Patriot Guard Rider mission in June

Way late in posting this, but back on June 7 we were finally able to participate in a
Patriot Guard Rider mission..this was a happy one, escorting wounded warriors with
  Project Healing Waters to a fly fishing invitational at Mossy Creek

We got up Way earlier than I would ever normally get up on a Saturday off work,lol, and of course we don't have a bike, we put our car flags on our 'cage' as they call it

                                  and joined the other riders

getting ready to head out

None of the videos I took turned out :(  We ended up bringing up the rear of the caravan, but I do think some of the pictures below show just how awesome it is to see one of these escorts! The town of Bridgewater had up a welcome sign

and flags lining the street

               
  and these pictures are after the escort has ended, when everyone continued to the end of the road after the Project Healing Waters vans had turned off.

It's been too long since we've been able to go on a Patriot Guard mission, and it was so wonderful to be part of this one! :)

2014 Face of America bike ride and Banners and Friend Riding this year :)

It's that time of year again! April 25-27 will be the 2014 World TEAM Sports Face of America bike ride

Once again this year, my family and I will be collecting banners to hang along the route to cheer the riders on!! We've already received several banners from Madison County primary school !! Thank you!!

Also this year, friend Greta from Hooh Wife & Friends will be riding again !
She and I first met in person at the Face of America bike ride :) So looking forward to cheering her on again as a rider!

Regarding banners..we do have some left from last year's ride and I am Very Late in posting this, but we'll be accepting banners from anyone who can get them here by April 23,2014. 
Instructions for how to make the banners can be found HERE

(you can email me at kasee60 (at) gmail (dot) com for mailing address to send them)

Ready for the Face of America bike ride! Many,many Thanks! to all the Banner makers!!

More banners came in within the past few weeks!

some from family members..

                               
                               and these were from the great folks at United Cerebral Palsy of Eastern Connecticut !

                                 
                                and these banners were from some great kids at
                                   Roundy Elementary school in Las Vegas, NV !

 Can't say Thank you! enough to all the great banner makers! :)

and now, the weekend of the World TEAM sports Face of America bicycle ride is upon us!!

More to come after the weekend!!

More Banners Received !

Many Thanks! go out to:  Family members :)

and two more from the Glastonbury Junior Women's Club

and more Family members :)

These banners will be used to cheer on the riders in the
2013 World TEAM sports Face of America bike ride

Thank you again! to all the banner makers :)

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.
------------------
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!

 

 

Send a Holiday Message to Wounded Warriors~by Dec. 18

Off the Base passes on that the Wounded Warrior Project is asking that you send an email message to be used on a special WWP message board that is shared with America's wounded heroes...and the deadline is Dec. 18th to send your message...go Here for the story and link...and then spread the word, will you please?

Sending Holiday Mail to Wounded Warriors

It's that time of year again, when caring folks wish to send Holiday mail to our Wounded Warriors.

Unfortunately, a number of years ago an email began virally circulating that claimed you could send Holiday cards to 'any wounded servicemember' at Walter Reed Army Medical Center.

So, to be clear....NO, YOU CANNOT SEND HOLIDAY CARDS TO 'ANY WOUNDED SERVICEMEMBER' at Walter Reed.

For one thing, Walter Reed Army Medical Center CLOSED in August, and merged with Bethesda Naval Medical Center to become the  Walter Reed National Military Medical Center

For another, it's been quite a few years since  any of the military hospitals acceptedmail addressed to 'any wounded servicemember' .

But, fear not!......thanks to the American Red Cross and Pitney Bowes

YOU CAN SEND HOLIDAY MAIL TO WOUNDED WARRIORS THROUGH THE

HOLIDAY MAIL FOR HEROES  program

Send cards to the address below:


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

All cards must be postmarked no later than Friday, December 9th. Cards postmarked after this date will unfortunately be returned to the sender. This deadline ensures enough time to sort and distribute cards before the holidays..

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 letters.

Do not include email or home addresses on the cards, as the program is not meant to foster pen pal relationships.

Do not include inserts of any kind, including photos, as these items will be removed during the reviewing process.

Please refrain from sending holiday cards with glitter. Many of these cards will be delivered to military and veterans medical facilities and the glitter could interfere with a patient’s recovery.

We encourage participants to mail as many cards as they are comfortable sending. If you are mailing a large quantity, please bundle the cards and place them in large mailing envelopes or use a flat rate box from the post office. Each card does not need its own envelope, as cards will be removed from all envelopes before distribution




Hope this helps you get your Holiday Mail on the way!! and Bless you, for wishing to send Holiday Wishes to our Wounded Warriors.

Thank you!! again this year, to Red Cross and Pitney Bowes.

Surfing the Web..

Another 'surf' of news and posts that are out there on the 'net which I think might be of interest..

