With each new day, let us remember
All those who gave their yesterdays
All those who left their youth on the battlefield
All those who still wait to see the sun rise in American soil
All those who continue to serve Our Nation.
Our military, our Veterans, our POWs, our families along with the families of the Fallen
have kept the flame of Freedom burning and the hope of Peace a reality
We thank them for our tomorrows.
Susan Naill, Past National President, BSMA
Proud Mom of Jason (USMC Persian Gulf)
TODAY'S MILITARY -- TOMORROW'S VETERAN
YOUR SERVICE TO OUR COUNTRY IS APPRECIATED
NO WORDS CAN BEGIN TO THANK YOU ENOUGH
May Beauty and Peace Surround Each of You on this Memorial Day as
Those who are no longer with us are Remembered
Those who suffer the pain of loss are Shielded
Those who must be returned are not Forgotten
Those who are in harm's way are Protected
Those who wait are Comforted
and Those who see through the eyes of the Veteran are Honored
written by SN May 2006
Susan Naill, Past National President, BSMA
Proud Mom of Jason (USMC Persian Gulf)
TODAY'S MILITARY -- TOMORROW'S VETERAN
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Nov. 1, 2006 - Today kicks off Military Families Appreciation Month, an annual tribute to the family members who, President Bush and other U.S. and military leaders frequently recognize, serve the country alongside their loved ones in uniform.
The month-long observance, with events planned at Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps bases around the world and in communities nationwide, highlights the contributions and sacrifices military family members make every day.
Bush thanked families for that service during an Oct. 28 visit to Charleston Air Force Base, S.C. "As the president of the United States, I want to tell you plain and simple," he told military families, "(that) the American people respect you, they appreciate you, and I'll do everything in my power to make sure the families and those who wear the uniform have all the support necessary to win this war on terror."
Bush emphasized the important role military families play in U.S. national defense when he introduced Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to U.S. troops and their families at Fort Belvoir, Va., earlier this summer.
"Mr. Prime Minister, when I speak to our troops, I also talk to their loved ones, because you can't have a strong United States military without the support of the military families," Bush told Maliki during the July 26 session. "Our troops have sacrificed, and as they have done so, so have our military families. And so today we pay respect for the men and women who wear the uniform and their loved ones. We're proud of you."
Marine Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, expressed a similar sentiment earlier this month at the "Memorial Concert and Tribute to Today's Heroes" in Worcester, Mass. "When we go off to combat, our families wait at home and pray that we're safe," Pace told the audience, which included 400 Gold Star families who lost a family member in military service. >
By Carmen L. Burgess
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Nov. 29, 2006 - The Hallmark Channel marked its membership with
the America Supports You program by teaming up for a holiday card drive and
the premiere of its newest movie, scheduled to air Dec. 2.
In a press conference here yesterday, Hallmark Channel President and Chief
Executive Officer Henry Schleiff announced the company's partnership with
Operation Gratitude to send more than 50,000 cards and care packages to troops
overseas. He also said the Hallmark Channel planned to premier its new movie
"The Christmas Card" at Fort Belvoir, Va., that evening.
"Just as our courageous troops represent America's best, the Hallmark
Channel is proud to participate in the America Supports You program, because it
represents the very best of what our network, as well as what we as Americans,
stand for," Schleiff said.
"The Department of Defense is thrilled to welcome Hallmark to the America
Supports You team," said Allison Barber, deputy assistant secretary of defense
for public affairs and the program's founder. "The 'Cards for Troops'
campaign and the debut of the movie 'The Christmas Card' not only remind Americans
of the importance of sending letters to our troops, in particular around the
holidays, but provides them a perfect way to do it."
ASY is a Department of Defense program recognizing citizens' support for the
military and communicating that support to members of the Armed Forces and
their families, at home and abroad. Operation Gratitude is one of the more
than 230 ASY member organizations.
Schleiff said the movie "The Christmas Card" is one of the most impressive
and powerful stories the network has produced. Emmy-award winner Ed Asner ></SCRIPT>
Operation Gratitude volunteer Jennifer Parsley, who has written thousands of
thank you notes to troops overseas, was surprised with a satellite meeting
with her fiance Marine Sgt. Jeremy Harshman. The couple first met in 2005 when
Harshman opened a care package with her card and began corresponding with
her.
"It's amazing the difference that one person can make," Parsley said. "What
are the odds? I wasn't looking for anyone by sending notes of thanks, but
look at the result. If you only reach just one person you can still make a
difference in their life."
