Currently browsing: Soldiers’ Angels

WordPress updated

It’s over with, and it wasn’t too painful. At least I remembered to update my WP-Config this time.

That said, I’ve been hearing horror stories from others who’ve tried to upgrade, so I guess I’m counting myself lucky. So far I’ve updated this site and BYKYC. I’ll most likely be doing the others later this week (or whenever time allows).

My darling Jim passed this gem to me and I know there are a couple readers here who’ve asked me if I knew of such a thing: WordPress Automatic Upgrade. The website says it’s compatible with the latest version of WP, but I have not yet had a chance to try it out myself. (may do so on a less ‘popular’ site, LOL!)

An update on things …

New Orleans was fun, but like all vacations it wasn’t long enough. Work has been absolute Hell lately, and the insurance company that we’ve been trying to settle with (remember my wreck, going on 2 months ago?) is giving us the run-around, so I’m stressing a bit more than usual.

To those who’ve asked about the Lunarpages WordPress Theme Design contest, no I didn’t win anything. But I am VERY grateful to those who voted for me! There’s been some speculation as to how the deciding votes (LP staff?) really came out, but in all honesty I’m just happy being nominated … for now. ;P

Speaking of theme designs, I’ve submitted a handful of mine to the new WordPress Theme Directory. So hopefully those will show up soon.

SA on the slow track …

I feel pretty bad that I haven’t gotten as much done on my Soldiers’ Angels stuff as I’d hoped. I am beginning to think that maybe I’ve bitten off more than I can chew in helping the warehouse/donations tracking, Walmart grants, all the websites, and even my own projects here for SA of Alabama. I’m feeling VERY overwhelmed, and frankly a little disappointed because the local response hasn’t gone as well as I’d been hoping.

There is a glimmer of hope though. A gentleman waved at me while stopped at a redlight last week and told me that he saw my bumper stickers (Soldiers’ Angels) and that he just had to thank me for supporting our soldiers. I’m not in SA for any kind of recognition or personal glory, but it IS nice feeling appreciated, and reminds me of why I want to do so much …

Geekery

About three weeks ago I heard from one of my old Neopets buddies, Rose. We talked for a bit and caught each other up on how our families were doing, and the usual. She nudged me about possibly re-joining Neopets, so on a whim I did. My character name this time around is BamaAngels so if you’re on, look me up!

(boy, what I wouldn’t give to have all that NP stuff I gave away, LOL!!!)

Also, I am now an active Editor for Addons.Mozilla.org again. I feel badly for neglecting those duties for so long, but am happy to say that I’m now back and trying to do a little each week to help out the AMO gang.

Hearing it straight from the soldier’s mouth

Over on the Bama Angels site, I had posted information about the 1203rd guard unit from Dothan which arrived home today. The following is an article published this afternoon in the Dothan Eagle about their arrival, and includes an interview with US Army National Guard Spec. Cassie Benefield and a couple others in her unit, citing the importance of their serving in Iraq over the past year:

U.S. Army National Guard Spec. Cassie Benefield looked steadily away as she recalled the story of an Iraqi national she said told her how four car bombings a day had declined to just one a week in the same areas where Iraqi parents and their children could have clinched for the freedom likely known only to the American people.

It was the type of freedom Benefield had signed up with the U.S. military eight years ago to serve for, and from her first tour in Iraq, it was the type of freedom she believed she had shown the Iraqis was possible.

Benefield was one of around 170 national guardsmen of the 1203rd who returned from a year’s deployment to Iraq after completing more than 180 missions, 1st Sgt. Kenneth Moore said.

The tour was the first for soldiers like Benefield and Moore and at least the second for some other soldiers, including Sgt. Ronald Crooks 1st and Sgt. Todd Gibson.

Soldiers said the missions on every tour included the satisfaction of knowing they helped others, but the apprehension of how to go about proving to the Iraqis the U.S. soldiers were not their enemies was a task.

“The war wasn’t near as bad (as the first time). It wasn’t as hostile, but it was still bad enough,” Gibson said as talked of his second tour. “I’m glad to be back.”

Benefield said she believed one of the greatest accomplishments of the unit was the “better” repertoire it gained with the nationals.

“At first they were scared then they realized we weren’t there to take over, we were there to help. It’s an awesome feeling,” she said.

