Preparing to Deploy
The Seattle Times visits a fair sponsored by Ft. Lewis to prepare military families for upcoming deployments.
FORT LEWIS — Inside a huge white tent staked out in the forest alongside Interstate 5, the Army is holding a fair.There are no carnival games or rides. Instead, soldiers who will soon head to Iraq and Afghanistan, and their families, visit booths that offer information about child care, art programs, high-interest savings accounts and other support services. [...]
This year, some 18,000 Fort Lewis soldiers — more than half the 30,000 soldiers stationed at the post, and a peak since 9/11 — are scheduled to be deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan.
That compares with the previous peak of roughly 12,000 soldiers two years ago.
Holiday Celebration
The Olympian reports on a 4/2 SBCT soldier and his family who won a "Decorated Soldiers" contest to have their home decorated for the holidays.
FORT LEWIS – Christmas for Spc. Matthew Goldsmith and his family will be special in more ways than one.Goldsmith, 25, will spend the holidays with his family in his own home for the first time in five years after several deployments.
And an Olympia-based company added to the Goldsmiths' holiday cheer Friday by decorating their home on post for free to recognize Goldsmith's service.
"It just really makes it a holiday," said his wife, Dana, 23. "I'm huge on Christmas. It's so neat to have the house decorated."
Mental Health Resources
Over the weekend The Olympian and The News Tribune published a series of articles on the difficult subject of suicide in the military. This also provides an opportunity to pass along the suicide hotline number if you or someone you know is in crisis: 1-800-273-TALK.
The Army and the VA have redoubled their efforts to prevent suicides. Both have expanded services and launched initiatives aimed at suicide prevention.The Army is hiring dozens of counselors and has developed an interactive video so soldiers can identify warning signs and help a distraught colleague through various scenarios. The Army and the National Institute of Mental Health recently announced a five-year, $50 million research program into the factors behind soldier suicides.
The VA, meanwhile, is taking steps to improve its screening among veterans diagnosed with depression and post-traumatic stress disorder, and increase training so chaplains can look for warning signs. In July 2007, it launched a national suicide hotline, which receives thousands of calls each month, Blow said.
Advice for Friends and Family
Over at Army of Dude Alex offers some good advice for loved ones re: how to deal with a soldier during and after a deployment. What else would you add?
Military kids tell how tough deployments can be
Be sure to click through to read the entire article.
MICHAEL GILBERT, The News Tribune
Emi Geye likely knows at least as much about how combat deployments affect soldiers’ children as the psychiatrists, school counselors and pediatricians who filled the room around her Monday.
Her Army dad has been deployed three times since 2002 – twice for 15 months, and once for 12 – and he just left their DuPont home Monday morning for another three-week assignment in Iraq.
So the experts who gathered at McChord Air Force Base for a three-day summit on behavioral health issues for military children and teens hung on the 16-year-old’s every word.
From Iraq to Disney World: A Military Resort
I had no idea Disney World had a private resort for military families. Thanks to Susy for the link.
By DONALD G. McNEIL Jr., The New York Times
AS they enter through the Magic Kingdom gates, following signs with the familiar mouse ears, past the sighing of the monorail and the distant screams from Space Mountain, a few visitors take an unusual route, up a driveway just off the entrances to the Disney World golf courses.
There they find, atop an artificial rock formation, the flags of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines and Coast Guard flapping in the Florida breeze. Beyond that lies a resort where there are a lot of high-and-tight crew cuts in the lobby, not to mention more lean physiques than elsewhere in Disney World.
Shades of Green, a retreat for military personnel — of all ranks — their families and guests, sits within the expansive Disney World site outside Orlando, Fla. Officially called an Armed Forces Recreation Center, it is one of five retreats around the world that let servicemen and -women reconnect with their families in the precious time they have together.
Combat tours take toll on families
By William Cole, Honolulu Advertiser
When the nation's top-ranking military commanders talk about the Army being stressed nearly to the breaking point by repeat combat deployments, a lot of that concern doesn't have to do with the battlefield. It has to do with home.
Gen. Richard Cody, the Army's vice chief of staff, reiterated the mantra again on April 1 before a Senate Armed Services subcommittee.
Cody said the Army today is out of balance.
Military Support
Mike Gilbert of The News Tribune has published a long list of resources available to military families looking for support. While it is geared towards the Ft. Lewis community it is still relevant to everyone.
Soldier no longer faces foreclosure
I'm grateful that Mike Barber followed up on this story.
A Fort Lewis soldier who returned from stresses of war last year to the face the subprime mortgage mess threatening to foreclose on his family's dream home is now in the clear.
Sgt. Marcus Barton said some encouraging readers of a P-I story on him last month provided moral and financial assistance to keep creditors at bay.
Instead of facing foreclosure and broken finances, Barton, his wife, Sarah, who is expecting their third child, and their two sons will be able to sell their North Tacoma house to break even and later this year move to new quarters on the Army post.
Far away, but close at heart
Families of 4/2 SBCT soldiers are featured in the following story.
BILL HUTCHENS; The News Tribune
[...] Eva Hart is taking care of her 10-year-old granddaughter, Arianna Hart, while Arianna’s dad (and Eva’s son), Staff Sgt. Ben Hart, a Stryker soldier, is serving in Iraq.
Ben Hart is with the 4th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division and isn’t as easy to get in touch with as Jim DeLapp. Eva and Arianna have gone as long as a month without hearing from him, but Eva said he is generally able to get through about once every two weeks.
“It’s very sporadic,” Eva said. “He pays a friend to use his cell phone. As long as he can, he talks to his daughter. When he’s able to call, he tries to call her to wake her up in the morning and tell her to have a good day.”
Home for Christmas
Army Staff Sgt. David Larson gave his mother the best present she could ever have this year, himself in one piece.
The twenty-five-old recently returned from a 15-month tour of duty in Iraq, including three months in Baqubah as part of the U.S. troop surge.
"Where haven't I been in Iraq?" Larson said, recalling his two tours with the Army's 1st Battalion, 23rd Infantry regiment.
The comforts of home near Madigan
The following article profiles the Fisher House facility at Ft. Lewis. I know a number of Stryker families have taken advantage of the organization's housing at Ft. Lewis and elsewhere.
MICHAEL GILBERT; The News Tribune
Like a lot of Army spouses, Sora Oakes figured she’d be better off staying back home with her family while her husband, Sgt. 1st Class Don Oakes, was in Iraq.
So when he deployed in April, she and their son Connor moved out of their quarters at Fort Lewis and in with her folks in Tennessee.
That worked fine – until Oakes got hurt Nov. 9. He suffered a badly broken leg when a wall collapsed onto him during a mission in Diyala province.
‘Is it going to be me today?’
MICHAEL GILBERT BY CHRISTIAN HILL; The News Tribune The Olympian
Sgt. Brian Kerrigan and Command Sgt. Maj. Jeffrey Du were hit Aug. 23 a few miles out of Balad, Iraq, as they and the rest of their Stryker brigade were making it back to Baghdad.
They’d spent the previous two months in Baqouba, clearing al-Qaida in Iraq fighters from the city, which they had proclaimed the capital of their new Islamic republic.
They were just weeks from completing their 15-month tour, and had managed to avoid serious injury over hundreds of patrols from Mosul to Baghdad.
Kerrigan, 29, was near the end of his second combat tour. He went to Iraq the first time in 2003 as a new recruit with the 82nd Airborne Division. He had a good job at Federal Express in Seattle but left it to enlist after Sept. 11.
Wounds that don’t show
MICHAEL GILBERT; The News Tribune
The bomb, two large artillery shells buried at the side of the road, exploded just a few feet in front of the Stryker.
The blast in central Iraq didn’t so much as puncture the tires. But it hit the soldiers inside so hard that some couldn’t think straight for days.
“The first few days were miserable. I was wearing sunglasses inside my room. … My head was just pounding,” said Sgt. Brian Kerrigan, who was seated at the gunner’s station.
Luckily, none of the football-sized chunks of asphalt thrown by the bomb hit Command Sgt. Maj. Jeffrey Du, who was standing in a hatch with his head and shoulders exposed. But the pressure wave rocked him hard enough to give him a severe concussion.
Schools for military children respect their unique lives
FORT LEWIS -- In "Mr. T's" kindergarten class at Evergreen Elementary, 5-year-old Annika and her classmates are scribbling lines in their journals. The assignment is a daily question, and today's seeks a few thoughts about their favorite "math stations" exercise.
Annika, however, is more focused than most upon filling her page.
When her teacher, Jeff Thompson, reaches Annika and asks her to translate what she has busily used her pencil to create, Annika tells him about her favorite math station.
Then she reads for him about a more significant part of her life:
"My daddy, I'm missing him so much because he's in Iraq," she says, running her finger over penciled lines as she interprets them for her teacher.
Following the Strykers
On the night of June 18 and the early morning of June 19, U.S. and Iraqi forces launched Operation Arrowhead Ripper in Iraq's Diyala province. Targeted at the city of Baqubah, which the now-deceased al-Qaida in Iraq leader Abu Masab al-Zarqawi proclaimed his own capital of the "Islamic State of Iraq" in October, the goal of the operation was to trap and destroy the insurgents who have run the city of some 250,000 residents for more than a year.
Representing part of Gen. David Petraeus' plan to pacify the "Baghdad belts" that have served as way stations for terrorism attacks inside the capital, Arrowhead Ripper is a key test of the surge of American troops to Iraq. The operation has also turned out to be an excellent palette for milblogging, both from the 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, which provided the central striking force of the offensive, and from freelance journalists.
Post keeps current memorials
Fort Lewis’ commanding general said Wednesday that the Army post will not hold monthly memorial services for its fallen soldiers, calling the current ceremonies “dignified, personalized and fitting tributes” that will continue with some changes.
The announcement by Lt. Gen. Charles H. Jacoby Jr. would appear to conclude an emotional and controversial debate about how best to honor the sacrifice of local soldiers who die in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere.
Each Stryker brigade and other individual units will continue to determine the frequency of the services, and they will plan and conduct them for their soldiers with support from post leaders.
Army captain blinded in Iraq bombing summits Mount Rainier
By MELANTHIA MITCHELL, ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER
SEATTLE -- Scott Smiley lives life a little differently since being blinded by shrapnel that ripped through his eyes in a suicide bombing in Iraq, but it's a challenge he has embraced.
Two days before the 27-year-old Army captain was to be honored as Army Times' soldier of the year, he reached the summit of Mount Rainier in the latest of what has been a whirlwind of adventures since losing his eyesight in the 2005 bombing in Mosul.
Smiley reached the top of the 14,411-foot peak south of Seattle early Tuesday along with several other climbers, including a half dozen guides from Rainier Mountaineering Inc.[...]
Memorials will continue at fort for now
MICHAEL GILBERT; The News Tribune
Fort Lewis’ new commanding general won’t change the way the post holds memorial ceremonies for its soldiers killed in Iraq and Afghanistan, at least for the time being.
The post announced Wednesday that Lt. Gen. Charles H. Jacoby Jr., “has decided that Fort Lewis will continue with its current manner of honoring its fallen warriors … until he has had a chance to fully assess the issue.”
The announcement at least temporarily reverses a controversial plan to combine memorials for all the post’s fallen soldiers into one monthly ceremony.
