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Soldiers’ Angels calls on Americans to actively observe Memorial Day

Soldiers’ Angels calls on all Americans to actively observe Memorial Day this May 30 by participating in an official Moment of Remembrance or undertaking other acts in honor of the over 1.3 million service members who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom.

Established by Congress, National Moment of Remembrance asks Americans to pause in an act of remembrance for one minute on Memorial Day at 3 p.m. local time. The Moment can be as informal as ringing a bell, a moment of silence, a prayer or singing at a concert, etc.

Additional acts of Memorial Day remembrance can include the following:

• Visit a local VA hospital to learn the stories of patients’ fellow soldiers who never came home
• Use blogs, Facebook or other online resources tell the stories of family members who died in service to the country
• Read the names of fallen heroes on websites such as Honor the Fallen.
• Throw a care package party or write letters of encouragement for a hard-hit unit or the Mortuary Affairs units that care for America’s fallen heroes (for info, email events@soldiersangels.org)
• Visit a local military cemetery or memorial to stand in quiet solidarity with those who have lost their brothers and sisters in arms on the battlefield
• With conscious awareness of those who have made our safety possible, enjoy a weekend vacation or celebration in “the land of the free because of the brave”
• Attend a local parade
• Fly the American flag (at half-staff until noon and then full height until dusk, if possible)
• Use Angels Mail to tell your story of a fallen hero (send it to angels@soldiersangels.org and we will post it for you)

Please make a commitment to promote the National Moment of Remembrance and other Memorial Day activities to local leaders and businesses. This is a time to come together in honor of those who have given their lives so that we may continue to live free. In this shared remembrance and shared activities, we connect in gratitude as one America.

When the music stopped

My mother-in-law sent me this lovely piece. I get so many military jokes and stories that often Snopes is one of the first places I hit after receiving these types of emails. Don’t get me wrong … it’s not that I don’t believe in tales of valor and honor from our men and women in uniform. On the contrary, I like to post sources to give credit where credit is due. I know that without a doubt, some of the finest men and women you’ll ever see are in the military, and I’m always happy to share stories illustrating this!

Anyways, back to the story. Snopes didn’t have anything on this, so I hit up Google and found another source that confirmed that this story is indeed TRUE!

For those who are unaware, at a military theater, the National Anthem is played before every movie.

From a Chaplain in Iraq:

I recently attended a showing of ‘Superman 3,’ here at LSA Anaconda. We have a large auditorium we use for movies, as well as memorial services and other large gatherings. As is the custom back in the States, we stood and snapped to attention when the National Anthem began before the main feature. All was going as planned until about three-quarters of the way through the National Anthem the music stopped.

Now, what would happen if this occurred with 1,000 18-22 year-olds back in the States? I imagine there would be hoots, catcalls, laughter, a few rude comments; and everyone would sit down and call for a movie. Of course, that is, if they had stood for the National Anthem in the first place. Here, the 1,000 soldiers continued to stand at attention, eyes fixed forward. The music started again. The soldiers continued to quietly stand at attention. And again, at the same point, the music stopped. What would you expect to happen?

Even here I would imagine laughter, as everyone finally sat down and expected the movie to start. But here, you could have heard a pin drop. Every soldier continued to stand at attention. Suddenly there was a lone voice , then a dozen, and quickly the room was filled with the voices of a thousand soldiers, finishing where the recording left off:

‘And the rockets red glare,
The bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night
That our flag was still there.
Oh, say does that star-spangled banner yet wave,
O’er the land of the free,
And the home of the brave.’

It was the most inspiring moment I have had here in Iraq. I wanted you to know what kind of soldiers are serving you here. Remember them as they fight for you! Pass this along as a reminder to others to be ever in prayer for all our soldiers serving us here at home and abroad. For many have already paid the ultimate price.

Written by Chaplain Jim Higgins
LSA Anaconda is at the Ballad Airport in Iraq, north of Baghdad

According to TruthorFiction.com, this was indeed written by Army Reserve Chaplain Jim Higgins who, when he is not deployed, is Senior Pastor of McEachern Memorial United Methodist Church, in Powder Springs, GA. It goes on to say that this event took place in May of 2007 while he was stationed at Camp Anaconda — which is a US base near Balad, and one of the largest airbases in Iraq.

But I bet many of you already knew that about C.A.

God bless our troops!!

All the Way Home

Courtesy of Lori with the SA VA Team:

As volunteers honor our returning heroes by taking them fishing deep in the American wilderness, wounded veterans discover that sharing stories around a campfire helps them adjust to life back home.

This inspiring film was shown this July in Congress to help lawmakers understand some of the issues facing our returning soldiers and has been recommended by our country’s leading veterans advocacy groups.

This video is available on DVD through the Soldiers’ Angels Store, and costs $25.00 (this includes shipping).

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)

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)