Daisy troop #31400 in Springboro, OH Adopt 65 Marines

Those Marines are in for a treat, as this group of hard-working young ladies have adopted their unit. The girls packed and shipped 5 big boxes of snacks, goody-bags and of course some wonderful cards and letters.



The Marines may be bigger, but I'd match the size of these little girl's big hearts against theirs any time.

Thanks girls!
-Rog

Operation Cookie Pack - Milam County Girl Scouts send cookies for our troops

Milam County Girl Scouts would like to thank everyone for supporting Girl Scouts during the 2011 Cookie Season. For those of you that purchased Girl Scout Cookies in the Rockdale/Thorndale area for the military overseas, here is a follow up to what happened to those cookies.

Rockdale Daisy troop #9602 & Brownie Troop #9603 began a Soldiers Angel's project several weeks ago. ~Soldiers' Angels is a non-profit organization that sends care packages and letters to deployed service members all over the world~ Girls began making handwritten cards, drawing pictures and writing words of encouragement for wounded soldiers. Girls participating received a Soldier's Angels bracelet and earned an Operation Support Our Troops patch.

Operation Cookie Pack was held on Saturday March 19, 2011 at the Rockdale Girl Scout House for all Rockdale troops. Girls packed candy and cookies, enclosing the handwritten cards, that will then be shipped to a medical unit located in a remote combat outpost in Afghanistan. This unit has at least 100 wounded soldiers. Girls participating earned the Cookies for Soldiers patch. In attendance were Daisy Troop #9602 Breanna, Talayeh, Kinsey & Brooklyn, Brownie Troop #9603 Victoria, Heather, Bailey, Karlee & Rylee. Junior troop #9601: Ariana& Maria.


For more information about Soldiers' Angels please visit: www.soldiersangels.org Soldier's Angels is a volunteer-led nonprofit providing aid and comfort to the men and women of the United States Army, Marines, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard, and their families. its hundreds of thousands of Angel volunteers assist veterans, wounded and deployed personnel and their families in a variety of unique and effective ways.

Thanks Girl scouts!
-Rog

Girl Scout Troop 217 Adopts the 98th Med CSC

I recently posted an appeal for folks to adopt one of the many small medical units currently serving in Afghanistan. After receiving requests from 11 brand-new units in just 5 days, I knew I needed help.

The response was, well, overwhelming! Among the over 100 offers to help was Girl Scout troop 217, A troop of 4th & 5th graders in Lynchburg, VA. I had just received a request from a combat stress clinic in Afghanistan for support; this is an outpatient clinic where soldiers can go for counseling and just to get a morale boost. Pictures, letters and so forth from young kids back home is one of the most welcomed items and a real morale-booster for soldiers far from home.


These young girls kicked into action, and decided to do a service project to support our troops serving overseas.


So far, they have currently met their troop goal to sell 1500 boxes of cookies and still have 12 more days to sell cookies. With the money raised, (the troop earns 60 cents per box they sell), Troop 217 will be sending letters, cards, handmade gifts, treat bags, care packages, and of course Girl Scout Cookies to their adopted military unit.

Great job, Troop 217!
-Rog

Bagram's Hospital Chaplains

Watch here to see the chaplains at the Craig Air Force hospital in Bagram, Afghanistan describe what they do for the patients and for the medics who care for them.



I'm proud that our Soldiers' Angels medical team is supporting these dedicated and caring folks.
-Rog

Want to help support a small medic unit? I've got dozens waiting!

NOTE - if you replied to this post to adopt a medical unit, bear with me. I got over 200 emails in response, which is terrific and much appreciated. But it does take some time to sort through, figure out which person should be matched to which unit, and to answer all of them. I'm just one person volunteering my time.

You can help immediately by clicking on the link below to donate funds to help us ship supplies to the over 70 medical units all over that we're supporting.

thanks for understanding!
-Rog





All of these units are in small, remote combat support outposts with very few amenities. They are asking for simple, basic stuff that they just can't get over there! Like snacks, peanut butter, laundry detergent, etc. If you us can send even a single package with just some of the items, that will be a huge help!

If you can help, go to
www.soldiersangels.org and make a donation to help us with shipping costs.

