Memorial Day With Vietnam Veterans

Sgt. Brown, left and LT Shell, right are saluted by Pack 405 Cub Scouts

My two sons, who are six and eight years old know the difference between Memorial Day and Veteran's Day. They'd be happy to educate anyone who doesn't know the difference.  The Saturday before Memorial Day, my boys and I participate in honoring the service of our Country's Military by placing American Flags on the graves of men and women who served in the Civil War spanning to present day Wars. Pack 405 take great pride in placing the flags. They even clean head stones of debris.

This year LT Shell and Sgt. Brown from the local VFW, who sponsor Pack 405 accompanied the Cub Scouts to the three cemeteries. They provided the flags for the kids to place on the graves.  At the final cemetery, which is the oldest cemetery Sgt. Brown gave me and my boys a tour educating us about local history. My eight year old has been studying local history, he had a plethora of questions for Sgt Brown. Sgt. Brown answered every one of my son's questions with pride. When my son started asking questions about Sgt. Brown's service his voice turned quite.

Sgt. Brown survived three tours in Vietnam as a Flight Engineer on a Chinook helicopter for the Army.  Sgt. Brown's Chinook crashed after he was shot down. He was rescued, but by the look in his eyes, I'm not sure if everyone in his crew survived.

Sgt. Brown was eighteen years old when he was called to serve his Country. He proudly served in the Army for eleven years. My boys aren't old enough to really understand Vietnam, but they do know our Veteran's were treated horribly upon returning home. We talked about that a little bit with Sgt. Brown, who confirmed he had been spit on.

For the most part I let my boys carry the conversation with Sgt. Brown seeing he enjoyed having young people who were sincerely interested in what he had seen and done. My oldest told me in the car later, "It was pretty neat talking to Sgt. Brown today. He's a living History book. That's pretty cool."

Sgt. Brown made a few comments that revealed his time in Vietnam, the memories of what he saw, and those he lost are still with him 50 years later. My boys and I are honored he shared some of those memories with us today.

There are several Military Friends and Gold Star Families on my mind this weekend, Sgt. Brown included. He and LT Shell helped the Vietnam War become more than just a story to my boys, for that I thank him. For all those who have lost their lives serving this great country, and those who have loved them, Your Sacrifice has not gone unnoticed.

Vietnam Veterans Memorial Washington D.C., 2011

Military Spouse Appreciation Day

Artwork  by a 4th Grader at Janesville School

I would just like to say THANK YOU to all of the Military Spouses. It takes a special person to be a military spouse. I have many friends who are spouses, and they are all amazing, compassionate, strong people who have my utter respect. The Military Spouses don't get enough acknowledgment for their hard work. The spouses are the rocks at home who support our Military. They need our support and thanks too. If you know a Military Spouse, be sure to tell them, Thank You.

Guitar Needed For Deployed Friend

Today, I'm looking for anyone who either has a guitar to donate, or will sell one cheap. One of my best friends, who I've known for almost twenty years has begun his eleventheeth deployment (I've lost track.) He told me he'd like to get a hold of a guitar for this deployment and I'm hoping there is someone out there who can help. I will pay for postage to send the guitar down range.

If you can help, please email me at wordsforwarriors@gmail.com.

A million thanks.

Sending Out Congratulations!

I wanted to take a moment to say Congratulations to America's First Sargent for being promoted to America's Sargent Major! You can see him get his chevrons here! I expect continued excellence from the Sargent Major on all Zombie Slaying related activities as he trains his Marine Ninja's to keep us safe.

Thanks for serving Sargent Major and keep up the good work!

Tough Mudder 2012 Tahoe

In September I'm participating in the Tough Mudder event in Tahoe. This is an approximate 11 mile military style obstacle corse complete with fire, eclectic shock, and a variety of other joy. Tough Mudder donates a portion of their proceeds to the Wounded Warrior Project. They also offer participants to gather donations for the Wounded Warrior Project for a discounted entry fee. As much as I love discounts, I love Wounded Warriors more.

Here is the link if you'd like to donate to the Wounded Warrior Project. Check it out. 

If you don't know what Tough Mudder is.... check out the video from last years event. 

Act Of Valor- A Movie Review

The first time I heard of Act Of Valor I was sitting at Blog World in a small theatre with Laughing Wolf from BlackFive, (Or maybe you know him better as the CEO of Cooking With The Troops?) Markus The Red Shirt from YouServed Radio, and everyones favorite Marine Widow, Mrs. P from A Little Pink In A World Of Camo.  After listening to the director and producer tell us a little about the movie, we got to see a preview. It was enough to hook all of us into wanting to see the movie.



Last night was date night. I don't think my husband minded when I said I wanted to see Act Of Valor. Now I can't speak on the credibility of the military tactical side of the movie. As a civilian I can tell you it pretty much rocked. The sound of the live ammo used in the scenes created a deep sound that's never been matched. I have heard the scenes with enemy contact have triggered PTSD symptoms for some Veterans, whether this is due to the sounds of gun fire, the graphic nature of some of the scenes, or both, I can't say. I would like Veterans to think before they see it if they are sensitive to these types of situations. I would also caution any Gold Star Families before seeing this movie, as it's very emotional.

