Operation Gratitude is at it again! Is there no end to their persistent and tireless efforts to support our troops? I hope not! They do so much, and they want to do more! Let’s see what we can do to help them out! The contest below is sponsored by Pepsi. Operation Gratitude founder and volunteers were on our spouse and family podcast last year. It’s a great organization!

Operation Gratitude’s goals are clear and simple:

• To put smiles on the faces of our warriors in harm’s way
• To express to our troops the appreciation of the American people
• To give every American a way to say “Thank You” to our Military

VOTE NOW!

“As a tribute to all female veterans, past and present, VFW magazine is offering this commemorative publication to you at no charge. To request your free copy now, simply complete this form and click submit. U.S. addresses only, please.”

The information below was taken from their website:

You’re invited to receive a free copy of this special publication, Women at war, from the VFW. In this unique, single issue magazine, the VFW salutes you and the role of women veterans from the Revolutionary War to today.

It details the role of women in war throughout the ages, as well as profiling some of the more courageous acts displayed by female warriors. A section on helping women like us readjust to civilian life following military service is included.

As a tribute to all female veterans, past and present, VFW magazine is offering this commemorative publication to you at no charge. To request your free copy now, simply complete this form and click submit. U.S. addresses only, please.

Yours truly,
Debra AndersonVFW National Staff
Member since 2006
Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm

 

Request Your FREE Copy

Pay close attention to the deadline… I just found this. The entry has to be postmarked by this coming Friday, February 26th!

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If you’ve ever even considered buying something from my favorite military-themed t-shirt connoisseurs at Ranger Up, now you have no excuse!

Tomorrow, Ranger Up is launching the first ever Ranger Up Charity Day. They’re donating 20% of all of tomorrow’s sales to a very deserving organization – Soldiers’ Angels. No longer do you have to wait for our weekly eBay auctions to help Soldiers Angels.

Soldiers’ Angels also some details about the event on their website. So, get off your ass and start working on that birthday and Christmas list for this year and buy some shirts! I’ve practically replaced my entire wardrobe with Ranger Up gear. As a matter of fact, I think the only thing they don’t make that I need are suits.

So, Ranger Up, if you’re listening: you’d start making some suits if you knew what was good for you! And cool ties! Holy cow, I could use some killer Ranger Up ties!

Pay no attention to the date, it’s wrong! The date is February 17th, I promise.

The information below was copied from the Patriot Guard Writer’s page. Please visit their site and the scholarship fund page. Pay close attention to the deadline because it’s approaching soon.

Fallen Warrior Scholarship Fund

The Patriot Guard Riders is a nonprofit, tax exempt organization strongly supported nationally by volunteers. The Fallen Warrior Scholarship Fund has been established to provide financial assistance in the form of scholarships to US military family members of our Fallen Warriors in their pursuit of higher education.  One-year scholarships of a minimum of $2000 are awarded annually, and are limited to studies at accredited educational/technical institutions.  Scholarship awards will be made co-payable to the scholarship recipient’s institution for payment of tuition, books and supplies.  Scholarships are not automatically renewable.  Recipients must reapply each year and may receive no more than four annual scholarships.

Applicant Eligibility Requirements

• Must possess a valid military ID card and be the legal dependent of a US military member who died in the line of duty.
• Must intend to make application to or be currently enrolled as a full-time student or minimum of 12 credit/semester hours in an accredited college or trade school, in pursuit of a degree or in a vocational program pursuing certification.
• Must show proof of satisfactory academic progress: A high school diploma with a minimum 2.6 overall GPA based on a 4.0 scale or similar rating of current studies if within the last five years. Official transcripts are required.
• Must provide two letters of recommendation (one to be completed by an education or business professional).
• Must submit an original essay, typed, double spaced and a minimum of 500 and no more than 1000 words answering the following question: “How has facing the challenges presented to you affected your short-term and long-term goals, and how will further education prepare you for what you hope to achieve in the future?”  Please retype the question at the top of your essay response and omit your surname so that your essay may be evaluated objectively.
• Must provide a one page resume or list of accomplishments to include past education, training, awards/honors, volunteer and employment experiences, and special interests. Please omit your surname so that your resume may be evaluated objectively.

Selection Process

Applicants must complete and submit the attached application/certification forms along with a current copy (front and back) of their military ID, original essay, resume, and two letters of recommendation. Incomplete packages will not be accepted.  Applicants will be selected for scholarship award recommendation based on their eligibility, their commitment to succeed as indicated by academic achievement, personal goals, letters of recommendation and resume, and their original essay response.  Scholarship award recommendations and final selection will be at the discretion of the Fallen Warrior Scholarship Committee. Applicant anonymity will be preserved during the selection process.

