Wednesday Hero

Fisher House Foundation The Fisher House Foundation is a great charity that offers free housing for families of wounded service members to stay in while their loved one recuperates. The Fisher House Foundation was start in 1990 and has a least one house at every major military medical center. Since there is no cost to the families they rely on donations to continue operating. So, please, head over to their site and check them out. And if you're able to, please make a donation.     These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives just so others may get to enjoy freedom. For that I am proud to call them Hero.

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.

 

Wednesday Hero

This Post Was Suggested By Michael
Pfc. Charles George 20 years old Cherokee, North Carolina Company C, 179th Infantry Regiment, 45th Infantry Division August 23, 1932 - November 30, 1952     The name Charles George may sound familiar to some. That's because last week it was reported that two boys in New York were at a local antique shop looking for G.I. Joe's when they came across a number of military medals, Medal Of Honor, a Purple Heart, a bronze star and good conduct award, bearing the name Charles George. From Pfc. George's Medal Of Honor citation: Pfc. George, a member of Company C, distinguished himself by conspicuous gallantry and outstanding courage above and beyond the call of duty in action against the enemy on the night of November 30, 1952. He was a member of a raiding party committed to engage the enemy and capture a prisoner for interrogation. Forging up the rugged slope of the key terrain feature, the group was subjected to intense mortar and machine gun fire and suffered several casualties. Throughout the advance, he fought valiantly and, upon reaching the crest of the hill, leaped into the trenches and closed with the enemy in hand-to-hand combat. When friendly troops were ordered to move back upon completion of the assignment, he and 2 comrades remained to cover the withdrawal. While in the process of leaving the trenches a hostile soldier hurled a grenade into their midst. Pfc. George shouted a warning to 1 comrade, pushed the other soldier out of danger, and, with full knowledge of the consequences, unhesitatingly threw himself upon the grenade, absorbing the full blast of the explosion. Although seriously wounded in this display of valor, he refrained from any outcry which would divulge the position of his companions. The 2 soldiers evacuated him to the forward aid station and shortly thereafter he succumbed to his wound. Pfc. George's indomitable courage, consummate devotion to duty, and willing self-sacrifice reflect the highest credit upon himself and uphold the finest traditions of the military service You can read more here and here

These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives just so others may get to enjoy freedom. For that I am proud to call them Hero.

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.

Want to send a Holiday card to a recovering wounded warrior? Holiday Mail for Heroes

In years past, there was always an email that got forwarded again and again starting about this time of year, along the lines of sending a wounded warrior a Christmas/holiday card at Walter Reed Army Medical center, and addressing it to Any Wounded Soldier.

Even though Walter Reed Army Medical Center no longer Exists (the new hospital that opened up to replace it is known as Walter Reed National Military Medical Center )...I still saw that viral email come up again in my inbox last year.

Which just makes me sad, because holiday cards addressed and sent like that will Never find their way to a wounded warrior.

However, there IS a way to send a holiday card to a recovering wounded warrior...via the American Red Cross, and the program is called   HOLIDAY MAIL FOR HEROES

A quick recap of the guidelines:

Every card received will be screened for hazardous materials by Pitney Bowes and then reviewed by Red Cross volunteers working around the country.

Please observe the following guidelines to ensure a quick reviewing process:

• Ensure that all cards are signed.
• Use generic salutations such as “Dear Service Member.” Cards addressed to specific individuals can not be delivered through this program.
• Only cards are being accepted. Do not send or include letters.
• Do not include email or home addresses on the cards: the program is not meant to foster pen pal relationships.
• Do not include inserts of any kind, including photos: these items will be removed during the reviewing process.
• Please refrain from choosing cards with glitter or using loose glitter as it can aggravate health issues of ill and injured warriors.
• If you are mailing a large quantity of cards, please bundle them and place them in large mailing envelopes or flat rate postal shipping boxes. Each card does not need its own envelope, as envelopes will be removed from all cards before distribution.

All holiday greetings should be addressed and sent to:

Holiday Mail for Heroes
P.O. Box 5456
Capitol Heights, MD 20791-5456

The deadline for having cards to the P.O. Box is Friday, December 7th.
Holiday cards received after this date cannot be guaranteed delivery.
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So please, take a few moments to send an extra card (or more!) to Holiday Mail for Heroes, to remind our nations recovering servicemen and women that they are not forgotten!!

And Thank you! to the American Red Cross and Pitney Bowes, for supporting our troops with this program!

 

 

Time to send Stripes Holiday Messages :)

Stars and Stripes is welcoming Holiday Messages from now until December 14.

Messages received by the November 26 deadline will appear in the newspaper edition of your choice (Europe, Mideast or Pacific) on December 15, right before the holidays!
 All messages received by December 14 will be viewable online.

Submit a greeting for your loved ones stationed or deployed overseas to find in the pages of Stars and Stripes!

To Submit Your Message, click the link  HERE
 

Wreaths Across America

Since 2006, my husband and I have participated in the wreath laying ceremony each year with
Wreaths Across America

 (except for 2010, when we attended his son's wedding :)

We've either assisted in wreath laying locally at Staunton National Cemetery

 

 

or we've traveled up to Arlington National Cemetery to help place wreaths there

 

This year, the Wreaths Across America Remembrance ceremony will be on

DECEMBER 15 at NOON (EST)

 

and you can find out if there is a ceremony at a location near you by checking HERE

 

 

Unfortunately for us, my husband will be having some surgery in early December, so we'll be unable to attend a ceremony this year....However....

 

there's still a way we could support the Wreaths Across America mission, and I wanted to share that in case you might also be interested.

