VA Mortgage Center.com was recently named a “Corporate Partner of the Year” for 2008 at the National Coalition for Homeless Veteran’s (NCHV) annual conference and membership meeting, held in Washington, D.C. in late June. We have been honored to work with Cheryl and the folks at the NCHV in supporting their programs through our employee donation program.

If you haven’t heard of their organization before - please visit their site. There are many charities that help support military families and Veteran’s causes, but the NCHV stands out as one of the best. That’s why we choose to work with them.

Our company was represented at the conference by our Director of Community Involvement and Charitable Partnerships, Jay Buerck. Here is his personal recap of the experience in D.C.:

I recently got to visit Washington, D.C. to accept an award from the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans on behalf of our company, VA Mortgage Center.com. The National Coalition for Homeless Veterans has done wonders this year in fighting the homeless epidemic amongst our nation’s Veterans and will continue to make great strides to help these individuals who served our country proudly.

There was a guest speaker at the dinner named Urban Miyares. He is a Vietnam Veteran who was blinded and multi-disabled who overcame disabilities to begin many businesses and founder of the Disabled Business Persons Association. He spoke about helping the homeless veterans become self-sufficient by using their natural entrepreneurial abilities. He warned of letting these individuals take on everyday business activities too soon. As he has seen many of these people fall into the trap of survival mode and not thinking of the future as their future is now.

There were also many other awards given that evening including an award to Mark Johnston, the Deputy Assistant Director of the HUD. He was recognized for his contributions to helping bring about an increase of Housing Choice Vouchers to a total of 20,000. There was even an appearance by Rep. Al Green. It was on that day that the bill he sponsored, H.R. 4161, passed through the House Financial Services Committee. The Bill, named the Veterans Homelessness Prevention Act, proposes that a pilot program be set up through the HUD to provide assistance to private NPOs to expand support for low-income veteran families.

I was honored to have been selected to attend and invite you to educate yourself about the great programs the NCHV help run.

This Thursday, June 26th is the huge “From the Front Lines” 8-hour telethon hosted by the nation’s largest pro-troop organization Move America Forward - http://www.MoveAmericaForward.org

Their goal: to send the largest single shipment of care packages in U.S. history. They’re hoping to collect sponsorships in excess of $500,000 for care packages by the end of the day Thursday.

* Today Rush Limbaugh promoted the effort on his nationally syndicated show:
http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/daily/site_062408/content/01125111.guest.html

* Also, The San Francisco Chronicle wrote about it:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/sfgate/detail?blogid=14&entry_id=27546

* And the Sacramento Union has two stories about the broader effort:
Here: http://www.sacunion.com/pages/california/articles/9981/

And Here: http://www.sacunion.com/pages/sacramento/articles/9974/

Now they’re looking for help from YOU. They are asking for your help to spread the word and explode with mentions of this effort - so that any American patriot who loves our military and is surfing the Net the next two days is sure to know about this effort. If nothing else, please ask your friends and family on June 26th to tune in to “From the Front Lines” via http://www.HotAir.com or http://www.ustream.tv/channel/from-the-frontlines

Supporters of our troops can sponsor care packages at: http://www.MoveAmericaForward.org

You may have seen the latest ad from the far-left group MoveOn.org, which they spent over $500k broadcasting on television.

The ad uses a young mother, holding her infant son, to launch a baseless and, frankly, creepy political attack on Senator McCain.

You can watch the :30 second tv ad here:

Here is what she says: “Hi, John McCain; this is Alex. He’s my first. So far, his talents include trying any new food and chasing after our dog — that, and making my heart pound every time I look at him. So, John McCain, when you said you would stay in Iraq for 100 years, were you counting on Alex? Because, if you were, you can’t have him.”

Former Air Force Major Eric Egland is running for Congress in the 4th Congressional District in California. He is married to Ania Egland. Here is Ania’s :30 second video response:

“Hello Senator McCain, these are my precious boys Noah and Daniel. Their daddy served in Iraq and Afghanistan, and I grew up under communism. So, when you say we have to protect freedom in Iraq, I understand. And, someday, I would be proud if they volunteered to serve this great country. Senator, thank you for your leadership.”

Enjoy and please pass it on.

by Michael Marks

The sun beat like a hammer, not a cloud was in the sky.
The mid-day air ran thick with dust, my throat was parched and dry.

With microphone clutched tight in hand and cameraman in tow,
I ducked beneath a fallen roof, surprised to hear “stay low.”

My eyes blinked several times before in shadow I could see,
the figure stretched across the rubble, steps away from me.