Marion's Meepings in Australia offers a  Mid August catch up

Off the Base passes the word that  Researchers Look to Combat Vets to Help with PTSD Study

Laughing Wolf gives the news that the  new Cooking with the Troops  site is  Live

One of  Pete Damon's paintings  ( I LOVE this painting!)

has been donated to the September 24th Boeing 2nd Annual Ride for Semper Fi Charity Golf Tournament

(which includes a dinner and silent auction afterwards, when the painting will be auctioned off) Registration for the tournament ends Sept 22 and this benefits the Ride for Semper Fi

 

 

United Conservatives of Virginia posts about the Final Weeks Countdown to WRAMC Closing

and also suggests planning your weekend around  the American Wartime Museum Open House

 

 In the Washington Post opinion section is an opinion piece that suggests the need for

A New Arlington Cemetery

 

From Army Strong Stories comes a glimpse into Where Fridays are Sundays

 

And lastly, again from Off the Base ..  this powerfully moving piece

A Young Army soldier shares his "Memorial Daze"

 

 

That, my friends, is the latest 'surf'..thank you for reading..until next time..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Surfing the Web..

Time for another 'Surfing the Web' post, my new series that points out items I think folks may find of interest :)

First up, from  Army Strong Stories (and I hope you have that site bookmarked, because there are great posts there all the time!) comes an excellent post Care Package Guide for Deployed Soldiers straight from a deployed soldier!

Speaking of 'new series',  Airman Mom has started a new series, also, well worth checking out
Somebody's Son... she says on the first post in the series:
 "Posts on Fridays will consist of random photos of our Troops.

If there is one message I wish to convey to all who take time to visit this blog... every single Airman, Soldier, Sailor and Marine has a face.These brave men and women have families who cherish them.Our warriors have a hometown...somewhere.
They are Somebody's Son."

and on the second  Somebody's Son.. post, she invites others to share in this new series
"If there is a face, you would like me to post...please pass along an e-mail. Please feel free to post a 'Somebody's Son' on your blog...and make sure to link AirmanMom! Imagine how many faces we can share on a single Friday! "

Last Saturday, Assoluta Tranquillita posted a tribute for the passing of the last WW I survivor
RIP Claude 'Chuckles' Choules

I have a longtime blogger friend who also posts remembrances of the WW I Fallen,such as
Remembering today -13 May
and he has been doing so for years.'Never Forget' is more than just a slogan for some.


This next was a 'must-read' post with a 'must-see' video (IMHO) over at Blackfive
Teenagers Our Secret Weapon for Afghanistan

Hat tip to Chuck for posting about this one A Long Awaited Justice 5/10/11
it is the auctioning of a painting by a wounded Iraq war veteran to benefit Homes For Our Troops
The auction ends May 18th , so Hurry!if you wish to get in on that..but then do be sure to check out
Sgt. Damon's blog  further!

Off the Base is Reaching Out to Children of Imprisioned Iraqi Women  and the goal is to have donations collected, packed and mailed out by June 1

Milblogging.com passes on word of a contest to find the Top 25 Military Family Blogs  by May 25

Lastly, an upcoming documentary of World T.E.A.M. Sports 2010 Sea to Shining Sea bicycle ride has a trailer here on YouTube

and a documentary that wishes to be, check out  Healing Waters on Kickstarter 

That's the 'surf'!


---------------
by the way, if you come across a post or article that you'd like to see considered for inclusion in one of these posts? please email me at kasee60(at)gmail(dot)com with the link :)

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)

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'! 

Fundraising for the Face of America Bike Ride

                                           (Beginning of Face of America bike ride 2010)

For the 5th year in a row, our family will be volunteering at the Face of America Bike Ride put on by
World TEAM sports. This ride honors and assists our military:injured,veterans, and active duty.Disabled and able-bodied riders participate in this two day ride from Washington,DC to Gettysburg,PA using both bicycles and hand-cycles.

                                          (photo from 2010 Face of America bike ride)
This has been a most inspiring event year after year for our family to participate in as volunteers,

                                      (Banners from the 2010 Face of America bike ride, we volunteer
                                        on the 'Banner Hanging Team'!:)


 and this year World TEAM sports has provided the volunteers with donation pages to help raise funds towards this event. There is NO charge for injured servicemen and women to participate in this event.. World T.E.A.M. Sports pays costs for travel, lodging and participation of injured servicemen and women.

If you would like to make a donation towards this ride pairing disabled veterans and able bodied riders to demonstrate what is 'possible when we all work together'?('We All Ride the Same Road')
 
Here are the links to the donation pages for myself , my husband , and our daughter ,
 and please feel free to use one of these links to make a donation towards this worthy cause.
(It's not necessary for us to raise funds as volunteers, but we're providing the links because we believe in the mission of World TEAM sports)
 
And Thank You! if you are able to make a donation!