If a soldier was a starfish

Posted to the SA Network blog, a great “why we do it” allegory:

I awoke early, as I often did, just before sunrise, to walk by the ocean’s edge and greet the new day. As I moved through the morning dawn, I focused on a faint, far away motion. I saw a youth, bending and reaching and flailing arms, dancing on the beach, no doubt in celebration of the perfect day soon to begin. As I approached, I realized that the youth was not dancing to the bay, but rather bending to sift through the debris left by the night’s tide, stopping now and then to pick up starfish and then standing, to heave it back into the sea.

I asked the youth the purpose of the effort. “The tide has washed the starfish onto the beach and they cannot return to the sea by themselves,” the youth replied. “When the sun rises, they will die, unless I throw them back into the sea.”

As the youth explained, I surveyed the vast expanse of beach, stretching in both directions beyond eyesight. Starfish littered the shore in numbers beyond calculation. The hopelessness of the youth’s plan became clear to me and I countered, “But there are more starfish on this beach than you can ever save before the sun is up. Surely you cannot expect to make a difference.”

The youth paused briefly to consider my words, bent to pick up a starfish and threw it as far as possible. Turning to me he simply said, “I made a difference to that ONE.”

Can you make a difference? www.SoldiersAngels.org

Korean War vets still looking out for each other

Printed in yesterday’s Times Daily:

The Korean War, a conflict between neighboring North Korea and South Korea that still simmers, may have ended 56 years ago Monday, but the camaraderie among servicemen remains to this day.

Instead of looking out for each other on mine-sweeping ships and during stealth underwater operations, the aging Korean War veterans help each other with medical appointments, mowing lawns and sharing car rides.

The Korean War veterans were remembered nationwide Monday, the anniversary of the war ending in 1953.

The Korean War – known to many as the Forgotten War – began after unification between North Korea and South Korea failed and the northern neighbor invaded the south June 25, 1950.

The United States military was fatigued after World War II ended and the Korean War ushered in the beginning of the Cold War.

Since the early 1960s, the Northwest Alabama Korean War Veterans Association in Sheffield has tried to attract local Korean War veterans to the organization, while also bringing awareness of the war efforts that many veterans say is rarely mentioned.

The Korean War Veterans Memorial, 19 sculptures of servicemen among juniper bushes, in Washington highlights the war effort.

The local association boasts nearly 200 members in nine counties, some too elderly to be active.

Back in 1951, James Taylor entered the Navy service where he spent two years fighting in the Korean War, out of a total of 10 years in the Navy. Taylor, now president of the veterans association, emphasized that – like the war effort – the strength of a group is important, not necessarily the individuals.

Taylor, who joined the Navy at 19, worked on a sweep mine control ship in the Wonsan Harbor region. He helped run boats from the control ship to support vessels that provided food, water and mine sweeping equipment. Now 77, Taylor said he hopes to bring awareness of the Korean War and to foster camaraderie among other Korean vets.

“We have no agenda, no ax to grind,” he said of the group that meets once every other month for breakfast to share stories from the past and offer help to each other.

He said it’s discouraging to read the obituaries in the morning newspaper and seeing a Korean War veteran who wasn’t known to the group.

“Our whole mission is to let Korean veterans come sit with us,” Taylor said.

The group will next meet for their annual picnic at Veterans Park on Sept. 12.

Bill Gober, then a 22-year-old in the First Marine Division, stayed in Korea from Sept. 15, 1950, to April 5, 1951, helping with amphibious operations to land troops from ship to shore.

The war resulted in 54,000 casualties in three years and 8,700 who remain classified as missing in action.

“We just never had the recognition that we feel we deserve,” Gober said.

For further information, contact: James Taylor at 256-383-8172 or Bill Gober at 256-383-7719

Blankets of Belief

Last holiday season our heroes loved receiving their homemade blankets from Soldiers Angels, and it we’re doing it again this year! In Iraq winter nights are quite cool, and temperatures in Afghanistan can reach -20 degrees Fahrenheit!

Will you make just one blanket to help ensure that our heroes know we BELIEVE in them? Will you share this project with your family, friends, scout troops, sewing guilds, and church teams? Blankets can be either sewn or quilted, and we even have instructions for no-sew blankets!

For instructions, shipping information and a downloadable flyer, please visit www.soldiersangels.org, then click “Blankets of Belief.” For questions or comments, contact BoB@soldiersangels.org. Knitter and crocheters, please email crochet@soldiersangels.org to learn how you can get involved!

We thank you for your past support and ask you to please send your love again this year with a BLANKET OF BELIEF… and thank you on behalf of the troops we serve!

And don’t forget Rule #1: Have fun!

Dee Jerge
Vice President, Sewing Team

Bama Guard unit in the right place at the right time

There’s a great story posted in The Birmingham News about an Alabama National Guard unit who were in the right place at the right time. Sunday the unit was returning from training at Camp Shelby in Mississippi when their bus came upon a crashed church bus on I-20/59 near the Mississippi-Alabama line. The bus, carrying youths and chaperons from First Baptist Church in Shreveport, La., was on its way to Atlanta when a rear tire blew out, causing the bus to flip several times. This happened less than a half-mile in front of the Guard unit’s bus, and the Guard members initially thought they had witnessed a van crash, and expected to find only a driver.

Sgt. Brian Pearson (who is also Aliceville’s assistant fire chief) said, “We got up there and saw we had kids strung out everywhere. Then we started getting the kids out of the bus and then we heard a young lady up under the bus yelling for help and … so we called for all the rest of the soldiers … to come help lift the bus up off there. And as soon as we lifted it up off her and thought we had one, we discovered we had two trapped under the bus.”

