tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-299818402024-03-05T23:13:15.449+00:00Soldiers' Angels GermanyMaryAnnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05401586680893064560noreply@blogger.comBlogger2417125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29981840.post-59841417472742319572017-01-11T19:13:00.002+00:002021-08-27T22:26:12.677+00:00We've moved!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!MaryAnnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05401586680893064560noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29981840.post-54540737684845511682016-12-25T14:19:00.002+00:002016-12-25T14:19:30.273+00:00Merry Christmas!
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 MaryAnnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05401586680893064560noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29981840.post-80155394257595939542016-12-25T14:18:00.002+00:002016-12-25T14:18:07.508+00:00Gold Star Christmas
To our Gold Star families, with love.
Merry Christmas from Heaven
I still hear the songs
I still see the lights
I still feel your love
on cold wintery nights
I still share your hopes
and all of your cares
I'll even remind you
to please say your prayers
I just want to tell you
you still make me proud
You stand head and shoulders
above all the crowd
Keep trying each moment
to stay in MaryAnnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05401586680893064560noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29981840.post-63465366355642787462016-12-23T21:48:00.002+00:002016-12-23T21:48:55.000+00:00For God So Loved The World[This is an annual post.]
It was late evening when I walked by and looked into the room.
Both legs gone, way up. The rest covered with bandages and surgical draping, even his face. What was left of his arms, post-op, was on boards out to both sides.
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 - MaryAnnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05401586680893064560noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29981840.post-55798297514036221652016-11-11T11:33:00.001+00:002016-11-11T11:33:46.323+00:00Thank you, Veterans!
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 aMaryAnnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05401586680893064560noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29981840.post-74293152463230081622016-11-10T11:05:00.002+00:002016-11-10T11:05:35.254+00:00"Some people spend an entire lifetime wondering if they've made a difference...... the Marines don't have that problem."
- President Ronald Reagan, 1985
Happy Birthday!MaryAnnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05401586680893064560noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29981840.post-49860914429807016672016-11-09T11:32:00.000+00:002016-11-09T11:32:13.467+00:00Remembering Capt. Matt Ferrara
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 MaryAnnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05401586680893064560noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29981840.post-37098123600118702742016-10-24T13:17:00.001+00:002016-10-24T13:17:19.091+00:00Remembering Marine LCpl Richard "Ricky" Slocum
Marine LCpl Richard "Ricky" Slocum
Feb 2, 1985 - October 24, 2004
Thinking of you Kay, Bob, and all of Ricky’s family and friends today. I promise to remember him always.
Ricky will be forever in my heart.MaryAnnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05401586680893064560noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29981840.post-22227103085084181352016-10-23T12:44:00.002+00:002016-10-23T12:44:28.886+00:00They Came In PeaceThis is an annual post.
Beirut, 23 October 1983
"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"
From Brothers-in-arms: 'They came in peace' by Lance Cpl. Jeffrey A. Cosola.
Originally posted 23 October, 2005.
Update 23 MaryAnnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05401586680893064560noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29981840.post-31022889237102455052016-09-25T15:09:00.002+00:002016-09-25T15:09:19.586+00:00Gold Star Mothers' Day
”The service rendered the United States by the American mother is the greatest source of the Country’s strength and inspiration.
We honor ourselves and the mothers of America when we revere and give emphasis to the home as the fountainhead of the State.
The American mother is doing so much for the home and for the moral and spiritual uplift of the people of the United States and hence so MaryAnnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05401586680893064560noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29981840.post-60916231101739486442016-09-13T13:08:00.002+00:002016-09-13T13:09:14.423+00:00...and our flag was still there.
202 years ago today, The Battle at Fort McHenry (9/13-9/14 1814) – Perhaps the greatest moment in our flag's history is the one which inspired our national anthem. After witnessing Fort McHenry being attacked by British warships the night of Sept.13, 1814, from a neighboring ship, Francis Scott Key woke up the next morning to see through "the rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting in air, gave MaryAnnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05401586680893064560noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29981840.post-50026571115393162172016-09-10T17:51:00.001+00:002016-09-11T16:07:48.759+00:00Sorrow and Resolve
Like all Americans, my memories of that day are vivid: The unbelievable sight of the burning towers, the horror and despair of the jumpers, the shock of realization when the Pentagon was hit: America is under attack.
And as the towers fell – first one, then the other – time seemed to stop as I slumped forward in my chair and felt the cries of a thousand souls from a black void.
Then MaryAnnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05401586680893064560noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29981840.post-28019950153860492182016-08-07T15:00:00.000+00:002016-08-07T15:10:11.454+00:00Purple Heart Day
Today is Purple Heart Day. On August 7, 1782, General George Washington - then the commander-in-chief of the Continental Army - established the Purple Heart award, originally designated as the Badge of Military Merit.
The Purple Heart exists in its current form since 1932, and is awarded to service members "wounded or killed in any action against an enemy of the United States or as a result MaryAnnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05401586680893064560noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29981840.post-35403989631820284382016-07-13T19:27:00.000+00:002016-07-13T19:30:09.690+00:00Remembering the Heroes of Wanat
"I just hope these guys’ wives and their children understand how courageous their husbands and dads were. They fought like warriors."
- SGT Jacob Walker
Im Memoriam:
1LT Jonathan Brostrom
SGT Israel Garcia
SPC Matthew Phillips
SPC Pruitt Rainey
SPC Jonathan Ayers
SPC Jason Bogar
SPC Sergio Abad
SPC Jason Hovater
SPC Gunnar Zwilling
All Sky Soldiers of Chosen Company, 2/503 Infantry RegimentMaryAnnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05401586680893064560noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29981840.post-26877188057297490692016-06-30T22:47:00.002+00:002016-06-30T22:47:40.232+00:00Happy Independence Day!