Time Table

April 1, 2010 Deadline for application submission

May 2010 Scholarship award notification

Please submit all questions to scholarship@patriotguard.org

Mail Completed Applications to:

Linda *Epicwoman* Snyder – Administrator
PGR Fallen Warrior Scholarship 
P.O. Box 375
Idleyld Park, Oregon 97447

Click Here to Download the Application

The great folks at Jim Beam, whom we have interviewed before on You Served Radio, are back at it in trying to find other ways to recognize and support the troops.

Dear Friend of the Red Stag by Jim Beam™, At Jim Beam®, we have a ton of respect for America’s military and their families—and we know that you do too. In fact, like us, you probably even have friends and family who are committed service members, and we’re guessing that you’d like to find a way to show your appreciation to them.

Jim Beam® is all about bringing guys together to bond over legendary experiences and create stories to last a lifetime. That’s why we’re kicking off “Salute Soldiers with the Spirit of America “, a contest designed to welcome home the returning troops, support those still on duty overseas, and provide service members and their friends amazing, all-American experiences throughout the year.

We’re giving you three easy ways to get involved.

1. Nominate a service member or family member at www.jimbeam.com or www.facebook.com/jimbeam for an opportunity to win a once-in-a-lifetime experience at a high-profile sporting event or live music concert. Four winners will find themselves and their military buddies with exclusive experiences at some of the most extraordinary events of the year—from the famous thoroughbred stakes race at Churchill Downs to a live Kid Rock concert.

2. Toast the troops virtually at www.facebook.com/jimbeam .

3. Text the word SALUTE to 90999 to donate $5 to Operation Homefront®, a nonprofit organization providing support and morale to troops, to the families they leave behind while they serve, and to wounded warriors when they return home.

When prompted, reply with YES to confirm your gift.

A one-time donation of $5 will be added to your mobile phone bill or deducted from your prepaid balance. You will also receive up to 1 message per day from Operation Homefront Alerts. Msg & Data Rates May Apply. All charges are billed by and payable to your mobile service provider. Service is available on most carriers. Donations are collected for the benefit of Operation Homefront by the mGive Foundation and subject to the terms found at www.mGive.com/A . To unsubscribe text STOP to 90999, for help text HELP to 90999.

Sleepy’s, the mattress retailer, is partnering with Give2TheTroops to give the men and women who serve our country a little piece of home. Beginning January 28, consumers who visit a Sleepy’s store and purchase a Tempur-Pedic pillow will automatically send a travel pillow to the troops overseas in a care package from the Give2TheTroops organization.

To give troops a soft spot to rest their heads, Sleepy’s, the family-owned east coast mattress company, has developed a pillow donation program in partnership with Give2TheTroops, a non-profit organization which sends care packages to the military. Through a program called “Comfort Our Troops,” when consumers purchase any Tempur-Pedic pillow at one of Sleepy’s 700 retail locations between January 28 and February 28 Sleepy’s will send a travel pillow to troops overseas via care package from the Give2TheTroops organization. The pillows will be packaged with other “comforts of home” such as snacks and toiletries.

”Sleepy’s is proud to engage our community to support the men and women who serve our country through the ‘Comfort Our Troops’ program,” said Adam Blank, Chief Operating Officer at Sleepy’s. “We hope that when they lay their heads down, they are reminded how truly grateful we are for their service.”

“A cozy bed is one of the things that our soldiers miss the most while they are away,” said Andi Grant, President and Founder of Give2TheTroops. “The ‘Comfort Our Troops’ program is a great way for people to give our soldiers a little piece of home and help them sleep a little easier.”

To purchase a pillow in support of the “Comfort Our Troops” program, please visit one of Sleepy’s 700 retail locations beginning January 28. For information on the program, please visit Sleepys.com or give2thetroops.org.

I have friends who have benefited from this program! Please take a moment and see if you qualify and if this is something that can help you or a friend. As always, please pass it along!

The National Military Family Association recognizes the unique challenges today’s military spouses face in pursuing additional training or education. Frequent moves make it difficult to complete programs and establish a career. We are here to help ease the financial obstacles that accompany pursuing a higher education.

The Joanne Holbrook Patton Military Spouse Scholarships are awarded to spouses of all Uniformed Services members:

Active Duty
National Guard and Reserve
Retirees
Survivors
The scholarship funds may be used for tuition, fees, and school room and board for:

GED or ESL
Vocational training
Professional certification
Post-secondary
Graduate school
In-class or on-line
Full-time or part-time
A valid Military ID is the only requirement to apply for our program. Scholarship selection is based on your completion of some survey questions which will help us advocate for education changes on your behalf, short-answer questions, and an essay question which will help us get to know you better.