 

You can  simply  Sponsor a Wreath 

 

or you can choose to purchase a wreath for yourself and at the same time sponsor a wreath, with either the Patriot Pair  or the Military Tribute Patriot Pair

 

 

Whether you choose to participate in a ceremony, or are able to sponsor a wreath, this is truly a beautiful way to honor and remember our fallen heroes

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5 Organizations that Help send Holiday Gifts to the Troops

From the Lake Elsinore-Wildomar Patch, and a Soldiers Angel member, comes a very helpful article

5 Organizations that help send Holiday gifts to the Troops






 

US Postal Service Christmas Mailing Dates for Military Mail

from this USPS bulletin

2012 International and APO/FPO/DPO Christmas Mailing Dates

To ensure delivery of holiday cards and packages by December 25 to APO/FPO/DPO and international addresses over­seas, we suggest that mail be entered by the recommended mailing dates listed below. Beat the last-minute rush and take your mail to your U.S. Post Office^® by these suggested dates. And don’t forget you can print postage, labels, and Customs forms online 24/7 using Click-N-Ship^® service at www.usps.com/clicknship.

Remember, all mail addressed to military and diplomatic post offices overseas is subject to certain conditions or restric­tions regarding content, preparation, and handling. APO/FPO/DPO addresses generally require Customs forms. To see a table of active APO/FPO/DPO ZIP Codes™ and associated mailing restrictions, go to http://pe.usps.com and click Postal Bulletins in the blue sidebar. Go to the current issue and see the article “Overseas Military/Diplomatic Mail.”

APO/FPO/DPO Mail Addressed To	Express Mail® Military Service (EMMS)1	First-Class Mail® Letters/Cards	Priority Mail®	Parcel Airlift Mail (PAL)2	Space Available Mail (SAM)3	Parcel Post®
APO/FPO/DPO AE ZIPs 090–092	Dec 17	Dec 10	Dec 10	Dec 3	Nov 26	Nov 13
APO/FPO/DPO AE ZIP 093	N/A	Dec 3	Dec 3	Nov 30	Nov 26	Nov 13
APO/FPO/DPO AE ZIPs 094–098	Dec 17	Dec 10	Dec 10	Dec 3	Nov 26	Nov 13
APO/FPO/DPO AA ZIPs 340	Dec 17	Dec 10	Dec 10	Dec 3	Nov 26	Nov 13
APO/FPO/DPO AP ZIPs 962–966	Dec 17	Dec 10	Dec 10	Dec 3	Nov 26	Nov 13

1 EMMS is available to selected military/diplomatic post offices. Check with your local Post Office™ to determine if this service is available to your APO/FPO/DPO of address.

2 PAL is a service that provides air transportation for parcels on a space-available basis. It is available for Parcel Post items not exceeding 30 pounds in weight or 60 inches in length and girth combined. The applicable PAL fee must be paid in addition to the regular surface price for each addressed piece sent by PAL service.

3 SAM parcels are paid at Parcel Post prices with maximum weight and size limits of 15 pounds and 60 inches in length and girth combined. SAM parcels are first transported domestically by surface and then to overseas destinations by air on a space-available basis.

 

 

 

 

 

Wednesday Hero

This Post Was Suggested By Greta
Cpl. George Smith 90 years old from Sundance, New Mexico June 15, 1922 - October 31, 2012   There aren't many Code Talkers left so it's a true tragedy when we lose one. George Smith joined the United States Marines when he was 17, after lying about his age, becoming one of three brothers in his family to do so. He was trained as a rifleman then as a Code Talker serving in a Pacific. He was honorably discharged in 1946. You can read more on George Smith here

These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives just so others may get to enjoy freedom. For that I am proud to call them Hero.

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.

Veterans Day 2012

 

A Heartfelt 'Thank you' to all Veterans today!

 

and I'm also honoring the veterans in my life today

 

Dad

 

my Aunt Lynn

 

 

and my husband Tony

(and his younger brothers pictured with him above also served when they were older,too!)

 

 

 

 

 

Wednesday Hero

This Post Was Suggested By Michael
SSgt. Hiroshi H. Miyamura 87 years old from Gallup, New Mexico Company H, 7th Infantry Regiment, 442nd Infantry Regiment   From then Cpl. Miyamura's Medal Of Honor citation: Cpl. Miyamura, a member of Company H, distinguished himself by conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty in action against the enemy. On the night of 24 April, Company H was occupying a defensive position when the enemy fanatically attacked threatening to overrun the position. Cpl. Miyamura, a machinegun squad leader, aware of the imminent danger to his men unhesitatingly jumped from his shelter wielding his bayonet in close hand-to-hand combat killing approximately 10 of the enemy. Returning to his position, he administered first aid to the wounded and directed their evacuation. As another savage assault hit the line, he manned his machinegun and delivered withering fire until his ammunition was expended. He ordered the squad to withdraw while he stayed behind to render the gun inoperative. He then bayoneted his way through infiltrated enemy soldiers to a second gun emplacement and assisted in its operation. When the intensity of the attack necessitated the withdrawal of the company Cpl. Miyamura ordered his men to fall back while he remained to cover their movement. He killed more than 50 of the enemy before his ammunition was depleted and he was severely wounded. He maintained his magnificent stand despite his painful wounds, continuing to repel the attack until his position was overrun. When last seen he was fighting ferociously against an overwhelming number of enemy soldiers. Cpl. Miyamura's indomitable heroism and consummate devotion to duty reflect the utmost glory on himself and uphold the illustrious traditions on the military service. After his actions that day, Cpl. Miyamura was taken prisoner by the Chinese. You can read more on SSgt. Miyamura here and here

These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives just so others may get to enjoy freedom. For that I am proud to call them Hero.

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.