He wore a cloak of burlap strips, all shades of grey and brown,
that hung in tatters till he seemed to melt into the ground.

He never turned his head or took his eye from off the scope
but pointed through the broken wall and down the rocky slope.

“About eight hundred yards,” he said, his whispered words concise,
“beneath the baggy jacket he is wearing a device.”

A chill ran up my spine despite the swelter of the heat,
“You think he’s gonna set it off along the crowded street?”

The sniper gave a weary sigh and said “I wouldn’t doubt it,”
“unless there’s something this old gun and I can do about it.”

A thunderclap, a tongue of flame, the still abruptly shattered;
while citizens that walked the street were just as quickly scattered.

Till only one remained, a body crumpled on the ground,
The threat to oh so many ended by a single round.

And yet the sniper had no cheer, no hint of any gloat,
instead he pulled a logbook out and quietly he wrote.

“Hey, I could put you on TV, that shot was quite a story!”
But he surprised me once again — “I got no wish for glory.”

“Are you for real?” I asked in awe, “You don’t want fame or credit?”
He looked at me with saddened eyes and said “you just don’t get it.”

“You see that shot-up length of wall, the one without a door?
Before a mortar hit, it used to be a grocery store.”

“But don’t go thinking that to bomb a store is all that cruel,
the rubble just across the street — it used to be a school.

The little kids played soccer in the field out by the road,”
His head hung low, “They never thought a car would just explode.”

“As bad as all this is though, it could be a whole lot worse,”
He swallowed hard, the words came from his mouth just like a curse.

“Today the fight’s on foreign land, on streets that aren’t my own,
I’m here today ’cause if I fail, the next fight’s back at home.”

“And I won’t let my Safeway burn, my neighbors dead inside,
don’t wanna get a call from school that says my daughter died;

I pray that not a one of them will know the things I see,
nor have the work of terrorists etched in their memory.”

“So you can keep your trophies and your fleeting bit of fame,
I don’t care if I make the news, or if they speak my name.”

He glanced toward the camera and his brow began to knot,
“If you’re looking for a story, why not give this one a shot.”

“Just tell the truth of what you see, without the slant or spin;
that most of us are OK and we’re coming home again.

And why not tell our folks back home about the good we’ve done,
how when they see Americans, the kids come at a run.”

You tell ‘em what it means to folks here just to speak their mind,
without the fear that tyranny is just a step behind;

Describe the desert miles they walk in their first chance to vote,
or ask a soldier if he’s proud, I’m sure you’ll get a quote.”

He turned and slid the rifle in a drag bag thickly padded,
then looked again with eyes of steel as quietly he added;

“And maybe just remind the few, if ill of us they speak,
that we are all that stands between the monsters and the weak.”

Michael Marks January 25, 2006

However, this battle will be on the Olympic tracks and fields. With the momentum building toward the Olympic Games in Beijing, I wanted to draw your attention to a couple remarkable U.S. Army Soldiers who will represent the nation at the upcoming Olympics.
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I posted this on my military blog, A Soldier’s Perspective, as well.

The title of this post was taken from Jerry White’s book, “I Will Not Be Broken: 5 Steps to Overcoming a Life Crisis.” If that sounds familiar, it’s because the book is one of the raffle prizes from the JROTC fundraiser (which we’ve concluded as an early success thanks to YOU).

When I’m finished writing this review, I’m going to email every General I’ve ever talked to, emailed, or can find a contact number for and ask them to give this book as a gift for EVERY Soldier injured in combat and to every family who has lost lost someone in Iraq or Afghanistan.

Jerry White is a recognized leader of the historic International Campaign to Ban Landmines, co-recipient of the Nobel Prize for Peace, as well as cofounder of Survivor Corps. During a camping trip in Israel, White stepped on a landmine and had to have his leg amputated as a result. He has visited other victims of landmines and military operations across the globe, particularly in Bosnia-Herzegovena with Princess Diana. If anyone knows the pain and suffering and temptation to give up under extreme circumstances, it’s Jerry.

Today, we have Soldier coming home by the thousands with wounds that are both physical and psychological. Even after the physical wounds have healed, Soldiers must learn to deal with the emotional wounds still needing to be patched up. For many Soldiers, feelings of embarrassment, inadequacy, and remorse overpower their lives as they attempt to deal with these issues alone.