With more soldiers deployed now than at any time since the beginning of the war in Iraq, Fort Lewis has lost its largest numbers of soldiers in the past two months.
4th Annual Ride & Rally For The Troops
On Sunday July 15, 2007, Destination Harley-Davidson in Tacoma, WA will host its 4th Annual Rally For The Troops, which is a charity motorcycle ride. Proceeds from the event will go to the Fisher House organization. In the past over 3,000 riders have participated, and this year they are hoping to exceed that number. I went down as a spectator in 2005 and it was an impressive event. Even if you don't ride it's a fun event. We'll post another reminder as the date approaches.
New Scam Targets Military Spouses
WASHINGTON, May 31, 2007 – The American Red Cross is warning military spouses about a new identity-theft scam that targets family members of deployed troops.
The Red Cross was alerted of the scam earlier this month, said Devorah Goldburg of the Red Cross.
The scam involves a person with an American accent calling a military spouse, identifying herself as a representative of the Red Cross, and telling the spouse that her husband was hurt in Iraq and was medically evacuated to Germany. The caller then says that doctors can't start treatment until paperwork is completed, and that to start the paperwork they need the spouse to verify her husband's social security number and date of birth.
Fort Lewis to consolidate memorials for dead
Michael Gilbert, The News Tribune
Fort Lewis, which this month has suffered its worst losses of the war, will no longer conduct individual memorial ceremonies for soldiers killed in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Instead, the post will hold one ceremony for all soldiers killed each month, the Fort Lewis acting commanding general, Brig. Gen. William Troy, wrote in a memo to commanders and staff last week.
“As much as we would like to think otherwise, I am afraid that with the number of soldiers we now have in harm’s way, our losses will preclude us from continuing to do individual memorial ceremonies,” Troy wrote in the memo, according to a copy obtained by United for Peace Pierce County and posted on the group’s Web site. A post spokesman confirmed the policy change Tuesday. It will start in June.
A Fort Lewis stalwart praised as ‘a great mentor and adviser’
MICHAEL GILBERT; The News Tribune
These are tough times for Army spouses at Fort Lewis, even before this week’s tragic news that nine more local soldiers had died.
Most of the 10,000 Fort Lewis soldiers now deployed to Iraq left a wife or a husband back home. And most who are there have had their combat tours extended from 12 to 15 months.
So it might come as a little bit of a lift to learn that one of their own was chosen to represent all Army spouses Friday in a White House ceremony to mark Military Spouse Appreciation Day.
Book: The Long Road Home
A number of people have emailed us to suggest we link to recent interviews with Martha Raddatz, the Chief White House correspondent for ABC News. She recently released a book titled, "The Long Road Home: A Story of War and Family", and has been featured on programs such as Charlie Rose (interview begins at the 31:30 minute mark) and Good Morning America. I haven't read the book or watched the full interview, but those who have appreciate that she focuses so much time on the soldiers' families back home. J.M. Simpson at Blog-Ah! has a more detailed book review if you'd like to read that as well.
For These Kids, War Hits Close To Home
Half of the 300 students at the Chloe Clark elementary school come from Army families. This means, young as they are, these kids have a stake in the war, CBS News correspondent Jerry Bowen reports.
"My mom might be going to Iraq in April," says Giovanni. "My dad went the second of this month," adds Emily Hughes.
Counselor Coley Fannin's job is to help them learn how to cope. He holds weekly group sessions.
"It's nice knowing that some other people's dads are over there, so you're not like the only one," says Emily.
Photojournalist to share his images of Iraq war
An award-winning photojournalist who has been embedded with three military units during Operation Iraqi Freedom will present his images of war and the life of a modern soldier on Monday, March 19 at 7 p.m. in the Catherine Evans McGowan Room of the Mary Kintz Bevevino Library. The event is open free to the public.
Co-sponsored by the Communications and History Departments at College Misericordia, the one-hour slide-show presentation will feature the images of Peter Haley of The Tacoma News Tribune of Tacoma, Wash. He was embedded in 2003, 2004 and 2005. Those scenes will be presented and explained by the photojournalist, who has garnered national and state recognition for his work. After his presentation, Haley will field questions from the audience.
Hearts of Hope
Former 1/25 SBCT soldier Walt Gaya writes about his recent visit to the studio of Tacoma artist Bonnie Burns. Ms. Burns creates handmade glass hearts that she sends to soldiers serving overseas. Her son is also a member of the 172nd SBCT that just returned from Iraq.
War Widows
The News Tribune published a series of articles and multimedia features in today's paper profiling Army widows from the Puget Sound region (links below). The husbands of Debbie Bridges and Shawna Burbank, both featured, were members of the 3/2 SBCT when it first deployed in 2003. Debbie has been featured here a number of times, and Shawna maintains a wonderful album of photos featuring her husband in our gallery.
The stories:
- Initial moments of shock reverberate as a new war widow finds strength in unexpected quarters
- Widowhood means starting over – at home, at work and even in new relationships
- The change from Army wife to Army widow leads to lobbying and activism for families left behind
Multimedia:
- Video: Widows of the Iraq war
- Audio slideshow: Widows of the Iraq war
How to help:
If you aren't already a registered user with The News Tribune this would be a good time to become one. Their coverage of the Ft. Lewis based Stryker Brigades is consistently top-notch.
Wounded Soldier Project
Mike Gilbert has posted about the Wounded Soldier Project on his FOB Tacoma blog.
War widows' courage inspires wide admiration
One of the widows mentioned, Debbie Bridges, has contributed to this site in the past. Her husband, SSG Steven H. Bridges, was a member of the 3/2 SBCT that deployed in 2003.
Five Iraq war widows still travel to Madigan Army Medical Center in Tacoma every week to meet with a counselor and talk about their husbands, their lives and the tribulations of moving on.
That hasn't changed since the support group was formed in 2004. None of the women has re-married or left the area. But life hasn't been static, either. There are children to raise and opportunities to pursue.
Leaders Praise Fortitude of Stryker Brigade Families
By Donna Miles, American Forces Press Service
FAIRBANKS, Alaska, Dec. 15, 2006 – Army leaders praised military families here during ceremonies this week for standing solidly behind the 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team during its 16-month deployment to Iraq.
Army Secretary Francis Harvey told families of brigade members during the “Arctic Wolves’” redeployment ceremony here Dec. 12 that the Army recognizes their sacrifices and will continue its efforts to support them.
How families trained for 172nd Stryker BCT homecoming
Did any of you participate in this program? If so, was it helpful?
FORT WAINWRIGHT, Alaska (Army News Service, Dec. 11, 2006) - Family members and friends of the recently returned 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team spent a few weeks in a new type of reintegration training before their Soldiers returned home.
"Back in July and August we completed a round of reintegration classes prior to the brigade's extension. The feedback we received from those classes let us know that something more was needed," said Lt. Col. Greg Parrish, deputy commander, 172nd SBCT.
Friends indeed
By TATABOLINE BRANT, Anchorage Daily News
Angelina Estrada and Shena Johnson are really glad they met each other two years ago at church. But Thursday they didn't have much time to talk about it.
It's Thanksgiving, after all, and their hands, as usual, are full. The two 28-year-olds have three kids each -- all under the age of 8. Both of their husbands are gone to Iraq.
Estrada's husband, a staff sergeant in the Army's 172nd Stryker Brigade, has been gone for 16 months. He's due back Saturday. Johnson's, a sergeant first class in Fort Richardson's new airborne brigade, left last month. He won't be back for a year.
Plenty to be thankful for, despite Iraq
The following editorial was written by the wife a soldier with the 172nd SBCT.
By JULIANA DAPICE, Anchorage Daily News
During this time between Veteran's Day and Thanksgiving, I am feeling both pensive and thankful. My beloved husband, Rob, currently serving with the 172nd Stryker Brigade, is among our nation's newest veterans. He deployed to Iraq from Alaska in August of 2005.
It is with mixed emotions that I look forward to this Thanksgiving. Because of the infamous extension of the 172nd Stryker Brigade, 15 months have passed since the day they left in August. Another Thanksgiving will soon be here and our husbands are still away. The yellow ribbons I tied around the trees this summer in anticipation of their homecoming have barely weathered the harsh change of Alaska seasons. In fact they are so ragged I must just tie new ones before they return.
A soldier writes a teacher
Here's a nice story submitted by one of our regular visitors. His son, an officer with the 172nd, wrote the letter.
UPDATE: Lindsey's teacher upped her grade and the teacher is going to write an email to Gabe from the whole class.
A co-worker's 8-year-old daughter Lindsey had a civics test. One question was "What do soldiers do on an Army base? She wrote for her answer: "they sleep." She scored 85 on the exam but the teacher deducted five points for her Army answer and went into a song and dance that was more like Ft Dix than the world today."My father's friend Gabe is in Iraq and he says they get back to the base and sleep because they are very tired," she told the teacher. The teacher didn't buy this argument. I told Gabe the story, and here is his response to the teacher:
Washington troops share their voices
MICHAEL GILBERT; The News Tribune
Flying wounded soldiers out of Iraq, flight nurse Ed Hrivnak and his fellow crew members used to stick big strips of white tape on the legs of their flight suits.
They were so busy treating their patients they didnt have time to sit with a notebook. So theyd write quick thoughts on the pieces of tape.
Those notes were the beginnings of Hrivnaks journal writing that found its way into a collection of work by veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan called Operation Homecoming.
The 37-year-old Air Force Reserve captain from Spanaway contributed a half-dozen short vignettes that describe what it was like to fly the wounded out of Iraq in the first six months of the war.
Several other writers with regional connections have work in the new book, including:
Jack Lewis, an Army Reserve staff sergeant from Seattle, who was in Iraq with the Fort Lewis Strykers of the 1st Brigade, 25th Infantry Division. His haunting story, Road Work, takes place on a Stryker convoy near the Syrian border in far northwestern Iraq.
Brian Turner, a Stryker infantryman with the 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, who contributed his poetry. Hes now out of the Army and teaching literature at Fresno City College in California, and last year published a collection of poems titled Here, Bullet.
Sandi Austin, a civil affairs reservist from California who also went to Iraq with the 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division. She contributed a song she first performed at the brigades New Years Eve celebration at a dusty, windswept camp near Samarra.[...]
Making a soldier's day
By Gale Fiege, The Daily Herald
LYNNWOOD - World War II veteran Muriel Jean Whalley is cutting up old Christmas cards to make new ones. She wants to send a little humor and holiday kindness to some young people from Fort Lewis.
As she cuts and pastes, Whalley, 82, recounts her service in the Women's Army Corps. An American-born citizen who grew up in England, she remembers the day she heeded Uncle Sam's call. Whoever the heck he was, the man needed her.
Comcast Video Email Offer
We wanted to let people know about the following offer if you are planning on attending the Puyallup Fair.
Comcast, which supports our armed forces both here and overseas, is welcoming members of the military and their loved ones to record a free video mail from the Comcast booth at The Puyallup Fair this year. Video mail can be sent to anyone with an email address and a reasonably modern computer. Theres no big file that the recipient has to worry about; the recipient simply receives an email with a link that allows them to view up to a three-minute video.
The offer is for both members of the military stationed here who would like to communicate with relatives back home, as well as loved ones who would like to communicate with a member of the military who is serving outside the region.
The Comcast booth is located through Door C North inside the SHOWPLEX. The fair is open 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays through Sept. 24. For more information about the fair, see www.thefair.com.
