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Team Spotlight

Soldiers' Angels "Letter Writing Team"

Who we are and What we do

The SA "Letter Writing Team" (LWT) is made up of registered Soldiers' Angels who enjoy writing to our deployed heroes and know how important it is to hear your name called at "mail call" (sadly some soldiers get no mail at all from back home).

An "Angel" can sign up for as many days in a week as they want. On each day that an "Angel" designates during the week, his/her "official" LWT "Team Leader" will send via email, a new name/address to write to. The LWT "writer" is only requested to send one card or letter to each name/address they receive, but of course may send more if they chose.

We are here solely to let our deployed heroes know that there are people back home that care about them and their families, plus appreciate the sacrifices that they and their families during this time. We also ask the writers not to include anything that could be deemed disrespectful by the soldier or could possibly make him/her feel uncomfortable.

An individual (either currently a registered member of SA or not currently a member of SA) can join the SA "LWT" who is 18 or over, has computer/internet access, and wishes to write letters of encouragement and support to our deployed heroes. They can learn more about the LWT and sign up by going to the following link and filling out a short form via going to the following link:

http://soldiersangelsforum.com/index.php?name=Sections&op=viewarticle&artid=6

August, 2006 Stats

LWT co-Leaders: Sara Ehrlich and Linda Dominik

# of LWT co-Leaders: 23

# of LWT "writers active as of 8/31/06: 906

# of letters/names sent during August 2006: 11,284

SA Forums Newsletter: Coming Soon

(Here is a copy of the email that went out to all forum members who are subscribed to the newsletter we will also be archiving them here for those who arent members of the forums and still want to view the newsletters)


Soldiers Angels Forums Newsletter: www.soldiersangelsforum.com

We will be starting a SA Forum Newsletter soon. if you do not want to receive newsletters or announcement emails from the forums login to your account and uncheck the newsletter box you can also email me and I can fix it for you. also please make sure your email address is accurate in your profile I am getting alot of bounce notices and after a few bounces the forum automatic deletes the account. If you have any questions or concerns please feel free to email me. Thank You

- Soldiers Angels Forums Staff
forumadmin@soldiersangels.org

From the Director's Desk

Dear Friends,

As many of you know, our boards came under attack from a malicious hacker over the weekend. That is twice now a very nasty individual came in, deleted lots of boards and posts, changed text, changed my name and really made a mess of the boards. We are convinced that this is not a member of Soldiers’ Angels but rather a nasty person with malicious intent. Therefore it is with a sad heart I must inform you that the MSN boards will be deleted very soon. Within the next couple of days, we will be permanently removing all MSN board files from the board.

We have a wonderful online community located at http://soldiersangelsforum.com/. I would like to welcome all of you to the Forums. If you have not been there in a while, please come check it out. Dave and Holly have been working overtime to make it the wonderful place that it is. I think you will be impressed with all that they have accomplished. One of the biggest improvements is that it is now a SA members only Forum. There is one boards opened to the general public, but the rest of it is closed to SA Members only. You will need to join if you have not yet done so.

Please take a few moments and transfer any pictures or other items that are on the MSN boards right now over to the Forums. Once they are deleted on the MSN boards, they are gone forever.

I know that this will come as a shock and many of you will be dismayed. We have discussed moving from the boards to the forums or visa versa for quite some time. Some of you have indicated that you prefer the MSN setup. But we have reached the point where we simply cannot trust the security of MSN. Many of you were around when our original boards were completely deleted. No one knew how it could have happened and speculation ran rampant. But now we are under attack once again and it is clear this time that it is not an internal attack. It is from someone outside who simply does not want to see us achieve our mission.

So with that, I would like to thank all of you who made the MSN boards what they were. This was a real home for us for so long and it will be missed. But just like anything knew, we will get used to the forums and they will grow on us. Please give it a chance and come visit us there. If there is something on the new Forums that you would like that used to exist on the MSN boards, let me know and I will bring it to Dave and Holly to get it established. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to let me know. You know you can always reach me at dmackay@soldiersangels.org or mackay.donaldw@gmail.com.

Thank you all for everything you do. I am proud and honored to count myself an angel working with you to support our brave soldiers. Keep up the great work!

Don MacKay
Executive Director and C.O.O.
dmackay@soldiersangels.org

Team Updates

THE E –SQUAD

The E-Squad Team is a commitment to email the assigned hero(s) until they rotate home. You are not required to send cards, letters, or care packages. But to send an email or two a week to your assigned hero. No forwards, spams, or inappropriate emails. Just write to them as you would a name you received from a penpal club or a friend that has moved far away. Please check in with your assigned hero to see if they have heard from their adopted angel (they are automatically sent to the Adoptions Team) and if they have not, please contact the team. Sending a care package is certainly okay but it’s not required.

