A Memorial Reminder

Shared by Shelly in the Soldiers’ Angels forums, this piece is a poignant reminder to remember the real meaning behind this holiday:

Please Remember

By SSgt David H.

Saturday May 5, 2007. Day 87 of about 400 on my third trip to the sandbox. It is 0500, I am 5 hours into another 12 hour shift. A full moon is in the air, covered slightly by some passing clouds. It is about 75 degrees with a steady breeze. The moon is bright enough to see off into the distance and the breeze has the sand kicked up a bit so it looks like fog is in the air. I am sitting on the bench outside my maintenance van enjoying the wonderful morning. As I am sitting there I get an uncomfortable feeling.

There is something amiss, it is quiet. Too quiet for being in the middle of two runways at a major logistical base, right smack in the middle of major military operations. Where is the sound of rotors slicing through the air as helicopters take off for their nightly missions? Where is the cargo planes bringing in supplies for the base and surrounding area? The only thing I can hear is the hum of the generators that run all the equipment at our site.

I get up and walk around the protective barriers surrounding my maintenance van so I can get a clear view of the airfield. Once I turn the corner my eyes catch something that is out of place. 500 meters from me I see headlights lighting up the backside of an airplane. As my eyes focus I can make out the outline of a C-130 sitting on the taxiway with all its exterior lights and engines off. I look to the back of the plane to see what is going on. My body tenses up and my heart jumps as I realize what I am looking at. It is what we call a fallen angel ceremony.

At the back the C-130 the tail ramp is lowered all the way down to the ground. On both sides of the ramp is 5 Marines standing at the position of attention facing inboard towards each other. Just past the Marines a van sits. Its back doors open and 8 more Marines standing there in two lines of four facing the airplane. In between the Marines is a big sliver box covered by an American Flag. It is the body of a Marine who died and is now on his way back to his family over 7000 miles away.

I watch as the Marines slowly march the casket to the back of the plane, up the ramp, and into the cargo area. I find myself standing at the position of attention holding back the tears. I do not know who is in that steel box but the fact that another brother or sister in arms has made the ultimate sacrifice so others can live free has hit me hard. This is not the first time I have seen this ceremony nor will it be my last. I am not sure why this particular ceremony is effecting more than the others I have watched but it has. The 8 Marines return from inside the plane, marching slowing, just as they came in but without the precious cargo they carried. The detail of Marines stop, face each other and then all the Marines present take one step backwards, turns about and walks away. Lights on the airplane come on. The ramp on the back of the plane is raised and closed. The engines come alive as the crew in the plane are preparing for the next leg of their mission. Somewhere back in the United States a family waits for their loved one to be returned to them.

I stand and watch as the plane completes its pre-flight checks and taxies to the runway. Behind the C-130 the sky is getting brighter. The sun will soon rise and it is the beginning of a new day. The C-130 reaches the end of the runway, turns around, powers up its engines and rolls down the runway. A couple thousand feet later it is airborne and passes in front of me at about 50 feet off the ground. Goodbye, so long, thank you.

Since 9/11 every single American has been touched somehow by the war on terrorism. Everyone has a family member, a friend, a neighbor, or knows somebody that has had to leave their lives back home to come fight for the right to live without fear. Memorial Day is just a few weeks away. The official start of summer. Pools open, people have BBQ’s, hit the beach, go for a motorcycle ride, go camping, maybe watch a race. Summer time is here and it is time to have fun. Most do not realize or take the time to think of the true meaning behind the holiday. It is holiday created as a day of remembrance for those who have died in our nation’s service. It is about reconciliation; it is about coming together to honor those who gave their all. Please set aside a few moments and remember those who have fought to give us our freedoms. Remember those who are away from their families continuing the legacy of our great nation to help those in need and protect our right to live without fear. Thank a Veteran, maybe say a prayer. Anything to keep the spirit of this holiday alive.

(cross-posted to my blog)

What Soldiers’ Angels means to me

When I’ve shared my experience with Soldiers’ Angels with people I’ve met and explained how much our efforts make a real difference with the troops, several times I’ve been asked, “But what has Soldiers’ Angels done for you?” I answer simply, “Everything and more.”

Looking back, I don’t even remember HOW I initially found Soldiers’ Angels. This would have been 2, maybe 3, years ago. Things were hectic in my life — but then again, things are always busy. After the wedding, I had some time off from everything to think about what I was doing with my life. I thought to myself, “I have a great family. I have a great job. We lead a pretty simple life, but … ”

Part of me felt as if I wasn’t doing enough — I was missing something. Sure, I did a little charity work here and there, but nothing that felt really meaningful to me. I never felt needed, or as if I truly belonged to a particular cause.