CW4 Mark Mackey said he believed the unit was able to make a difference with the Iraqi children.

“You give them a lot of school supplies, soccer balls, just to show the kids we’re not bad,” he said.

Many of the soldiers said they took from the tour the knowledge of how important America’s success in developments and programs has have been to the entire world.

“Here you can go get water and don’t have to sit around and purify it. I’ve learned you don’t take anything for granted,” said Spec. Jessica Wells, whose two young children lived with her father while she was deployed.

“I appreciate all the freedom we have and the choices we make.”

(Emphasis is mine.)

There you have it, straight from those who see it and live it on a daily basis — we ARE doing good over there! It’s not the first time I’ve heard or read that from a soldier … but I’m glad to that I’m seeing more and more of it in print and reported by the media!

Sewing, Angeling, and a car update

Things have been pretty quiet … or mostly quiet. Jessie’s mother is on vacation, so she’s spending the week with her. I miss her terribly, but I’ve had time to devote to a couple projects that I’ve been wanting to give attention to, so it works out for that.

Sew, sew, sew…

When I was younger, I loved to sew. I used to cross-stitch, make stuffed animals and various clothing items for myself and friends. I haven’t stitched anything in years, with the exception of a couple of costumes that Jessie needed for school about 3-4 years back. I had been wanting to start it up again, but wasn’t sure how or if I would have enough time.

A post on the Soldiers’ Angels blog yesterday has really kicked this need into high-gear. There are several sewing projects on the Soldiers’ Angels site, and several of them are various Blanket teams/projects — the newest being Blankets of Belief.

Now, I know I don’t have the time to commit to quilting or sewing blankets and such by hand, but there was a link on the Blankets of Belief page on how to make a “no-sew” blanket. These are basically fleece blankets that are constructed in such a way that no sewing is involved — if you can tie a knot, you can make one of these!

Sounds perfect!

As soon as I’m able, I’ll be stocking up on materials to make one of these. If it turns out well (read: pretty!), I’ll post pics on here. :mrgreen:

Bama Angeling

I’ve been doing a lot of work on the Bama Angels site and have started expanding my “pimpage” to a few social networking sites. So far, it’s up on MySpace, Twitter, Pownce, Facebook, and FriendFeed. I’ve had a LOT of positive response from area Angels and now I need to work on finding information to post to Bama Angels.

I usually get announcements via word of mouth or The Birmingham News, but it would be nice to get all that other Alabama and military related news that gets missed!

If you know of anything, please feel free to send it my way!

Car Update

It’s in the body shop and I was told yesterday that they’ve ordered parts and will begin taking it apart and working on it hopefully today or tomorrow. Realistically speaking, I’ll be lucky if I get it back before the end of this month.

Not thrilled with that, but what can I do? ;P Have otherwise been going back and forth with the insurance company regarding other stuff that’s still unsettled and may need legal handling, but can’t really post about that yet. (will update when able)

I know I’m lucky that we don’t have to pay for all this stuff out of our own pockets (or rather, out of our savings accounts), but honestly, this whole process is enough to drive anyone bonkers!

Another soldier goes unloved

I talk about Soldiers’ Angels all the time. Anyone who has spent any time around me knows how much my volunteer efforts for this great organization means to me. I’ll happily talk the ear off of anyone willing to endure my pestering. Most everyone listens politely. I figure even if they aren’t interested in joining, I want to at least reach them and convey that no matter what side of the fence they are on, they must realize that our soldiers need our support — whether or not they agree with the reason those soldiers are over there in the first place!

There was one particularly group of ladies I spoke with, one told me that she wished she had my energy. I wished she had my conviction. She wanted to help out, but said she didn’t have the time. I used to think that too. If you truly WANT to help, you find a way, you make time. Helping out in SA doesn’t have to mean you spend a lot of money. Sometimes it’s as simple as sending a postcard or a letter to someone thousands of miles away that is desperately waiting to hear from someone, anyone, back home!

Not everyone can do this, I get that … but there are so many OTHER ways to help out!

Anyways, what prompted this little rant was the following image posted to PostSecret this morning:

Click to enlarge

It absolutely breaks my heart to think of anyone over there feeling unloved, forgotten, neglected. You don’t have to agree with why the troops are over there, but appreciate them and their efforts!