Support march earns its stripes
Link to Full Article
By Christian Hill, The Olympian
LACEY - The march to support the local families of deployed U.S. service members has come a long way considering the two men who started the event three years ago didn't know the first thing about the military.
"We did not know ranks at all," recalled Andrew Oczkewicz, this year's chairman of the organizing committee. "We had no idea what a brigade was. Zero idea. But we've got it down now."
Soldiers roll out to help battle blaze
Link to Full Article
MICHAEL GILBERT; The News Tribune
About 550 Fort Lewis soldiers set out by bus Monday to join crews fighting the nations largest active wildfire.
The Tripod Complex fire near Winthrop has burned more than 83,400 acres in the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest, officials said Monday.
Thats about the size of Fort Lewis, where the soldiers of Task Force Blaze spent Sunday learning firefighting basics before leaving Monday for Winthrop in north-central Washington.
Stryker wife gets second chance to fulfill a dream
Tracey Murray, Fort Wainwright PAO
When Capt. James Mitchell missed his daughters first birthday on Oct. 29, 2005, it was expected because the 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team left a few months earlier for Iraq.
But missing their daughters second birthday has come as a complete surprise to the family, especially his wife Kellie.
Families of forts Wainwright and Richardson are going through similar situations.
A soldier's family waits
Link to Full Article
Joe Wolfcale
Charlotte Blumenberg stared blankly at the oblong table in the family's San Anselmo home graced with mementos of her 22-year-old son, John, a U.S. Army specialist in Iraq.
There were precisely painted Army figurines, a stack of photographs from the war-torn region, a closeup of the cherub face of John's newborn daughter Lillian, and a handwritten letter professing his love of flyfishing.
Army tenure far from over, blind soldier advances career after Iraq
Link to Full Article
By KATE WILTROUT, The Virginian-Pilot
FORT MONROE - Something told Tiffany Smiley not to sign the papers that would end her husband's Army career.
A week earlier, Scott Smiley had been a lieutenant in charge of a Stryker Brigade Combat Team platoon in Mosul, Iraq. He'd graduated from West Point, made it through Ranger school and hoped to serve in special operations.
Yet in April 2005, he was barely conscious - the victim of a suicide car bombing that sent shrapnel into his brain, leaving him temporarily paralyzed and permanently blind.
It's up to the community to welcome single soldiers home
Link to Full Article
By Michelle Cuthrell
As I was cleaning out my garage this week--one of the many endless tasks I'm trying to complete before my husband comes home from Iraq next month--I stumbled across a box from 1st. Lt. Devin Hammond.
Besides being a great friend of ours, Devin is also a single soldier. That means, among other things, that he has no one to ship his boxes home to, no one to maintain his car.
So throughout this deployment, I've tried to pick up the slack and make things easier on him. He mails his extra Army gear home to my house, his car sits in the front of my driveway. I start the vehicle and maintain it as best I can so that storage and car maintenance are two less things this soldier has to worry about when he returns home from a yearlong deployment. [...]
2006 Ride And Rally For The Troops
The 3rd annual Ride & Rally For the Troops, sponsored by Destination Harley-Davidson in Tacoma, will be held this Sunday, July 9, 2006. The Ride begins at 10:15 AM, with the Rally following. Visit the website for more information or to register. Over the past two years the event has raised over $35,000 for the troops and their families.
Related Entries: 2004 Ride & Rally, 2005 Ride & Rally
Dell Technology Donation to Connect Soldiers and Families
Although separated by thousands of miles, Dell(NASDAQ:DELL) technology will keep deployed soldiers of a U.S. Armycombat unit and their families at Fort Lewis, Wash., connected, anytime of the day or night.
Dell recently donated 20 OptiPlex(TM) GX620 computers equippedwith flat panel monitors, headsets, Web cameras and two Dell 3100cnlaser printers for family members to use at the family support centerfor the Army's 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division Stryker BrigadeCombat Team (3-2 SBCT). Soldiers of the unit, which is being deployedoverseas in late June and early July, can communicate with their lovedones via two donated Dell Latitude(TM) D620 notebook computersequipped with Web cameras as well as regular-issue systems.
Take action to welcome soldiers
Link to Full Article
By Michelle Cuthrell
One of the most physically noticeable changes about Fort Wainwright when the Stryker Brigade deployed last August were the signs.
Entering the front gate and traveling down Gaffney Road, drivers couldn't help but notice the hundreds of painted, printed, sewn and signed banners that hung from the gates of the sports field to the train tracks, and almost everywhere in between. They displayed words of support, messages of encouragement and most of all, symbols of love.
'Cool' project to help U.S. troops fight heat
Link to Full Article
By Shantell M. Kirkendoll
Area hospitals announced a new war mission Thursday: They are sending ice packs to troops in Iraq, where temperatures are consistently over 110 degrees and often near 130 degrees.
The effort began at the request of Sgt. Larry J. VanderMolen, 22, an Owosso soldier who said drivers in his Stryker unit would pass out from the heat. He called his mother, Julie Innes, a Lansing health care worker, to see what she could do.
Local hospital answers call to help soldiers fight heat in Iraq
Link to Full Article
David Nichol, T-H Staff Writer
It started with an article on an online bulletin board called "Stryker Battalion News."
Brad and Rush Beavers read it, because their son drives a Stryker vehicle -- described as heavier than a Bradley, but lighter than a tank. Presently, their son B.J. is driving that vehicle in Mosul, Iraq.
The article asked for something that may surprise some folks. It asked for ice. Stryker drivers occasionally pass out from the sheer heat. The actual answer was not ice as it turned out, but chemical cold packs.
Soldiers can be honored any day of the year
Link to Full Article
By MICHELLE CUTHRELL
After reading my column last week, a friend came to me and asked what she could do to make Memorial Day more meaningful.
"I know I can volunteer at that Moving Wall," she said, "but what else can I do to honor those who have served and sacrificed?"
The Heart List Grows, The Support Continues
By Susy Raybon
In December 2005, Stryker News published the story of First Lt. Brett Phillips (1st BN, 17th INF) at FOB Marez and SSG William Verble (278th Regimental Combat Team, formerly of FOB Cobra, Tennessee National Guard) handing out small dolls of color in the Mosul and Baghdad regions of Iraq. Both soldiers are medics and gave out the dolls while on medical screening missions.
On a recent medical mission, 1st Lt. Phillips, of Fairbanks, said there was a comment from a grandmother who had brought her granddaughters to one of the medical screenings for treatment: Oh, the dolls have the same skin as Iraqis. That is so nice. In Bretts words, It was pretty cool that she picked up on it. You always wonder but never know. A bond was forged.
Operation Purple caters to kids with family members at war
Link to Full Article
By MEGAN BAEZA, Anchorage Daily News
A week filled with late-night campfires, torched marshmallows and ghost stories is the stuff of dreams for most children, but for the dependents of a deployed member of the military, it can be much more.
Operation Purple is a program of the National Military Family Association and offers a free, weeklong summer camp with a goal of giving military children who face their own battles with worry, fear and change the tools to face deployment challenges using positive outlets and camaraderie.
Hearts to Heroes 2006
Thanks to a current 1/25 SBCT solider, CW3 Matt Jones, we learned of the Hearts to Heroes 2006 motorcycle ride to support the troops held in Phoenix, AZ on March 25. He rode in the event and also alerted us to a special guest speaker, PVT Daniel Stackhouse of the 17nd SBCT. PVT Stackhouse was injured by an IED blast near his Stryker and is now recovering in the States. You can visit the ride homepage to learn more about the event and view a video profiling PVT Stackhouse.
Holding down the home fort
Link to Full Article
By MARGARET FRIEDENAUER, Staff Writer
Any other year, Dave and Jan Reed would be spending the winter touring the Lower 48 in their RV, working for the National Parks Service as lighthouse tour guides or campground hosts. But this year, the Reeds are spending time in Fairbanks, tackling snow, cold and holding down the fort for their son and daughter-in-law while they are deployed to Iraq.
"It's the least we could do for these guys," Dave Reed said last week at their temporary home in the hills off Skyline Drive.
General lauds community for its support of military
Link to Full Article
By MARGARET FRIEDENAUER, Staff Writer
Alaska has thousands of soldiers and airmen deployed overseas, several sites integral to the National Missile Defense project and thousands of miles of training airspace. With that in mind, U.S. Marine Gen. James E. Cartwright noted Friday the significance of Alaska to the military as a whole.
"It important for us to understand the essence of what this state really brings to the table for the U.S. military," he said.
Mission: Time baby's arrival with dad's
For months now, I have been anticipating not just the return of my husband, but also the arrival of our first child.
I knew our timing had to be just right for baby and husband to coincide, but I also realized that I didn't have a real choice in the matter. Matt would come home for his two weeks of rest and relaxation when the Army said so, and baby would enter the world when he thought it was time.
But that doesn't mean that I haven't been studying up on ways to make the two events coincide. ...
Girl Scout Cookies
Angie O'Farrell is looking for one more group of soldiers to send 100 boxes of Girl Scout cookies to. She sent us the following email, which includes contact information if you are interested. Do they still make the peanut butter cookies?
Military spouses need each other's support
Link to Full Article
By Michelle Cuthrell
Though he only deployed with the 4-14 Cavalry Unit with the Stryker brigade in August, Kim Fonville has already been separated from her spouse for more than a year. And she still has six months to go.
Her husband joined the military in January 2005, completed basic training at Fort Benning, Ga., and then was almost immediately stationed at Fort Wainwright in May. But by the time he arrived in Fairbanks and would have normally moved up his wife and two daughters, two sergeants advised him to leave his family in the comforts and familiarity of home. After all, he would be deploying in two months, and he wouldn't want them to be all alone while he was gone.
Six months is a long time to miss spouse
Link to Full Article
By Michelle Cuthrell
This week marks the halfway point in the Stryker brigade's de ployment to Iraq. The strong soldiers we never thought we could let go of in the first place have now been gone for six months.
Though it's a relatively short period of time in the grand scheme of things, six months can feel like a really long time when you're missing your spouse and managing everything for two (or in my case, two and one in the oven) in the freezing cold winters of Fairbanks.
Special deliveries
Link to Full Article
"Pen pals teach third-graders about friendships and giving."
BY LAUREN WILLIAMSON, Record Staff Writer
LONG VIEW -- Jaleel Ussery shuffles through his desk in Christine Brocks third-grade class at Longview Elementary.
He tosses aside crayons, loose sheets of paper and his textbook. After a few minutes of shuffling, his scowl transforms into a grin.
Here are the cards my soldier wrote to me, Ussery said. He even sent me some pictures.
Kind-hearted support oozes from every nook and cranny
Link to Full Article
By Michelle Cuthrell
Jim Kuhnert and his buddy smiled at me as they opened the gate to the pickup truck sitting outside my office Monday morning. Anticipating a few boxes, or maybe just a bag or two, I casually unlocked the side door to my tiny Corolla. I figured I could squeeze a couple items into my back seat with no problem. But as they pulled down the gate, I realized I had a lot more unlocking to do.
There, crammed into the bed of the truck, were thirteen bulky Priority Mail boxes stuffed with my favorite cuddly fleece knot-style blankets.
Realizing a spouse's sacrifice takes away resentment against Army
Link to Full Article
by MICHELLE CUTTHRELL
It had been a long day.
