A wounded Soldier at Landstuhl hospital receives a Soldiers' Angels backpack with clothing and personal care items from SSG Gary Zigler, Casualty NCO of the USARPAC Casualty Liaison Team.
MOST-NEEDED ITEMS
Please include your Email address in your packages. Without this information, we will be unable to confirm their receipt.
Thank you for your help with these items!
- Sweatpants and Zippered Hoodie Sweatjackets (M, L, XL - black or gray) Especially needed at this time.
- Plain white undershirts and plain T-shirts (M, L, XL - crew neck, any color) Especially needed at this time.
- Men's Boxerbriefs (M, L, XL) 2nd choice boxers. Please do not send "tightie whities".
- Lounge/sleep pants/pj bottoms (M, L, XL - any color or pattern)
- Deodorant, small size preferred but not necessary (We are completely out of deodorant at this time)
- Lip balm
- Toothpaste (any size)
- Socks (white ankle or crew length preferred.)
- Good disposable razors, triple or quad-blade. Please do not send refills.
- Nail Clippers (large & small)
- Flip flops to wear while showering (mens' large sizes)
Please contact us for shipping information.
Important:
- Please notify us when items are shipped.
Gold Star Mother and Soldiers' Angel Linda Ferrara with patient in front of donations shelves with clothing and hygiene items available for outpatients 24/7.
The Soldiers' Angels Germany Blog will no longer be updated at this location. Please continue to visit us at our new location at the Soldiers' Angels main website here. We look forward to seeing you there!
The Christmas Tree at Landstuhl Hospital Fisher House. Photo: Soldiers' Angels.
And the angel said unto them,
Fear not: for, behold,
I bring you good tidings of great joy,
which shall be to all people.
For unto you
is born this day in the city
of David a Savior,
which is Christ the Lord.
Thank you and Merry Christmas to all of our generous supporters. May you find joy this holiday season knowing you have uplifted our Wounded Warriors through the priceless gift of love.
At Christmastime and always, our Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, and Marines serving all over the world hold a special place in our hearts.
My body felt like lead. So heavy I was afraid the floor might give way beneath me. And I thought, this must be like the pain - and the love - Mary felt watching her son die for us.
Then, a voice in my head, saying over and over, “For God so loved the world, for God so loved the world... ”
I asked his nurse if I could gown up and go in.
It was Christmas Eve.
And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.
And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
To our Veterans past and present - you have served at home, and in far away lands. You have kept your fellow Americans safe and free at home, and you have freed millions throughout the world from tyranny. You represent the legacy of those throughout our nation's history who know the ugly of war, but who believe there are things even uglier than war. For you, the words DUTY, HONOR, COUNTRY are a way of life. Thank you for your courage and for your sacrifices. Thank you for your service. God bless you all, and God bless America.
Captain Matthew Charles Ferrara
14 October 1983 - 9 November 2007
On November 9, 2007, 1st Platoon, Chosen Company, 2/503, 173rd ABCT, was ambushed by an overwhelming enemy force as they returned to Combat Outpost Bella following a meeting with tribal elders in the nearby village of Aranas.
Five Soldiers from the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team and one Marine from the Mountain Warfare Training Center were killed. Eight more paratroopers and 11 Afghan National Army soldiers were wounded. Despite the heavy casualties taken during the opening minutes of the ambush, with nearly every man either killed or wounded, the patrol was ultimately able to repel their attackers and call in support.
Ammunition was dropped to the survivors by the arriving Apache helicopters, and eight separate air crews subsequently conducted what was to become a combined 31-hour MEDEVAC and recovery mission involving multiple lifts.
Our love, thoughts, and prayers are with Matt's family and the families of his brothers-in-arms who gave their lives for each other, their loved ones, and their country on 9 November 2007. We will remember them always.
* * *
Im Memoriam:
1st Lt. Matthew C. Ferrara, 24, of Torrance, Calif.
SGT Jeffrey S. Mersman, 23, of Parker, Kansas
SPC Sean K.A. Langevin, 23, of Walnut Creek, California
SPC Lester G. Roque, 23, of Torrance, California
PFC Joseph M. Lancour, 21, of Swartz Creek, Michigan
all of Chosen Company, 2-503rd PIR, 173rd ABCT, and
Marine Sgt. Phillip A. Bocks, 28, of Troy, Michigan
* * *
With gratitude to the MEDEVAC crews for their professionalism, selfless service and dedication to duty during our Heroes' final hours and to the AH-64 crews not only for their protection, but whose gun cameras documented this mission.
Those who say that we're in a time when there are no heroes, they just don't know where to look.
"Through these fields of destruction
Baptisms of fire
I’ve watched all your suffering
As the battles raged higher
And though they did hurt me so bad
In the fear and alarm
You did not desert me
My brothers-in-arms"