Thanks!
-Rog

Here are a few examples:

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Unit name "Michael - Restoration Center"
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This is a combat stress clinic, where soldiers go for a few days to rest and de-stress, with 8 beds. Restoration program for soldiers that are having problems emotionally and mentally problems downrange. mostly Male and some females

New requests from Mike:

-Vacuum cleaner for their carpet (used is fine)
-BBQ tools (they have a grill and want to hold some cook-outs as a morale booster) - oven mitt, tongs, etc
-Snacks, Consider home-made cookies, junk food and a mix of healthy snacks, too.
-Microwaveable food (Hormel meals, ramen noodles in a cup, mac and cheese, popcorn)
-Tuna pouches

---------------------------------------------------------
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UNIT NAME "Derrick - Warrior transition unit"
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In-patient facility for injured soldiers to recover in-country.

Requests:

-Feminine hygiene supplies (five females total)
-Toiletries - (shaving cream, razors, body wash, lotion, chap-stick, powder, shampoo, conditioner, mouthwash, soap, hand-sanitizer, wipes, etc)
Cough Drops
Music CDs
Magazines
Paper back books
Peanut butter, jelly, honey
Crackers, etc.
Candy - hard candy, suckers, etc.
Coffee (whole bean please)
Coffee creamer and sweeteners
Hot Tea
Hot cocoa
Microwave popcorn
Instant Oatmeal
Freeze-pops
Drink mixes ( a mix of regular and sugar-free)

---------------------------------------------------------
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UNIT NAME = "Christine - Evac Unit"
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supplies for female patients:
-Sports bras, (sizes 34, 36)
-shampoo/conditioner for women,
-baby wipes,
-magazines for women

---------------------------------------------------------
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UNIT NAME = "Kathrine 102nd FST"
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Requests: Tide detergent with bleach

Proof that little Angels can make a big difference!

Here are a couple of pictures from a girl-scout troop in California. These young patriots adopted the 254th med Combat Stress Clinic at Camp Marmal,Afghanistan and have sent them goody-bags, cards and letters and 13 boxes of Girl Scout cookies that these scouts proudly raised donations for.(Like anyone could say no to these faces!)

Proof that you don't need to be big to help our troops, you just need to have a big heart.

Proud of you, girls!
-Rog

My cousin, Joe Paul Swendsen. RIP March 3, 2011

We mourn his death and celebrate his life.

Joe had a strong belief in both family and country. He chose to honor his grandfathers who had served before him by volunteering to serve in the Air National Guard. As part of his duty, he took time out from college to go on a special assignment to Diego Garcia, supplying necessities to the troops in Afghanistan. It was hot and humid in the middle of the Indian Ocean, and Joe hated the spiders, but he befriended the geckos in the shower. That was Joe.

He later continued his tradition of service to our country as an Air Traffic Controller. He graduated from the University of Alaska Anchorage with a degree in Air Traffic Control and started that career in Rockford, IL. He earned a transfer to the Minneapolis airport in October of 2010 and that is where he was currently working. He was really happy with his career and talked about it a lot. His co-workers there are surprised and saddened by his death.

Joe, you will be missed.
- Rog

Faces of Soldiers' Angels Medical team in three minutes

The Soldiers' Angels Deployed Medical Team supports dozens of medical units in Iraq and Afghanistan. Watch this 3-minute video of the downrange units and the great Americans back home who support them!

Annual Soldiers' Angels Planning Meeting

Well, I'm headed off to San Antonio this morning to meet with the other Soldiers' Angels managers, confer, converse and otherwise hob-nob with my fellow wizards.

I'll bring my plans for the next year, estimates of how many sets of clothing, First Response Backpacks and all the other necessities that we ship to the medical units overseas. Then we try to make it work against the always-difficult budget process.

What DOES make it work is that I can rely on you wonderful Medical Support Team Angels for your amazing generosity that helps fill the hundreds of requests we get every month.

We have a full two-day schedule of morning meetings (beginning 7:30 am!), afternoon meetings, and a Friday night meet-and-greet. Do you notice any time in there for my regular naps? No, I do not either.

Keep watching, I'll post pictures and updates here and on Facebook.


OH yeah, Damn it...I was looking forward to another day of 40 degree, cold, damp, gray sky here at home in Illinois. Instead I'll have to put up with that miserable San Antonio weather: 80 degrees and sunny. (sigh), the things I put up with for this organization.



Later!
Rog