You know, you hear it all the time from various inspirational stories printed online or emailed around via chain letters and such — “one person can make a difference.” I can honestly say that I never FULLY believed that until I joined Soldiers’ Angels. I can honestly say that this is the most rewarding and humbling experience. I’m constantly wow’ed by the awesome men and women in our military that I’ve spoken to and corresponded with over the past year.

I’d like to share a few examples that I have run across only recently:

A thank you from my first adopted soldier:

“I just wanted to say thank you so much for mailing me the letters they mean a lot to us over here. We all look forward to the mail that any Soldiers Angel send us. It is always nice to receive a caring work from home.”

“Mail, believe it or not, is the biggest part of our day; at home we make no time to go look at the mail box, but here we make nothing but time to go and see what we got.”

Comments from another grateful soldier:

“I just want to thank you in your support. It means a lot to the Army and a lot to me as well to know that there are people who support what we do. I think the biggest request would have to be phone cards. Other than that, the simple things are the greatest things such as Hygiene products, snacks, and moral support. Again, I thank you.”

An email from Anthony:

“Hey this is Anthony, the soldier you once wrote. I just wanted to let you know I stumbled upon the letter you sent me and reading it over made me rethink why I enlisted. Again I just wanted to say thank you for taking your time to write.”

A quote from a soldier who received some TLC:

“This Soldiers’ Angel thing is crazy and cool at the same time. We just got mail today again and I got 26 Angels that sent me cards and packages. It was almost overwhelming, but it kept me busy most of the morning. One of my sergeants was trying to screen my letters for inappropriate stuff but I know he was just looking for the single females that live near his home town. He was cracking me up this morning … everyone wants to be my friend now because I have enough candy and hygiene products to make a small army really clean and have no teeth! LOL But it’s nice, I think my mouth was like four different colors yesterday from all the candy I was eating.”

Another hero tells us:

“Thank you for everything you do for us. It is so great to get something from the US, no matter what it is.”

Our heroes aren’t the only ones affected. When I received my first “thank you” from one of my adoptees, I cried. Nothing hits closer to home than true, honest appreciation. I have always admired the brave men and women in our military and wholly appreciate their efforts with all of my heart. It never once dawned on me that someone may appreciate my efforts (however small I thought they were!).

I know I am not the only one. Take this post from PeggyV just before Mother’s Day:

“One of my adoptees is a hero who has been silent since I adopted him in September 2007. Each letter is a struggle since I know nothing about him. Imagine my surprise this week when I received free mail from Iraq and it was Zach! The letter only contained the following, “Happy Mother’s Day. I know you don’t have kids, but you have been like a Mom to me this past year.”

“Wow, let’s all remember that the silence may be hard sometimes, but they really do need us. His few words are priceless to me.”

There are so many more stories like the ones I just posted. Perhaps you have one you’d like to share? Feel free to post to the Soldiers’ Angels forums, or if you’d prefer, the comments form below. I’d love to hear them.

(cross-posted to my blog)

National Moment of Remembrance

Got a reminder from Shelle at the Soldiers’ Angels blog about the upcoming National Moment of Remembrance.

Details:

This will take place Memorial Day (Monday, May 26th) at 3:00pm local time and will require only 60 seconds of your time.

From David Bancroft, founder of USA Patriotism!: “The National Moment of Remembrance does not replace traditional Memorial Day events; rather it is an act of national unity in which all Americans, alone or with family and friends, honor those who died for our freedom. It will help to reclaim Memorial Day as the sacred and noble holiday it was meant to be. In this shared remembrance, we connect as Americans.”

Please tell your family, friends, and loved ones about the National Moment of Remembrance. Help out by showing your love, pride, and respect for this great nation and those who defend it.

Local Armed Forces Spotlight

Courtesy of The North Jefferson News Shopper:

Gardendale native completes basic training

Air Force Airman Jarrod A Burns has graduated from basic military training at Lackland Air Force Base, San Antonio, Texas.

During training, Burns studied the Air Force mission, organization, and military customs and courtesies; performed drill and ceremony marches, and received physical training, rifle marksmanship and field training exercises.

In addition, airmen who complete basic training earn credits toward an associate degree through Community College of the Air Force.

Burns is a 2007 graduate of Gardendale High School.