There are times we won't hear from them because of missions, extra duties, R&R, communication black-outs, or the lines to the MWR are just too long to wait around for the 30 minutes of Internet they get. Some have to wait in lines up to or more than 3 hours. If you can't think of anything to say you can always send jokes, pics from around your hometown, or maybe something funny that happened that week. Sometimes they don't have time to email us, but it doesn't mean they don't appreciate our emails. If you are interested in joining the E-Squad, please email Mel at Soldiers.Angels.E.Squad at gmail.com.

CARDS + TEAM

For more information about the Cards Plus Team visit the following link:
http://soldiersangelsforum.com/index.php?name=Sections&op=viewarticle&artid=13

Anyone who is a member of SA can submit a request to the Cards plus team at the following link:
http://soldiersangelsforum.com/index.php?name=Sections&op=viewarticle&artid=15

For any member of Soldiers Angels who would like to join the Cards Plus team will need to do so at the following link:
http://soldiersangelsforum.com/index.php?name=Sections&op=viewarticle&artid=14

LETTER WRITING TEAM

The Soldiers' Angels Letter Writing Team (LWT) is comprised of Soldiers' Angels who enjoy writing to our heroes and know how important it is for them to hear their name at mail call. Soldiers who have submitted themselves and or been submitted through the SA website are distributed via the LWT Team Leaders on a nightly basis. Though each Soldier is assigned to an Angel (known as his/her "Official" Angel), the LWT provides additional support with extra cards and letters. The LWT writer is only requested to send each soldier that they receive one card/letter and are not required to send a care package unless they chose to do so.

The year of 2005 was a very busy one by the LWT with 105,643 letters going to our deployed heroes. Though we had turn overs with new LWT "Team Leaders" and some of the LWT Team Leaders needing to step down, our mission of ensuring smiles on the faces of our deployeed heroes at mail call was never forgotten.

The dedication of this great team of LWT Team Leaders and writers did not diminish in January, 2006 with 12,781 letters sent via 29 LWT Team Leaders and 959 LWT writers. 155 new writer signups for January 2006 allowed us to continue to get letters/cards of encouragement and support to our deployed heroes.

On January 10, 2006 thanks to an outstanding job by Holly Aho, the LWT implemented a new process for currently registered Angels to join the LWT and individuals with computer access that want to join Soldiers' Angels but are not able to adopt a soldier initially. They can now go the specific link shown below, find out all about who the LWT is and how to join the LWT. The link is
http://soldiersangelsforum.com/index.php?name=Sections&op=viewarticle&artid=6

A great big "WELCOME" and "THANK YOU" to our new LWT Team Leaders who have joined the LWT since the beginning of the new year: Jeni Blaschko, Stephanie Reed, Joelle Teague, Rae Ellingson, and Angie Panetta. Welcome aboard and we appreciate all you do. The role of being a LWT Team Leader can be a big responsibility just having to do what you do every day, 7 days a week.

Many thanks to the LWT Team Leaders and LWT writers who needed to step back from writing at this time for their dedication in supporting our troops by putting smiles on these heroes faces at mail call. You will be missed and hope that some day you will be able to join us again.

We are always looking for more writers to ensure that no soldier is unloved and/or forgotten. The number of letters sent in a month does not include the many care packages that the LWT writers send on their own to the soldiers that they write to.

General questions about the LWT can be directed to Linda D at lindomlwt at gmail.com or Sara at sje2555 at yahoo.com.

BLANKETS OF HOPE TEAM

This team is responsible to sending blankets to our wounded soldiers. To date the team has created over 5,000 blankets. In 2005, over 3800 blankets were made, with over 1,000 requests for information. We are now putting blankets into 300 backpacks per month, which are packed at Minimus by Joan. The Blankets of Hope Team has made it into the Army museum! Blankets are being made by all ages from young children to seniors in their 90's, family members of active duty and deployed servicemen, mothers wanting to teach daughters how to sew, grandaughters sewing in honor of the grandmother that taught them, teachers doing class projects to honor our wounded, seniors living in residential facilities who can't use their hands to crochet or knit, but can still tie knots for the fleece...everything from simple blankets to beautifully crafted quilts, no-sew fleece, crocheted and knitted.

