Giving Thanks at Walter Reed

'Twas the night after Thanksgiving and the temperatures were in the 20s, but that didn't stop our great friends Gunn Nutt, LandryFan, and others from showing up for the weekly counterprotest in front of Walter Reed Army Medical Center.

Photo courtesy of GunnNutt

For many months now, this group of patriots has gathered in front of Walter Reed to show support for our recovering heroes and to counteract the demonstration of radical CodePink protesters.

In a shameful show of disrespect, the Pinkos have chosen a military hospital instead of the White House or the Capitol as the location of their ongoing anti-war protest. According to LandryFan, on Friday a wounded soldier in a wheelchair braved the elements to come out and exercise his right of free speech to give the Pinkos his opinion on that.

Gunn Nutt has a full report with lots of photos, some interesting comments about 3 Massachusetts Congressmen, and an interesting tidbit about CodePink's planned trip to Cuba in December.

In another post as part of "The 14 Day Pushback" launched by Andi of Andi's World, Gunn Nutt discusses why it is important to continue protesting the anti-war protesters, using soldiers' letters and comments to illustrate the point.

Christmas at Arlington

U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Jim Varhegyi

From Freedom Folks via Ace of Spades and Michelle Malkin.

Update:

In the comments section and on his blog, LinkedInUSAF points us to the origin of this story at Air Force Link here.

Here's an excerpt, but be sure to read the whole thing and watch the video.

Airmen, civilians lay wreaths at Arlington

by Senior Airman J.G. Buzanowski
Air Force Print News

12/19/2005 - WASHINGTON (AFPN) -- Despite the cold, wind and snow, about 75 people gathered at Arlington National Cemetery on Dec. 15 to lay more than 5,000 wreaths on gravesites, including four at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

Since 1992, members of the armed forces, civil air patrol, veterans of foreign wars and several civilians have gathered to take part in the project, a brainchild of Maine resident Morrill Worcester.

Mr. Worcester owns and operates a holiday decoration company. Thirteen years ago he had a holiday wreath surplus and thought back to his youth. At age 12, he’d won a trip to Washington, D.C., and Arlington National Cemetery was one of the most memorable places he visited. His first thought was to bring the extra 4,000 wreaths there.

“We couldn’t do anything in this country if it wasn’t for the people who gave their lives to protect us,” Mr. Worcester said. “It’s a great honor to be able to come here and pay our respects.”

"Thank you for the chance to serve... "

The "Submit a Soldier" (for adoption) form on the Soldiers' Angels website contains a field for the soldier to make any specific requests of his/her new Angel.

Here is a recent entry.

I'm really not the type of person to ask for things for myself. But I am overwhelmed by the fact that a site like this exists.

I'd like to say that as a soldier, I am touched by the fact that you - whoever you may be - thought enough of us that you to want to send a soldier anything.

Thank you for your generosity and thank you for the chance to serve to protect the rights and values of a country that I hold dear to my heart.

The Candy Guy - Part XIII

The Deadly Mortars

Hey ya’ll, Sorry about not writing for a while, but been on leave, and having computer trouble, here.

I am titling this story, "The Deadly Mortars", as this is the bunch of guys I am running missions with now, and they really scare me sometimes - the mortar platoon, that is. Before I went home on leave I went out with them a good bit.

I normally ride in the back of the tub truck with G and V, and W. The tub truck is the truck with an open back, and we either stand or sit in the back of it; and is has armored plates around the sides. G is always standing there, at the gun.

It was a bright and early morning here on the FOB. I had this great big box of candy and things that was sent me by Soldiers' Angels, and I decided, as we were going out on a humanitarian mission anyway, that I could get it all together and give it out on that particular mission.

So I loaded this great big box up in the back of the tub truck with G and V. It was us three in the back, riding there down the road: the big five ton was right behind us.

We got to the corner, up a ways from our FOB, and all the little kids come running out to the road expecting goodies, like they usually get from us. But this day I decided I would wait till we got to the humanitarian site as we were always giving out loads of candy and things to the kids on the corner, anyway.