Fultondale native completes infantry training

Army Pvt. Johnathan Clevenger has graduated from basic infantry training at Fort Benning, Columbus, Ga.

During the nine weeks of training, Clevenger received training in drill and ceremonies, weapons, map reading, tactics, military courtesy, military justice, physical fitness, first aid, and Army history, core values and traditions.

Additional training included development of basic combat skills and battlefield operations and tactics, and experiencing use of various weapons and weapons defenses available to the infantry crewman.

Clevenger graduated from Fultondale High School in 2005.

Lawley named 2007 First Sergeant of the year

Air Force Master Sgt. Joe B. Lawley was named 2007 First Sergeant of the Year for th 71st Fighter Wing in March.

Selection was based on the individual’s exemplary duty performance, job knowledge, leadership qualities, significant self-improvement, specific achievements, notable accomplishments, and community service and support.

Lawley, a first sergeant with 24 years of military service, is assigned to the Vance Air Force Base, Enid, Okla.

Lawley is a 1982 graduate of Gardendale High School.

Great work, fellas!

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Please use the Submit News form!

Guard unit due in Cullman for homecoming

Courtesy of The Birmingham News:

More than 150 members of a Cullman-based Army National Guard unit are to be welcomed home Thursday following a tour of about eight months in Kuwait and Iraq.

Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 167th Infantry, logged more than a million miles guarding supply convoys to and from U.S. military installations throughout Iraq. On Thursday, the soldiers are to board a bus convoy from Camp Shelby, Miss., to the Cullman County Fairgrounds, where they will attend a brief welcome home ceremony before being dismissed to rejoin their families.

Meanwhile, another state Guard unit now in, Iraq, the 1203rd Engineer Battalion, “will be back in Alabama somewhere around the first week of June,” according to a unit spokesman, Capt. Don Barnes. The Dothan-based 1203rd sent about 170 soldiers to Iraq, where it was based near the city of Balad and had about 900 additional soldiers and airmen under its command.

The 1203rd’s mission in Iraq included roadside bomb patrols, helping nearby communities erect security barriers, and working with Iraqi soldiers to repair bomb-damaged roads.

Welcome home, heroes!!!

Our heroes need our help

(also sent out via email)

Good evening, Angels!

This is a gentle reminder that we currently have 800+ soldiers (at the time of this writing) on the waiting list to be adopted. If you are financially able to adopt another at this time, please log in at www.approvedangels.com and adopt another. If you have problems logging in, you can contact 2ndadoptions@gmail.com for assistance.

If you are not able to adopt another, don’t feel bad, you can still help! Spread the word to your friends and family, your churches, your town organizations such as the VFW, American Legion, Rotary Club, Lyons Club, etc. There are fliers available that can be posted on bulletin boards.

Hint: Libraries, Laundromats, Pizza Shops, grocery stores are all great places to advertise!

As always, if you have any questions or need assistance with anything, feel free to contact me!

Got a few spare moments? You could fulfill a need!

Hello Angels!

I’ve been making an effort to be more active in the Soldiers’ Angels forums recently and wanted to take a few minutes to share a few things that I’ve found with you…

There are so many helpful Angels that I’ve run across, I honestly don’t know where I would have been without their help! Any new Angel member would be wise to check in Angel Boot Camp. It has a TON of tips and helpful advice posted there and is a great place to ask questions. OR, if you’re a seasoned Angel, you could post tips there, or head over to Questions and share some wisdom and help out other Angels!

Personally, I think I spend the most of my time in TLC Requests and Cards Plus Team (ALL sub-forums!). I love writing, so fulfilling the requests posted is something that’s quick and easy for me for me to do. It makes me feel good and I know that it does so much good for the soldiers that the requests are going to!

Are you a letter writing pro? You might find the those aren’t enough … if so, hop over to the Letter Writing Team! They could have requests that you could easily fill! Are you the type who writes and/or collects postcards? There’s a section for you! Like to write, but can’t get to the Post Office that often? No problem, there’s the E-Pal Team!

But what if writing is not your talent? There are TONS of other ways to help out! Do you like to cook and bake? Visit the Angel Bakers forums!

Can you sew? The Sewing Team always has projects going on and can use extra hands!

There are so many more, and many requests just take a few minutes to fill. If you have a few spare minutes and want to help, hop on over to the Soldiers’ Angels forums and find something that fits your talents and interests!

