108 Hours

Matt Burden, Soldiers' Angels Board of Trustees member, is putting out the word for help in sending a Gold Star Father to see where his son was lost:

Last Christmas, I received this email from a Gold Star Dad. He lost his son a few years ago in one of the war zones. He reached out to us for help getting to stand on the very ground where his son was killed in action. As a Dad, I can understand it. As a vet, I want to help this great American father find some peace - what little of it he will find, he deserves...

...I can not die in peace one day if I do not go. I will be 58 in January and... I think I can't wait any longer. But more importantly I have a gut feeling it is time.
<...>
The only gift in life I dream of for myself, strictly only for me, is to kneel and touch the ground where [he] died. To smell the air. To see what he saw his final days, final moments. I can see it at a distance of several hundred feet through out of date Google Earth Photos but that simply is not good enough for me. Even if it were to cost me my very life, I have to go there. I need your help to figure out how to make this happen. I would appreciate anything you could do to help me formulate an entry plan in country to make this happen.

My best to you in this Holiday Season as [we] celebrate Christmas, continuing to Remember [him] With Honor. Happy New Year. Thank you for your friendship, for saving my life by giving me an outlet to share my feelings and come to grips with my grief.

This mission will take a lot of financial and physical resources. You can email suggestions to blackfive - AT - Gmail - DOT - com. But be advised that we have worked this through the various government agencies at some very high levels. Soldiers' Angels has agreed to support this mission.

If you think you know who this Gold Star Father is, please do not speculate in the comments. Just as with our troops, there are very serious OPSEC considerations with this mission:

Due to security concerns, I cannot tell you who this is about. Many of you will guess. I've turned off the comments because I don't want any information out there (true or false) to compromise this mission. I cannot tell you when this will happen. We are planning on completing the mission in the late summer or early fall, but I am not going to pin down the dates, months or seasons.

Matt says they'll need $30,000 to make this mission happen. Donations can be made to Soldiers' Angels to support it. Matt's post has those details, and may have additional updates, so please read his entire post.

Iwon Angel Team Wins!

Soldiers' Angels has a team you might not have heard of:

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Thanks to a group of dedicated Angels and friends led by Lesa Wheaton, Soldiers’ Angels has received a $2000 check from Iwon.com! Lesa’s team won 2nd place in the Iwon challenge for February 2011.

Iwon.com is a free online community supporting nonprofits. The site issues a new challenge each month for participants to earn points as a team by playing games and other activities. Teams with the top six points totals win money for their favorite charities.

Lesa started the Soldiers’ Angels team two years ago and this is the first time they have won, relying on help from other teams on Iwon who all banded together to help Soldiers’ Angels win!

The Iwon Soldiers’ Angels team is looking for new members to continue its winning streak! It’s free and there’s a new challenge every month—more chances to win donations for Soldiers’ Angels!

Congratulations to Lesa and her team for great Angeling!!

Did you know...

...that we have a facebook page just for Texas Soldiers' Angels? Unfortunately, we don't have a spiffy, easy to remember URL for it, but if you're on facebook, follow the link, and it will be another way to keep up with what is going on with Soldiers' Angels here in the Great State of Texas!

Of course, Soldiers' Angels has an official facebook page, too!


Update 6/2/11:

Our facebook page is moving, and we now *DO* have a spiffy, easy to remember URL for it: https://www.facebook.com/soldiersangelstexas!

AAR: Military Appreciation Day, 3/26/2011

Soldiers' Angels was represented at the Military Appreciation Day for the Austin Toros basketball team at their today at the Cedar Park Center.

Brenda and Shaundra manning the Soldiers' Angels table,
waiting for the fans to arrive.

We missed out on much of what was happening inside the arena with the pre-game and in-game recognition of our service members, since our table was on the concourse. We were able to observe the playing of the National Anthem, since they showed that on the flat screen TVs around the concession areas. Sadly, there were some fans who appeared to be oblivious to the fact, not stopping to render honor and respect to the flag.

The day called for Camo to replace the standard uniforms. The dancers had camo tops with their black shorts (sorry, guys, no pics of that...), and "Da Bull" was decked out in a camo basketball uniform like the players wore today.



We were able to talk to people who came by to share with them about Soldiers' Angels: how it starts, what we do for our troops and how they can get involved.