Having been to Walter Reed many times while I was stationed in the DC area, I can tell you that the way Soldiers deal with their life-changing events varies almost to the Soldier. It’s safe to say that you can categorize those Soldiers into one of three groups: those who have accepted their fate and make the best of it, those that are trying to deal with it and may or may not seek help, and finally the victims. I’ve met the victims and I’ve met the heroes. Jerry’s book is the chocolate chip cookie that will make all combat casualties feel better.
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This is a cool idea and I love the shirts. I wish they weren’t so expensive. I hate spending more than $10 -$12 for a t-shirt. I love Old Navy, but I never buy anything that isn’t at least 25% off, but usually I wait until they go on sale for 50% off.

TakePride is a grassroots effort started by young artists and former members of the military to re-define what it means to support the troops by using art, style and the stories of real-life Americans at war. Their line of contemporary t-shirts has received more nationwide media attention and motivated more young Americans to be involved in this cause than any other symbol of support. TakePride donates a minimum of 20 percent of its profits to the Wounded Warrior Project.

My favorite shirts are the “1776″ and “a boy, a bear, & a Soldier” t-shirts. Today they launched the “a boy, a bear, & a Soldier” t-shirt - inspired by an amazing story told by Mike Geary, a 23-year-old Army Sergeant stationed in Iraq.

In 2005, when he was 20-years-old, Mike’s life, and the life of every member of his squad, was saved by a young Iraqi child. At the time, Mike was serving his first tour in Iraq, running combat patrols in Tikrit. A day after handing out stuffed animals to Iraqi children gathered in front of his base, Mike was traveling down a nearby highway when he noticed one of the young boys from the previous day standing with his hand raised in the middle of the road directly ahead of his Humvee convoy. Mike’s squad leader decided to pull over and dismount to investigate. The young boy grabbed the squad leader’s hand, walked him down to a spot in the road where they had been about to drive and dusted off a 155mm roadside bomb buried in the sand. It turned out to be one of three IEDs that were daisy-chained together at the distance that their Humvees traveled apart. As Mike watched the bombs being safely detonated from the side of the road, he reflected on how this little boy who he tossed a stuffed animal to just a day earlier had saved the life of every member of his squad.

“A boy, a bear & a Soldier” was designed by a phenomenally talented young illustrator named Aya Kakeda who has done projects for Nike, The New York Times & Nickelodeon. It is available in men’s and women’s sizes for $25 exclusively at www.takepride.com.

This is pretty cool and I hope it passes. I guess if you agree that the Infantry needs to be honored and want to help build the Infantry Museum while investing at the same time, this is for you. I’d buy a few:

The U.S. House passed legislation Tuesday authorizing a commemorative silver dollar to honor the U.S. Army infantry and help fund the National Infantry Museum and Soldier Center at Georgia’s Fort Benning.

The legislation was introduced by Republican Rep. Lynn Westmoreland of Grantville and co-sponsored by Democratic Rep. Sanford Bishop of Albany. It still needs approval from the Senate and faces competition from other commemorative coin proposals.

The infantry coin would sell for $10, with some proceeds going to create an endowment for the Fort Benning museum, which is under construction.

The bill calls for the coin design to demonstrate the courage, pride, sacrifice, sense of duty and history of the Army infantry.

Read the entire article at The Examiner.

General William Wallace has always been my favorite General. Partly because I’m a huge fan of Braveheart and partly because when we were sitting on the border of Kuwait prior to the US invasion, Gen. Wallace visited our Troop and gave an uber-motivating speech. I wish I had a voice recorder, because that thing would have gone down as one of the most famous battle speeches in history! Landing and taking off in his helicopter topped the whole experience.

And six years later, Gen Wallace is still talking straight. He recently wrote an op-ed that I wanted to make sure you got to read:
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A lot of people think that I’m a “Republican hack” or an “agent of Bush” or whatever because of my views. The fact is that I really can’t be classified. I like to think that I’m a realist, not a Republican or Democrat. I’m not registered under either party (technically, I’m a Libertarian).

I tend to look at things from a Soldier’s perspective. I joined the military to make my country stronger and protect my fellow citizens. So, naturally, I’m going to side with people whom I think are going to meet those goals. About a week ago, I attempted to compare the two G.I. Bills that are competing in Congress. From the limited information I was able to gather, I deduced that the McCain bill was better. While it is in some ways, I’ve been able to compare the two side by side and have changed my mind. Now that I have all the information, I think the Webb bill is actually better, though it has its faults. I’m not afraid to admit that I was wrong. Now, I need to convince you why. Warning: what follows is my inner nerd coming out again as I actually read through each bill and compared them to each other.
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