I’m constantly in search of good stories about our troops. I’m even more interested in stories about name brand companies honoring the troops in some way. As a former collector of trading cards of all types – from basketball to Magic: The Gathering – so this sort of speaks to me. This story is from VINCENT M. MALLOZZI of the New York Times. Enjoy:
Granted they found it long ago, but for whatever reason they have gained some sort of misplaced confidence. Surely everyone has heard by now about the supposed Mujahaddin attack in India. Then, terrorists target a US convoy outside the US embassy in Afghanistan. Threats are popping up all over the US.
Too bad the “Bush Doctrine” of taking the fight to the terrorists is going away. If you ask me, we still have 56 days to kick their asses before we are forced into a cowardly retreat from places we are better poised to meet these threats! I’m really trying hard to wrap my support around the incoming administration, but the events of today have convinced me even more so that we need “more of the same” when it comes to fighting terrorism. Our lack of resolve and will that was demonstrated with the past elections has obviously served to embolden the enemy.
Don’t give me this crap about “they wouldn’t be attacking us if we pulled our troops out” because it’s an extremely ignorant and moronic statement that ignores history. You are a part of the problem, not the solution. These people know only one thing: strength! We need to show it to a level that leaves no doubt about our abilities and willingness to strike wherever we want to crush their moral, funding, training, and resolve to continue their attacks. I urge President-elect Obama to openly and strongly condemn these attacks and vow to hunt down anyone guilty of killing Americans WHEREVER THEY MAY BE!
A father and son on Friday will each receive the Army’s fourth-highest award in a ceremony at Fort Campbell.
Chief Warrant Officer 2 Jonathan Harris, a Blackhawk pilot with 5th Battalion, 101st Aviation Regiment, will receive his Silver Star in Afghanistan for actions performed July 2, 2008, a news release states.
His father, Gary Harris, of Corbin, Ky., will receive the Silver Star for gallantry in action in the Republic of Vietnam Aug. 15, 1969 while serving with 4th Battalion, 3rd Infantry Division, according to the release.
The senior Harris originally received his Silver Star in 1969 without a ceremony. The two ceremonies will be linked via a video teleconference between Bagram, Afghanistan and Fort Campbell, the release states.
Gary Harris is credited with saving the lives of fellow soldiers during an intense firefight with Vietnamese insurgents in 1969. His son is credited with saving his crew chief’s life during an intense firefight in Afghanistan earlier this year. Jonathan Harris was also injured by shrapnel during the incident.
After I got back from Afghanistan in May of 2007, I wondered if I would keep this blog up or not. Part of me wanted to quit blogging so I could focus on other things and put Afghanistan behind me, but part of me wanted to keep the word out there, and not let the country and the great things our soldiers are doing there fall off the radar.
My first decision was to at least blog for a few months to talk about the reunification process. As I gathered stats on the traffic coming to my site, I realized that the interest never waned and many people kept coming to this site in order to hear about Afghanistan and what was happening there.
So why am I still blogging now that I have been back for 18 months? Because of emails like the one below, which I got yesterday.
“My husband is deployed in Afghanistan right now and I just wanted to say thank you for being one of the folks who gets me through each day.
I was a company commander during the first Gulf War and that seems like a boy scout outing compared to what is going on out there now.
Thanks for your compassion for soldiers…”
Yep, to know that there are Americans out there who are being helped by this blog is a big reason of why I spend so many hours out of my life keeping this blog up.
I belong to a local Moms Of PreSchoolers (MOPS) group. Once a month we get together for a time of fellowship, crafts, talking, laughing, catching up and play time for the kiddos. It’s been a great resource for me and for my four year old daughter, Emma. Each season MOPS International, the organization that provides the structure for local MOPS groups, picks a different focus or theme for the various readings, teachings and crafts.
Last season the theme was “The home factor.” Discussion was primarily focused on the importance of home, and the function of the home. Our first meeting that season was very hard for me to swallow, and had flared up some grief for me.
When we started our MOPS group that day we went around in a circle and introduced ourselves and we had to tell one thing that we really love about our house. I started choking up immediately. I could feel the tell-tale signs of a meltdown. My eyes were watering, my throat had a lump in it, my breathing became labored and I was working overtime trying to push down the emotions that wanted spew out of me with volcanic force!