A Memorial Reminder

Shared by Shelly in the Soldiers’ Angels forums, this piece is a poignant reminder to remember the real meaning behind this holiday:

Please Remember

By SSgt David H.

Saturday May 5, 2007. Day 87 of about 400 on my third trip to the sandbox. It is 0500, I am 5 hours into another 12 hour shift. A full moon is in the air, covered slightly by some passing clouds. It is about 75 degrees with a steady breeze. The moon is bright enough to see off into the distance and the breeze has the sand kicked up a bit so it looks like fog is in the air. I am sitting on the bench outside my maintenance van enjoying the wonderful morning. As I am sitting there I get an uncomfortable feeling.

There is something amiss, it is quiet. Too quiet for being in the middle of two runways at a major logistical base, right smack in the middle of major military operations. Where is the sound of rotors slicing through the air as helicopters take off for their nightly missions? Where is the cargo planes bringing in supplies for the base and surrounding area? The only thing I can hear is the hum of the generators that run all the equipment at our site.

I get up and walk around the protective barriers surrounding my maintenance van so I can get a clear view of the airfield. Once I turn the corner my eyes catch something that is out of place. 500 meters from me I see headlights lighting up the backside of an airplane. As my eyes focus I can make out the outline of a C-130 sitting on the taxiway with all its exterior lights and engines off. I look to the back of the plane to see what is going on. My body tenses up and my heart jumps as I realize what I am looking at. It is what we call a fallen angel ceremony.

At the back the C-130 the tail ramp is lowered all the way down to the ground. On both sides of the ramp is 5 Marines standing at the position of attention facing inboard towards each other. Just past the Marines a van sits. Its back doors open and 8 more Marines standing there in two lines of four facing the airplane. In between the Marines is a big sliver box covered by an American Flag. It is the body of a Marine who died and is now on his way back to his family over 7000 miles away.

I watch as the Marines slowly march the casket to the back of the plane, up the ramp, and into the cargo area. I find myself standing at the position of attention holding back the tears. I do not know who is in that steel box but the fact that another brother or sister in arms has made the ultimate sacrifice so others can live free has hit me hard. This is not the first time I have seen this ceremony nor will it be my last. I am not sure why this particular ceremony is effecting more than the others I have watched but it has. The 8 Marines return from inside the plane, marching slowing, just as they came in but without the precious cargo they carried. The detail of Marines stop, face each other and then all the Marines present take one step backwards, turns about and walks away. Lights on the airplane come on. The ramp on the back of the plane is raised and closed. The engines come alive as the crew in the plane are preparing for the next leg of their mission. Somewhere back in the United States a family waits for their loved one to be returned to them.

I stand and watch as the plane completes its pre-flight checks and taxies to the runway. Behind the C-130 the sky is getting brighter. The sun will soon rise and it is the beginning of a new day. The C-130 reaches the end of the runway, turns around, powers up its engines and rolls down the runway. A couple thousand feet later it is airborne and passes in front of me at about 50 feet off the ground. Goodbye, so long, thank you.

Since 9/11 every single American has been touched somehow by the war on terrorism. Everyone has a family member, a friend, a neighbor, or knows somebody that has had to leave their lives back home to come fight for the right to live without fear. Memorial Day is just a few weeks away. The official start of summer. Pools open, people have BBQ’s, hit the beach, go for a motorcycle ride, go camping, maybe watch a race. Summer time is here and it is time to have fun. Most do not realize or take the time to think of the true meaning behind the holiday. It is holiday created as a day of remembrance for those who have died in our nation’s service. It is about reconciliation; it is about coming together to honor those who gave their all. Please set aside a few moments and remember those who have fought to give us our freedoms. Remember those who are away from their families continuing the legacy of our great nation to help those in need and protect our right to live without fear. Thank a Veteran, maybe say a prayer. Anything to keep the spirit of this holiday alive.

(cross-posted to Bama Angels)

What Soldiers’ Angels means to me

When I’ve shared my experience with Soldiers’ Angels with people I’ve met and explained how much our efforts make a real difference with the troops, several times I’ve been asked, “But what has Soldiers’ Angels done for you?” I answer simply, “Everything and more.”