[Web Version: http://www.defenselink.mil/News/NewsArticle.aspx?ID=2244]
FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
By Gerry J. Gilmore
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Nov. 29, 2006 - The Marine Corps is renowned for its fighting
ability, but the organization also is famous for its nearly 60-year tradition
of ensuring needy children don't have empty Christmas stockings.
The "Toys for Tots" program began in the fall of 1947 when a group of Marine
Reservists based in Los Angeles collected and delivered 5,000 toys to local
needy children, according to the Toys for Tots' non-profit foundation Web
site.
Toys for Tots distributed $200 million worth of new toys to more than 7
million needy children in 2005, Bill Grein, vice president for marketing and
development for the Toys for Tots' foundation, said during a telephone interview
with American Forces Press Service. Grein's office is located at Quantico
Marine Corps Base, Va.
More than 550 Marine Corps' Toys for Tots distribution centers are located
across the country, Grein said, noting the program's busy time starts after
Thanksgiving and runs right up to Christmas. Collected toys are distributed
through local social welfare agencies and other organizations.
Toys for Tots enables families of limited means to provide something for
their children on Christmas, Grein said. Besides toys for young children, the
program also seeks gift donations suitable for teenagers, such as hand-held
video games, purses, watches and other items.
"We think it's important for these children to go back to school and to be
able to say: 'I got something, too,'" he said. "It's a positive experience in
their lives, and when you look back on your childhood, that's what you
remember."
Grein, a retired Marine major, has worked at the foundation since 1991, when
then-Secretary of Defense Richard B. Cheney authorized the Marine Corps to
work with the foundation on behalf of Toys for Tots.
The foundation augments the Marines' efforts by conducting year-round
solicitations for new toy donations and money from U.S. corporations to buy toys,
Grein said.
"The Marines just didn't have the time, other than for the toy-collection
process that goes on in November and December every year," Grein said. "We know
that our Marine units out there are going to run out of toys before they run
out of children.
"It happens every year, sadly," he said.
From 1947 through 1979, the Marines collected both new and used toys to
provide to needy children for Christmas. During that time Marine Reservists would
refurbish and repair the used toys on their drill weekends.
In 1980, the reserve components were incorporated into the Defense
Department's total force concept, resulting in greatly reduced time for reservists to
refurbish donated used toys for the program. Efforts were then focused on
collecting and providing only new toys.
The Marine Corps continues to work to ensure needy children have memorable
Christmases, Grein said. In 2005, the Marines collected and distributed about
$50 million worth of new toys through their Toys for Tots program, he said.
Foundation-solicited sponsors contributed another $150 million worth of toys.
"What's happened is that the foundation has provided additional means of
providing toys so that we can reach more children," Grein said.
[Web Version: http://www.defenselink.mil/News/NewsArticle.aspx?ID=2248]
FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
The holiday season is upon us and while many Americans will be enjoying the company of friends and family, more than 160,000 service men and women serving overseas will not. Instead of sharing in the laughter and smiles the holidays bring -- especially for the children in their lives -- they will be defending us at lonely outposts around the world. Help the USO put a smile on their faces by giving them the very special gift of reaching out to their loved ones for the holidays. Make a donation to either the USO's Operation Phone Home or United Through Reading programs and help brighten the day of a lonely service member. Giving these men and women the opportunity to speak to and interact with their loved ones over the holidays will provide an immeasurable boost to their morale. Operation Phone Home - Prepaid, international phone cards are distributed free of charge to service members, especially those in Afghanistan, Iraq and other overseas locations. | |
United Through Reading - At participating USO centers, service men and women can stay connected with the children in their lives by videotaping themselves reading a children's book. The USO sends the DVD and a copy of the book to the children back home. The parent or caregiver is encouraged to photograph or videotape the child's excitement while watching the DVD and following along with the book, and sends photos or DVD back to the deployed service member. | |
| Let them know they are not forgotten! | |
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Nov. 30, 2006 - Silver Star Families of America, a group dedicated to supporting wounded servicemembers and their families, is thinking outside the box this Christmas.
A member of America Supports You, a Defense Department program highlighting ways Americans and the corporate sector support the nation's servicemembers, the group has undertaken a program to send holiday cheer to military and veterans hospitals.
"We concentrate on sending Silver Star banners to the wounded," Steve Newton, the organization's founder, said. "But the members wanted to do something special for the wounded for Christmas."
Through "Project Christmas," Silver Star Families is sending at least one box of goodies to a military hospital, a Veterans Affairs medical center or a combat support hospital in every state in the U.S., and to Germany and Iraq, Newton said.