What do I love about “my house/home?” We had just sold our home a few months prior to this. Since that time of selling my husband had left for Ft. Benning and my son was in Iraq. My middle son had moved out to attend college, and we (my youngest two and myself) were left behind to pick up the household and move again. We moved to a very lovely home, but neither Bryan nor Mike had ever stepped foot into it. I had a hard time feeling at home because my memories of my two soldiers were set in different surroundings, and I had no point of reference for them in the new place.
When the question finally came near full circle, it was time for me to answer. I explained that I did not identify my home with a physical location, but rather I had to identify it with the people that I love. That was a daunting task since the people I love were scattered around the globe, and there would be extremely limited amounts of contact with them. I finally came up with an answer and said that my favorite place in my home was where I put my pictures. It was at that time that I realized that no matter where my soldiers ended up, in the long run, my duty during this time of war was to keep the home a welcome, safe and stable place for them to come home to.
Our home is a refuge. Our home is fairly quiet, except for when it is filled with laughter. Our home often smells of good food and clean laundry. We have our dysfunctions and our ugly spots since we are most definitely an imperfect group of human beings. However, when we each walk out of the door we are faced with challenges. Continue reading this post…
A few days ago, the Board of Supervisors of Amelia County, Virginia, authorized the renaming of a bridge in honor of Fallen Hero, SSG Jason Arnette. I wrote about Jason on They Have Names and have become friends with his mother, Mickey. The bridge will be dedicated in April 2009. Here’s the resolution:
WHEREAS, Jason R. Arnette graduated from Amelia County High School in 200l and throughout his years in Amelia County, actively participated in church, school, recreation and community events and activities; and
WHEREAS, In 2004 Jason married Shenandoah Skye Hughes and retained a home address in Amelia County; and
WHEREAS, Jason R. Arnette enlisted and faithfully served in the United States Army (10th Mountain Division) rising to the rank of Staff Sergeant; and
WHEREAS, On April 1, 2007, while serving his third tour of duty in Iraq, Staff Sergeant Jason R. Arnette gave the last full measure of his devotion to his family, his community and the Country he so loved; and
WHEREAS, The Arnette family has requested the Board of Supervisors to support a request to name the bridge on Patrick Henry Highway over Goodes Bridge Road in Amelia County as the, Staff Sergeant Jason K Arnette Memorial Bridge in honor and respect of the heroic sacrifice made by Jason R. Arnette; and
WHEREAS, The Board of Supervisors of Amelia County, Virginia has agreed to ensure that all costs and expenses associated with the placement of appropriate markers will be completed at no cost to the Commonwealth of Virginia.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Amelia County Board of Supervisors does hereby acknowledge its support for the naming of the bridge on Patrick Henry Highway over Goodes Bridge Road in Amelia County, Virginia.
AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the Amelia County Board of Supervisors does hereby request that the Commonwealth Transportation Board, in accordance with Section 33.1-250 of the Code of Virginia, declare that the Patrick Henry Highway overpass bridge over Goodes Bridge Road in Amelia County, Virginia be named the “Staff Sergeant Jason Arnette Memorial Bridge”.
AND BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED, that upon approval of this Resolution, the County
Administrator is hereby directed to provide a copy of this Resolution to Mr. Billy Smith (Residency
Administrator) for proper disposition, a copy to Mrs. Michelle Arnette, Jason’s Mother and a copy to the Amelia Bulletin Monitor for publication.
APPROVED: November 19, 2008
The Honorable Franklin D. Harris, Chairman
Thomas E. Harris. Clerk to the Board
A group of Iraqi Soldiers stepped up to help California residents victimized by recent wildfires raging throughout the state. Iraqi Army Col. Abbas Fadhil, Besmaya Range Complex commander, and his team of ‘Abbas’ Eagles’ raised $500 for wildfire relief.
‘We want to send a message to the American president and the American people,’ said Abbas. ‘We feel that we are a family – one body. When one part of the body suffers, the other parts suffer too.’