A really long day.
I had no food in the house, my lower back killed, my baby brother and I were fighting and I was craving pineapple I didn't have. The minus 30 degree Fairbanks weather didn't help my pregnancy woes any, either. All I wanted at the end of my day was to come home and just nuzzle under a blanket with my husband, who would let me know that everything would be all right.
Army leader up for second star
Link to Full Article
MICHAEL GILBERT; The News Tribune
As deputy director for operations on the Joint Staff at the Pentagon, Brig. Gen. Carter Ham sees most of what the U.S. military is doing around the world each day. Its one of those ringside-at-history jobs.
But its nothing like the time he spent leading Fort Lewis-based soldiers across northern Iraq an assignment he once called the defining period of my life.
Its going from command in the field, where youre out and about with soldiers all the time, actively engaged in operations, to a staff job, Ham said last week. An important staff job, but nonetheless a staff job....
Wife of fallen soldier recalls the day everything changed
Link to Full Article
MICHAEL GILBERT; The News Tribune
Norma Melo will have a special memorial Mass celebrated today for her late husband Julian, as she has each month since losing him in Iraq a year ago.
But otherwise, Fort Lewis will not formally observe the anniversary of a day that shook the post like no other in these past four years of war.
It was a year ago today that a suicide bomber detonated himself inside a busy lunchtime chow hall at Forward Operating Base Marez, in Mosul, Iraq. Twenty-two people died, including six Fort Lewis soldiers, and more than 70 were wounded.
Even before the identities of those killed and wounded were made public, those at Fort Lewis braced for the worst. About half of the 4,000 Stryker troops then in northern Iraq lived at FOB Marez....
Heart List
(The following is a letter we recently received from Susan Preston Raybon)
Dear Editor:
There are hundreds of small, personal humanitarian efforts that go on daily, for the most part invisible to the public. These projects are usually tiny and involve one or two special people. The holiday season is a perfect time to tell this story and showcase two really special soldiers, one starting and the other continuing a heartfelt legacy.
Almost everyone has a Heart List even if they have never put a name to it. For the most part, it is an unconscious thing. Usually, it includes our family, our friends and our acquaintances that we admire and emulate. They are the ones whose traits and philosophies either mirror ours or shine above our own mirrors.
McChord Airman earns Air Force leadership award
A Joint Tactical Air Controller with the 5th Air Support Operations Squadron at Fort Lewis was recently selected for the 2005 Lance P. Sijan Air Force Leadership Award.
Senior Airman Grailin Blamer earned this recognition for his quick and cool-headed thinking while providing air cover for Soldiers in Iraq. He will receive the award in Washington, D.C., early next year....
Soldiers who fight wars are not the only heroes around
Cindy McGrew and her Operation Second Chance organization are profiled in the following article. Cindy has also helped a number of Stryker Brigade families, including Michael Oreskovic.
Link to Full Article
by Paul Gordon
War is hell! No one knows that better than those caught in its midst.
This column is not about politics of war. It is about the brave men and women who have returned to this country, physically and mentally shattered, fighting a second battle to pick up the pieces of their lives. [...]
Off Schedule Babies Test Stryker Brigade Families
Link to Full Article with Photo
Tracey Murray
Fort Wainwright PAO
Military families are tested every day, especially during the times of deployment.
Media Appearances
Two individuals close to the Stryker Brigade community will be appearing on television and radio today and tomorrow.
- Michael Reagan - The local artist will be profiled on Veterans Day (Friday) by KIRO 7 News during the 6 PM PST newscast. Michael has made it his mission to provide free portraits of fallen servicemen and women for their families.
- Michael Yon - Will appear on both radio and television during his brief visit back to the States. A return to Iraq is on the horizon.
Webcams Help Deployed Soldiers Stay Close to Home
Link to Full Article with photos
Tracey Murray
Fort Wainwright PAO
FORT WAINWRIGHT While families and Soldiers alike still enjoy receiving packages and letters through the mail, technology is helping deployed Soldiers feel much closer to home.
She delivers treats, toiletries to wounded soldiers
Link to Full Article
DAVID WICKERT; The News Tribune
Monika Hammon was watching CNN one day when she was struck by a report about wounded soldiers coming home from overseas.
So Hammon decided to do something to show her appreciation for their sacrifice. Over the last several months, shes donated 50 backpacks full of goodies to soldiers recuperating at Madigan Army Medical Center. And shes planning to give a lot more.
Military mothers group forms
Link to Full Article
Matt Misterek, The News Tribune
A group of military mothers founded in Flint, Mich., during World War II has launched a state chapter and will meet in Tacoma next month.
The Blue Star Mothers of America is made up of mothers or stepmothers who have had, or do have, children in the military. Fathers, stepfathers and other family members can join as associate members. [...]
A soldier, a mother, a cemetery
The following is a very nice column regarding Laurie Whitham, who has been a frequent visitor to this site. Her son, SPC Chase Whitham, died in Mosul in May, 2004.
Link to Full Article
By Bob Welch, The Register-Guard
SPRINGFIELD - It goes away for the rest of us, the war in Iraq. But not for the woman at Springfield Memorial Gardens on Tuesday afternoon.
Our grief is the Monopoly equivalent of landing on "Jail" without having drawn the ominous ``Go directly to ...'' card. We're just visiting. Another roll of the dice, and we're off and playing again.
9/11 & Hero To Hero Kickoff
This Sunday the volunteers from Hero to Hero will team up with the Tacoma Fire Department to honor the victims of 9/11 and kick off their '06 campaign. The event is open to the public - all of the details are provided in the email below.
Hero to Hero has sent shirts to a number of Stryker Brigade units the past two years, and hopefully units from the 172nd will sign up as well.
UPDATE: There are revised driving directions to the event if you are planning on attending. Send an email to todd (at) strykernews (dot) com and I will forward them to you.
Suspect Sought
Lakewood Police and Crime Stoppers are asking for assistance in locating a suspect in connection with the murder of two individuals early Monday morning near Ft. Lewis. Both individuals, one a soldier, had connections to Ft. Lewis and the Stryker Brigades. Our hearts go out to the families and friends affected by this tragedy.
UPDATE: As soon as we posted this a new press release indicates that a suspect has been taken into custody.
Resources for Military Families
The DoD has created an online resource for military families impacted by hurricane Katrina. Need assistance? Looking for relatives? Make this site your first stop.
No funding closes support program
There's information at the bottom of the article if you're interested in helping.
Link to Full Article
MICHAEL GILBERT; The News Tribune
A program that has helped hundreds of local women cope with the special stresses of life as a military spouse has ceased operations due to lack of money.
The programs director said shes optimistic it will resume. But she said shes being turned away by many potential donors who say theyve grown weary of supporting military-related causes.
Salute the baby brigade
Link to Full Article
MICHAEL GILBERT; The News Tribune
They havent come up with a catchy nickname for it, like Operation Desert Stork, but theres a baby boom on the way at Madigan Army Medical Center.
The hospital is preparing for a 20 percent increase in the number of births 25 to 30 more babies over the monthly average of 148.
They expect the increase to begin next month and to last at least through November, said Lt. Col. Wendy Ma, an Army doctor and chief of obstetrics and gynecology at Madigan.
Officials havent examined the pending population explosion to pinpoint exactly where all the babies are coming from. But they assume at least some are the result of many happy reunions when several Fort Lewis units returned home last fall from Iraq. [...]
The Ride Home 2005
The 2nd Annual Ride & Rally for the Troops drew approximately 3,000 riders this morning, all in an effort to raise money for the troops and to show appreciation for their efforts. I was able to attend the "Rally" portion of the event, and snapped a few photos of the riders' return. Another personal highlight was being able to meet Mike "Oreo" Oreskovic in person...finally. Mike, one of the co-founders of this site, made the long trip up from Eugene, OR this morning to participate.
Provided below are links to additional information regarding the event.
Ride & Rally For The Troops 2005
REMINDER: This event is taking place on Sunday...
Destination Harley in Tacoma will be sponsoring the Second Annual Ride & Rally For The Troops: The Ride Home on Sunday, July 10th. Last year's event drew thousands of riders and spectators, and this year they are hoping for an even bigger turnout. All proceeds from the ride will go to benefit the Family Readiness Groups at Ft. Lewis.
Provided below is an email from Tom at Destination Harley with all the details. Read about last year's ride in this previous entry.
Thoughts drift overseas at Freedom Fest
Link to Full Article
BY HEATHER WOODWARD, THE OLYMPIAN
FORT LEWIS -- The sun was out, the air smelled of funnel cakes and the sound of children's delighted shrieks echoed across the U.S. Army post.
But as carloads of families arrived at Fort Lewis on Monday for Freedom Fest -- a daylong festival to celebrate the Fourth of July -- many couldn't help but think about those who were absent.
"My husband is deployed this year in Iraq," said Jennifer Finch, a 32-year-old Lakewood resident who came with her 4-year-old daughter and who was deployed in Iraq herself last year.
Bronze star honors for Manteca man serving in Iraq
After a year in war-torn Iraq as an international police liaison officer, Manteca resident Gerald Krein came home with a civilian version of a Bronze Star for valor and a Purple Heart.
Cold comfort for saving the lives of more than three-dozen American soldiers and Iraqi police officers from a crazed suicide bomber in Mosul in an incident that happened just last month.
And colder comfort still for the memory of seven American soldiers from Ft. Lewis, Wash., who have protected him while he was there and whom he had befriended. Six of them perished in one of the deadliest suicide bombings that rocked Iraq during the months leading to the elections in January when a suicide bomber blew himself up inside a military mess hall in Mosul where American and Iraqi solders were getting ready to eat. The seventh soldier from the same military outfit lost his life in January.[...]
Courage under fire
Link to Full Article
By Lara Brenckle
CENTRE HALL -- In the alternate reality that is Iraq, Army Spc. Christopher Swales knew everything was OK if he could hear bullets zinging and guns firing as he patrolled the northern city of Mosul.
"It's when you don't hear it that you worry," Swales said.
The bullet that pierced his leg during an insurgent attack that thundered around him one March day was silent.
It didn't even hurt, Swales said. He looked down in time to see his left leg split open. "Oh, that's not good," he thought.
Instant messages from the war
Link to Full Article
Peter Thompson
CARSON CITY - It was 106 degrees in Mosul on Friday with forecasts predicting highs in the 120s for next week. The shops were open, the people were out and all in all it was a pretty typical day, though, says Sgt. Donny Jenkins of Carson City, "There really aren't any typical days around here."
High-tech weapons systems like unmanned aerial vehicles, GPS-guided bombs and the hybrid Stryker combat infantry vehicle have done wonders to win battles and steel troop morale during the war in Iraq, but for many of the 150,000 soldiers in the country, there's nothing quite like an Internet chat with a family member to get them through another day.
Calling from the northern Iraqi city after a long day on patrol, Jenkins, 28, tells of how the comparatively simple technology of a web camera and e-mail account allows him to better focus on the military mission at hand.
Legion pays tribute to veterans' sacrifices
By Ivonne D'Amato
Link to Full Article
CENTRE HALL -- A simple retreat into an air-conditioned room on a muggy day serves as a reminder of the little things to be grateful for as American soldiers battle scorching heat in Iraq, state Rep. Kerry Benninghoff said Saturday.
