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Never underestimate those Seabees

My pal Cookie recently informed me of a project he’s been involved with. Working with the TSA, he noticed that “many active Military personnel who had been dropped off at the Airport to catch their flights to whatever duty station they were bound for, sitting in the terminal for many long hours, sometimes overnight.” It became obvious pretty quickly that during these long waits or delays, our fine troops could not even get a bottle of water, soda, or a hot cup of coffee. And certainly there was also NO entertainment (TVs, etc.) with which they could occupy their time. The USO was soon contacted to see about getting a “Military Hospitality Center/Lounge” for military personnel to use in the airport. Unfortunately the USO was unable to help.

Well, never tell a Seabee that something CAN’T be done!

With the Seabee motto, “Can Do” in mind, Loren (Commandant Marine Corps League, Emerald City Detachment), Leroy (US Army Retired) and Cookie (Navy Seabee Veterans of America, Island X-19) set out to change this!

Cookie details so much in his post, so please continue to read about this amazing project there!

Thanks to material donations and assistance rendered from many organizations, the Military Hospitality Room is slated to open July 3rd. I’ve no doubt the Grand Opening will be well-received and GREATLY appreciated by those in the military who have to pass through the Syracuse, Hancock International Airport in Syracuse, NY!

Great job, Cookie! Keep us updated!!

An update on things…

We are doing well. Saw the doctor and it appears that my aches and pains are not permanent. I’ve been feeling a lot better over the past couple of days, and Jessie’s bump on the head has all but disappeared.

My car is still incapacitated. Still sitting in my driveway. Still won’t lock properly. *sigh* Been dealing with several snags with the car insurance and rental companies, but things are finally starting to roll along.

Getting hit just before a holiday weekend sucks ass, don’tchaknow….

Should have a rental by tomorrow a.m. and hopefully someone will ride out to inspect the damages over the next couple of days. According to one of the adjusters, they’ve determined that it’s their liability and will be paying 100% on everything — which I knew all along, but they still have to be thorough and check out every little thing before starting the whole “we’ll pay for everything” process. (understandable, but aggravating … but what can ya do?)

I think I’ve replayed that accident at least a hundred times over and over in my mind. I know without a doubt that there was absolutely nothing in my control in this whole situation, but I can’t help obsessing over it. Luckily, we were in a large enough vehicle that we escaped with minimal shock and no permanent bodily harm.

That said, I can’t help thinking what would have happened if we were in Jim’s car … I seriously doubt his little Tiburon would’ve put up as much of a fight …

I know, I know … don’t dwell on it. (but that’s what I do!) This whole ordeal has been a real big PITA and a migraine-giver, but I can’t complain too much can I?

Funny thing: while sitting at the doctor’s office, received a call from the insurance company. It wasn’t a “good call” and shot my blood pressure up so high that they held me over and insisted on taking it again an hour later to ensure that it was just stress and not a real emergency. The fact that high blood pressure runs on my mother’s side of the family works against me there, and my doc “just wanted to be sure” that it hadn’t recently developed into a “real” problem considering I was sitting there already nursing a headache.

Yeah, better safe than sorry … and should’ve left the cell in the car. :lol:

I’m slowly catching up on emails and other business. I’ll most likely be back at work tomorrow. A big ‘Thanks!!’ goes out to everyone who’s called, emailed, etc. We appreciate your concern and support.

Memorial Day

I hadn’t intended to post today, but there was too much great content in my feeds this morning to ignore. As I do every other morning, I started first with the cartoons. I have always loved Chris Muir’s Day by Day strip. Today’s was both sweet (if you’ve been following the storyline) and appropriate:

Next, a short ‘n sweet message from my favorite outspoken goth. Cookie’s place had a nice shot and a short background blurb about watchfires and introduced us to a hero that everyone needs to know about.

Rachel Lucas introduced us to her grandfather, a WWII hero. 7.62mm Justice has a great post detailing several heroes and has some great stories to share. BlackFive’s post today is short ‘n sweet, but suggests something I’ve been encouraging others to do: If you see someone in uniform, or know they serve, thank them. If you see someone you know has served, thank them.

The Soldiers’ Angels blogs had several very excellent pieces today, but I wanted to highlight a couple of them: “Are we worthy of these warriors?” by Vickie Mauldin, Grand Forks Herald and “10 Things to Remember about Memorial Day” by David Holzel. They also shared some news about an upcoming event partnering with Michelle Malkin, Sean Hannity, Mark Levin, Move America Forward, Gathering of Eagles, and many others as well as a request to give some support to soldiers who are patients in Germany.

Last but certainly not least, Merri Musings reminds us of a great quote by Dwight D. Eisenhower: “History does not long entrust the care of freedom to the weak or the timid.”