So I was kicked back on the top of the cooler, leaning back on the cab, and watching the road go by me backwards, with the five ton right behind us. All well and good.

But then, all of a sudden, we got to this sharp turn and our driver practically slammed on brakes to make the sharp turn. There was no way the five ton was going to stop as fast as we did: and they didn’t; the problem here was they was right onto our tails before we ever did start to slow down to begin with. And when we hit the brakes I watched, as in slow motion, first the eyes of the two up front in the five ton get as big around as two set hen eggs that was ready to hatch.

Then I could hear them lock up the brakes, and even noticed the black smoke coming all off the bottom of the totally locked up tires dragging the hot road. And steady as a ticking watch the driver was turning the wheel to the side: by-n-by, my eyes got a lot bigger round than either of the two soldiers in the front seat of that five ton.

The truck got closer and closer to us, and disaster was imminent!

That is when the entire truck went up on two side wheels and kind of grazed the entire side of our vehicle that was stopped by now. After they rode down the side of our lucky tub truck a ways, they stopped too. It finally dawned on G and V what had happened, and they nearly laid one.

This was our near death times one!

Alright, so I thought: what else could possibly happen on this beautiful day in Iraq? We unloaded the stuff for our chaplain, as it was his mission: like wheelchairs, and blankets and things. After doing all this I got back up on the truck and intended to throw out the box of candy.

But all the kids had got a little bit unruly. So I thought to myself: alright now, ya’ll want to play this; well now, you just wont get any of this candy, but it will all go to the kids on the corner after all. So we headed back to the FOB without incident.

We got to the corner, and sure enough: it had to be about twenty little Iraqi kids come running out to the side of the road, the little girls in their very colorful dresses: they looked every bit like the trees in the Fall, back at home.

We went past the corner and down the road a ways before I chucked the box of candy out. I took the thing and threw it as hard as I could to the right, so as to not get any of the kids killed: it was way off the road, now.

But no sooner had I throwed it when this little boy - not more than seven years old - come shooting out across the street from the other side, just like a dog, without even looking once. I stood up from the cooler and nearly freaked as I saw the tiny silhouette of this kid only right in front of the Five Ton, that was steady plowing up the road, full speed ahead. How that kid survived, I can’t never tell: both timing and God, I suppose.

The five ton missed running over that kid, literally, by a fraction of a nose hair. This really shook me up.

Near death times TWO!!!!

Come next day we were out again. I was about nervous by this point, and only wanted to survive the week so I could go home on leave! We went on up town without incident.

But then, we went to make this real sharp turn, and that is when it happened: the fifty cal ammo box just fell plumb out of the side of the truck, and the hum-v didn’t stop but just ran right slam over the box. Somehow, the back tire caught that box just right: big fifty cal rounds started going off all in that box, shooting all out the side of the box, and going everywhere, BOOM! BOOM! BANG! You name it... It left great big burnt holes all in the road where it shot the road all up.

Near death times three!

But I made it home and had my leave, so need I ask for more?

And this, ya’ll, is what it's like with "The Deadly Mortars".

Later, Richard...

Contributed by:
Sara of Soldiers' Angels USA and Richard from Iraq

Final Results of the Valour-IT Fundraising Competition - THANK YOU!

Apologies for being so late on this... the final tally is in at the Valour-IT Blog, and it is impressive:

$88,333.44

The blogger team breakdown is as follows:

Navy - $23,831.76
Army - $23,652.57
Marines - $19,607.00
Air Force - $11,114.11
Unaffiliated - $10,128.00

Although Navy ended up slightly higher than Army, the Army team led by Blackfive was the first to reach the team goal of $21,000.00. Congratulations, Army!

Valour-IT's mission is to provide laptops with voice-controlled software to soldiers with hand and arm injuries or amputations at military medical centers in the United States and Germany.

My heart is filled to think of the many hundreds of individuals who donated to this cause. Thank you.

And thank you to all of the bloggers - most importantly FbL of Fuzzilicious Thinking, the competition organizer - who participated in the fundraising competition. Without you this would not have been possible.