Looking back, I don’t even remember HOW I initially found Soldiers’ Angels. This would have been 2, maybe 3, years ago. Things were hectic in my life — but then again, things are always busy. After the wedding, I had some time off from everything to think about what I was doing with my life. I thought to myself, “I have a great family. I have a great job. We lead a pretty simple life, but … ”

Part of me felt as if I wasn’t doing enough — I was missing something. Sure, I did a little charity work here and there, but nothing that felt really meaningful to me. I never felt needed, or as if I truly belonged to a particular cause.

You know, you hear it all the time from various inspirational stories printed online or emailed around via chain letters and such — “one person can make a difference.” I can honestly say that I never FULLY believed that until I joined Soldiers’ Angels. I can honestly say that this is the most rewarding and humbling experience. I’m constantly wow’ed by the awesome men and women in our military that I’ve spoken to and corresponded with over the past year.

I’d like to share a few examples that I have run across only recently:

A thank you from my first adopted soldier:

“I just wanted to say thank you so much for mailing me the letters they mean a lot to us over here. We all look forward to the mail that any Soldiers Angel send us. It is always nice to receive a caring work from home.”

“Mail, believe it or not, is the biggest part of our day; at home we make no time to go look at the mail box, but here we make nothing but time to go and see what we got.”

Comments from another grateful soldier:

“I just want to thank you in your support. It means a lot to the Army and a lot to me as well to know that there are people who support what we do. I think the biggest request would have to be phone cards. Other than that, the simple things are the greatest things such as Hygiene products, snacks, and moral support. Again, I thank you.”

An email from Anthony:

“Hey this is Anthony, the soldier you once wrote. I just wanted to let you know I stumbled upon the letter you sent me and reading it over made me rethink why I enlisted. Again I just wanted to say thank you for taking your time to write.”

A quote from a soldier who received some TLC:

“This Soldiers’ Angel thing is crazy and cool at the same time. We just got mail today again and I got 26 Angels that sent me cards and packages. It was almost overwhelming, but it kept me busy most of the morning. One of my sergeants was trying to screen my letters for inappropriate stuff but I know he was just looking for the single females that live near his home town. He was cracking me up this morning … everyone wants to be my friend now because I have enough candy and hygiene products to make a small army really clean and have no teeth! LOL But it’s nice, I think my mouth was like four different colors yesterday from all the candy I was eating.”

Another hero tells us:

“Thank you for everything you do for us. It is so great to get something from the US, no matter what it is.”

Our heroes aren’t the only ones affected. When I received my first “thank you” from one of my adoptees, I cried. Nothing hits closer to home than true, honest appreciation. I have always admired the brave men and women in our military and wholly appreciate their efforts with all of my heart. It never once dawned on me that someone may appreciate my efforts (however small I thought they were!).

I know I am not the only one. Take this post from PeggyV just before Mother’s Day:

“One of my adoptees is a hero who has been silent since I adopted him in September 2007. Each letter is a struggle since I know nothing about him. Imagine my surprise this week when I received free mail from Iraq and it was Zach! The letter only contained the following, “Happy Mother’s Day. I know you don’t have kids, but you have been like a Mom to me this past year.”

“Wow, let’s all remember that the silence may be hard sometimes, but they really do need us. His few words are priceless to me.”

There are so many more stories like the ones I just posted. Perhaps you have one you’d like to share? Feel free to post to the Soldiers’ Angels forums, or if you’d prefer, the comments form below. I’d love to hear them.

(cross-posted to Bama Angels)

Armed Forces Day

I’m a little late to the party today due to our schedule getting a last-minute rearrangement. However, Conservative Belle is on the ball and has a great post about today. You can also read about the history of Armed Forces Day here on the US Department of Defense website.

Today is meant to be a day to take a moment to appreciate the sacrifices made by our military. However, I’m of the opinion that that day is every day.

So, how will you express your gratitude on this day? A few suggestions (again, courtesy of Conservative Belle!) are:

Thank a soldier personally, volunteer at a veterans’ hospital/home, send a support letter to a family member of a fallen soldier, adopt a soldier through Soldiers’ Angels, help a family whose spouse is serving overseas, or just say a little prayer for their continued safety.

To every brave soldier serving in our armed forces: My family and I are extremely grateful to you and others like you who are defending our home and freedom, and standing up for those who cannot. Thank you, and God Bless You!

