterans Affairs Hospital in Salem for use in wheelchairs by local veterans.


What's going on in Your community for Soldiers Angels this summer?

Feel free to send me an email ( to kasee60@gmail.com )with a link to a blog post, or a local news article, about what Angels in your area are doing, and I'll be more than happy to post about it.

Or, you can check out some of the many Soldiers Angels blogs that might be local to you:

Soldiers Angels of IL posts about State Fair Veterans Day coming up Aug. 16.

Soldiers Angels Louisiana writes about several upcoming events in Angel Help Wanted

(to name just a few)

That's the Surf!

Wednesday Hero

This Week's Hero Was Suggested By Deb


SSgt. Darrell "Shifty" Powers
86 years old from Dickerson County, Virginia

E Company, 2nd Battalion,
506th Infantry Regiment,
101st Airborne Division
June 17, 2009

The world lost one of it's true heroes a couple of weeks ago. Darrell "Shifty" Powers passed away on June 17 of cancer. "Shifty" was part of the famed E Co/2/506 of the 101st Airborne Division. Easy Company. The Band Of Brothers.

"I loved everything about my daddy," said Margo Johnson, daughter of SSgt. Powers. "He never bragged about what he did in the war. And for a lot of years, he never even talked much about what he did � unless someone asked him about it. But he truly was a hero to me. Just like he'd been to the people who know him as a soldier in a [mini-series].


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.

Wednesday Hero

For this week's Wednesday Hero, please go to this link HERE

Soldiers Angels Web Surfing

There's a lot going on out there in the blogosphere, of news by, and about
Soldiers Angels

(and you can read about it at BlogNetNews.com/soldiersangels )

My 'surf' today really only has one particular post I want to point out.....because I think this gentleman did an Excellent job of reminding people that we.....our country.....still have soldiers serving in a two-front war., and asking us what we are doing about supporting those who are serving?

He's a member of Soldiers Angels that I've featured posts from in the past, and without further editorial comment, I'm going to ask you to go read this post by Glenn Bartley, of Ballseye's Boomers
Are They On Your Mind - Or Have You Forgotten?



--------------------
Thank you,Glenn, for saying so passionately and well, so many of the things that I believe and feel,also.

While it might be 'preaching to the choir', for those of you who are reading My post, sending you to Glenn's post? It was a post that I feel was most timely, and reminded us in an excellent way of why we do what we do, to support the troops.

(In an editorial aside? I have no idea Which of the several videos posted about the procession for SFC John Beale it was that Glenn had featured in his post......computer 'issues' on my end.......however, it led me to try and find the video, and there are several posted.....the one I watched was the longest one listed, and moved me to tears
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9306gUTzUOc )

If, after reading Glenn's post? you are motivated to do something to support the troops, and want to learn more about Soldiers Angels ? There are over 800 soldiers listed as waiting for 'adoption' on the main Soldiers Angels website HERE

and there are so many Other ways to get involved, if ' adoption ' is not quite what you are looking for or can commit to right now.........a recent news article told of how Soldiers Angels helps those who are wounded
Injured soldier at Walter Reed; helped by Soldiers' Angels By Sarah Fay Campbell
The Times-Herald

Are you a baker? Check out SA Angel Bakers Team B a new-to-me Angel blog I recently came across. Soldiers Angels supports the troops with Angel Bakers (and is anyone else hungry now?after checking out that blog?:)

or, as Soldiers Angels of Alabama asks
Can You Write an Extra Letter or Two?

There are 28 listings of ways to get involved under Teams & Projects-How To Help on the main Soldiers Angels website

so please, consider getting involved!

That's the 'surf' !

July 20: Virtual Memorial for Darrell "Shifty" Powers

Spread the word....today is a Virtual Memorial for Darrell "Shifty" Powers, from the
Band of Brothers

Blackfive has the post about it here

Airborne Icon and Hero Passes On - Godspeed, Darrell "Shifty" Powers


Rest in Peace, to another of the Heroes from the 'Greatest Generation".