Benninghoff, R-College Township, spoke to a group of about 50 people who gathered to honor military members and veterans past and present at the Armed Forces Tribute at American Legion Post 779.
During the ceremony, post commander Carol A. Clark-Baney acknowledged post members who served in World War II and the Korean War and conducted a remembrance service for prisoners of war. Additionally, representatives from the Air Force, Army, Marines and Navy recounted their war experiences.
"Our Stryker armored vehicle was hit by IEDs (improvised explosive devices) on a regular basis," Army Spc. Christopher Swales, 29, said of his recent experience in Iraq. "I had been hit several times and got scrapes and scratches. Each time I got hit and wasn't injured, I got more confident. I began thinking I was invincible."
Swales, of Centre Hall, was a member of the 25th Infantry Division's Stryker Brigade. In March, he was shot in the leg after his unit found a vehicle trafficking weapons during routine vehicle inspections.
Operation Connect: Video eMail for our Troops
Thanks to Jose Casillas for making us aware of the following event taking place this weekend in San Jose, CA. On Saturday, June 11th between 10am and 3pm at The Tech Museum of Innovation in Downtown San Jose, families of deployed service men and women will have the opportunity to create a free video message. The message can then be emailed immediately to their deployed loved one. You can find additional information online, and it is recommended that you register beforehand if you are interested.
SGT Mike Buyas Homecoming
Lynda Pheasant sent us the following report on the homecoming of SGT Mike Buyas, and the community's fundraising efforts on his familiy's behalf. Also included are links to two articles in the Wenatchee World newspaper. This is an inspiring story to lead us into the Memorial Day Weekend.
Fort Lewis allows civilians a glimpse of military life
AARON CORVIN; The News Tribune
Standing under the green-and-white-striped tent, Preston Chanpuang, a wiry 14-year-old, lobbed questions and absorbed the Special Forces recruiters answers.
The Air Force is an easier life, the recruiter told him, but youve got to go with what you want.
What Chanpuang wants is to serve in the military. His family lives at Fort Lewis. His dad is a Stryker brigade member. When he was younger he donned his dads Kevlar helmet and yelled: Duck and cover!
Im learning everything about what I want to do, said Chanpuang, who was among an estimated 17,000 people who swarmed Fort Lewis on Saturday to honor the United States military during the 17th annual Armed Forces Day.
Bush honors wounded chaplain
President Bush honored an injured Twin Cities military chaplain during an address at the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast on Friday in Washington, D.C.
"This morning we pray for the many Catholics who serve America in the cause of freedom," Bush said at the second annual event. "One of them is an army chaplain named Tim Vakoc. He's a beloved priest who was seriously wounded in Iraq last May. We pray for his recovery; we're inspired by his sacrifice.
New Stryker Magnets
One of our visitors, David Karau, has decided to start another magnet project featuring a few different designs. Provided below is all the information you need about the designs, cost, ordering instructions etc. Thanks David for taking on this project.
SGT Mike Buyas Update
Back in March we posted an article about SGT Mike Buyas, who was seriously injured in Mosul before Christmas. While he's still recovering at Walter Reed, his local community is holding a fundraiser to assist his family. Lynda, a former "Stryker Mom", sent us the following press release the group put together, which includes donation information if you would like to help.
Articles of Interest
The following are a variety of interesting articles regarding Iraq and the military in general.
- Iraq Report - Links to news and analysis from Winds of Change.
- Good news from Iraq, part 27 - From Arthur Chrenkoff.
- Military Spouses Scammed By Phony Casualty Assistance Officers - Blackfive explains this scam, which illustrates the need to protect your soldier's identity. DO NOT disclose any personal info without their consent.
- Military Spouse Career Center Launches - Resource center from Military.com.
- "I Punched Saddam in the Mouth" - Bad title, but very interesting article about the Special Forces interpreter, and Iraqi expatriate, who pulled Saddam from his hiding spot.
Military Spouse Day
The Friday before Mother's Day is traditionally recognized as Military Spouse Day. We'd like to take a moment to recognize the tremendous sacrifices of wives and husbands who support those in uniform. Please join us in saying "Thank You"!
Legislative Alert - Help Needed
Soldiers' Angels and the Wounded Warrior Project sent out the following alert regarding pending legislation. If you're willing and able, please make a phone call, or send a letter/fax/email to the appropriate committee member.
We will keep this entry at the top of the page today, so scroll down for newer entries.
Welcome Stop for Warriors
A nice story profiling a dedicated group of volunteers in Bangor, Maine.
Link to Full Article
By Tony Perry, Times Staff Writer
BANGOR, Maine Tired and bleary-eyed, Marines of the 1st Battalion, 7th Regiment, based at Twentynine Palms, Calif., were finally back on U.S. soil after seven months on the front lines in Iraq.
But they were still many miles and hours from their families and the homecoming they longed for. Their officers told them they would be on the ground for 60 to 90 minutes while their chartered plane was refueled.
Thank You Letter
The following letter was written by the aunt of SGT Adam J. Plumondore, a soldier with the Stryker Brigade who was killed on February 16th, 2005. She originally shared this on our bulletin board, but agreed to let us post it here as well. I know that many of the emotions she expresses so well are shared by other military families.
Thank you Aunt Lisa!
Businessman Helps Families of Fallen Troops
The following AFPS article highlights the efforts of an organization we recently added to our Links Page - GI-Bracelet.org. All proceeds from sales of its "For Those Who Serve" bracelets go to charitable organizations that support military members and their families.
Link to Article
By Gerry J. Gilmore, American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, April 6, 2005 Freedom isnt free, asserted San Diego-area businessman James Lee. Thats why, Lee said, hes promoting the sales of G.I.-styled bracelets to assist families of servicemembers whove been killed or wounded while serving in the war against terrorism.
The silicon-rubber bracelets bearing the inscription For Those Who Serve go for $1 to $5 on Lees Web site. The bracelets are the color of the militarys Purple Heart Medal.
In Iraq, even charity is complex
Link to Full Article
BY DIONNE SEARCEY, NEWSDAY
Malcolm Mead was dashing through Kennedy Airport a few weeks ago when he glanced at a television showing yet another grim scene from the war in Iraq.
City Rally Kicks Off Initiative to Support Troops
By Samantha L. Quigley
American Forces Press Service
ENID, Okla., April 1, 2005 This north-central Oklahoma city has shown for more than 60 years that it supports the men and women of the U.S. military. And it wasnt shy about loudly expressing that support at a rally March 31 in which Enid joined the Defense Departments America Supports You program.
Tonight is about one simple message: To all our men and women serving in our armed services America Supports You, Enid Mayor Ernie Currier said in welcoming the crowd of nearly 1,300. [...]
Spirit of America Project
Spirit of America (SOA) is teaming up with the Coalition Military Assistance Training Team (CMATT) to try and improve the living conditions for the Iraqi Security Forces at Fort Tal Afar in Iraq. If you're not familiar with SOA, the non-profit, civilian organization works directly with deployed service men and women to provide goods and services to local people. Provided below is a description of the project.
Operation Enduring Love
The following is a press release from HomeMovie.Com, which has just announced a special program for families with loved ones deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan. Operation Enduring Love allows friends and family to share up to 30 minutes of personal video footage through the HomeMovie.Com website. Details below.
Articles of Interest
The following are a handful of articles, most of which are not Stryker-related, that are still worth highlighting.
Operation Valentine's Day
Mike Murtha, a former 172nd SBCT soldier, wanted to let us know about a special offer from his current employer, Macromedia. The company is donating web conferencing services to the soldiers of 1-25 SBCT and their loved ones during Valentines week. You will be able to communicate real-time over the internet using your home computer or those provided at the Rear Detachment internet cafe. Youll be able to see and talk with each other, share pictures and chat. Provided below is a message Mike posted on the forum with all the details.
Benicia High students show they care
Link to Full Article
By SARAH ROHRS, Times-Herald staff writer
BENICIA - Jeremy Thomas, a Benicia High School senior, does not support the Iraq war, but he does support the soldiers, and appreciates that they risk their lives daily fighting in a country so far from home.
Fellow senior Sean Ryan, meanwhile, is rapidly approaching age 18 and is worried about a war-time draft. For months, Iraq and the soldiers fighting and dying there have been on his mind.
DCMA AND GDLS SUPPORTING OIF
Fred Nelson with the DCMA sent the following article, which describes the efforts of DCMA and GDLS employees to supply the Stryker Brigade with the equipment they need in theater. Thank you.
Submitted by: Terry Baggs, DCMA-Detroit BCT-IAV
We see them everyday, those yellow ribbons that say Support Our Troops. Most people put them on their cars and that is the extent of their actions. There is one group of people however who recently put their words into action.
Around 4:00pm on December 28, 2004 the call came from Stryker Program Office that Iraq needed the balance of the Mortar Carrier, Infantry Carrier, and Commanders Vehicle Slat Armor Kits in storage at Joint Systems Manufacturing Center-Lima.
Hero to Hero
The following is an article about the Hero to Hero project and the recovery of Larry Kaibetoney, who was seriously injured in the mess hall explosion. Thanks to Dawn for the link.
Link to Full Article
by Shanon Burke, The Herald
Sometimes the reasons for a project are stationed far away in Iraq and organizers can hear stories told through e-mails, phone calls and letters.
On Jan. 15, however, Hero to Hero organizers and Central Pierce firefighters got to hear a first-hand account of life in Iraq, and be reminded of the importance of the part they play.
Iraqis' safe sign created in region
Link to Full Article
By MELISSA WESTPHAL, Rockford Register Star
MACHESNEY PARK -- Signs made in the Rock River Valley will let Iraqis know their polling places are safe as they vote next week during national elections.
The iridescent signs were printed by Interstate Graphics Inc., a nearly 20-year-old printing company in Machesney Park owned by John Norwood Sr. and his sons, John and Jim. [...]
"Hero to Hero" will be "Kruisin' for Kaibetoney"
Liz Jackson and other volunteers with the Hero to Hero (H2H) pledge drive will be at it again this Saturday, January 8th. They will be collecting shirts in the Puget Sound region from Fire & Police Departments to send to the troops in Iraq. Saturday's "Stomp" will be dedicated to Larry Kaibetoney, who was seriously injured in the Mosul bombing recently. His wife Chani is a volunteer with H2H. A full press release is included below.
What can we do?
In the wake of last week's events we've received a number of emails asking if anything can be done to assist the affected families. We've included links to a number of organizations that accept donations below, but please feel free to share your ideas in the comments section as well.
A Soldier and His Dog
This is a "must read" (or "must listen" in this case) for long time visitors. Rick & Nancy, a.k.a. Dog Sitter & Alpha Dog Sitter, have been contributors to this site since the beginning. Ever wonder how they came up with those nicknames? Well, listen to this story from NPR to find out. This segment, which was produced by a local NPR affiliate, was picked up and broadcast nationally. Stay strong Cooper!
Officers Donate Equipment to Help Iraqi Police
Registration required to view full article. Fricke has a son with the 1/25 SBCT as well.
Link to Full Article
By Amanda Covarrubias, Times Staff Writer
When U.S. Army Maj. Daniel E. Fricke visited police stations in Iraq this year, he was surprised by what he didn't see flak jackets, gun belts, flashlights and batons.
As a sergeant with the Los Angeles School Police Department, which serves the Los Angeles Unified School District's 1,042 campuses, he knows how difficult it is to conduct police work even under the best circumstances.