On Independence Day we remember that our freedom and liberty are owed to a remarkable group of men and women who had the courage to stand up against the tyranny and injustice of the British Crown over 200 years ago.
56 men signed a document that denounced the “repeated injuries and usurpations” of their God-given rights and liberties. This bold and courageous act was not self-serving, but a MaryAnnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05401586680893064560noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29981840.post-9244981857449370182016-06-06T14:07:00.000+00:002016-06-06T14:07:33.546+00:00“Soldiers, sailors, and airmen of the Allied Expeditionary Force!"
Photo: National Archives.
“Soldiers, sailors, and airmen of the Allied Expeditionary Force! You are about to embark upon the Great Crusade, toward which we have striven these many months. The eyes of the world are upon you."
- Supreme Commander, Allied Expeditionary Force Dwight D. Eisenhower on the Eve of D-Day
On June 6, 1944 the D-Day invasion, Operation Overlord, began with a dangerous MaryAnnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05401586680893064560noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29981840.post-12109035185378695822016-05-30T11:31:00.002+00:002016-05-30T11:31:16.267+00:00For Some, Every Day is Memorial DayOn Memorial Day, we pause as a grateful nation to honor the brave men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice in our defense.
We used to think of them as stoic Heroes of wars fought long ago represented by white gravestones standing in silent memory across our land.
But now they are also today's sons, daughters, husbands, wives, mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, and friends.
And in MaryAnnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05401586680893064560noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29981840.post-7633798816955209572016-05-29T09:05:00.000+00:002016-05-31T09:05:46.603+00:00"Those who say that we're in a time when there are no heroes, they just don't know where to look"MaryAnnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05401586680893064560noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29981840.post-38889470536616697622016-05-09T18:15:00.001+00:002016-05-09T18:15:38.831+00:002016 Invictus Games Open in Florida
From Stars & Stripes:
“You will see people that should have died on the battlefield but instead are going for gold on the athletic field,” Prince Harry said to a thunderous crowd during the opening ceremony at the ESPN Wide World of Sports arena at Disney World. “You will be inspired.”
Prince Harry launched the Invictus Games in 2014 in London after he saw the rehabilitative power of sport at MaryAnnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05401586680893064560noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29981840.post-90976575694164794012016-05-01T15:17:00.000+00:002016-05-01T15:17:40.980+00:00Five Years Ago: bin Laden Killed by U.S. ForcesThis is a repost from 2011.
"A lot of people were upset we celebrated the death of another human being. I told them the only thing I as upset about is that I didn't do it. They've got to understand that people have to do terrible things so that things like 9/11 don't happen again."
- Sgt. Christopher "Kit" Lowe, wounded in Afghanistan, 2009.
Words like "grateful," "relief," and "calming," MaryAnnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05401586680893064560noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29981840.post-31782952137552116592016-03-19T12:43:00.001+00:002016-03-19T12:43:07.908+00:00On This Day in 2003 - Operation Iraqi Freedom Begins
Sgt. Matthew LeVart carries injured Cpl. Barry Lange off the battlefield as members of India Co., 3rd Batt., 7th Marine Division engage Iraqi soldiers in battle at the headquarters of the Iraqi 51st and 37th mechanized infantry divisions near Az Bayer, Iraq on March 21, 2003, the first day of the ground war. Photo: Laura Rauch.
"Those who say that we're in a time when there are no heroes, theyMaryAnnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05401586680893064560noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29981840.post-63813311441861443632016-02-21T13:07:00.000+00:002016-02-21T13:07:51.682+00:00Groundbreaking ECMO treatment used at Bagram and Landstuhl to breathe life into NATO ally
A 455th Expeditionary Medical Group team combines efforts with the Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation team to save the life of a NATO ally at the Craig Joint-Theater Hospital at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, on Feb. 18, 2016. The ECMO team, dispatched from San Antonio Military Medical Center, uses technology that bypasses the lungs and infuses the blood directly with oxygen, while removing the MaryAnnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05401586680893064560noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29981840.post-85754117433704613302016-01-29T13:29:00.000+00:002016-02-04T13:30:34.584+00:00"Keep breathing"
Sgt. Oliver Campbell has deployed to Afghanistan several times since he joined Joint Base Lewis-McChord’s Army Ranger battalion in 2013. He was wounded on a mission there earlier this month. His mother, Carol, visited him at an Army hospital in Germany for his initial medical treatment. Photo courtesy of Carol Campbell via The News Tribune.
Army Ranger Sgt. Oliver Campbell and a teammate from MaryAnnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05401586680893064560noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29981840.post-63652066030061284982016-01-25T04:12:00.000+00:002016-02-04T13:33:53.198+00:00Sunnrise at Arlington
Sunrise at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery, Va after a record breaking snowfall blanketed the Washington DC area with 18 inches of snow. (Photo by SPC Nathan Johnston)MaryAnnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05401586680893064560noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29981840.post-83027916862416364002016-01-20T13:24:00.000+00:002016-02-04T13:24:53.458+00:00Service & Sacrifice: Surgery count high, spirits higher
Veteran Michael Trost guesses he's had 28 surgeries since being wounded in Afghanistan. He now faces another major operation. Photo: WBIR.com.
Four years and dozens of surgeries later, MSgt Michael Trost speaks frankly about his next major surgery: He is choosing to have his badly damaged lower right leg amputated just below his knee so part of his toe can be used as a new thumb.
“I’m not MaryAnnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05401586680893064560noreply@blogger.com0