We were visited by a lady who told of wearing a bracelet with the name of a Vietnam MIA until the day she learned he had come home - alive. He had been a POW and was rescued. She said how worn the bracelet had become, and she mailed it (certified and insured) to the soldier. His wife was amazed that anyone else cared about her husband. To this day, the lady still exchanges Christmas cards with that soldier. I gave her my card and asked if she wouldn't mind sharing her story - in a little better detail than I've just done. I hope she does...

One older gentleman sporting a mustache and dressed in jeans, a kind-of plaid shirt, and a cowboy hat came up. I asked him if he had served. He seemed somewhat apologetic in saying, no, he had not. He explained he was an artist. At first, I assumed he was a painter - that is what came to mind when he said "artist". No, he is the sculptor commissioned to create the Vietnam Memorial that will be placed on the Capitol grounds here in Austin. Duke Sundt explained how he ended up in art school and how he came to be a sculptor. He was a military brat and when his father got out of the Army, they ended up in New Mexico. He got into the whole cowboy and rodeo thing. He had a brother and a cousin who served in Vietnam. I think he said it was his cousin who advised him to stay in school. His lottery number was high enough - three hundred-something - that so long as he was in school, he likely wouldn't be drafted. Somewhere along the line, he got paid for a sculpture, to where he'd only given away this paintings from art school. Since he by this time had a family to support, he decided sculpture was the thing to do. Duke was in Texas and told the Texas Association of Vietnam Veterans - the sponsors of the memorial - he would be available to make appearances with the model - or more properly, according to the website, maquette - of the sculpture. He pointed to where the maquette was on display and invited us to come take a look. I'm glad I did.

I asked if I could take a picture of Duke with his sculpture. He said he would, but only if I would take it with him...

Duke explained each of the five figures depicted: an African American Navy corpsman, a South Vietnamese soldier, a Native American radioman, a Hispanic Marine sniper and a Caucasian Marine.


He pointed out details of the figures after I commented that the standing Marine appeared to have a spoon tucked into the band around his helmet. Yes, that *IS* a spoon. Duke then explained the Native American radioman had a beaded feather attached to his helmet - many Native American warriors were given eagle feathers from their tribal shaman before they went off to battle in Vietnam. I was told that tradition continues today for Native American warriors going to Iraq and Afghanistan. Duke talked about his sculpture to anyone who came up to have a closer look.



Overall, I think it was a good day for Soldiers' Angels. A big THANK YOU to the Austin Toros for the recognition of our troops and the organizations - like Soldiers' Angels - that support them. Soldiers' Angels DID get a shout-out during the half-time announcements which (I think) included being listed on the video board (I saw us listed on the TV monitor by the concession stand). I look forward to being able to work with the Toros again next season!

Heroes Waiting

As of this writing, there are 1310 service members awaiting adoption through Soldiers' Angels. If you are able, please consider adopting one of these Heroes. Remember, you can have up to three adoptees at one time. Our troops continue to be stretched thin with operations in Iraq, Afghanistan, and now Libya, as well as other places around the globe. Please do what you can to help.

If you think you can't afford the commitment of a minimum of one letter each week and one care package each month, there are adoption options:

I cannot reinforce to you how much your support means
to every one of us. Please know that you are
truly making a difference. - LT "J"

Regardless of the challenge, there is no doubt that when patriotic Americans pull together, we can make miracles happen. Would you like to adopt a deployed hero but don't think you can take on the financial responsibility in these challenging times? The need for adopting Angels is huge, and there are options no matter your situation. In some cases, all you need is a single care package item, or even just your packing skills!

• Team Up with a Friend -- Whether it's your office mate, best friend, the family next door or a retiree from church, tell someone about Soldiers' Angels and adopting a hero. Together you can split the costs of sending just one care package a month and take turns writing that one letter a week.
  

• Bring a Group Onboard -- Talk to your company about supporting an individual or a unit. Participants can donate a single item for a care package or a couple dollars of postage each month. All you have to do is pack it up! This is a great option for community organizations like sports teams/clubs, churches, youth groups (scouts), schools and Chambers of Commerce. By working through a group, everyone helps as they can and another soldier knows he or she is not forgotten. When you've assembled a group that would like to support an individual hero or a whole unit, email groups@soldiersangels.org for tips and assistance.
  