Prayers Needed for PFC Bowe R. Bergdahl

I'm sure I'm only one of many sending up prayers,

Assoluta Tranquillita has a post up here


Pfc. Bowe Robert Bergdahl: Prayers needed

Wednesday Hero

Sgt. 1st Class Gregory A. Rodriguez & Jacko
35 years old from Weidman, Michigan
K-9 unit of the 527th Military Police Company, 709th Military Police Battalion, 18th MP Brigade
September 2, 2008


"I asked Greg if anything ever happened to him where he'd prefer to be buried," Sgt. Rodriguez's wife, Laura, told the Morning Sun of Mount Pleasant, "and he told me Arlington, as he wanted to be among the best and the brave."

"Rod," as he was known to his Army buddies, was a Red Wings fan who loved to hassle fans of other hockey teams he met during his military career, said Laura. "Greg loved to push everyone's buttons and get people going with his rare, unique sense of sarcasm," she said. At the same time, her husband, a military police dog handler whose dog, Jacko, survived the fatal ambush, was "a very committed, loyal individual and could be counted on whenever needed."

Sgt. 1st Class Gregory A. Rodriguez died of wounds suffered in Ana Kalay, Afghanistan, when his mounted patrol came under small-arms fire.

"My brother liked to be the law," said Lisa Dombrowski. "He liked justice. If it wasn't right, he made it right."

He is survived by his sister, wife and three children.

All 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.

Wednesday Hero

Cpl. Reynold Armand
21 years old from Rochester, New York
2nd Assault Amphibian Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force
August 7, 2007


Reynold Armand didn’t want to wait until he turned 18 to join the Marines. He persuaded his adoptive mother to sign papers allowing him to sign up a year early.

"I'm very proud of him," said his father, Carl Armand. "When he was home, he gave no sign of being afraid." Armand didn’t speak much about his experiences in Iraq, according to family members, saying only that most Iraqi civilians he encountered were very nice.

"We used to send him a lot of candy," said his mother, Alma Armand. "He would pass it out."

Manny Rodriguez, 21, of Rochester met Armand five years ago at New Day Church in Rochester, where both young men were members of the youth group. "He was such an amazing all-around person. He was so easy and comfortable to be around. He liked people for who they are."

No definitive report could be found on how Cpl. Armand died. Some report that he was killed when shot and others report that he was killed by an IED that exploded near his vehicle in Balad, Iraq.

All Information Was Found On And Copied From MilitaryCity.com with help from Kathi

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.

Soldiers Angels Web Surfing

Another random 'surf' of the web for news by, and about,
Soldiers Angels

From My Trip to BAF ( a milblog I recently stumbled across) comes a post
June bug! with several nice mentions of Soldiers Angels.

From Between the Sandhills and the Sea , Wendy, a ..."Volunteer with Soldiers Angels for 5 years"....has a very good post here called Truth,Lessons and Deployment

My friend over at Little Drops....Into the Pool of Life had a post back on June 27 called
Help For Landstuhl's Wounded Warriors


Soldiers Angels New York posted Freedom is not free: Aaron Fairbairn
and for more on that story, the DOD has released Pfc. Aaron Fairbairn's name, and the name of the soldier who was killed along with him , Pfc. Justin A. Casillas , Here

Our thoughts and prayers are with both their families, and the Soldiers Angels
Living Legends Team will be supporting both families.....(as we do for the families of all our Fallen Heroes from Afghanistan and Iraq, on behalf of Soldiers Angels.)

A "new-to-me" Angel online Dian's Soldiers Angels blankets

and a new blogging Angel had this as her beginning post Well Hello There at Just A Soldier's Angel

That's the surf!

Happy 4th of July!

Comments by ZingerBug.com


Wishing everyone a Happy 4th! and,as always,
God bless our Troops!

Wednesday Hero

Force Protection Team


Members of the force protection team at Camp Eggars, Afghanistan, assess damage resulting from an explosion near the gate. A vehicle-born improvised explosive device exploded near the German Embassy and a U.S. base. Eliminating threats such as the VBIED is the focus of Army's 3rd Counter-IED Conference that was scheduled July 28-30.

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.

A few items that might be of interest.....