This is the fourth donation the Soldiers of Besmaya have sent to the American people recently. In September, they raised $1500 for victims of hurricanes Gustav and Ike. The Eagles also donated $500 to the National September 11th Memorial.
You may not think that $500 is a lot of money, but consider that it totals about an entire month’s pay for higher ranking Iraqi Soldiers. I would equate this to about a $5000 donation if it came from us.
Those of you who know me know that I hold a master’s degree in social work. For those of you who peek in on this blog and don’t know me personally I want to make one thing perfectly clear — I am a conservative social worker. Yes, I am a freak, and I own it. Also, please bear in mind that I am not reading much related to my profession lately, not to mention that the book we read most frequently these days is “The Lump of Coal” by Lemony Snicket. So, I am pulling this all out of the top of my head.
I spent a good portion of my years as a student of social work studying the systems, structures, dynamics and history of both families and communities. The ties that bind people together cross the social, legal, and economic strata, and shape what we call family and community. Oftentimes when people hear the word “community” they associate it with a geographical area, or with a group of people with a shared interest (such as an “online community.”) I think that the Internet and our very mobile world has definitely redefined community and has opened the means to share this phenomena with those we may never meet face to face.
Some of the things that comprise a community of people include things such as a common vernacular, a shared value system, shared beliefs, and common experiences. These factors allow for a sense of empathy and understanding between community members. Without these factors You can have a more shallow community where things like sympathy, empathy and mercy are not demonstrated as freely between its members. I think of larger cities and larger schools where members are often segregated on a host of characteristics; where everything from language, clothes and socioeconomic class prevent a sense of bonding and empathy toward one another. Sometimes in these communities a tragedy can break these segregating norms, and change the dynamics within a community forever. I think back on the Virginia Tech students and the tragedy they faced over a year ago. I imagine that they had never known the need for family and community as they now know it in the light of the horrors they lived through.
With all of that in mind, I am always taken back with this concept of the military community. It fascinates me. To be honest I have never been a part of a more loving, caring and dynamic group of people in my life (outside of my church family that is). So far what I have witnessed is an incredible amount of fraternal bonds among male soldiers (as told by my son who now has hundreds of new brothers), and the sense of familial outreach and support that is extended to the soldier’s family — as I am witnessing both as a military mom and a military wife.
The VAMC and You Served recently donated a generous amount of money Project Valour-IT during the recent Veterans Day Virtual Parade. Now it’s your turn to help.
Seven noted authors have stepped up to support Project Valour-IT by donating autographed books for auction, and more are anticipated to join them. The books are being auctioned on eBay to help raise money to help Soldier’s Angels provide adaptive laptops to wounded or disabled service members.
David Weber, David Drake, John Ringo, David J. Williams, Dean Ing, Mark L. Van Name, and Travis “Doc” Taylor have all agreed to provide works for auction as part of the annual fundraiser, which kicked off on Veterans Day and ends Thanksgiving Day. The works are being auctioned on the eBay Giving Works listings (seller spliffslips) with the money raised going directly and fully to the Project Valour-IT fund.
Currently, there are seven items up for bid on eBay:
The Last Centurion by John Ringo.
The Quantum Connection by Travis S. Taylor.
Warp Speed by Travis S. Taylor.
Von Neuman’s War by John Ringo and Travis S. Taylor (autographed by Travis S. Taylor only).
The Complete Hammer’s Slammers Volume 1 by David Drake.
Vorpal Blade by John Ringo and Travis S. Taylor (autographed by Travis S. Taylor only).
Slanted Jack by Mark L. Van Name.
Works by David Weber, Dave Williams, and Dean Ing will be posted for auction soon. The end time for each auction is different, so please check each listing to determine its end date.
John Ringo is a New York Times best-selling author with more than a million copies of his works in print. A veteran (Airborne!), he is known for his solo “Posleen” and “Ghost” series, as well as his “Empire of Man” series co-authored with David Weber.
Travis S. “Doc” Taylor is a rising light in the science fiction sky. He’s earned not only a Ph.D. in optical science and engineering, but Master’s degrees in physics, aerospace engineering, and astronomy and a Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering as well. The author of several books, he may be best known for the “Looking Glass” series co-authored with John Ringo. The start of a series of video interviews with Taylor can be found here.