Soldiers' Angels Mourns SPC Robert C. Pope, II

"One can not fathom the enormity of emotions running through the family and friends of these brave soldiers. We can only hope when these horrifying times become history pages that it was all for something. That the world is a more peaceful place and these deaths praised for the heroism it was. To die in a strange land with hatred and viciousness makes this all the more daunting and hard to stay the course. If we break now though it will have been for naught. We reach out to the loved ones of the slain and with hope and faith holds them in our hearts forvever."

- Patti Bader and The Soldiers Angels

From Cathy of the Soldiers' Angels Living Legends Team:

Robert Pope, II, 22, was killed November 07, 2005 along with three other soldiers. They died in Baghdad, Iraq when a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device detonated near their dismounted patrol. They were assigned to the 3rd Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, Fort Carson, CO.

He is survived by his parents, Regina and Robert Pope.
Robert also had two Angels, who are also grieving his loss.

Our hearts are with Robert's family, friends, Angels, and comrades. Neither he nor those who fell with him will ever be forgotten.

Robert Pope graduated from East Islip, New York High School in 2001 and attended Suffolk County Community College. He enlisted in the Army in March 2003, motivated by the events of Sept. 11, 2001, according to his family.

"It meant a lot to him, what he was doing," said Pope's father, Robert, 47. (...)

Mixed in with the sorrow, Robert Pope yesterday recalled watching New York Giants and Jets football games with his son over beers and laughs.

He was a great son," he said with a smile. "He was just terrific in every way."

Please take a moment to read about Robert Pope and his family.

Army Specialist Robert C. Pope II tribute at the Soldiers' Angels Fallen Heroes blog.

In Honor of Our Veterans, Past and Present (Part 3)

If here today the cloud of thunder lours
Tomorrow it will hie on far behests;
The flesh will grieve on other bones than ours
Soon, and the soul will mourn in other breasts.

The troubles of our proud and angry dust
Are from eternity, and shall not fail.
Bear them we can, and if we can we must.
Shoulder the sky, my lad, and drink your ale.

- A.E. Housman

* * *

This is the last day of the Valour-IT blogger fundraising competition. As a member of the Marine Valour-IT blogging team, I would like to thank all of you for your generous support.

If you haven't donated yet, there's still time: Just click on the PayPal button here. Thank you!

Thanks also to Michele Malkin for her support of Soldiers' Angels and Valour-IT.

Semper Fidelis

For a group of Cathey's friends, there was one more task.

The Marines, many of whom had flown in from Okinawa the night before, walked up to the casket. One by one, they removed their white gloves and placed them on the smooth wood. Then they reached into a bag of sand the same dark gray shade as gunpowder.

A few years ago, while stationed in the infantry in Hawaii, Jim Cathey and his friends had taken a trip to Iwo Jima, where nearly 6,000 Marines had lost their lives almost 60 years before. They slept on the beach, thinking about all that had happened there. The day before they left, they each collected a bag of sand.

Those bags of sand sat in their rooms for years. Girlfriends questioned them. Wives wondered what they would ever do with them.

One by one, the young Marines poured a handful of sand onto the gloves atop the casket, then stepped back.

Sgt. Gavin Conley, who had escorted his friend's body to Reno, reached into the bag, made a fist and drizzled the grains onto the casket.

Once again, he slowly brought his bare hand to his brow.

A final salute.

See this extraordinary report titled "Final Salute" at the Denver RockyMountainNews.com which profiles Maj. Steve Beck as he carries out a tradition that started in 1775: Never leave a Marine behind.

Maj. Beck is a casualty assistance calls officer.

Rocky Mountain News reporter Jim Sheeler and photographer Todd Heisler spent the past year with the Marines stationed at Aurora's Buckley Air Force Base who have found themselves called upon to notify families of the deaths of their sons in Iraq. In each case in this story, the families agreed to let Sheeler and Heisler chronicle their loss and grief.

They wanted people to know their sons, the men and women who brought them home, and the bond of traditions more than 200 years old that unite them.

Though readers are led through the story by the white-gloved hand of Maj. Steve Beck, he remains a reluctant hero. He is, he insists, only a small part of the massive mosaic that is the Marine Corps.