Old Soldier has a good post over here
Old soldiers take care of their own, keeping watch on VA cemetery


Here's another book to add to my Amazon wishlist

from the New York Time Book Review Father’s Tribute, Fulfilling Son’s Wish


A fellow Angels' blog that I've been meaning to pass on for awhile
D-Day Daughter


and lastly, as a nurse, and a military supporter, I wished to say "Godspeed" after I read the obituary of COL. Patricia A. Stemm

"When Death comes...."

A most excellent and thought provoking read on Examiner.com

When death comes-celebrity deaths

not what you might expect, given the title......well worth the time to take a look.

Wednesday Hero

Band Of Brothers


Something a little different this week. Instead of profiling a service member, Wednesday Hero will be profiling a movie. Band Of Brothers. It was a miniseries tha aired on HBO in 2001. It follows Maj. Richard Winters, Cpt. Lewis Nixon and the men of the 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment assigned to the 101st Airborne Division, aka E-Company or Easy Company on their march to Germany. From their training to their battles at Normandy and Bastogne, their liberation of the Kaufering IV concentration camp to their taking of Hitler's Eagle Nest. A great cast and great writing make this one of the best war movies ever made. But it is graphic in visuals and language. And parts of it may be hard to watch, but it is worth it.

What the men of E-Company did will never be forgotten. They are the heroes that helped the cause of freedom.

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.

Wednesday Hero

Pvt. William Long
23 years old from Conway, Arkansas
D Company, 2nd Battalion, 58th Infantry
June 1, 2009


"My brother taught me valuable lessons and made me the man I am today," said Pfc. Triston Long, brother of Pvt. William Long. "My commander said, 'Make your brother one of us.' I will miss my brother with all that I am, and I serve in honor of him."

Pvt. William Long had just completed basic training and was set to ship out on June 8 to his first duty station in Korea when he and Private Second Class Quinton Ezeagwula were shot outside a Little Rock, Arkansas Army-Navy Recruiting Center by Abdul Hakim Mujahid Muhammad. They were in Little Rock to speak to with potential recruits about their experiences.

Pvt. Long's father, Daris Long, a former Marine, wrote a letter to give to him when he shipped out for South Korea. In that letter he wrote, "Your day only ends when you’ve done your duty. You and your brother … are both heroes for having the moral courage to stand up when your country needs you most. You are in my hopes and my thoughts and my prayers. You are my son, you are my hero. I love you. Semper fidelis."

Along with his father and brother, Pvt. William Long is survived by his mother, Janet, who had served in the Navy herself.

All Information Was Found On And Copied From RedState, Sipsey Street Irregulars & Army Times with help from Kathi

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.

Soldiers Angels Web Surfing

My "this used to be weekly, but now it's just...random" surf of the web for news by,
and about,
Soldiers Angels


Sadly, part of the reason for the recent lack of blogging on my part has been because the
Soldiers Angels Living Legends Team (of which I'm the Co-Leader)
has been far more busy than we would wish to be, supporting the families of our Fallen Heroes.

The Living Legends Team supported the families of 36 Fallen Heroes in the month of May, 25 Fallen in Iraq and 11 Fallen in Afghanistan.

Thus far in the month of June? we have supported the families of 18 Fallen Heroes, 5 Fallen in Iraq and 13 Fallen in Afghanistan. (you can find out more about how the Soldiers Angels Living Legends Team supports those families, by reading about the Team on the main Soldiers Angels website HERE )

One of the things about being a part of this Team in Soldiers Angels that always awes me, is the parents and families of Fallen Heroes who, after being supported by this Team? contact us and ask how to join the Team so they may help support other families of our Fallen Heroes. I am always humbled, by those who choose to 'give back' in the midst of their own grief, and reach out to others.

I thought of them, when I came across this blog Shane and Ryan's Story and a blog post titled
The Parents Who Did Something Grand about why this mother, who has suffered such tragedy, became a member of the Letter Writing Team of Soldiers Angels.

An article on the web from Patricia Walston at the Atlanta Faith and Family Examiner that has a lot to say about supporting the families of our Fallen Heroes and is well worth the read, (and also mentions Soldiers Angels) is
National Guard - Who are they? What are they. - Part Two -Georgia Fallen Heroes

A new Angel at
When I Look At My Life, The Greatest Happiness is My Family's Happiness
weighs in about supporting the Troops with this post Want to be a Soldiers Angel?