Apply Now
What You Need to Know
FAQs

Sea World is offering free tickets for Military Members. They do this annually and it’s a great offer! Check it out! 

Go to HERO SALUTE to register and for more information — don’t forget to print the form for your free entrance!

The free tickets are valid at any of the following locations:
SeaWorld in: Orlando, San Diego, or San Antonio.
Busch Gardens Tampa Bay or Williamsburg
Sesame Place
Adventure Island
Water Country USA
(Christmas Town at Busch Gardens in Williamsburg, Va. is not part of this program)

AllAmericanDirect.com announces two winners in the final €˜Laptops for Flat Tops contest. We have been posting for a while now about this contest, so I wanted to post a follow up about the winners.

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INDIANAPOLIS  (January 5, 2010)€“ AllAmericanDirect.com, a leading e-commerce provider of consumer goods and services, today announces the winners of the Laptops for Flat Tops contest, the company€™s fourth and final contest for the families of military men and women currently serving overseas. Alyssa Mineo of Westlake Village, Calif. and Cara Farmer of Norfolk, Va. have each been chosen to receive a laptop with an embedded Webcam (for their families) and an additional Webcam (for their soldiers).

Three judges selected Mineo and Farmers essays based on their powerful descriptions of how their families have been affected by having a loved one serving overseas and how a laptop and Webcam would improve communication with their loved one. The judges are Col. (Ret.) Dale A. Kissinger, Scott Davis and Jenna Richards.

Alyssa Mineo is the wife of CPL Kevin Mineo of the United States Marine Corps, who is on his fifth deployment and currently stationed in Afghanistan. This deployment will be exceptionally hard for the Mineo family, as Alyssa is eight months pregnant with their second child due on Jan. 31. They are expecting a baby boy and intend to name him Wyatt. Alyssa and Kevin have a four year old daughter named Faith, and both mother and daughter reside in Westlake Village, Calif.

“I feel very blessed to have been chosen as a winner,€ says Alyssa Mineo. €œIt means a great deal to me, especially with this deployment because my husband will not be around for the birth of our second child, our first boy. Thanks to having access to a laptop and webcam, I am anticipating that he will be able to ‘see’ his son instead of receiving pictures a month later. Our four year old daughter is old enough for this deployment to realize how long her Daddy has been gone, and she will be so excited to see her Daddy via webcam. Thank you so much for this opportunity.”

Cara Farmer is the wife of BM2 David W. Farmer, Jr. of the United States Navy, who has been deployed on his second tour of duty in Iraq in June 2009. David and Cara have three children, Destiny, age 7; James, age 5; and Taya, age 3. Cara and the children live in Norfolk, Va.

€œI am very grateful for the laptop and Web cams,€ says Cara Farmer. €œWith David leaving for his second deployment to Iraq, this laptop couldn’t have come at a better time. My children and I now have a better way to communicate with their father that goes above the traditional phone calls and emails. Thank you, AllAmericanDirect.com!

This was the fourth and final Laptops for Flat Tops contest. These were a series of four bi-monthly contests designed as a way for AllAmericanDirect.com to say thank you to the families of military men and women. During the past four contests, eight families have been awarded this prize package.

On behalf of AllAmericanDirect.com, we would like to personally thank every spouse, father, mother, brother, sister, son and daughter who participated in this contest, said Mike Mountford, CEO of AllAmericanDirect.com. And we would like to salute each member of the United States Military for their dedication to serving and protecting our country. These two deserving winners will now be able to interact and communicate with their loved ones on a higher, more interactive level than a phone call, while they are away from their homes.

About AllAmericanDirect.com
AllAmericanDirect.com is a leading online retailer of consumer goods and services, founded in 1983 and acquired in April 2003 by Michael R. Mountford, CEO, and Jon K. Pardieck, president & CFO. AllAmericanDirect.com is a privately held national retailer of DISH Network, Verizon Wireless, HughesNet and an e-commerce provider offering a wealth of products in the consumer marketplace. AllAmericanDirect.com is headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, with gross annual revenue in excess of $30 million. The company prides itself on helping consumers, €œLive Simple. Shop Smart. For media inquiries, please contact Christy Oberley at Dittoe PR at (317)202-2280 ext. 16. To learn more about All American Direct, please visit http://www.allamericandirect.com