Read the whole thing, and make sure to view the video presentation.

Marine 2nd Lt. James J. Cathey tribute at the Soldiers' Angels Fallen Heroes blog.

In Honor of Our Veterans, Past and Present (Part 2)

Armed Liberal has a great Veteran's Day post up over at Winds of Change:

Veteran's Day is a simple day in which we - as a nation - express our gratitude to the veterans who have sacrificed, suffered, and risked for us.

Acknowledging that requires three simple things:

- To acknowledge that there is an 'us' on whose behalf the veterans have served.

- To acknowledge that their service itself was an honor.

- To acknowledge that our nation - like all others - owes no small part of its existence, wealth, and freedom to the simple fact that we were (and I hope are) willing to defend it with the force of arms. We are born in blood, and live with bloody hands.

Finally, to acknowledge that last moral debt with a personal commitment to make that blood others have spent for us matter. To use our freedom, build our community, do something to create a future better than our present.

Be sure to read the whole thing.

Happy Birthday, Marines!

It is a well-known fact that Marines are "different". To illustrate this, and in honor of the Corps' 230th birthday, the enlistment oaths of the service branches are compared below.

Happy Birthday, guys!

* * *

US AIR FORCE OATH OF ENLISTMENT

"I, (State your name), swear to sign away 4 years of my life to the UNITED STATES AIR FORCE because I know I couldn't hack it in the Army, because the Marines frighten me, and because I am afraid of water over waist-deep. I swear to sit behind a desk. I also swear not to do any form of real exercise, but promise to defend our bike riding test as a valid form of exercise. I promise to walk around calling everyone by their first name because I find it amusing to annoy the other services.

I will have a better quality of life than those around me and will, at all times, be sure to make them aware of that fact. After completion of "Basic Training", I will be a lean, mean, donut-eating, Lazy-Boy sitting, civilian-wearing-blue-clothes, Chair-borne Ranger. I will believe I am superior to all others and will make an effort to clean the knife before stabbing the next person in the back. I will annoy those around me, and will go home early every day. So Help Me God!"

____________________ Signature ____________________ Date


* * *


US ARMY OATH OF ENLISTMENT

"I, Rambo, swear to sign away 4 years of my mediocre life to the UNITED STATES ARMY because I couldn't score high enough on the ASVAB to get into the Air Force, I'm not tough enough for the Marines, and the Navy won't take me because I can't swim. I will wear camouflage every day and tuck my trousers into my boots because I can't figure out how to use blousing straps. I promise to wear my uniform 24 hours a day even when I have a date.

I will continue to tell myself that I am a fierce killing machine because my Drill Sergeant told me I am, despite the fact that the only action I will see is a court-martial for sexual harassment. I acknowledge the fact that I will make E-8 in my first year of service, and vow to maintain that it is because I scored perfect on my PT test. After completion of my "Basic Training" I will attend a different Army school every other month and return knowing less than I did when I left. On my first trip home after Boot Camp, I will walk around like I am cool and propose to my 9th grade sweetheart. I will make my wife stay home because if I let her out she might leave me for a better-looking Air Force guy.

While at work I will maintain a look of knowledge while getting absolutely nothing accomplished. I will arrive to work every day at 1000 hrs because of morning PT and leave everyday at 1300 to report back to "COMPANY." So Help Me God!"

_____________________ Signature _____________________ Date


* * *


US NAVY OATH OF ENLISTMENT

"I, Top Gun, in lieu of going to prison, swear to sign away 4 years of my life to the UNITED STATES NAVY, because I want to hang out with Marines without actually having to BE one of them, because I thought the Air Force was too "corporate," because I didn't want to actually live in dirt like the Army, and because I thought, "Hey, I like to swim... why not?" I promise to wear clothes that went out of style in 1976 and to have my name stenciled on the butt of every pair of pants I own. I understand that I will be mistaken for the Good Humor Man during summer, and for Nazi Waffen SS during the winter. I will strive to use a different language than the rest of the English-speaking world, using words like "deck, bulkhead, cover, geedunk, scuttlebutt, scuttle and head," when I really mean "floor, wall, hat, candy, water fountain, hole in wall and toilet."