Without spoiling the movie, I will say that much like real war, people die. Good people with families. To push this point forward, at the end of the movie they honor all of the Fallen SEAL's since 9/11. I recognized many names. The one that choked me up was Petty Officer 1st Class Neil C. Roberts. I knew him when I was younger. We even share a very proud niece and nephew. I had been thinking of him, his wife, son, and family while watching the movie.

The sacrifices military men and women make, along with the support and love of their families is not fictional entertainment. They are very real. The average American needs to remember this, hopefully this movie will give the average American a glimpse of the sacrifices so many have made since 9/11.

Their Sacrifice. Our Freedom.

Mail Call From Afghanistan!

Words For Warriors has been supporting Sgt. Jeffery Tumey through his deployment in Afghanistan. He has received a number of letters, as he is one of the few who specifically requested letters from students. A memo went out to teachers with a little about Sgt. Tumey's background. Mr. Tripplet's 1st grade class and Mrs. Bricker's 3rd grade class responded to Sgt. Tumey's call for mail. He is currently answering their letters, meanwhile I received a box of thanks.

Sgt. Tumey is the second from the banner, on the left, in the back row.

Sgt. Tumey is the NCOIC of an Engineer Team.

Obviously Sgt. Tumey has discovered the way to my heart.... BOOKS!

Sgt. Tumey included this touching thank you letter.

Kristina,

      Hey! Thank you for all you have done for myself and the Soldiers' here. I know you keep very busy with a lot of stuff including your family life. I am sure that you have a pretty hectic schedule daily. I am also thankful that I have found a pretty cool friend like you. It's hard to trust hardly anyone in my situation so seeing and talking to a friendly person helps me back to reality. This packaged box was the only box that was small enough for this picture and letter. To give you more of an adventure into my vivid imagination sometimes, I sent these two books just to give an idea of century that I place my mind into when not battleing. I have read these already and I loved them. I am not saying YOU MUST READ THEM, you know what, yes I am, YOU MUST READ THEM, there I said it twice! Lol But for real, your thoughtfulness and appreciation is unmeasurable to anyone I have ever known.

Thank you Kristina, you will forever be in my heart, and the Soldiers that you make an impression on.

Sincerely,

SGT Tumey, Jeffery aka: Sapper 

Letters like this one reinforces the importance of supporting the military. I am proud of Sgt Tumey, the men and women he serves with, and his family that misses him dearly while he is gone. Thank you Sgt. I look forward to welcoming you home soon. I will also have book reports soon on these two must read books!

*Sgt Tumey gave prior permission to use his real name, his team picture, and to post his letter.

A New Years State Of Mind

Celtic Dove Of Peace by meic2

A few weeks ago I read this article over at A Little Pink In A World Of Camo. In the post, Mrs. P who is a Marine Widow talks about how she ran across another article that spoke not of a New Years Resolution, but of a New Years word, or theme. The basic idea is to reflect on what you really need in your life, or what you need to strive to give others. For example do you need Peace? Wisdom? Grace? Honesty? Tranquility? Or harmony? Do you need to be more generous? Humble? Compassionate towards others?

I have to say, I really like this idea. I think it has a lot of potential. One reason I like the idea of a New Years Theme is because it's positive and attainable. Sure, it's positive to cut sugar out of your diet, but how practical is it? It is realistic to have a goal for a year to be more compassionate. Does having a goal mean you'll be successful at every opportunity? No. All bad (and good) habits are born from repetition, meaning the more we do something, like practice compassion, the higher the possibility it will become easier and eventually mold into a habit.

I've given it a lot of thought, my New Years Theme is going to be Peace. Peace is something I have experienced little of in 2011. I'm not quite sure how one attains peace, as everyone seems to have a different answer, perhaps one day I'll have my own answer.

If you picked a New Years Theme what would it be?

Does Mail and Care Packages Help Stop PTSD?

This article from the Chicago-Sun Times titled Hight-Tech Age Letters Still Matter discusses a study which shows family members who received hand written letters, emails they could print and keep with them, and care packages from family members were less likely to develop PTSD. This is the first study of it's type that I could find. I hope there are future studies in the works, and hope in the future they don't limit themselves to troops who regularly receive mail from family, but broaden the study to those who regularly receive mail. I have supported many troops, and I have several friends who support troops. Between all of us, I'd say we've supported THOUSANDS of troops with letters, care packages, and emails. Us active troop supporters know the value of what we send and do. I can only hope that word will spread and ALL of our troops overseas will feel the support of their country, because not every troop has a family to support them, but they do have a country filled with people who do.

How can you support a troop?

If you, or your child (children LOVE getting involved) draw a picture, write a letter, or make a card I will make sure it gets in the hands of a troop. Just email me or mail it directly to me at PO Box 734, Janesville, CA 96114. This is an AWESOME class project for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd graders who need to practice their letter writing skills.

If you would like to support a troop while they are deployed I suggest looking into being a Solider's Angel or visiting AnySoldier.com.

There are many amazing programs out there, these are but a few. I have made some life long friends and some I would even consider family, all by writing letters and sending care packages. Give it a try.

Remember.... Their Sacrifices. Our Freedom.

HAPPY 50TH BIRTHDAY US NAVY SEAL'S

Here's a big HAPPY BIRTHDAY to US Navy SEAL's and hoping they get to unwrap some special presents. After all, it is because of dangerous men like this we get to sleep peacefully at night.

Remember.... Their Sacrifice. Our Freedom.