Companies also join Soldiers Angels in supporting the Troops, check out this post
Fairytale Brownies Cares by Ellie Perry

And in Arizona? Check out this story Valley company collects golf equipment for the troops


Lastly, for news By an Angel, read this Citizen Journalism story in the Washington Times by a freelance writer who is a member of Soldiers Angels and the USO of metropolitan Washington,D.C.
WWII vets live out their days in care home by Gayle S. Fixler


That's the surf. Until next time.....please consider checking out Soldiers Angels
for the many, many ways you can get involved in supporting our Troops.

Wednesday Hero

Aviation Ordnanceman 2nd Class (SEAL) Marc A. Lee
28 years old from Hood River, Oregon
Navy SEAL
August 2, 2006


"Marc was amazing. He was my best friend, my love," his widow, Maya, said.

Petty Officer Marc A. Lee joined the Navy in 2001 and became an AO after completing Naval Air Technical Training. Later that year he attempted to complete the grueling BUD/S program but caught pneumonia and had to drop out. He tried again in 2004 and completed the course.

On August 2, 2006, Marc A. Lee became the first SEAL to be killed in combat in Iraq when he was fatally wounded in a firefight in Ramadi, Iraq. The following is from the award citation:

"During the operation, one element member was wounded by enemy fire. The element completed the casualty evacuation, regrouped and returned onto the battlefield to continue the fight. Petty Officer Lee and his SEAL element maneuvered to assault an unidentified enemy position. He, his teammates, Bradley Fighting Vehicles and Abrams tanks engaged enemy positions with suppressive fire from an adjacent building to the north.

"To protect the lives of his teammates, he fearlessly exposed himself to direct enemy fire by engaging the enemy with his machine gun and was mortally wounded in the engagement. His brave actions in the line of fire saved the lives of many of his teammates"

"It was so like Marc to give up his life to save his friends," his mother, Debbie Lee, told the Hood River News. "I am so proud of him. He is my hero."

Petty Officer Lee was posthumously awarded a Bronze Star with combat "V" for his actions in Iraq during his team’s combat tour and the Purple Heart medal.

All 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.

Wednesday Hero

Sgt. Pablo A. Calderon
26 years old from Brooklyn, New York
1st Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division
November 30, 2004


"He wanted to fight for his country," said his heartbroken younger sister, Lilliana Calderone. "He always wanted to be there."

Pablo Calderon joined the Army in 1997, right out of High School. "He went straight to the army from high school," said his sister. "He wanted to improve himself. He was proud. He loved his country."

Sgt. Calderon was killed when an IED was detonated near his vehicle in Fallujah, Iraq. Also killed in the attack was Sgt. Jose Guereca of Missouri City, Texas.

All Information Was Found On And Copied From MilitaryCity.com & NYDailyNews.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.

Soldiers Angels Web Surfing

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

You can tell it's almost summer! As happens every year, we have Angels promoting
Sun Protection Care Packages for our Troops here on The Asberry Family blog
and also here at Beauty 4 Moms (and I'm sure there are more posts out there)
Thank you, Operation Mary Kay !


Found a very nice Book Review by Thomas Anthony Longo of Patti Bader's book
May No Soldier Go Unloved


Welcome! to more Angel blogging at Hudson Valley Soldiers Angels


A military mom, Linda Jewell, blogs Support Our Troops by Praying for Soldier’s Angels
and also Support Our Troops by Modeling Troop Support to Your Children

Nice post here about Soldiers Angels from a blog with the awesomely wonderful name of
Bring the heat,Bring the Stupid

There's an Angel profiled at the UnionLeader.com in the story
Angel to her soldiers by Gretyl Macalaster


and a story about a Canadian member of Soldiers Angels here on The Windsor Star
Walk a thanks for overseas troops by Sharon Hill

That's the surf!

Good story over at Old Soldier's blog

Been meaning to link this, nice story over on Old Soldier's blog.....(sorry it took me so long, you can tell it's summer, and the blogging suffers accordingly.....the call of the great outdoors wins out over sitting at the keyboard:)

Local veterans take a historic trip to the World War II Memorial in Washington