Texas Quilters Support the Troops

From the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal:

If you think Lubbock’s summer and its string of triple-digit temperatures is hot, try Afghanistan. Temperatures in some areas can reach 120 degrees, but the heat can feel much hotter for soldiers wearing uniforms and carrying heavy equipment.

The South Plains Quilter’s Guild wanted to make life a little more comfortable for those in harm’s way, especially those in blistering heat, said Dawn Berry, the guild’s program chairperson.

Since 2010, the guild has made more than 2,000 Kool-ties for soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The Kool-ties or sand scarves are made of 100 percent cotton or cotton knit fabric and filled with nontoxic,water-absorbing crystals, according to the website Soldiers’ Angels at http://soldiersangels.org/scarves.html.

.Good on these ladies! Keep up the good work!

Ranger Moves Up to Angels

Nick Palmisciano, founder and CEO of Ranger Up, a longtime and strong supporter of Soldiers' Angels, is stepping up to even greater involvement as a member of the Soldiers' Angels Board of Trustees. Welcome and congratulations to Nick!

Veteran & Entrepreneur Palmisciano Appointed to Soldiers’ Angels
New Trustee Brings Marketing Skills to Military Support Nonprofit

PASADENA, CA August 22, 2011 Soldiers’ Angels announces the appointment of veteran and entrepreneur Nick Palmisciano to its volunteer Board of Trustees. Palmisciano will apply his proven skills in branding and marketing to improve fundraising and help the organization better tell the story of the powerful impact its hundreds of thousands of volunteers have on military personnel, veterans and their families.

A graduate of West Point, Palmisciano is a former U.S. Army officer, Fortune 100 employee and successful entrepreneur. He is the Founder-CEO of online-based Ranger Up Military and MMA Apparel, associated military content site The Rhino Den, and social media/guerilla marketing management company Wombat Vengeance, LLC. He also founded nonprofit Train the Troops MMA, which brings world-class Mixed Martial Arts athletes to deploying military personnel for extra hand-to-hand combat training.

Soldiers’ Angels appreciates Palmisciano’s years of active support and welcomes his increased involvement as a new Trustee. “We are excited and thrilled to have Nick on board, and look forward to the new dimension he brings to Soldiers’ Angels,” says Founder and CEO Patti Patton-Bader. “His strong record of entrepreneurial and online development will help us continue to meet the needs of military personnel, wounded heroes, veterans and their families.”

Palmisciano was impressed with Soldiers’ Angels from the moment he heard about the organization while visiting wounded warriors at Walter Reed. In the three years since, his admiration and association have grown and he is excited to be directly helping an organization he believes is unique in the military support field. “This is an organization asking individuals to help these troops personally: by writing a letter, visiting a hospital, making a quilt, or donating to very specific causes,” he says. “This is an organization telling Americans that one person can make a difference and asking them very clearly to be that person.”

After serving in the U.S. Army from 1998-2003 and leaving as a Ranger-qualified infantry captain, Palmisciano completed his MBA and spent five years in development/acquisitions, sales and branding for John Deere before entering the entrepreneurial world fulltime. He holds an MBA from Duke University Fuqua School of Business and a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the United States Military Academy at West Point.

Another Homefront Hero

Fort Bliss soldier Chief Warrant Officer 2 Don Schmidt was in Arizona last month. He calls Tuscon home. During a heavy rain storm, he risked his life to save a child:

"I asked my dad, 'Please don't let me die like this. I have a kid in my arms,'" said Chief Warrant Officer 2 Don Schmidt, a Patriot missile system technician here for B Battery, 3rd Battalion, 43rd Air Defense Artillery.

Army Chief Warrant Officer 2 Don Schmidt stands outside the B Battery, 3rd Battalion, 43rd Air Defense Artillery headquarters building at Fort Bliss, Texas. Schmidt jumped into a raging, flood-swollen river on the outskirts of Tucson, Ariz., to save a drowning child July 23, 2011. U.S. Army photo (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available.

These were Schmidt's thoughts before a piece of debris struck him on the head and he lost his grip on 11-year-old Angel Sandoval, resulting in the boy being swept away by raging flash flood waters.

A fierce July 23 rainstorm that’d pummeled the area surrounding Tucson, Ariz., caused Schmidt to risk his life in an attempt to save the boy, named Angel, from drowning.