I’m sure there’s tons more out there, but these are the ones that I thought needed some exposure (link love!). Feel free to add your own via the comments form below!

What Soldiers’ Angels means to me

When I’ve shared my experience with Soldiers’ Angels with people I’ve met and explained how much our efforts make a real difference with the troops, several times I’ve been asked, “But what has Soldiers’ Angels done for you?” I answer simply, “Everything and more.”

Looking back, I don’t even remember HOW I initially found Soldiers’ Angels. This would have been 2, maybe 3, years ago. Things were hectic in my life — but then again, things are always busy. After the wedding, I had some time off from everything to think about what I was doing with my life. I thought to myself, “I have a great family. I have a great job. We lead a pretty simple life, but … ”

Part of me felt as if I wasn’t doing enough — I was missing something. Sure, I did a little charity work here and there, but nothing that felt really meaningful to me. I never felt needed, or as if I truly belonged to a particular cause.

You know, you hear it all the time from various inspirational stories printed online or emailed around via chain letters and such — “one person can make a difference.” I can honestly say that I never FULLY believed that until I joined Soldiers’ Angels. I can honestly say that this is the most rewarding and humbling experience. I’m constantly wow’ed by the awesome men and women in our military that I’ve spoken to and corresponded with over the past year.

I’d like to share a few examples that I have run across only recently:

A thank you from my first adopted soldier:

“I just wanted to say thank you so much for mailing me the letters they mean a lot to us over here. We all look forward to the mail that any Soldiers Angel send us. It is always nice to receive a caring work from home.”

“Mail, believe it or not, is the biggest part of our day; at home we make no time to go look at the mail box, but here we make nothing but time to go and see what we got.”

Comments from another grateful soldier:

“I just want to thank you in your support. It means a lot to the Army and a lot to me as well to know that there are people who support what we do. I think the biggest request would have to be phone cards. Other than that, the simple things are the greatest things such as Hygiene products, snacks, and moral support. Again, I thank you.”

An email from Anthony:

“Hey this is Anthony, the soldier you once wrote. I just wanted to let you know I stumbled upon the letter you sent me and reading it over made me rethink why I enlisted. Again I just wanted to say thank you for taking your time to write.”

A quote from a soldier who received some TLC:

“This Soldiers’ Angel thing is crazy and cool at the same time. We just got mail today again and I got 26 Angels that sent me cards and packages. It was almost overwhelming, but it kept me busy most of the morning. One of my sergeants was trying to screen my letters for inappropriate stuff but I know he was just looking for the single females that live near his home town. He was cracking me up this morning … everyone wants to be my friend now because I have enough candy and hygiene products to make a small army really clean and have no teeth! LOL But it’s nice, I think my mouth was like four different colors yesterday from all the candy I was eating.”

Another hero tells us:

“Thank you for everything you do for us. It is so great to get something from the US, no matter what it is.”

Our heroes aren’t the only ones affected. When I received my first “thank you” from one of my adoptees, I cried. Nothing hits closer to home than true, honest appreciation. I have always admired the brave men and women in our military and wholly appreciate their efforts with all of my heart. It never once dawned on me that someone may appreciate my efforts (however small I thought they were!).

I know I am not the only one. Take this post from PeggyV just before Mother’s Day:

“One of my adoptees is a hero who has been silent since I adopted him in September 2007. Each letter is a struggle since I know nothing about him. Imagine my surprise this week when I received free mail from Iraq and it was Zach! The letter only contained the following, “Happy Mother’s Day. I know you don’t have kids, but you have been like a Mom to me this past year.”

“Wow, let’s all remember that the silence may be hard sometimes, but they really do need us. His few words are priceless to me.”

There are so many more stories like the ones I just posted. Perhaps you have one you’d like to share? Feel free to post to the Soldiers’ Angels forums, or if you’d prefer, the comments form below. I’d love to hear them.

(cross-posted to Bama Angels)

Have you thanked a soldier lately?

Today is National Military Appreciation Day. Do you know a soldier’s email address? Send him or her a nice e-card thanking him/her for his/her service and support! American Greetings has a nice selection in their Celebrate the Date section.

Also, don’t forget that the Friday before Mother’s Day (tomorrow!!!) is Military Spouse Appreciation Day!

(x-posted to Bama Angels)

Our troops need us!

This morning I was reading the latest entries in the Troops Support LinkedIn group, and a post by Gail grabbed me:

On Sunday I flew from Houston to Seattle and when checking in at the airport I noticed a group of soldiers getting ready to depart as well. As always, I went up to them, introduced myself and thanked them for their service and bravery. While visiting with them, I inquired where they were headed and most replied they were on their way to Iraq. I wished them God speed and to stay safe and that we would be praying for their safety. During our discussion, many of them told me how disappointed they were that more Americans didn’t support them and what they are doing. I replied that I believe the ’silent majority’ does support and believe in what they are doing. They said they sure wished that more people showed it.

