Valentine's Brunch and Pampering Party

On Saturday, February 11th the Soldiers' Angels Support Center in San Antonio played host to a females only event. Attending were Veterans, active duty, wounded females, and spouses, wives, girlfriends of those recovering at the Fischer House here in San Antonio.

It was a glorious day, the women were pampered by KM Impressions out of Schertz, Texas and the Paul Mitchell School in San Antonio, Texas. Everyone that chose to got their makeup air brushed. They looked FANTASTIC! The ladies also enjoyed getting hair cuts, and styles. We were literally astonished how gorgeous these women looked!

Brunch was provided by, My Fit Foods and Trini Cakes Cupcakery, both out of San Antonio. It was delicious food! And the cupcakes, mmmmmm! AMAZING!

All in attendance were showered with gifts from the Mediterranean Day Spa, Gourmet Body Treats, Bad Girlz of Texas, Applebee's and independent donors and gift bags from Soldiers' Angels and the girl scout troop in New Braunfels, Texas.

We had a guest speaker, Mrs. Janette Devolt, a Vietnam Veteran, spoke to them about how important it is to have a support system and to remember that it is ok to have a little "ME" time.

Chaunte Myers of Grace After Fire, a Texas Non-Profit organization for female veterans spoke about their peer counseling support groups.

We felt that this event was needed, some of these mom's, girlfriends, wives, never leave their husbands sides while they are in recovery. They spend every single day at their side, making sure they are completely taken care of, and let themselves stay on the back burner. It was an amazing sight to see most of them get excited to have their hair done, something they haven't done since their loved one was injured.

Also, we felt it was important that our Veteran females know that we care about them too. They have sacrificed so much for us and our country, we felt they needed a day to feel the love that we hold for them.

It was an amazing day, filled with laughter, love and tears. We heard some amazing stories, and I felt so completely blessed at the end of the day. We absolutely can not wait to start planning our next event!

Angels & Raiders

Soldiers’ Angels is lending its name to the San Antonio Public Safety Raiders football team, making the Raiders the organization's first Veterans Outreach Program Sports Team. 

Part of the semi-pro, charity-focused National Public Safety Football League, the local Raiders team currently consists of San Antonio Police and Fire Department personnel, as well as military police, medics and firefighters.  The Outreach Program is sponsoring the Raiders to bring more awareness to veterans’ issues and develop future Veteran Public Safety Officers programs while supporting Soldiers’ Angels through funds raised at Raiders football games. 

The Raiders were founded last year by retired Staff Sergeant Stacey Corbin Stacey, a US Army veteran and public safety officer from Cleveland, Ohio who was recovering from spinal cord injuries in 2009-2011 at Brooke Army Medical Center (SAMMC). Now known as the San Antonio Raiders Public Safety Football Team, the Raiders have affiliated teams in New York City and Detroit, and plan to have one in every major city in the North America in the near future. To signify their association with Soldiers’ Angels, the San Antonio team’s new name will be Soldiers’ Angels San Antonio Raiders.

To support the Raiders’ expansion, the Raiders are seeking sponsors, volunteers to coach, cheerleaders, and helpers for home games. Players must be active or retired certified police officers, firefighters, paramedics/EMT's, corrections officers or FBI/DEA/ICE (etc.) to be eligible to play.  Active-duty military must have their commanding officer’s permission. The 2012 season starts in March in Charlotte, NC and ends in Detroit, MI on June 2, 2012 with a total of six games.  For more information, see www.saraiders.org or call 210-618-9565.

Bridging the Divide

From Nick Palmisciano, member, Soldiers' Angels Board of Trustees:

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To most people, the benefit of our troops’ contact with Soldiers’ Angels is obvious – our Angels provide comfort to those deployed, to those injured, and to those who have returned and need someone to hear their voice.  If these three functions alone showcased the full extent of what Soldiers’ Angels brought to the table, the organization would be absolutely invaluable to our servicemen and women.

In the last few years, however, I have noticed another incredible service that our Angels bring to the table – they bridge the military/civilian divide.

To the average citizen, this divide is most likely not apparent, and that makes sense, as most people have absolutely no interaction with our Armed Forces.   This is a marked change from the experience of previous generations.  During World War II, a full 11.5% of all Americans served in the war, which essentially equated to almost every able-bodied man available.  Everyone had multiple family members involved in the conflict and the war was very personal.  People were willing to sacrifice because they had skin in the game.  Limit fuel consumption?  Absolutely.  It might help dad.  Buy war bonds?  Of course.  My brother needs the money for ammunition.  Regardless of service status, nearly every man, woman or child had to sacrifice something, whether it was the loss of a loved one, years of separation, financial loss, or a lack of comfort items.  Every American’s life was changed markedly, and when the war ended, it was truly a victory for all.