Saturday Evening Post looking for stories

Courtesy of Shelle Michaels over at the Soldiers’ Angels network blog, Suzan French with the Saturday Evening Post is looking for stories to print in this weekend’s edition:

Currently in exploratory stage: Looking for uplifting military/veterans/patriotic stories. Whether you support the war or not, you MUST support the troops. Tell me about a joyful or poignant homecoming/celebration or maybe a tragic homecoming with a silver lining. What has the Dept of Veteran Affairs done to help a returning soldier and/or his/her family? What are local communities doing to support troops overseas? Helpful tips for veterans/families are welcome, but this is NOT going to be a political or government piece, so PLEASE no war/administration/government bashing.

We can all identify with that, right?

If you have a story you would like to submit, please contact Suzan French at suzanwithz@gmail.com. Her deadline is 12:00 pm (EST) tomorrow, May 16.

(x-posted to my blog)

Soldiers’ Angels Founder Named “America’s Favorite Mom”

Hooray! Patti Patton-Bader was named “America’s Favorite Mom” last night! Congratulations, Patti!!

Press release:

PASADENA, CA May 11, 2008 –Soldiers’ Angels founder Patti Patton-Bader was named “America’s Favorite Mom” in a primetime television show Sunday night on NBC. Sponsored by Teleflora and hosted by Donny and Marie Osmond, the show highlighted fifteen outstanding mothers who had distinguished themselves in categories ranging from Working Moms to Military Moms and “Non-Mom” Moms.

Humbled by the honor, Patton-Bader is thrilled to be able to use it to continue the Soldiers’ Angels mission of “May No Soldier Go Unloved.” As the grand prize winner, she will receive $250,000, a set of household appliances, and other valuable items. Patton-Bader hopes to apply the winnings to her plans for a small ranch that will allow newly returned soldiers to relax with their families after deployments.

“I really am lucky to know so many heroes in my life,” said Patton-Bader, who herself has two sons in the Army, one currently deployed to Iraq. “Whether they are the troops who serve our country or the amazing mothers here on this America’s Favorite Mom program, I am honored to be in the presence of such inspirational people and also am humbled to know that America thinks the same of me.”

Patton-Bader is also excited about the opportunities this platform gives her to help people learn more about America’s military heroes and options for supporting them and their families. The attention she has received through the America’s Favorite Mom events has already drawn a number of new volunteers who want to use their talents and connections to help support the troops.

In a nationwide online poll last March, Patton-Bader was voted “America’s Most Inspirational Mom” after having been nominated by her eldest son for founding and leading Soldiers’ Angels. On May 5 she appeared on the Today show as one of three selected finalists in the “Favorite Military Mom” category. A nationwide online poll was again conducted, and the results were announced on May 11, with Patton-Bader being named winner in both the “Favorite Military Mom” and “America’s Favorite Mom” categories. More information is available at http://www.americasfavoritemom.com.

Soldiers’ Angels is a grassroots 501(c)(3) non-profit comprised of around 200,000 volunteers in over twenty different teams and programs with unique and effective ways to support members of the U.S. military. Soldiers’ Angels operates internationally to provide letters, care packages, and comfort items to the deployed, and support for their families at home. They also provide assistance to the wounded, continuing support for veterans, remembrances and comfort for families of the fallen, and immediate response to unique difficulties. For more information, see http://www.soldiersangels.org or call (615) 676-0239.

America’s Favorite Mom was presented by NBC Television and Teleflora, America’s leading source of hand-arranged floral bouquets, plants, and gift baskets. For more information, see http://www.americasfavoritemom.com.

A big ‘Thank you!’ goes out to everyone who voted!

Cullman-based Army Guard unit home next weekend

Courtesy of The Birmingham News:

An Alabama Army National Guard unit that has spent the past eight or so months on convoy protection missions in Iraq is due back in the United States next weekend.

More than 150 members of Cullman-based Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 167th Infantry Regiment, are slated to arrive May 18 at Camp Shelby, Miss., then head to Cullman a few days later, said Gina Fulmer, wife of a battalion member, Sgt. Joseph Fuller of Argo.

Charlie Company has been based at Camp Arifjan, Kuwait, since September, and its soldiers have traveled thousands of miles throughout Iraq — which they often call “Indian Country” — guarding 18-wheel supply trucks heading to and from U.S. military installations.

Fulmer said that as they wait to fly out of Kuwait, her husband and other unit members are spending their mornings at a swimming pool and the afternoons working out in a gym.

“He said the water is cold,” Fulmer said.