Many low-lying areas in the southwestern United States flood easily, Schmidt said, because of a combination of intense rain and poor drainage.

Schmidt, who hails from Tucson, said he is well aware of the areas that become dangerous and impassable when severe weather strikes. He had returned home and was visiting his family when dark, thick rain clouds filled the sky.

Read the whole thing.

Warehouse Wish List

The Soldiers' Angels Warehouse in San Antonio is in need of the following items:

toothbrushes
deodorant
baby wipes
non-perishable food items (especially tuna and jerky)
individual drink packets
nuts
raisins
microwaveable meals

If you can get these, wonderful, and thank you SO much! If you are close enough, you can deliver the items, otherwise, you can ship them to:

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

NASCAR & Soldiers' Angels

At this weekend’s Watkins Glen NASCAR Race (Sunday, 1p.m. ET on ESPN), keep your eyes peeled for the Green Smoke Chevy, driven by T.J. Bell. Right behind each door will be the Soldiers’ Angels logo, and a decal on the bumper will read “Text Soldier to 20222,” encouraging viewers to donate. There’s a lot more to the story, including a very special American hero who has been made an honorary pit crew member with full NASCAR qualifications, so check it out!

The press release from The Hero Organization spills the beans about that honorary crew member:

In addition to representing Miami-based Green Smoke®, Bell will race for a special cause. He recently formed an alliance with the Helping Early Responders Organization (H.E.R.O.). H.E.R.O.'s primary mission is to support and assist the non-profit organizations that help the men and women who are firefighters, police officers, E.M.T.s, members of our armed services and their families in their time of greatest need. Bell and Green Smoke will host these heroes as their trackside guests. The Watkins Glen H.E.R.O. will be Captain Dennis H. Knowles and the non-profit organization that H.E.R.O. will feature is Soldiers' Angels.

"Captain Dennis Knowles will be with our Green Smoke® Chevy team this week at Watkins Glen," Bell said, of his guest that is a graduate of Buffalo State College and Canisius College. "Captain Knowles has served our country for twelve years and he’s now able to be on inactive reserve. It gives him the opportunity to be an asset and inspiration to the Addison Central School District where he teaches sixth grade. Hopefully the honors he’s earned for his years of service at the World Trade Center site, in Kuwait and Afghanistan make as much of an impression on his students as they have on me.”

Since Captain Knowles is a military veteran, the No. 50 Green Smoke® Chevy will feature a special Soldiers’ Angels “Text Soldier to 20222” decal as part of the team’s alliance with H.E.R.O. Soldiers’ Angels volunteers provide aid and comfort to the men and women of the United States Army, Marines, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard, veterans and their families. By texting “Soldier” to 20222, racing fans will be able to immediately donate $5 to the Soldier’s Angels non-profit organization.

Check out the Green Smoke car (without the Soldiers' Angels logo, which won't be revealed until later this week), so you know what to keep an eye out for Sunday!

Run For Rememberance 9/11 Relay and Ultra

Are you a runner? You might want to make plans to be in San Antonio: there will be a memorial run benefiting Soldiers' Angels the weekend of September 11th:

This event is in honor of those who lost their lives on 9/11 and those who have died fighting and those who continue to fight for our freedom. All proceeds go to Soldiers Angels. The event will take place at Olmos Park on Devine Drive starting at 10PM on 9-10-11. Teams will run 1 person at a time for one mile loops on well lit, paved bike path. After the loop the next runner will take off and this will continue through the night for 9 hrs and 11 minutes. Solo Ultra runners will run as many miles as possible for the 9hrs 11 minutes. At 7:11 the running stops and runners can cool down. At 7:46 there will be a moment of silence for Flight 11 and the North Tower victims followed by our National Anthem with color guard. Awards will begin to be distributed after that. At 8:03 A moment of silence will be observed for Flight 175 and the victims of the South Tower followed by our Pledge of Allegiance. More awards will be handed out until 8:37 AM where we will observe a moment of silence for Flight 77 and the victims of the Pentagon. America the Beautiful will follow along with final awards and a great breakfast San Antonio style.

You can sign up as a solo entrant, or you can get a relay team of nine people together.

9 Person Relay- $450 per team through 8-27-11. $500 after that. Solo Ultra- $100 through 8-27-11. $110 after that.

If you're interested, you can get more information here, which includes the link to register.