"I will take great pride in the fact that all Navy acronyms, rank, and insignia, and everything else for that matter, are completely different from the other services and make absolutely no sense whatsoever. I will muster, whatever that is, at 0700 every morning unless I am buddy-buddy with the Chief, in which case I will show up around 0930. I vow to hone my coffee cup-handling skills to the point that I can stand up in a kayak being tossed around in a typhoon, and still not spill a drop. I consent to being promoted and subsequently busted at least twice per fiscal year. I realize that, once selected for Chief, I am required to submit myself to the sick, and quite possibly illegal, whims of my newfound "colleagues." So Help Me Neptune!"

______________________ Signature ______________________ Date


* * *


US MARINE CORPS OATH OF ENLISTMENT

"I, (pick a name the police won't recognize), swear.. uhhhh.... high- and-tight.... grunt... cammies.... kill.... fix bayonets.... charge.... slash.... dig.... burn.... blowup.... ugh... Air Force women.... beer..... sailors wives..... air strikes.... yes, SIR!.... whiskey.... liberty call.... salute.... Ooorah Gunny.... grenades... women.... OORAH! So Help Me Chesty PULLER!"

X____________________ Thumb Print

XX _________________________________ Teeth Marks _____________________ Date

More USMC birthday posts here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here and here. And in honor of the Corps' birthday, GunnNutt is doubling Valour-IT donations!

Special thanks to Sara for the Oaths of Enlistment.

In Honor of Our Veterans, Past and Present

Vietnam, Ia Drang valley, 14 - 16 November 1965:

"Playing dead was a way to die. It made no sense to me. Our job was to hold that position and kill the enemy," Eade said. "I had this thing in my mind, part of the U.S. Army's General Orders and the soldier's code you learn in boot camp: 'I will never forget I am an American fighting man. I will never surrender of my own free will. I will continue to resist to the utmost of my ability. I will not leave my post until properly relieved." Eade said he kept repeating it himself.

"I don't think it was unique to me," Eade said, citing the actions of men like Barker and Johnson. Eade said his seemingly hopeless position was made easier by his belief, established weeks earlier after several men in the unit were killed in other actions, that he would not be leaving Vietnam alive. What Eade says about that may sound familiar to other veterans of combat.

"It wasn't a matter of living or dying. It was taking care of each other and doing your duty. The anticipation of a future is what you give up. The question was not, 'Am I going to die?' We all know the answer to that. The question was, 'How am I going to die? I am going to die well.'"

Read the rest of this important and timely article by Jules Crittenden over at the Mudville Gazette.

Valour-IT: Carren Ziegenfuss on MSNBC Today

Exciting news from CPT Chuck Ziegenfuss, founder of Project Valour-IT: His wife Carren will be on MSNBC's "Connected Coast to Coast" today between 12 - 1pm. Tune in and pass the word! And good luck, Carren!

Mkay... I dragged my drugged and temporarily one-handed body out of the hospital bed to tell ya'll about something most important.

Carren is gonna be on national TV (and live national TV at that) to let everyone know about Project Valour-IT. She will represent me (the nerd who thought of this project), and the many people who have made this project a success.

She is going to be on "Connected coast to coast" a show run by MSNBC. Don't know how long she'll be on, but for the love of god, please tune in, put your hands on the top of your TV, and talk to Jebus when the show is over. The show runs from 1200-1300 (noon to one fer ya civlians out there)(and that's eastern time) My beloved is supposed to be on around 1240, but I will rest assured that her looks, personality, and general charm will either get her on early, or the show will go into extra rounds like Rocky and the Big Ruskie in Rocky IV.

Here's how you can help. Send this to every one you know, post it on your blog, get them to post it on theirs. One side will say it's a failure of the gummint to not prvide this for the soldiers, others just see it as a way to help our brothers and sisters who have fallen but will be getting up. However they spin it, just get the word out.

There's less than 18 hours to game time, so let's get our blog on!