The effort got under way a mere three weeks ago, and the organization has nearly met its goal. All boxes for overseas locations have been shipped to ensure they arrived in time for the holidays. As for the stateside venture, only a handful of states remain to be checked off the list. "This has been a big project for us," Newton said. "We usually don't tackle care packages on this scale. But we've had a lot of support."
That support has come from within, with members donating items to stuff the boxes, and from the celebrity realm, including best-selling author Dean Koontz. The author shipped "cases and cases of autographed books," which meshed well with the group's goal of sending "fun" items. Other items donated for the packages include signed baseball, football and other sports memorabilia, as well as items with musicians' signatures.
"We got pencils from the Chicago Cubs, just hundreds and hundreds of pencils," he said. "The Cleveland Cavaliers basketball team sent us, I bet it was 150 ... T-shirts, beautiful T-shirts."
The Silver Star members also are taking it upon themselves to pick up any slack, Newton said. One member from the Washington area stepped up to cover the postage for all of the packages being sent from the national headquarters in Missouri. Other members are sending packages on their own to ensure as many wounded servicemembers as possible have a great Christmas.
"If you'd asked me a week or two ago, I'd have said, 'I don't ever, ever want to see any kind of box again," Newton said with a laugh. "But I think we'll do this every year."
[Web Version: http://www.defenselink.mil/News/NewsArticle.aspx?ID=2263]
FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
American Forces Press Service
SANTA ANA, Calif., Nov. 17, 2006 - Just in time for the holidays, Operation Homefront has launched "eCarePackage," an online service that allows caring citizens to send care packages to deployed troops and their families.
Operation Homefront is part of CinCHouse.com, a community for military wives, and is a team member of America Supports You, a Department of Defense program connecting U.S. citizens with members of the military.
Servicemembers and families can register on www.ecarepackage.org, which protects their identity and location, and visitors can "adopt" them based on common interests. Then visitors select individual items to create a customized care
package for their chosen servicemember or family and include a personal message.
Operation Homefront's team of volunteers takes the order, boxes the selected items and ships them directly to the servicemember or family - always protecting their identity and physical location.
"There's nothing like a care package to cheer a deployed soldier or a lonely military family, especially during the holidays," said Amy Palmer, executive vice president of operations for Operation Homefront. "With operational security for the troops so tight, we were concerned that care packages weren't getting through. So we built eCarePackage to ensure our troops and families continue to
'feel the love' from Americans."
Items available in the eCarePackage store range from toiletries and necessities to games, books and candy. Most items were donated from sponsors, particularly The Dollar Tree, which runs its Operation Appreciation program in most stores nationwide.
Donated items are not marked up, so eCarePackage visitors often pay only the cost of handling and shipping - making eCarePackage less expensive than doing it yourself. Moreover, Operation Homefront has partnered with DHL, which provides postal service to overseas troops, to ensure direct and timely delivery of all
care packages to deployed troops.
The eCarePackage program is an extension of Operation Homefront's mission to provide emergency support and morale to our troops, the families they leave behind during deployments, and wounded warriors when they return home. Operation Homefront recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Defense
Department to ensure greater collaboration.
(From a CinCHouse.com news release.)
[Web Version: http://www.defenselink.mil<WBR>/News/NewsArticle.aspx?ID=2147]
FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
The Trees for Troops program will be stopping at Fort Benning, Ga., on Tuesday to deliver about 700 Christmas trees to troops and military families, according to a post press release.
Other trees will be delivered the same day to Fort Bragg, N.C., and Fort Leonard Wood, Mo. Fort Campbell, Ky., and Fort Stewart, Ga., get their turn Wednesday and Thursday, respectively.
The Trees for Troops program is part of FedEx Special Delivery, a nationwide program that provides transportation and logistical assistance for community and non-profit organizations. It is also sponsored by the Christmas Spirit Foundation.
For the second consecutive year, Christmas tree growers and
retailers nationwide have donated real Christmas trees for military families.
This year, more than 11,000 trees from 27 states are expected to be delivered to 25 military bases in the United States and overseas. In 2005, the program delivered more than 4,300 trees to bases across the United States.
Prior to 2005, members of the National Christmas Tree Association donated trees to military families in their local area if they could cover the shipping and transportation costs. In 2005, the Trees for Troops program came to life and developed into a nationwide initiative with the support of FedEx.
The 2006 Trees for Troops program launched Nov. 14 when the first shipment of trees from Ohio's Operation Evergreen and the Indiana Christmas Tree Association departed from the FedEx Express Hub in Indianapolis, destined for overseas bases.
The program started Nov. 27 and runs through Dec. 11.
On Friday, trees were delivered to Fort Carson, Colo., Fort Drum, N.Y. and Fort Lewis, Wash.