• Be a Substitute Angel -- Do you know someone who says they're just too busy to adopt a soldier? Offer to do it for them! You can take on the responsibility of writing a weekly letter to your adopted hero while your co-adopter takes just five minutes per month to order pre-made care packages for your hero from the Angels Store.

• Short-term Adoption -- Sometimes service members sign up for support just a couple of months before they are scheduled to return. By the time they get to the top of the waiting list, they only need an Angel for about two months before mailstop begins. To adopt one of these heroes for three months or less when available, email special@soldiersangels.org to be placed on the short-timers alert list.

• One-time Care Package -- This is a great option if you can't take on the responsibility of long-term support right now. You can have the fun and satisfaction of assembling a great care package whenever you have the opportunity, and all the cooperative suggestions above can apply. To get a hero's address for a one-time care package, email sacorporate@soldiersangels.org.

With each person doing what they can, we will all ensure that "No Soldier Go Unloved." Let's pull together and get these 1300 waiting heroes adopted!

You have no idea what effect you have on a soldier
who receives something in the mail from a complete stranger
who is willing to give. - SPC James

Austin-area Meet & Greet

I hope to make this a quarterly event. We will get together on Saturday, April 9th at 4pm at the Cracker Barrell restaurant at 2350 N I-35, Round Rock (southbound frontage road, the exit north of Highway 79). As with the previous Meet & Greet, this is "Dutch". I know what I'm havin' to eat! The plan is to be able to get to know one another without having a "thing", and to also talk about what we might do to help raise both awareness about what Soldiers' Angels does and the funds to continue those good works for our troops and their families. If you think you'll be able to make it, please email me at cnctx06 -at- gmail -dot- com to RSVP by Friday, April 8th. If we have enough people, we'll need to let the restaurant know we're expecting a large group, even though we are hoping to miss any dinner crowd.

We do have the Operation Top Knot Baby Shower coming up at the end of April at Fort Hood, and they are collecting donations through April 15. If you are able, please feel free to bring a donation.

After we are finished at Cracker Barrel, anyone who is interested can go to see the Round Rock Express take on the Iowa Cubs. First pitch is 7:05 and the gates open one hour before the game. I am already in contact with the Express to (hopefully) have a Soldiers' Angels event in conjunction with a game this season. Last season, we were able to collect donations from fans at the Home Plate gate and in return, the Express generously donated general admission (berm seating) tickets for the fans who made a donation. Saturday game tickets range in price from $7 to $16 when purchased at the ballpark, day of game. Be prepared to sit in on the berm (I've got a blanket in my car!) if we decide to go for "the cheap seats". Oh, and parking at the Dell Diamond is $5 per car.

Well, I hope we at least get to see you at Cracker Barrel! I look forward to developing an active group of Angels here in Central Texas!

Wedding Dress Essay Contest

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Due to a donation from a lovely bridal boutique, Soldiers’ Angels has on hand sixteen gorgeous wedding dresses that will be awarded to sixteen lucky military brides! Dresses will be awarded by contest, with the brides who write the best essay about their own love story receiving their choice of dress.

Dress sizes range from 6 to 14, with a size 24 and a size 42 as well. Some are brand new, others have been rented, but all are clean and in superb condition. Most are very detailed, with additions of lace, cutouts or sequins, and styles vary greatly.

Originally offered to a high school drama department who refused them for lack of room, the dresses came to Soldiers' Angels thanks to Patreece, whose husband heard about them through his civilian job on a military base and alerted her. She took home all 16 dresses, cataloged and photographed them, and shipped them to San Antonio for dry cleaning and distribution.

For contest eligibility, procedures and more information, click here. Contest ends April 21, 2011.

Austin Toros Recognize our Troops

Soldiers' Angels will be represented at the Austin Toros Basketball Military Appreciation Day. Three Angels will share with fans about the many good things Soldiers' Angels does for our troops.
Service members in uniform or with military ID will receive a free ticket to the game. Just remember, parking at the Cedar Park Center is $10, cash only. If you make it to the game, please stop by our table to say "hi"!


A big Texas THANK YOU to the Austin Toros for this gesture of appreciation to our Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines and Coast Guardsmen for what they do for the rest of us every day, both past, present and future!

Operation Tenshi

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For the next 10 days, Soldiers’ Angels is focusing its operations on supporting our troops and their families, along with our close allies/friends in Japan through “Operation Tenshi/Operation Angel.”