--Chuck

Charles W. Ziegenfuss
Former Commander, C/2-34 AR, 3BCT
(Currently on the mend in KS)

UPDATE: You can watch Carren's interview on the MSNBC website here. BZ, Carren!!!

"My Soldiers See That People Back Home Truly Care About Them"

To All of the Angels:

I wish to thank you, all of you, for the impact that you have on my soldiers.

They just received their first letters today, and all of them were talking about writing back to their senders. Morale was up at mail call today, needless to say.

The organization is a great motivator and escape from everyday life for these soldiers. They read the letters seeing that people back at home truly care about them.

Your angels are the very best and I wish I could thank every single one of them individually.

I know the angels do not get to directly reap the benefits that come from the correspondence to the soldiers, but I see their faces and hear them in conversation and it makes me so thankful this organization is present.

You are truly angels. Thank you for all your hard work and dedication to the American soldier.

God Bless Each and Every One of You,

2LT Xxxxx

Weekly Walter Reed Support Activities

Another big crowd of supporters out at Walter Reed again Friday night. These are a great group of folks who make sure our recovering soldiers see more supporters than protesters each week.

Check out the posts covering the activities, which included a large contingent from Rolling Thunder, and lots of photos from GunnNutt and Landry's Life.

Thanks for taking a stand, guys!

Valour-IT: All Gave Some...

You can donate via PayPal here. Thank you and Semper Fi !

Valour-IT Fundaising Competition: When the going gets tough...

USMC Rules for Gunfighting
1. Be courteous to everyone, friendly to no one.
2. Decide to be aggressive ENOUGH, quickly ENOUGH.
3. Have a plan.
4. Have a back-up plan, because the first one probably won't work.
5. Be polite. Be professional. But, have a plan to kill everyone you meet.
6. Do not attend a gunfight with a handgun whose caliber does not start with a "4."
7. Anything worth shooting is worth shooting twice. Ammo is cheap. Life is expensive.
8. Move away from your attacker. Distance is your friend. (Lateral and diagonal movement are preferred.)
9. Use cover or concealment as much as possible.
10. Flank your adversary when possible. Protect yours.
11. Always cheat; always win. The only unfair fight is the one you lose.
12. In ten years nobody will remember the details of caliber, stance, or tactics. They will only remember who lived.
13. If you are not shooting, you should be communicating or reloading.
14. Someday someone may kill you with your own gun, but they should have to beat you to death with it because it is empty.
15. And above all ... don't drop your guard.

Navy Rules For Gunfighting
1. Go to Sea
2. Drink Coffee
3. Send the Marines

Army Rules For Gunfighting
1. Select a new beret to wear
2. Sew combat patch on right shoulder
3. Reconsider the color of beret you decide to wear
4. Send the Marines

US Air Force Rules For Gunfighting
1. Have a cocktail
2. Adjust temperature on air-conditioner
3. Determine "what is a gunfight"
4. Send the Marines

The Valour-IT Marine blogging team is not about to let those other "support" services win this competition!

We're raising money to provide laptops with voice-controlled software to wounded Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines recovering with hand and arm injuries or amputations at major military medical centers in the United States and Germany.

You can donate via the PayPal button here, or by sending a check to:

Soldiers Angels
Valour-IT Marine Fund
1792 East Washington Blvd.
Pasadena, CA 91104

Thank you and Semper Fi!

October Visit to Kleber Outpatient Barracks

It’s always happens at the end when we’re packing up and getting ready to leave.

“Hey listen, I just wanted to thank you guys… “

Oh, $h#t! Here it comes...

“I mean, what you guys did here today…“

We can’t help it, our eyes fill with tears. Pull yourself together! You know what happens when one person starts!

I don’t trust my voice, so I just turn around and give him a hug. Other guys come over. We stand around awkwardly and talk for a few minutes, all of us pretending we’re not choking up. They slowly go inside.

I turn back to the car and busy myself unnecessarily rearranging stuff in the trunk.

***********

But it's been a good day.