The article goes on to say:

For about 15 minutes, until ambulances started arriving, the injured from Shreveport were in the hands of Pearson and his fellow Guard soldiers. With little more than the clothes on their backs, they used tree limbs and towels for splints and immobilized the injured to prevent spinal cord injuries.

You can read the article here.

These soldiers are heroes, and I’d love to see a unit commendation for their actions!

Family welcomes home soldier from Iraq

Courtesy of WAFF 48 News:

A Huntsville family is having a celebration. Corporal Cody Majors was welcomed home Monday afternoon by his family and friends. Majors is on his second tour in Iraq. He’s home for some rest and relaxation.

Majors’ mom says she’s happy he’s home safe.

“It means the world to me that he’s coming home safe. I miss him, he’s been gone since February,” said Pam Majors.

Cody is a 2005 graduate of Lee High School. His unit is stationed in Fort Hood, Texas.

(Video and photos are available here.)

Welcome home, Cody!

Can you write an extra letter or two?

Got some spare time? How about joining the Letter Writing Team and sending mail to soldiers who are waiting to be adopted and have never received any mail from anyone!

The Letter Writing Team (LWT) is made up of registered Soldiers’ Angels who enjoy writing to our heroes, and who know how important it is to hear your name called at mail call. (Sadly some soldiers get no mail at all from back home!!!) We select names from those that submit themselves through the Soldiers’ Angel website and have indicated that they would like to receive additional support. These soldiers are also assigned an Angel to provide ongoing support, but our team provides them with some extra cards and letters.

How it Works

You may sign up for as many days in the week as would like to write letters. On each day you sign up for, your assigned LWT Team Leader will send you (via email) a new name and address to write to. You are only asked to send one card or letter to each address you receive, but of course may send more if you like.

Please remember that for security reasons, all our soldiers’ addresses are confidential to Soldiers’ Angels and can only be shared with other registered Soldiers’ Angels, not outside Soldiers’ Angels.

Please note that members of the Letter Writing Team must be at least 18 years old.

You can introduce yourself as a Soldiers Angel and member of the LWT, thank the soldier (or Sailor, Airman or Marine) for their service to our country and let them know a little about yourself, your family, and anything else you would like to share (they all seem to enjoy hearing about everyday “back home” activities). We only send out regular mail addresses to LWT members, but you are welcome to include your email in your letter and you may get an email back.

Please do not include anything that could be deemed disrespectful by the soldier or could possibly make him/her feel uncomfortable. We are solely here to let the soldier know that there are people back home that care about them and their families, plus appreciate the sacrifices that they and their families make during this time.

Upon receipt of the required information, you will be assigned to one of the LWT Team Leaders and be notified as to who it is. If you are new to SA, this may take up to 72 hours. If you are currently a registered member of Soldiers’ Angels, you will receive your LWT “Team Leader” within a few hours, depending on when information was received at Soldiers’ Angels.

Your LWT Team Leader is the person who will send you the name or names on the day or days that you have requested a soldier’s name to write to. The LWT Team Leader is also your point of contact for changes to your days, adding/dropping the number of names to receive each designated day, needing to drop from the LWT, not receiving names as requested, and other questions that you may have. If the question is not related to the LWT, then you will be directed to the appropriate person or group for assistance.

Join the LWT on our website www.soldiersangels.org.

Libraries use Skype to keep military families connected

Published today by the Tuscaloosa News:

Military personnel fighting overseas face more than struggles on the battlefield. Being away from family and loved ones can be one of their most difficult battles. In previous wars, soldiers could only hope to hear from family at home via letters. But in today’s technology world, soldiers can blog, e-mail friends and call their families.

To help make communication easier for the families of soldiers overseas, the Tuscaloosa Public Library is participating in Connecting Families, a project that connects Alabama military families with their loved ones serving overseas or across the nation. Three new Apple Macintosh computers, loaded with Skype software, have been installed in the library to allow military families to communicate visually and verbally with family members in the U.S. armed forces, said Vince Bellofatto, the library’s public relations coordinator.

‘I hope it’s a way to comfort military families and people overseas,’ he said. ‘Families can visually see their loved ones and see changes in them if they’ve been away for six or eight months. A parent overseas can see changes in a child if they have grown taller or their hair has grown out.’

Skype is free downloadable software that allows users to make calls around the world via the Internet. Skype members can call other Skype users for free, as well as get discounted rates for calls to international land lines and mobile phones.

The Connecting Families program, a partnership between the Alabama Public Library Service and Gov. Bob Riley’s Alabama Broadband Initiative, will be in 100 libraries across the state. Alabama so far is the only state providing the service, which is funded by a grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

‘We’re not only for our troops but also for the families who serve by their side, even though thousands of miles often separate them,’ Gov. Bob Riley said in a press release. ‘Like our soldiers, the families sacrifice so much. Anytime we have an opportunity to help our brave troops and their families back home, we must take it.’

On Monday, Tuscaloosa set up two of the Connecting Families computers at its main branch and one at the Brown branch in the Bobby Miller Center. Skype service is available to all library patrons, but only military families are allowed to reserve time by appointment and their calls will take precedence over public use of the Skype-loaded computers. Bellofatto said he has talked with colleagues around the state and the program so far has been hit or miss.

‘I hope the word gets out so military families utilize it,’ Bellofatto said. ‘We hope we’re a site where people know about it and use it.’