I am making a PLEA to everyone who reads this message to please talk to everyone you know to get involved with organizations like Operation Home Front and many other wonderful organizations like that to constantly show their support and appreciation. I am also asking all of you to write letters to the editors of your newspapers asking ALL Americans to get involved in showing their love and support for these brave troops who put their lives on the line to keep us free.

PLEASE, PLEASE don’t just read this message and hope someone else steps up to the plate. If enough of us get to the media, it may finally begin to have some results.

Thanks,
Gail

There you have it, straight from the horse’s mouth, so to speak. I think many people don’t realize how much our brave men and women need our support and love. They need to SEE us actively supporting them and proving that we do INDEED care! I see it too often, soldiers begging to be written, desperately wanting some form of contact from “back home” — a letter, a postcard, anything, and I mean ANYTHING, to let them know that we have NOT forgotten about them!

I am begging you … please consider joining an organization to show our troops that we love and support them. Soldiers’ Angels is the organization for whom I volunteer my efforts and spare time, they do a tremendous amount of good work. As mentioned in Gail’s post, so does Operation Home Front. There are so many people trying doing so much good, and let’s face it, they can ALL use some help!

Here are a list that I keep on the Bama Angels site for those looking for other organizations to help:

• Adopt-a-Chaplain
• America Supports You
• Any Soldier
• Blankets of Hope
• Books for Soldiers
• Cell Phones for Soldiers
• Fallen Patriot Fund
• Guardian Angels for Soldiers’ Pet
• Homes for Our Troops
• Iraqi Muscle
• Marine Executive Association
• Military Working Dog Adoptions
• Move America Forward
• Operation AC
• Operation Hero Miles
• Operation Home Front
• Operation Outreach
• Operation Purple
• Operation Top Knot
• Operation Uplink
• Operation: Birthday Cake
• Patriot Guard Riders
• Pinups for Vets
• Recruit Veterans
• SemperComm
• Soldiers’ Angels Veterans Support Team
• SOS: KIDS / Wings Of Hope
• The Home Front Cares
• Valour-IT
• Veteran’s Airlift Command
• Vets for Freedom
• Wandering Vets
• Wounded Warrior Project

Please PLEASE consider joining one of these organizations and doing your part to give our troops the support they so desperately need! There is so much that we can do … consider writing to your local papers, call or email the larger (tv/cable) media companies.

It’s time to show them what REAL SUPPORT is!!

Operation Recruiter Appreciation

I ran across a post in the Alabama Soldiers’ Angels forums from Lisa regarding the upcoming Armed Forces Day (May 17th). Gathering of Eagles is planning to set aside that day to “visit as many recruiter offices as we can and to pay some type of tribute to them,” calling it Operation Recruiter Appreciation.

An excellent idea! Recruiting is a tough and sometimes thankless job and we want to make sure that these hardworking men and women know that they are appreciated!

If you are interested in helping, contact Lisa at hottie0427 @ hotmail.com (remove the spaces before emailing).

To find your local recruiting offices, go to: www.todaysmilitary.com/contact-a-recruiter

I plan on hitting a couple recruiters’ offices around the Birmingham metro area Friday, May 16th. Will you join me in thanking our recruiters for their service to our country?

(x-posted to Bama Angels)

Theme designs

I really hadn’t had a chance to sit down long enough to really think about this until now. Obviously I didn’t win the Lunarpages contest this weekend, but it’s no biggie. Sure, I’m disappointed — but I still have plenty of time to enter another design. In fact I am working on two more now. I most likely won’t be entering any until after the new year though … we have so much going on right now, with the holidays and several birthdays, and other stuff going on.

I want to thank you all for voting for me and spreading the word. I’m touched that so many people reached out on my behalf with social networking, email and text messaging, even their own blogs. You guys don’t know how much that meant to me and I appreciate it very much.

Like I said before, I love ‘people of the net.’ Y’all are cool. :cool:

Happy Memorial Day (weekend post)

I don’t know what the plans are for the rest of the weekend, so I’m making this an early post as I might not be online Monday.

I would like to take a moment to pass on a link I saw on Beth’s site pointing to Lorie Byrd’s on the importance of not only to remember those who have stood up and given their all for this country, but also to teach our young ones the importance and real meaning of today. It’s not just a day off from work or school, or an excuse to go to the pool, beach, etc., or about the barbecue.

Anyways, she has a great list of links, and for those inclined, you’ll find many great tributes there.

 

Let us remember that “all gave some, and some gave all.”

Sidney B. Thompson, USAF WWII
I love you, Gramps,
and miss you every day.

Veteran’s Day

This post is dedicated to my favorite veteran:

Sidney B. Thompson, USAF / WWII
I love you Gramps, and miss you very much.