DEPLOYED FAMILY SUPPORT GROUP

For those who don\'t know yet, Soldiers' Angels has formed a new group called Deployed Family Support Group. Listed below is a copy of the Mission Statement which helps explain what this project is about. If you are interested in finding out more, after you read the mission statement please feel free to contact Renee at threejarr at yahoo.com.

Mission Statement: Deployment is not only difficult on the soldiers, it is incredibly difficult on the soldier's families. It affects the whole family and friends of the family as well. Although many families have great support systems in place, there are too many families who are not as fortunate. We have identified a need to provide a network of assistance to those who do not know where to turn or who to turn to.

Soldiers' Angels has created a project called Deployed Family Support Group. This team will provide TLC to all family members (i.e., wives, husbands, and/or friends) in need of encouragement and support. This support will be provided primarily through e-Mail and electronic communications. Taking care of family members who have been left behind by their deployed loved one is just one small way Soldiers' Angels demonstrates our gratitude for the sacrifices families are making, not only for us, but for future generations as well.

If you know a family member that you feel might benefit from the support of an Angel from the Deployed Family Support Group, please submit their name(s) to Renee Jurgensen at familysupport at soldiersangels.org.

LIVING LEGENDS TEAM

The Living Legends team is made up of some very special Angels who send cards and letters to the families of our fallen heroes. This team was started May 2005 and have been growing in members. This is the most difficult and emotional team to be on.

We compare the DOD list to our data base several times a day to see if we have a match for a fallen soldier. If there is a match, the Angel(s) involved are contacted by telephone about their soldiers by a member of our team. If they cannot be reached by telephone in a reasonable amount of time, we will email them with this information. After the Angel(s) are contacted we will then post the family's information on the Living Legends Forum so that everyone can send cards and letters to the family. We wait a respectable amount of time to call the families to offer them a living tree from Soldiers' Angels. We also have a dried flower (wreath) arrangement for those families that cannot plant trees. The families are allowed to pick any type of tree they would like, with a $140.00 cap on the price. The wreaths are usually $50.00 to $60.00 each. We have sent over 80 trees and 5 wreaths so far. We have sent cards to so many more families. (Cards are also sent on the anniversary of a hero's death.)

If you would like to donate money for a tree or wreath, please send a donation to Soldiers' Angels at 1792 East Washington Blvd., Pasadena, CA 91104. Please put Living Legends in the memo part. Please visit our blog at www.livinglegendteam.blogspot.com

TLC TEAM

The purpose for the TLC Team is to provide additional and much-needed support to our heroes facing desperate circumstances (i.e., those who are wounded, distressed, or without family support or letters of encouragement). Team members are always on "alert", ready, willing and able to come through for our heroes.

The TLC Team consists of a number of dedicated Angels and works closely with our founder, Patti Bader, administrators, state managers and many other Angels, as well as outside sources, to see to the needs of those with special circumstances. When the team leader (Angel Eileen) is apprised of a "TLC" situation or learns of a particular situation through our daily reports, she will either place a post on the forum under "TLC Requests" or contact a team member with the necessary information, who will then write a post.

If you have a request for TLC or for more information on the team, please contact:
Eileen at einch1 at hotmail.com.

Angels at Work

PATTI PATTON-BADER RECEIVES U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY'S CIVILIAN AWARD FOR HUMANITARIAN SERVICE

Soldiers' Angels very own Patti Patton-Bader was presented with the United States Department of the Army's Civilian Award for Humanitarian Service by Lt. Col. James Riley (Ret) on January 14, 2006 in Pasadena, California. Patti graciously accepted the award, which was signed by Lt. Gen. Kevin Kiley, on behalf of every Soldiers' Angel.

"For exceptional dedication and selfless service leading to the creation of the Soldiers Angels Foundation which has immeasurable enriched the lives of countless thousands of service members and their families.

Mrs. Patton-Bader's talent and marketing skills provided them a myriad of services and unending support at this critical time in our nation's fight to end global terrorism.

Her selfless service, abundant generosity and tireless care reflect great credit on her, the American Soldier and the United States of America."

Patti, as always, we are proud to be working alongside you in support of our brave men and women. Thank you for making each and every one of us so proud to be an Angel!

AN ORAL HISTORY FROM THE MEMBERS OF SOLDIERS’ ANGELS

If you have seen the posts about the upcoming Soldiers’ Angels Book and have wondered what it is about, then keep reading! An interview with Patti Patton-Bader, founder of Soldiers’ Angels has provided us with those answers.