Thanksgiving
I wanted to take a moment to recognize some of the people and organizations that have been particulary generous to the soldiers in the Stryker Brigades, and their families (see list below). I encourage everyone to take a few minutes to visit their sites and learn more about the incredible work they do. Thank you.
CALLING ALL ANGELS...AND STRYKERS!!!
We posted a press release earlier this week about the "Conquer The Corridor" event this Saturday to collect t-shirts for the Hero to Hero pledge drive. Liz Jackson posted an online invite with the hopes of getting a few SBCT soldiers to join them. Details below:
Conquering the Corridor
The following is a press release for the Hero to Hero (H2H) project being led by Liz Jackson. Many of the shirts collected last year went to the 3-2 SBCT. This year a number of units with the 1-25 SBCT will receive shirts. Thanks Liz!
Veterans Day a time to think of past, present
Do you know how the 172nd at Ft. Wainwright (the 3rd SBCT) is historically connected to the origins of Veterans Day? Read the following column to find out.
[Link to Full Article]
By TERRY HALL
Today we remember the end of World War I and celebrate the sacrifices of countless veterans upon whose shoulders this country was built.
It was during the 11th month of 1918, on the 11th day, at the 11th hour that the final shot of WWI was fired by a howitzer from the 11th Field Artillery Regiment. The soldiers of that day, as was their custom, affectionately named their howitzers. The gun that fired the final round was called Calamity Jane.
Yes, Lieutenant, there is a Santa Claus
Here's an article I missed over the weekend.
[Link to Full Article]
DAVID WICKERT; The News Tribune
Between the candy, the clothes and the compact discs, thousands of U.S. soldiers in Iraq will enjoy a surprise visit from Santa Claus this season, thanks to a dedicated group of Puget Sound-area volunteers.
More than 150 people traveled to a Renton farm on Saturday to ready more than 500 boxes full of holiday cheer for about 3,000 men and women in uniform.
Were going to spoil those kids so bad theyre not going to want to come home, said Nadine Gulit, a volunteer for Operation Support Our Troops.
Gift packages send troops message
Susan Sutter gets a brief mention in the following article.
[Link to Full Article]
By ETTA WALSH
CHICOPEE - Over the weekend, Mabel Charron of Ludlow played hostess to her brothers and sisters for a packaging event in which the group prepared boxes of items requested by troops stationed in Iraq.
Charron and sister Donna Goodreau, an advertising manager at The Republican, had already sent some items to great-nephew Army Pfc. Justin R. Colby, 20, a medic with the 2nd Infantry in Iraq.
Colby had asked his parents, Tammy and Butch Colby of Ludlow, to send some routine items that would make life a little easier.
Gift packages send troops message
Susan Sutter gets a brief mention in the following article.
[Link to Full Article]
By ETTA WALSH
CHICOPEE - Over the weekend, Mabel Charron of Ludlow played hostess to her brothers and sisters for a packaging event in which the group prepared boxes of items requested by troops stationed in Iraq.
Charron and sister Donna Goodreau, an advertising manager at The Republican, had already sent some items to great-nephew Army Pfc. Justin R. Colby, 20, a medic with the 2nd Infantry in Iraq.
Colby had asked his parents, Tammy and Butch Colby of Ludlow, to send some routine items that would make life a little easier.
Cell Phones For Soldiers
[Link to Full Article]
By Bob Hill
[...] One of those soldiers is David Hill, 28, a St. Xavier graduate who earned a degree in political science at the University of North Texas. He then enlisted in the service, earned his wings in airborne at Fort Benning, is now driving an armored vehicle with the 25th Infantry Division, Stryker Brigade in northern Iraq. He married his girlfriend of four years one month before he went over; he won't get home until next October.
"David's always talked about the military," said his mother, Ellen Eirk. "He played soldier as a little boy. ... Now he's already been shot at and you name it."
About six weeks ago, she saw a television segment about a program called Cell Phones for Soldiers see cellphonesforsoldiers.com. It was started in Massachusetts by two children, who, after hearing a news report about a local soldier running up a $7,600 phone bill, started a campaign to raise money for calling cards.
Inspiration for campaign back from war front
You might remember Christopher Loverro as the soldier behind Operation Pencil, Operation Blanket.
[Link to Full Article]
by JENNIFER JACKSON
PORT TOWNSEND -- It was a reunion Wednesday for an effort that spanned halfway around the world.
Chris Loverro, the Army Reserve staff sergeant whose chance meeting with a Port Townsend woman led to community-wide support for humanitarian aide programs in Iraq, is back in the United States.
En route to his California home, Loverro stopped in Port Townsend to reunite with Carrie Pierce -- and personally remove the yellow ribbons tied around her apple tree.
Washington State Stomp
Liz Jackson of Patriotic Pastime has organized a Washington State Stomp this weekend to promote the Hero to Hero project. Follow the link to read more and see how you might be able to help. The 3-2 SBCT received many of the t-shirts from last year's campaign - be sure to check out the photos from the soldiers in Iraq.
Army wife authors book From Pebble to Rock
[Link to Article]
By Staff Sgt. Russell Bassett
FORT EUSTIS, Va. (Army News Service, Oct. 15, 2004) -- The wife of a Fort Eustis Soldier has decided to tell a side of war that doesnt receive much publicity: the story of mothers and wives left behind when their sons and husbands deploy.
Patti Correa, spouse of Sgt. 1st Class Edward Correa, truck master with the 155th Transportation Company at Fort Eustis, has written a book, From a Pebble to a Rock, in which she tells the true-life stories of wives and mothers forced to deal with life without their husbands and sons when they deploy.
Usually we just hear the story about the Soldiers, said Correa, whose book was released by Xulon Press this month. The Soldiers story is important, but we need to tell the story of the wives and mothers on the home front.
Steakhouse Marks Year Honoring Troops With Weekly Dinners
Ladymaine sent this timely article today that I wanted to share.
[Link to Article]
By Samantha L. Quigley, American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Oct. 16, 2004 -- They've been gathering at Fran O'Brien's Stadium Steakhouse in the Capital Hilton here on Friday nights for a year now, but this week was different.
On Oct. 15, a group of injured servicemembers from Walter Reed Army Medical Center and the National Naval Medical Center at Bethesda, Md., were joined by family and friends to be recognized by dignitaries, veterans service organizations and Iraqi citizens.
Hal Koster, co-owner of Fran O'Brien's, opened "A Tribute to U.S. Troops" with praise for the troops he said have become like family.
Stryker Car Magnets
Dave & Charlotte have tackled numerous projects to benefit the Stryker family. This summer they designed a car magnet for the 3-2 SBCT and recently completed a design for the 1-25 SBCT. Provided below are all the details about how to get one (or five or ten), including a photo of the design. Thanks you guys!
UPDATE 02/16/05: Dave and Charlotte are all out of magnets.
OSOT Newsletter
Operation Support Our Troops has posted its October newsletter where you can read about the group's recent activities. In particular, OSOT helped raise over $20,000 for Trevor Phillips, a Stryker soldier seriously injured in Iraq.
Soldier gives thanks to students
[Link to Full Article]
HEATHER WOODWARD THE OLYMPIAN
TUMWATER -- Kindergarteners and third-graders at Peter G. Schmidt Elementary School spent hours in the spring collecting toiletries and munchies to send to soldiers serving in Iraq.
Some students wrote a letter; others wrote four or five. Many parents donated money to cover the postage.
The effort was personal.
Operation Iraq: The Spirit of Christmas Volunteers Seeking Support
Here's a recent press release from a local organization that is sending Christmas packages to deployed soldiers.
KIRKLAND, WA (PRWEB) September 30, 2004 -- A can-do attitude by a core group of volunteers means thousands of U.S. troops in Iraq are likely to receive holiday gift boxes this year from Kirklands Operation Iraq: The Spirit of Christmas project.
Kirkland retailer Ruth Ann Young, who organized last years undertaking that generated more than 6,000 parcels, said volunteers who wanted to repeat the effort this year had to overcome a number of obstacles that until last week left the prospects in doubt.
Bridal shop offers free gowns to military couples
I thought this was a nice local story - saw it on the news last night.
[Link to Full Article]
By Karen Jowers, Times staff writer
A Seattle-area bridal shop has joined other shops around the country that have offered free wedding gowns to military couples to show their support for those in uniform.
La Belle Mariee Bridal will give away 100 wedding dresses on Sept. 26 to eligible military couples.
The shop, in Kirkland, Wash., will open its doors at 10 a.m., when the first 50 people will be allowed to shop for any dress among 400 in the store, ranging from size 4 to 26, worth an estimated $1,200 each.
Articles Of Interest
I've been collecting a number of non-Stryker related articles that I thought might be of interest. Rather than post them all separately I've listed the article titles below and will let you click through to read the full article if you see something you like.
Chaplains' Redeployment Advice
I'm sure many families have been receiving (or will shortly) redeployment advice from their Family Readiness Groups, but parents, extended family and friends might not have access to such information. The Army's Chaplain Corps has put together a very useful resource page. Take a moment to read the information provided, particularly in the "Tri-fold brochures for soldiers and loved ones" section.
3-2 SBCT reunion seminars
The Fort Lewis Family Focus website has posted some information and registration forms for spouses of the deployed soldiers. Hopefully, there will be additional information posted in the future pertaining to friends and family of the deployed soldiers. (hint, hint)
3d Stryker Brigade Combat Team
REUNION SEMINAR INFORMATION
5, 6 and 7 October 2004
6:30 - 9:30 each night
Come and Join Us! Open to all spouses of the 3d Brigade Combat Team
T-Shirt Project
UPDATE: Final call for getting in on this great project. Ardis says "I will accept mail-orders that come in that were postmarked September, 15th.
People can also call us directly or send a fax. The fax process has been working great. I am totally thrilled at the support that this project has received."
Another Stryker family has decided to take on a merchandise project. Ardis & Lowell Kenney have designed a t-shirt that is now available for purchase. Provided below is a message from them, which includes a bit of background on the project, a photo of the design, and order forms that you can print out and mail to them. Thanks guys!
From cheese grits to flea collars
Interesting article with good information about groups such as the Fallen Heroes Fund and the Military Pets Foster Project (Dog Sitter?).
[Link to Full Article]
By Carly Baldwin, The Christian Science Monitor
NEW YORK After her cousin was deployed to Iraq, Nicole Bargallo wanted to support the war effort. Yet working full time at a New York law firm, she was at a loss for how and when to help. So when her firm, Greenberg Traurig, decided to send care packages to soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan, she eagerly lent a hand.
"I collected money from people throughout the office," she recalls, standing amid boxes packed with energy bars, disposable cameras, children's drawings, and flea collars that soldiers wear on their ankles to ward off sand flies.
Veterans hope to clean up with fund-raiser
As I understand it, the 1-25 is one of the units that will be adopted by this VFW chapter.
[Link to Full Article]
By BRAD WONG, SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER
REDMOND -- It may look like just another car wash, a flurry of soapy water gliding over the hoods, doors and trunks of automobiles outside the Veterans of Foreign Wars hall here Sunday.
But Seattle-area veterans who belong to Lake Washington Post No. 2995 and family members of military personnel in Iraq and Afghanistan hope their brawn will produce much more than shiny automobiles.