Over time, however, service numbers have dropped, our economy has become more robust, and our politicians have created a system where the average American feels no change in lifestyle due to a wartime stance.

Only 0.45% of all Americans have been involved in the Global War on Terror, and the majority of those 0.45% are the children of veterans, thus we’re seeing the possible beginning of a small “warrior caste” emerge that is even further separated from the population at large.  Our taxes have not gone up to compensate for the increased spending necessary to fund the war.  We have not been asked to curb our use of fuel, rubber, or steel.  We have not been limited in the type of goods we can purchase.  In short, while war has raged on for ten years, most of us have had to contribute well…nothing.
 
At the same time, we’ve seen Congress whittle away troop benefits while discussing a large reduction in force, a possible reduction in retirement benefits, and a general disregard for troop quality of life and safety (multiple deployments without rest, lack of proper equipment, insufficient training time and ammunition, challenging ROE, etc.).  As there has been no outrage coming from the civilian world (because so few are directly affected), it’s easy for many troops to fall into an “us against them” thought process.  This gets exacerbated when the only time any troop issue does get attention and pressure is when there is a lapse in judgment (e.g. urination on the enemy dead), leaving troops feeling that no one cares if they are killed or wounded or live in rough conditions, but God forbid something unpalatable happens in the din of battle that might be distasteful for someone sitting on their couch watching the war on CNN.

The last piece of this disconnect comes when troops return home, finally, and rejoin the civilian world.  They enter a world that cannot fathom what they have gone through, that worries about insignificant challenges rather than life or death ones, and that views them as “broken” thanks to the media and Hollywood’s constant love affair with post-traumatic stress.  This anger and frustration often results in an inability to connect with potential employers and has resulted in the largest veteran unemployment rate in history.

And this is where you, as a Soldiers’ Angel, make all the difference.  Those letters and care packages sent to our deployed troops remind them that there are people who care for them – that appreciate their sacrifices.  Those Angels visiting the wounded in the hospitals and helping to solve their problems and provide them comfort proves to our heroes that there are some Americans willing to still give their time, effort, and money for our men and women in uniform.  And those Angels working to rehabilitate troops through our Heroes & Horses program, music programs, and homeless programs are helping provide that bridge back to normal life.

You see, what you may not realize is that receiving a care package isn’t a big deal because of what is in the care package, even though all the items are appreciated and needed.  These packages move the troops because they show that someone out there cares.  And when you’re sitting out there in a dusty post in the middle of a place you’d rather not be, having lost a friend or two and sacrificed a lot of time away from those you love, you need to know it matters every now and then.

Angels, for many people, you’re the only person letting them know it matters.

Please never forget that.

Thank you for all you do.

May no Soldier walk alone,

Nick Palmisciano

President

RangerUp.com

Nick is a former Army Ranger with post-9/11 service, and is the newest member of the Soldiers' Angels Board of Trustees.

Time to Restock!

From the Soldiers' Angels Warehouse facebook page:

Angels it is time to RESTOCK THE SA WAREHOUSE:

BEEF JERKY
TUNA POUCHES
PEANUTS
PEANUT BUTTER AND CRACKER SNACKS
RAMEN NOODLES
TOOTHBRUSHES
TOOTH PASTE
RAZOR
SHAVE CREAM
TRIAL SIZE SHAMPOO
TRIAL SIZE CONDITIONER
TRIAL SIZE DEODORANT
TRAIL SIZE BODY WASH

WE CAN DO THIS ANGELS!!

Project Valour-IT Auction LIVE!

The eBay auction with items donated to Soldiers' Angels in support of Project Valour-IT is now LIVE! There are 23 items up for bid, with auctions ending anywhere between early Sunday morning and mid-day Monday.  Auction items handcrafted jewelry, a handmade camo-print purse and consumer electronics.  Go check it out!

How to Turn Your Gift into a Laptop

11/01/11

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To honor America’s veterans and support Project Valour-IT, Soldiers’ Angels is holding an eBay auction on Veterans Day Weekend and your donations are needed to make it happen!

From patriotic to practical and beyond, your gift will help a severely-wounded hero receive an adaptive laptop from Soldiers' Angels.  We need to move quickly, but Angels have an amazing way of coming through under pressure!