Willie and Valerie restock the coffee bar with microwave meals and TONS of Little Debbies, NutterButters, popcorn, and other snacks. We also have a few CD players, handheld games, and boxes of comic books.



We hang up some more pictures for the Wall of Thanks project.



The picnic.


A French Angel and a U.S. Marine.



Photo taken at this Seabee's request to torment his buddies back down range. Prost, guys!

We were fortunate this weekend to have unseasonably warm weather, but this will be the last outdoor picnic this season... we'll think of something else for the winter months.

HOOAH and THANK YOU to our fellow Angels for your ongoing support.

Project Valour-IT Fundraising Competition, Day 2

Meet the Project Valour-IT Marine "Dream" Team of bloggers:

Marine Team Leader: Holly Aho
Stop the ACLU
My Vast Right Wing Conspiracy
Welcome to my world
Politics of a Patriot
The Gun Line
AlabamaWatch.com
Portia Rediscovered
Common Sense Runs Wild
RightWingSparkle
Big Dog’s Weblog
My Newz ‘n Ideas
Maxed Out Mama
Gunn Nutt
Oraculations
Righty in a lefty state
Flight Pundit
You Big Mouth, You!
A Blog for All
Drunken Wisdom
Straight White Guy
Christian Fiction
Kadnine
Tammi's World
The Word Unheard
Balance Sheet
Hardcore Conservative
The Donegal Express
Akinoluna
Art by Shano
Soldiers' Angels Germany


The goal of Project Valour-IT is to provide voice-controlled software and laptop computers to wounded Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines recovering from hand and arm injuries or amputations at major military medical centers in the United States and Germany.

The Valour-IT Blogging Fundraiser Competition, which will continue until Veteran's Day, is between blogging teams representing 4 service branches, Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines.

All donations go into one fund and will of course be used for members of all service branches.

You can donate via the PayPal button here, or by sending a check to:

Soldiers Angels
Valour-IT Marine Fund
1792 East Washington Blvd.
Pasadena, CA 91104

Thank you and Semper Fi!

More information:
Project Valour-IT Site
Valour-IT Blog

Oorah Marine Valour-IT Team!!

We visited a patient at Landstuhl Hospital on Monday, the fiance of an Angel back in the US. He's recovering well from back surgery and is mobile.

One of the first things he wanted to do after just a few minutes of small talk was show me some of his videos from Iraq. His laptop sat on the desk in his room up and running.

He enthusiastically fired up some short videos of his unit as he narrated and explained what was going on.

We watched a moving tribute video he had created for a fallen soldier from his unit.

He takes the laptop to the Internet Cafe in the hospital where he can get online and exchange emails with friends and loved ones.

I don't like to think what his time here would be like if he was unable to use his laptop due to an arm injury.

I've posted about Soldiers' Angels Project Valour-IT before. The goal is to provide voice-controlled software and laptop computers to wounded Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines recovering from hand and arm injuries or amputations at major military medical centers in the United States and Germany.

Today marks the start of the Valour-IT Blogging Fundraiser Competition, which will continue until Veteran's Day. The "competition" is between blogging teams representing 4 service branches, Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines.

Holly, fellow Angel and host of my blog, is the blogging leader of the Marines Team so that's naturally the team I've joined ;-) Blackfive is leading the Army Team, and Mrs. Greyhawk is leading the Air Force Team. Navy is still unassigned. Mrs. Smash is leading the Navy Team.

All donations go into one fund and will of course be used for members of all service branches.

You can donate via the PayPal button here, or by sending a check to:

Soldiers Angels
Valour-IT Marine Fund
1792 East Washington Blvd.
Pasadena, CA 91104

Please note "Marine Valour-IT Team" on your check so we get credit for your donation, because we want to WIN this thing!

Thank you and Semper Fi!

More information:
Project Valour-IT Site
Valour-IT Blog

Friday Military Support Activities Roundup

Walter Reed reports and lots of photos from GunnNutt here and here, Andi's World here, and Landry's Life has more.

Thanks to all who make sure the troops see more supporters than protesters each Friday night at Walter Reed.

And SMASH has coverage of Operation Thank You in San Diego, including a great feedback email.