Soldiers' Angels is collecting financial donations and the following products for our troops, families and friends in Japan:

• Blankets
• Small/ NEW (not used) toys for the children
• International calling cards

All types of hygiene, easy-to-ship care products- NEW/UNOPENED ONLY
• Shampoo/conditioner
• Soap
• Deodorant
• Chapstick
• Lotions
• Female Personal Hygiene
• Facial cleansing pads
• Wet Wipes
• Eye drops
• Toothpaste/Toothbrushes

Ship these items to the Soldiers' Angels Warehouse:

Soldiers' Angels
4408 N PanAm Exprwy
San Antonio, TX 78218

Giftcards: Walmart, Visa or Mastercard (etc) giftcards so we can use them to fulfill requests.

Ship gift cards to our Soldiers' Angels Warehouse:

Soldiers' Angels
4408 N PanAm Exprwy
San Antonio, TX 78218

We also need financial donations to fulfill requests coming in.

You can also text SOLDIERS to 20222 to donate $5.
Other donation options are listed here.

Click here for companies supporting the Angel effort.

U.S. Military in Japan:

Roughly 35,000 U.S. military personnel stationed in Japan, and another 5,500 American civilians employed there by the Department of Defense. ALONG WITH THEIR FAMILIES. The United States Seventh Fleet is based in Yokosuka. The 3rd Marine Expeditionary Force (III MEF) is based in Okinawa. 130 USAF fighters are stationed in the Misawa Air Base and Kadena Air Base. The USFJ headquarters is at Yokota Air Base, about 30 km west of central Tokyo.

The U.S. military installations in Japan and their managing branches are...

Air Force:

• Camp Chitose, Chitose, Hokkaido
• Kadena Air Base, Okinawa Prefecture
• Kadena Ammunition Storage Area, Okinawa Prefecture
• Okuma Recreational Facility, Okinawa Prefecture
• Yaedake Communication Site, Okinawa Prefecture
• Misawa Air Base, Aomori Prefecture
• Yokota Air Base, Fussa, Tokyo
• Fuchu Communications Station, Fuchu, Tokyo
• Tama Service Annex, Inagi, Tokyo
• Yugi Communication Site, Hachioji, Tokyo
• Camp Asaka AFN Transmitter Site, Saitama Prefecture
• Tokorozawa Transmitter Site, Saitama Prefecture
• Owada Communication Site, Saitama Prefecture

Army:

• Fort Buckner, Okinawa Prefecture
• Army POL Depots, Okinawa Prefecture
• White Beach Area, Okinawa Prefecture
• Naha Port Facility, Okinawa Prefecture (return after relocation to the Urasoe Pier area)
• Torii Station, Okinawa Prefecture
• Tengan Pier, Okinawa Prefecture
• Camp Zama, Zama, Kanagawa
• Yokohama North Dock, Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture
• Sagami General Depot, Sagamihara, Kanagawa
• Sagamihara Housing Area, Sagamihara, Kanagawa
• Akizuki Ammunition Depot, Hiroshima Prefecture
• Hiro Ammunition Depot, Hiroshima Prefecture
• Kawakami Ammunition Depot, Hiroshima Prefecture
• Hardy Barracks, Minato, Tokyo

Marine Corps:

• Camp Smedley D. Butler, Okinawa Prefecture, Yamaguchi Prefectures. (Although these camps are dispersed throughout Okinawa and the rest of Japan they are all under the heading of Camp Smedley D. Butler):
• Camp McTureous, Okinawa Prefecture
• Camp Courtney, Okinawa Prefecture
• Camp Foster, Okinawa Prefecture
• Camp Kinser, Okinawa Prefecture
• Camp Hansen, Okinawa Prefecture
• Camp Schwab, Okinawa Prefecture
• Camp Gonsalves (Jungle Warfare Training Center), Okinawa Prefecture
• Kin Blue Beach Training Area, Okinawa Prefecture
• Kin Red Beach Training Area, Okinawa Prefecture
• NSGA Hanza
• Higashionna Ammunition Storage Point II
• Henoko Ordnance Ammunition Depot
• Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, Okinawa Prefecture (return after the MCAS Futenma relocates to Camp Schwab)
• Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni
• Camp Fuji, Shizuoka Prefecture
• Numazu Training Area, Shizuoka Prefecture
• Ie Jima Auxiliary Airfield, Okinawa Prefecture
• Tsuken Jima Training Area, Okinawa Prefecture