David Drake is the New York Times best-selling author of the “Hammer’s Slammers” series. Having written on a variety of subjects, his Hammer’s Slammers work is based on his service in Vietnam and he is known to describe the series as the 11th Armored Cavalry with ray guns. The start of a series of video interviews with Drake can be found at here.
Mark L. Van Name is an author who also runs a technology assessment company in the Research Triangle area of North Carolina. A former Executive Vice President for Ziff Davis Media and national technology columnist, he’s published over a thousand computer-related articles in addition to his “Slanted Jack” series and numerous short stories. The start of a series of video interviews with Van Name can be found here.
David Weber is the New York Times best-selling author of the acclaimed “Honor Harrington” series. The author of multiple best-selling books and series, he has seen his works develop a world-wide reach and following. The start of a series of video interviews with him can be found here.
David J. Williams is another rising star in the science fiction universe. Born in Hertfordshire, England, he now resides in Washington, DC. Mirrored Heavens is his first novel.
Dean Ing is the author of multiple science fiction and techno-thriller novels. After serving in the U.S. Air Force, he earned a doctorate in communications and worked in aerospace engineering. He served on the Citizen’s Advisory Council on National Space Policy.
Project Valour-IT, in memory of SFC William V. Ziegenfuss, helps provide voice-controlled/adaptive laptop computers and other technology to support Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines recovering from hand wounds and other severe injuries. Technology supplied includes:
Voice-controlled Laptops – Operated by speaking into a microphone or using other adaptive technologies, they allow the wounded to maintain connections with the rest of the world during recovery.
Wii Video Game Systems – Whole-body game systems increase motivation and speed recovery when used under the guidance of physical therapists in therapy sessions.
Personal GPS – Handheld GPS devices build self-confidence and independence by compensating for short-term memory loss and organizational challenges related to TBI and severe PTSD.
The experience of Major Chuck Ziegenfuss, a partner in the project who suffered serious hand wounds while serving in Iraq, illustrates how important these laptops and other technologies can be to a wounded service member’s recovery.
Established in 2003, Soldiers’ Angels is a volunteer-based 501(c)(3) non-profit providing aid and comfort to the men and women of the United States Army, Marines, Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard, as well as veterans and military families. For more information, see www.soldiersangels.org or call 626-529-5114. Tax ID# 20-0583415
Are they really? The media and anti-war idjits in this country would have you believe two things: the services can’t meet recruiting goals and recruiters are sharks who will sign up anyone. The simple fact is that those cries are coming from people who have never served, much less even know where the local recruiting office probably is. The fact is that people are joining the military in growing numbers and choosing to stay in past their first terms. And some are going through great pains to get in.
Army and Navy recruiters took one look at 330-pound Ulysses Milana and told him to forget about joining. “‘You’ve got to lose weight,’” Milana remembers them saying. But Marine recruiters were willing to work with him as he began his weight-loss journey in December 2007.
Now, 11 months later, Milana is 140 pounds lighter as he leaves Monday for Parris Island, S.C., to begin boot camp.
Notice in there that no one forced Ulysses to lose the weight. No one forced him into the Marine Corps. He knows that as a Marine he will most likely be required to serve in a combat zone and defend our nations interests and his fellow Marines. Instead of taking the easy route and using his weight as an excuse as to why he couldn’t join, he did what he had to so that he could lose weight.
I say good luck to Ulysses and a big THANK YOU for signing up to serve the greatest nation on the face of the earth, regardless of what those people have to say.
A former culinary student, Milana said it was a challenge to give up favorites like pizza and hot wings, but cracking open a cold beer after work was perhaps the toughest guilty pleasure to abandon.
“It was really hard. You see all your friends drinking beer, and you’re like, ‘Oh, man, I want one,’” he said. But his determination kept him on track, and he would head for the gym or don a head lamp and go out for a run.
He should serve as an inspiration to many people!
You Served's Claire talks about the life of a military spouse - the hardships, the joys, and everything in between.
Join the discussion in our new Spouse and Family section!