Veterans Sell Dog Tags For Scholarship Fund
I found this article because it mentions Matt Stovall and thought some of you might be interested in the dog tags this group is selling.
Mitzi Breazeale of Gulfport earns the honor of being the first Mississippian to buy a set of military dog tags. She's about to get it engraved.
Mitzi Breazeale said "It is going to say help pray and support our troops for a safe return. I'm going to wear it with pride".
On Wednesday, members of the "Military Order of the Purple Heart" began selling military dog tags. The metal tags are used to identify soldiers. Purple Heart recipient Ray Funderburk came up with the idea to start selling it to the public.
What's for Dinner?
[Link to Full Article]
By Heidi Home Alone
(This vignette describes the trials and triumphs of spouses of deployed service members. It is one of several we will present, authored by a group of 1st Cavalry Division spouses who write under the pen name Heidi Home Alone.)
At the beginning of the deployment, I really missed the fact that my husband wasn't around to go to the commissary with me. OK, fine, so he never went to the commissary with me when he was here - but hey the opportunity was always there. I don't think that I fully appreciated being able to go to the commissary by myself until school got out for the summer and my group of constant chaperones made sure that I was never lonely again! There really is nothing more frustrating than having to fight with my children over which kind of cereal we were getting or what candy at the checkout line. So, now that school is back in session, the commissary and I have once again found a happy medium!
Homefront Projects
There are a number of projects and issues affecting the troops and their families that we wanted to make you aware of. Provided below is additional information about the Spirit of Christmas care package project, the kick-off for the Hero to Hero pledge drive, a Congressional bill that needs our support, and two organizations that offer free services for expecting wives with deployed husbands.
I'm a bit behind in posting some of this information, which I apologize for.
Love & marriage, Army style
This is a great column written by Karin - whose husband is an officer with the Stryker Brigade - and published by Army Times. Thanks for sharing.
My husband and I have a true Army story, starting when I met a skinny, stinky, soldier on break from Ranger school. He was caked in dirt but full of energy.
Little did I realize I was looking at my future husband, the man who would be the father of my children.
I had dropped out of college and was staying with friends in Georgia. These same friends were helping out a group of future Rangers, including Jim. While most guys took advantage of the hospitality and slept on the floor, Jim stayed awake and spent the time talking with me except when he made a phone call to his fiance.
Stryker Gear
We've talked about it for a while now, but we are finally able to offer some Stryker gear for sale. Read the details below.
Stryker Gear
We've talked about it for a while now, but we are finally able to offer some Stryker gear for sale. Read the details below.
Susan Sutter Update
Susan recently sent me an email with updates on a couple projects she's working on. Read below for all the details.
March for military families swells
Follow the link below for more details on the march.
[Link to Full Article]
CHRISTIAN HILL, THE OLYMPIAN
LACEY -- The Hawks Prairie Rotary will have its second Military Family Support March on Sept. 11 and expects a much larger turnout than last year.
The event has grown by leaps and bounds since 2003, when it first drew attention to the financial plight of many family members whose loved ones are deployed overseas in support of the fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Hero to Hero '05 Kickoff
Liz Jackson of Patriotic Pastime has been keeping us up to date on her "Hero to Hero" (H2H) pledge drive. If you recall, Liz and her son made a road trip across the U.S. this summer to spread the word and collect shirts for the campaign. You can view all the photos from their trip here.
The official kickoff for the campaign is coming up on September 11th. If you have contacts with Police or Fire Departments please visit her website to find out how to get involved. As we mentioned previously, this year H2H is, "dedicated to the life & memory of two heroes, killed in the line of duty... US Army Stryker, Sgt Jacob Robert Herring & Tacoma, Washington Motorcycle Police Officer, James G. Lewis."
Car Magnet Update
If you ordered a Stryker Car Magnet, Dave & Charlotte let us know that they will be shipping out this week. Check your mailbox soon.
Surprise!
Blackfive shares a great story about a homecoming for a Marine in California.
Thanks for Caring
The following letter to the editor was written by the mother of a soldier with the 1-25 SBCT.
[Link to Full Article]
Dear Dr. Joe,
Just to let you know how deeply I appreciated your article this week sharing a very sensitive observation of a young soldier just returning home. I'm sure your reaching out to him to show recognition for what he has done and your appreciation meant a lot to him. My son, Mark Alan Bishop Jr., is also in the army, having joined prior to 9/11, and has also been an U.S. Army Ranger receiving a commendation award for his bravery in Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. He will soon be deploying to Iraq for one year with the D Co., 52 INF REG Stryker Combat Team based in Ft. Lewis, Washington.
The reason for my letter is to respond to your effort to find ways for our community to remember and honor these brave young men who are so far from home. I have found a wonderful small organization called, OPERATION GRATITUDE!
Standing tall
Yvonne sent us this story about a camp for children of deployed soldiers with the 133rd Engineer Battalion.
[Link to Full Article]
by Bill Nemitz
GILEAD - Adam Madore, a 10-year-old boy on a mission, wore his thoughts on his camouflage sleeve . . . and his camouflage pants . . . and his shiny black combat boots.
"I basically live in a military atmosphere," he explained Thursday as other kids ran every which way in bright colored T-shirts, baggy shorts and scuffed sneakers. Looking down at his pants, already fading from near constant use, he added quietly, "My dad got me these."
Operation AC
Shane sent us a link to an organization called Operation Air Conditioner. The group has many projects to benefit the troops, but the primary mission is to send A/C units to Iraq and Afghanistan. If you are a deployed servicemember, a family member of a deployed servicemember, or someone who is interested in donating to this cause, take minute to visit the link above.
Ben Stein Letter
Last week we posted an email from a Stryker soldier written after reading a column by Ben Stein. Karen corresponded with Mr. Stein, who allowed her to post a letter he wrote honoring the spouses of deployed service members. Another must read.
Safeway Inc. Announces ''Operation Care Packages'' to Iraq
BELLEVUE, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 23, 2004--In support of the many soldiers serving in Iraq, Safeway Inc. announced plans to send care packages from local communities to local heroes every month. Beginning in September 2004, one Safeway store each in Washington, Montana, and Alaska will serve as a collection point for community residents to donate items for a care package that will be mailed, compliments of Safeway, to soldiers in Iraq.
Families with loved ones serving in Iraq, who would like to shower them with a surprise care package, are encouraged to submit an entry to Safeway (see details below). The collection site will change based upon the entries received. The family of the selected entry will be responsible for: recruiting a minimum of 4 volunteers to collect donated items from 10:00 am - 5:00 pm on the designated Saturday at their store, pack the donated merchandise in boxes, and deliver the addressed packages to the agreed upon mailing location. Safeway will: provide flyers to be handed out to customers with a suggested list of product donations, send press releases to the local newspapers about the care package collections and pay for postage to mail the packages to our soldiers in Iraq.
These kids are veterans, too
[Link to Full Article]
JEFFREY P. MAYOR; The News Tribune
At the age of 13, Kyla is a veteran of overseas deployments.
Her father, a Washington National Guardsman, has been sent out of the country several times. He is due to be shipped out again next month.
Under Wednesday's sunny skies, however, the Spanaway teenager was thinking more about swimming and fishing in American Lake during the five-day Operation Military Kids. [...]
Free day care may be available for those on R&R
Stars and Stripes
European edition, Wednesday, July 21, 2004
ARLINGTON, Va. National Guard and Reserve troops home from Iraq and Afghanistan on two weeks leave could have access to free hours of day care.
The National Association of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies launched Operation Child Care to put Guard and Reserve troops home on U.S. Central Commands 15-day Rest and Recuperation leave program in touch with more than 5,000 child-care providers nationwide who offer at least four hours of free child-care service, executive director Linda Smith said.
Project: We Care
The following is part of an email we received from Melanie Turner at Power Tech Training.
We are currently launching a project to benefit the spouses and families of deployed soldiers. The project has been entitled Project: We Care. We are providing free access to our high-speed internet access, equipment, and facilities for the families of deployed soldiers. We are also planning to provide digital photographs and video clips of the family members that they will be able to send to their loved ones in Iraq. We are also planning a Project: We Care Day of Fun at our Lakewood campus.
The school is also offering big discounts on its Office Administration class. For more information you can reach Melanie at (253) 582-7388.
Visit to Walter Reed
Barbara, a Stryker mom, recently made a visit to Walter Reed Army Hospital along with Sharla from the support group 4 The Troops. She kept a diary of her visit and wanted to share this amazing experience with the rest of us. Thanks Barbara and Sharla!
Visit to Walter Reed
Barbara, a Stryker mom, recently made a visit to Walter Reed Army Hospital along with Sharla from the support group 4 The Troops. She kept a diary of her visit and wanted to share this amazing experience with the rest of us. Thanks Barbara and Sharla!
Operation BBQ NW
We just wanted to take a minute to publicly recognize one of the groups that helped make the Rally For The Troops event such a success. Konrad "Teddy Bear" Haskins and his wife Phyllis own Operation BBQ NW, which donated 1,200 meals at the event. Their generosity raised $6,000 - money that will be given to the SBCT's 3/2 Family Readiness Group. Konrad has added a few of his photos from Sunday to our rally album.
They also hosted a Dependants BBQ yesterday at Ft. Lewis for 250 family members of Styker Brigade soldiers. You can view photos from that event in our gallery as well.
Thanks guys!
While You Were Away
I thought some of you might appreciate the following story.
[Link to Full Article]
By Heidi Home Alone
This vignette describes the trials and triumphs of spouses of deployed service members. It is one of several we will present, authored by a group of 1st Cavalry Division spouses who write under the pen name Heidi Home Alone.
FORT HOOD, Texas, July 15, 2004 Well, here we are a good four months into this little exercise called deployment! My lawnmower and other yard tools have come to an agreement: basically, I don't use them and they don't frustrate me. But I have yet to get the same cooperation from my computer and printer.
Adopting Soldiers
The following articles describe the efforts of two groups to provide care packages to deployed soldiers. We will add the groups' websites to our links page, where we list a number of other organizations offering similar services.
Motorcyclists rally to support U.S. troops in Iraq
Provided below are articles and links describing the Ride For The Troops sponsored by Destination Harley. Proceeds from the event will benefit the families of the Stryker Brigade. Way to go!
Rally for the Troops
I received this email today from Destination Harley-Davidson
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Rally for the Troops at Destination Harley-Davidson.
Tacoma, WA July 11, 2004 - All monies raised will go to the families of the
Stryker Brigades Task Force Olympia.
The ride will be going down I-5 past all the forts and turning around at
Mounts Road exit and returning to the dealership for the rally. We
currently have 500 bikes pre-registered for the event.
The Regulars
The following is a nice story from a local television station. Susan Sutter collected 10 shopping carts full of goods and raised $2,200. My wife and I stopped by and had a very nice chat with Susan - a truly inspiring woman.
[Link to Full Article]
By Matt Markovich
KING COUNTY - Susan Sutter is constantly saying "thank you."
"Oh my God, thank you so much!" she says to a person who has just put a bag of food inside a shopping cart outside the Rose Hill Safeway in Kirkland.
For nine hours, people have been giving her food and money for her unusual drive.
Ride & Rally For the Troops
Dawn asked if we could post some information about an upcoming motorcycle rally sponsored by Destination Harley to support the troops and their families here at home. Provided below is the email she sent to us, followed by information from the event's official flyer. I don't think I would be able to keep up on my bicycle, but if any of you participate let us know how it goes.