Home instead

Our weekend plans changed abruptly this morning. Jim’s mom isn’t feeling well, so we decided to stay in B’ham and go down to Montgomery next weekend instead. Jessie was crushed — she’s been looking forward to this trip for the last month plus. BUT, a trip to Target’s toy aisles helped ease the blow a little. (along with a couple pieces of designer jewelry, or “fake bling” as she called it, LOL!) Now she’s content playing XBox.

This actually works out to my favor because I got to finish up my newest theme and update a couple others that I had wanted to submit to the LP design contest.

Sweeeeeeeeeeeeet!

This also allows me to finish up some Soldiers’ Angels business that I thought I was going to have to put off until next week. (ya gotta email comin’, Angels!) Plus, we’ll be hitting the gun show tomorrow — Jessie’s never been, and hopefully she’ll go with us.

I think she’ll really enjoy it, I always have!

Saturday Evening Post looking for stories

Courtesy of Shelle Michaels over at the Soldiers’ Angels network blog, Suzan French with the Saturday Evening Post is looking for stories to print in this weekend’s edition:

Currently in exploratory stage: Looking for uplifting military/veterans/patriotic stories. Whether you support the war or not, you MUST support the troops. Tell me about a joyful or poignant homecoming/celebration or maybe a tragic homecoming with a silver lining. What has the Dept of Veteran Affairs done to help a returning soldier and/or his/her family? What are local communities doing to support troops overseas? Helpful tips for veterans/families are welcome, but this is NOT going to be a political or government piece, so PLEASE no war/administration/government bashing.

We can all identify with that, right?

If you have a story you would like to submit, please contact Suzan French at suzanwithz@gmail.com. Her deadline is 12:00 pm (EST) tomorrow, May 16.

(x-posted to Bama Angels)

Busy weekend and belated ‘thanks’

I swear, I think our weekends are getting to be busier than our weekdays! ;P Friday was pretty hectic, and add the bad weather on top of that, it made for an interesting start to the weekend. Jessie’s karate test was Saturday — she’s now moved up from orange belt to a purple belt! Jim and I took pictures and filmed, so hopefully those will be up soon. We had a chance to talk to Jessie’s senseis for a bit, and both had nothing but good things to say about our little ray of sunshine. I noted that ever since beginning taking karate, she’s shown so much improvement … both in the dojo and outside of it!

Jessie left after the test with her mother. Jim and I went over to see my folks and saw my brother Jeremy and his wife Christy. They had Ryland with them, so I got to spend a little time with my favorite niece.

Isn’t she precious?

Stupidity knows no bounds

Today Jim and Jessie took me to brunch for Mother’s Day. I got a little aggravated earlier because I specifically told her mother that I was picking her up early and that we were going out to eat. Originally it was supposed to be breakfast … I pick Jessie up and find out that her mother had her EAT BREAKFAST right before I was to pick her up!

*beats head into wall repeatedly*

I swear, one of these days I’m bound to say something to this woman that I know I will regret, but that she also fully DESERVES.

So we waited a bit and went for ‘brunch’ … Jessie was hungry enough and Jim and I were starving! There was a slight ‘incident’ with a group that cut in line infront of us and another family. When I said something to one of the party members, she muttered something about us being ‘racists’ — the party members were black. :roll:

They moved on before I could say anything else, but I was fully ready to retort with, “It has nothing to do with race. The color of one’s skin does NOT exempt one from using common courtesy and manners!”

So I fumed a bit, but got over it. We were at Ryan’s and the food and service were great, which fully made up for the inconvenience before being seated. In their defense, it WAS packed, which made it a bit hard for the staff at the front to keep track of who should be where. However, that being said, I find it hard NOT to notice the general lack of manners by people I run across in public nowadays.

To most of these people, I am dying to say, “I *KNOW* your mother taught you better!”

A heart-felt and belated “Thanks!”

If all goes well, it looks like I’ll win this round in the Lunarpages’ WordPress theme design contest. I am completely overwhelmed by the response and surge in votes from family, friends, and extended community. I emailed a few close to me, and just about every one of them emailed their friends and family, and so on and so forth; and I posted on here and you each voted and responded in kind. (thank you!!) My Cotillion sisters rose to the occasion offering support and votes (thank you, girls! I love y’all!). Jim reached out to his guild and the guys have been very supportive with votes and feedback. (thank you!!) And last but certainly not least, the gargantuan legion of members over at the Soldiers’ Angels forums were a tremendous help in attaining and keeping the lead. (thank you very very much, Angels!!!)

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