To submit your item for auction or ask any questions, emailbeths@soldiersangels.org with subject line “Auction.”  Be sure to include ALL of the following in your email:

1. Quality photos of the item you are donating for auction
2. Full description of the item, appropriate for posting on eBay 
3. The minimum amount for which you want your item to sell 

Items must be mailed to Soldiers’ Angels as soon as possible (in most cases, before the auction is complete—shipping details will be provided when you email).

Billy D's BBQ Plate Fundraiser

If you are in the San Antonio area, there will be a barbecue plate fundraiser at Billy D's (1805 Pat Booker Road, Universal City) on Saturday, November 19 from noon until 9pm. From the flyer I picked up from the Soldiers' Angels table at the Randolph AFB Air Show October 29th:

Ribs
Chicken
Raffle
Silent Auction
Bouncy House (Noon to 6pm)
Stand-up Comedy featuring Anthony Tormo (7-9pm)

Crafts for Christmas event in San Antonio

On October 15th, the San Antonio Soldiers' Angels support center was taken over by kids! We had a fabulous day making Christmas cards for our troops.

We had over 30 children there. Unfortunately, there are no pictures of the children crafting away! An area children's shelter comes in once a month to volunteer, this month, they got a surprise and got to have a little fun! This meant that I could not take pictures of the kids. But I promise, we had way too much fun!

We made cards, sang Christmas carols, and talked about our deployed men and women. For young kids, they all seemed to understand what they were doing and why. It was such a blessing to spend a day with these children. I can not wait to do something like this again.

I want to thank the people that made this all happen. With out our sponsors this event could not have happened. From the bottom of my heart, THANK YOU! Kym's Kids, Logical Security and City Year. THANK YOU!!!!!

Soldiers' Angels mention at Big Hollywood

Our Florida Soldiers' Angel blogger sent a link to a story at Big Hollywood about a singer using his talents to support Soldiers' Angels:

Whenever we meet folks who take the time to show their appreciation to our brothers and sisters in uniform for all the sacrifices they have made and continue to make for freedom’s sake, we take an instant liking to them… especially when they turn out to be extraordinarily talented and are using that talent to support our troops.

That is exactly what singer-songwriter-musician and owner of Guilty Dog Studios Joe Merrick is doing.

Go read the whole thing.

Dine to Donate

Print this flyer, take it to one of the five San Antonio Applebee's restaurants and 15% of your bill will be donated to Soldiers' Angels:

11605 W. 1604 North

1305 N. Loop 1604 West

1511 S.W. Military Drive

7880 I-35 North (This location is close to the Soldiers' Angels Warehouse.)

97 Loop 410 N.E.

Military Post Offices in Iraq to Close Nov. 17

By Cheryl Pellerin
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Oct. 26, 2011 – Because U.S. forces are coming home from Iraq by the end of the year, the U.S. Postal Service will stop accepting mail addressed to military post offices in Iraq starting Nov. 17, Defense Department officials said today.

Military post offices in Iraq also will stop processing mail Nov. 17, and service members there should begin now to advise those who send them mail about the Nov. 17 deadline.

Mail still in the postal system through Nov. 17 will be processed and delivered to service members in Iraq, officials said.

In November, U.S. military postal service responsibilities in Iraq will transition to State Department embassy or consulate post offices for service members assigned to Office of Security Cooperation or the Chief of Mission in Iraq.

These sites will provide letter and parcel mail services to service members assigned to the Office of Security Cooperation or the Chief of Mission in Iraq.

The transition will be closely coordinated with the U.S. Postal Service Agency, which will delete ZIP codes for Iraq military post offices from the USPS database to prevent undeliverable mail from entering the postal system after Nov. 17, according to defense officials.

If APO mail arrives in Iraq after a service member departs, mail will be redirected to the new mailing address provided or, if no mailing address was provided, returned to sender.

Any mail mistakenly accepted by a USPS post office after Nov. 17 will be returned to sender once it reaches the International Gateway in New Jersey.

Service members in Iraq or returning from Iraq who do not receive a requested absentee ballot from their state can complete a back-up federal write-In absentee ballot at the Federal Voting Assistance Program’s Web portal. The form wizard will provide a PDF document for printing, including the completed ballot and instructions for returning it to their local election official. Contact installation and unit level voting assistance officers for additional assistance.

Service members who are remaining in Iraq after Nov. 17 and who are there on behalf of or are assigned to the Office of Security Cooperation or the Chief of Mission in Iraq should coordinate with their chain of command and the servicing State Department mail location to receive a new mailing address.

According to defense officials, conditions and situations in the Iraq transition change often. Officials recommend that service members check the Military Postal Service Agency website and USPS Postal Bulletins frequently for updates.