UPDATE 7/1: BG Carter Ham might speak to the rally from Iraq and has sent DVDs of the troops that will be played on the tv monitors at Destination Harley. Even if you don't ride you can be part of the "Foot Brigade" that will gather at Overpass 122 at 10 AM. Additionally, there will be a party at Destination Harley from 2 PM to 5 PM with full BBQ lunch, live music, Color Guard, banner signing, a beer garden, and raffles. All active duty military and family of active duty military can eat for free.
A gift of the Fourth of July at home
The following is a great article describing what one community has done for deploying soldiers.
[Link to Full Article]
By Kris Axtman, The Christian Science Monitor
BATON ROUGE, LA. Kelsey Mire can locate Iraq on a globe. It took some practice, but the 5-year-old has it down. First, she finds her home state of Louisiana, then slowly twists the globe to the left, tracing her finger over a big white blob - the Pacific Ocean - and past a patchwork of shapes until she finds Iraq nestled half a world away from this Cajun country.
"That's where my daddy's going," she says, having found it proudly. "He's going to Iraq to make the whole world safe."
U.S. troops, Iraqi children benefit from local donations
The membership of the John B. Handte American Legion Post 89 of Vestal thanks all of the students, parents, teachers and staff of the Vestal/Apalachin schools, businesses, people and communities of this valley for their overwhelming and generous donations in support of the Iraqi children and the soldiers of the 37th Field Artillery Battalion, Stryker Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division.
Hero to Hero Road Trip Recap
Liz Jackson is back from her cross country trek with her son Bo. She covered 9,000 miles in three weeks to kick off the 2005 Hero to Hero pledge drive. Read her trip summary and take a look at a few photos (more to follow).
Operation S Fly
Sgt. Hook, currently deployed in Afghanistan, has decided to start a shoe drive for kids in that country. If you have any extra shoes that might otherwise go to the Goodwill, head over to Hook's place for the details.
While you're there be sure to read this story.
War Torn
Parenting advice for those left at home.
[Link to Full Article]
Richard Hanlin is a North Beach landlord and the father of a paratrooper.
Somewhere there must be a parenting book with a section titled: "When Your Child Goes to War." In case one doesn't exist, I'll make a contribution. My credentials: Our son, Max, is an infantry officer with the Stryker Brigade in Mosul, Iraq, FOB (Forward Operating Base) Regular.
Springs streets fill for troops homecoming
Colorado Spings rolled out the red carpet for a contingent of Fort Carson soldiers that just returned from Iraq. This is wonderful to see, but hardly surprising for a city that's home to Fort Carson, NORAD, Peterson Air Force Base, Shriever Air Force Base and the Air Force Academy. I spent four years in the Springs going to school, so I know first-hand the respect the community has for our military men and women.
[Link to Full Article]
By JEREMY MEYER and SHANNON HOUGHTON
Tens of thousands of people filled downtown sidewalks Saturday morning, bellowing thank you, waving American flags and cheering for troops marching in Colorado Springs Welcome Home Parade.
Residents turned out en masse to celebrate its servicemen and women. Organizers estimated 80,000 people lined the streets for the two-hour parade through the heart of downtown.
Stryker Family Run
Here's another great event organized by the 5-20 Family Readiness Group. On June 26 it is sponsoring "The Race for Home", a Stryker Family Run at Ft. Lewis. The race includes a 5k and a 10k run/walk. This is only as competitive as folks want it to be - it is for runners, walkers, and couch-potatoes alike. Provided below is a portion of the race flyer with all the details. Time to pull those running shoes out of deep-storage.
BOOK PATCH LIBRARY SUMMER EVENTS
Kim wanted to let Ft. Lewis families know about a summer reading program for kids of all ages at the Book Patch Library on base. Provided below are the details from the program flyer. This sounds like fun for the kids and might give some of you a little "alone time".
Operation Purple
This is important information for military families with children.
[Link to Full Article] (Full text provided below)
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, June 2, 2004 A major American corporation and a military-related nonprofit organization are partnering to send military kids to camp this summer.
The National Military Family Association and Sears, Roebuck and Co. are working together to make Operation Purple possible.
Blue Star Mothers pay tribute
[Link to Full Article]
By Carol Rock, Staff Writer
VALENCIA -- There are almost as many blue stars as there are green leaves in three trees next to Santa Clarita City Hall, thanks to the efforts of the Blue Star Mothers.
Laminated stars, emblazoned with the name, rank and service branch of each Santa Clarita resident currently in the service went up a year ago and have increased twice since that initial decoration. According to the group, there are more than 700 active military personnel who call Santa Clarita home.
Adopt A Stryker Soldier
Marilyn wanted to let everyone know about a group organizing an adoption program for Stryker soldiers. Click on over to Adopt-A-Stryker Soldier for more information if you're interested in adopting a soldier, or want to submit a soldier's name to be adopted.
Operation "Support Our Troops"
A couple weeks ago we linked to an article about a VFW post in Michigan that, along with a project manager for the Stryker Brigade Combat Team, decided to adopt the Stryker Brigade. Keith Whitten, the project manager, sent us an email yesterday to give us an update on the group's progress. To date Support Our Troops has shipped 1,848 pounds of goods, which are now en route to the brigade from Germany. Keith said he would forward photos of the donations arriving in Iraq.
This is an ongoing effort so if you happen to live near St. Clair Shores or Warren, Michigan and would like to get involved, we've provided contact information below. Thank you Support Our Troops for your efforts, they are much appreciated.
Where moms get their news about the war
Another editorial that many of you can probably relate to.
[Link to Full Article]
by Tim Chavez
Don't come up to Jamie Young, Martha Morris or Donna Clemons and ask these local mothers what they think about the war in Iraq.
That's a stupid question.
MercyMe Receives Emotional Letter
I've never heard of this band before, but obviously many others have.
NASHVILLE, Tenn., May 20 /PRNewswire/ -- Award-winning band MercyMe has recently announced that the June 22nd release of the I CAN ONLY IMAGINE gift book by J Countryman publishers will include a letter the band received from Lt. Col. Joseph Piek, currently stationed in Mosul, Iraq with the 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, the U.S. Army's first Stryker Brigade Combat Team.
Family relies on faith, fellowship
[Link to Full Article]
By BECKY SHAY, Of The Gazette Staff
Bryan and Ruth Gifford have prayed for their children since they were in the womb.
More than 20 years later, with their boys both serving in Iraq, the family's prayers are the same: May they be in God's protection.
Shop Owner Turns Bad Luck into Good
Congratulations to Ruth Ann Young. We linked to a story about her a while back.
[Link to Full Article]
By Rudi Williams, American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, May 19, 2004 When tragedy struck Ruth Ann Young of Kirkland, Wash., during the summer of 2003, she turned her bad luck into good luck for more than 6,000 service members on the battlefields of Iraq.
A taste of home in Iraq
[Link to Full Article]
By LAURA INCALCATERRA, THE JOURNAL NEWS
Cookies have never tasted as good as the ones Maj. Joseph Davidson has been eating.
The 37-year-old Davidson, who grew up in Congers, has been stationed in Iraq since November.
Hero to Hero '05
(We're posting this entry again because Liz has confirmed her itinerary, which has been updated below.)
Most of you are probably familiar with Liz Jackson - she's involved with numerous projects through her Patriotic Pastime website. One of those projects was "Hero to Hero" (Seattle P-I article here), where stateside heroes donated a signed hat or t-shirt to send to the troops overseas. It was a big success and Liz is now getting ready to kick off the 2005 "Hero to Hero" pledge drive, which includes a cross-country trek.
Provided below is an email from Liz with all the details. You'll notice that the project is dedicated to Sgt. Jacob Herring, who was a relative of Liz's. Please let her know if you can help, especially if you have contacts in any of the cities she and her son will be visiting. Good luck Liz & Bo!
UPDATE: If you would like to make a contribution you can do so on the Donation Page at her website.
VFW Post works to get comforts to our troops
Gene, you should try and get in touch with these guys - they're in your neck of the woods.
[Link to Full Article]
By:Tom Watts, Macomb Daily Staff Writer
Baby wipes and flea collars could mean the difference between misery and sanity for U.S. troops serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.
While such items are not readily available overseas, Allen Galdys of the VFW Bruce Post Men's Auxiliary in St. Clair Shores, along with Keith Whitten, are leading the call for donations by collecting more than 30,000 items and preparing them for shipment.
McKinley kids aid Iraqi students at Mosul
[Link to Full Article]05/14/04
By JACK STOREY/The Evening News
SAULT STE. MARIE -- There may be no McKinley School next fall but first-graders there are making it their business to see that school kids in Mosul, Iraq have some of the school supplies they need.
All next week, the McKinley first-graders will be selling "Mr. Freezies" frozen fruit-flavored treats from 11:50 a.m. to 12:25 p.m. at the school. Earnings from the lunch-hour sale will be used to fill a school "care package" for one of several schools in the Mosul area repaired or rebuilt by US Army units in the region.
War through the eyes of a Marine's dad
How many of you can relate to the emotions expressed in this column?
[Link to Full Article]
By Frank Schaeffer
THE UNTHINKABLE: My youngest son, my friend, my fishing partner, the little boy I had patted to sleep, was at war. The traditional father-son roles were reversed. My child risked his life to protect me. And I was powerless to help him. I had unwittingly joined the ranks of the tens of thousands of family members for whom sick dread has been a way of life since we went to war in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Mother's Day
Kelly from R Place of Refuge wanted to pass along a message to those of you that were able to attend the Mother's Day celebration last Saturday. She also wanted to get any feedback you might have. Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section.
LI soldiers abroad call home
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BY JENNIFER SINCO KELLEHER, STAFF WRITER
[...] In Rocky Point, the mother of an Army captain stationed in northern Iraq waited for her Mother's Day greeting.
"I'm kind of hoping he will call this morning," Susan Fyfe said. "That, to me, will be the best Mother's Day present."
A band of runners
[Link to Full Article]
LYSA PON GARBER, THE OLYMPIAN
Days after their husbands were sent to Iraq, Janene LeMay, Debbie DiRocco and Janice Kern started training for their first half-marathon.
"We needed something to do that was productive and had a purpose," said LeMay of Lacey. Their husbands left for Iraq in January.
Boeing Salute to Armed Forces Night
On Wednesday, April 7th Boeing will sponsor a "Salute to Armed Forces Night" at the Mariners' second game of the season. From the Seattle Mariners website:
The Mariners and Boeing are proud to salute the men and women defending the freedom of our country all over the world. The first 20,000 fans will receive a commemorative Mariners military coin. Tickets for military personnel are available for $10.
For more information follow the link above.
UPDATE: Seattle radio station KVI 570 AM is running a content to coincide with the game. "Tell John Carlson about the special service member in your life and why you would like to take him or her to the Seattle Mariners Salute to Armed Forces Night." If your story is selected you will win tickets to the game. I asked and spouses and families of deployed soldiers are eligible for the contest. Deadline to enter is Wednesday, March 31st.
Prayer For the Troops
Gene forwarded this prayer, which I wanted to pass along to all of you:
Lord, hold our troops in your loving hands. Protect them as they protect us. Bless them and their families for the selfless acts they perform for us in our time of need. I ask this in the name of thy Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. Amen