Navy:

• Naval Air Facility Atsugi, Ayase, Kanagawa
• United States Fleet Activities Sasebo, Sasebo, Nagasaki
• United States Fleet Activities Yokosuka, Yokosuka, Kanagawa
• Urago Ammunition Depot, Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture
• Tsurumi POL Depot, Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture
• Naval Housing Annex Negishi, Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture
• Naval Transmitter Station Totsuka, Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture
• Naval Support Facility Kamiseya, Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture
• Tomioka Storage Area, Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture
• Naval Housing Annex Ikego, Zushi, Kanagawa
• White Beach Area, Okinawa Prefecture
• Camp Shields, Okinawa Prefecture
• Camp Lester, Okinawa Prefecture (return after the Naval Hospital relocates to Camp Foster)
• Awase Communication Station, Okinawa Prefecture
• New Sanno Hotel, Tokyo

JSDF–USFJ Areas:

• Tori Shima Range, Okinawa Prefecture
• Kume Jima Range, Okinawa Prefecture
• Kisarazu Auxiliary Landing Field, Kisarazu, Chiba Prefecture
• Camp Hansen (small portion in central area of Camp Hansen), Okinawa Prefecture
• Ukibaru Jima Range, Okinawa Prefecture
• Kadena Air Base (small areas outside of the base that are supported by Kadena—these areas are located on the southern portion of Okinawa), Okinawa Prefecture
• Jungle Warfare Training Center (formerly known as Northern Training Area—four thin elongated areas embedded and distributed evenly within JWTC), Okinawa Prefecture

In Okinawa, U.S. military installations occupy about 10.4 percent of the total land usage. Approximately 74.7 percent of all the U.S. military facilities in Japan are located on the island of Okinawa.

Help needed: American Heroes Celebration (Updated)

Soldiers' Angels is making arrangements to have a table at the American Heroes Celebration at Camp Mabry the weekend of April 16-17. The event runs from 8am until 5pm each day. Saturday will have a little something extra: the American Heroes Air Show. We will need help manning the table, and we'll need to bring our own setup materials for our outdoor space (table, chairs, shade/canopy). The event is FREE and it should be lots of fun. Since there are so many hours to cover, we will need to schedule coverage throughout the weekend. If you are interested in volunteering or might be able to help out with the "stuff", please contact Lisa at cnctx06 -at- gmail -dot- com.

Update:
We have a table and a canopy (thanks Mark!). We should have at least 3 chairs (for at least part of the time). A "BYOC" might be in order, if you can manage.

Need to shop?

Before you make your purchases (whether it be for something personal, or for filling those care packages to your adopted Hero), you might check out this list of vendors that support the troops and Soldiers' Angels through your purchases (either because you follow the link, or you tell them you are part of Soldiers' Angels) by donating a portion of the sales to Soldiers' Angels, or offering discounts to Soldiers' Angels shoppers. There's all kinds of things to choose from: cooling gear (the weather's changing over there!), coffees (multiple vendors), flowers, jewelry, books, clothes, food, the list goes on! So, if you're shopping anyway, maybe help Soldiers' Angels out while you're at it!

Author Supports Military Families

From the Soldiers' Angels website:

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Elementary school principal and author Megan Egerton-Graham is donating 5% of her individual book sales to Soldiers’ Angels!

Egerton-Graham is fast becoming widely-known among military families in both Canada and the United States as a great resource for tips, insight and information that helps children and parents cope. Her "While You Were Away" series of books and journals are designed to support families experiencing periods of prolonged absence or deployment, moving, re-integration or just life as a military family

All of the proceeds from Egerton-Graham's books are donated to military support organizations such as Family Readiness Groups. She approached Soldiers’ Angels after she was tapped as a keynote speaker at this summer's Blue Star Mothers (BSM) conference and the president of BSM suggested she reach out to support Soldiers’ Angels and assist military families that way as well.

Besides school principal, Egerton-Graham has been a teacher and guidance counsellor for 15 years, teaching every grade from Kindergarten to 12. In addition, she brings to the table her experience teaching on military base schools and life as a Canadian military wife and mother of two.

For more information, see the While You Were Away webpage or purchase her books on Amazon.