The format of the book is an oral history as told by inserts from members of this organization who are dedicated to the support of our troops and their families. More than just stories, the book is to be filled with photographs from the members as well. Photos of the members, their heroes, fundraisers, anything special or meaningful to the member is welcome for submission to the book. The publishing committee will review the stories and photos that are submitted and decide which will actually be placed in the book.

What should your story be about? Your story should be anything about Soldiers’ Angels that has moved your heart. It could be why you joined, experience(s) with your adopted heroes, the personal rewards you have received, anything that stands out from your union with this organization.

The appearance of the published book is to be reminiscent of the big Life Magazines, with wonderful pictures and stories that would be perfect to keep on a coffee table for all to see. It will also be a most special heirloom to pass down through the family, a record of caring Americans and a personal treasure for all members of Soldiers’ Angels.

Do not be left out! If you wish to have your story and photos considered for entry in the Soldiers’ Angels Book, you must mail your information no later than March 15th by regular mail, no emails, please. All photos must be clear and well printed. Poor quality photos such as those that are fuzzy or too dark, etc., cannot be used. The story and photos that you send will not be returned, but they will be put in the Soldiers’ Angels museum.

The book is scheduled to have the first draft of the printed version prepared by June 31st, with the actual publishing date and price of the book to be determined. Where to order or purchase the book is also to be determined and will be announced at a later date.

If you have not sent in your story and photos, then do it as soon as possible and before March 15th! Send them to:

Soldiers’ Angels
1792 E Washington Avenue
Pasadena, CA 91104

SOLDIERS’ ANGELS HELP TO BREAK WORLD RECORD

On January 8, Soldiers’ Angels (in collaboration with Library of Life, an organization that offers the public a way to celebrate life and share memories online) announced a Guinness Book of Records attempt, called Operation: Love Our Troops. The aim was to create the largest digital Valentine’s Day card ever and send the messages to our deployed military. The original goal was a modest 5,000 posted messages of love and support. Thanks to The Bohle Company, a top public relations company based in Los Angeles retained by the Library of Life to promote the campaign, word quickly spread of this initiative—and our original goal was passed many times over. By the end of January alone, http://www.operativeloveourtroops.org/ had received over 7,000 messages from grateful Americans—and those all over the world. By Valentine’s Day, the goal had easily been surpassed—and, as of press time, this site was still accepting new messages of support for our troops. (The latest count was almost 21,000.) Way to go, Angels!

MONETARY DONATIONS NEEDED

Patti recently shared some of the many requests pouring in from our brave heroes. As you can see, it takes a LOT of money to be able to help supply them with everything they need. Here are just a few examples:

- Pillows: $605 (for the pillows plus shipping).
- High Power Scope: two of five marksmen in group were not issued scopes. Cost: $1,249.50 plus shipping.
- Underarmor T-Shirts: 150 requested at $24 each less 10% discount. Total: $3,240.00.
- Tactical Flashlights: $8,600.00 for top quality models for either pistol or rifle.
- Kevlar Blankets: $9350.00 for just 10 blankets.

As you can see, Angels, the need is great (and sometimes daunting) but together, we can help these heroes! Please send donations to:

Soldiers’ Angels
1150 N. Loop 1604 W., Suite 108-493
San Antonio, TX 78248

And remember: every little bit helps!

NEW CONTEST ANNOUNCED FOR ST. PATRICK’S DAY

A care package will be sent to your adopted soldier in your name if you contact your local recruiter in March and provide St Patrick’s Day treats (cupcakes, brownies, cookies, etc). After your visit, email Patti with your soldier’s contact information, and that soldier will receive a $20.00 gift certificate to http://minimus.biz/ .

Secondly, any Angel who locates and contacts their local VA and establishes a team to go in and help our wounded will receive the Golden Wings Prize, consisting of the following:

1 Soldiers Angels Golden Certificate
2 Gold Pins
2 Gold Coins
2 Tshirts (Black)
2 Tshirts (White)
2 Car Magnets
1 Works package for the hero of their choice

Thank you, as always, for the wonderful work that you do on a daily basis!

OVERSEAS COUPON PROGRAM

Are you looking for another way to support our troops and their families? Consider helping the Overseas Coupon Program (OCP). This program serves military families by providing them with manufacturer's coupons. These coupons are sent to overseas military bases, where they are placed on tables, at the PX and Commissary, or handed out for use by military members and families on base. This helps the family save valuable dollars and stretch their budget. Remember: the average Sunday newspaper contains approximately $125 worth of coupons!

For more information, please visit http://www.ocpnet.org./

Willie's Corner

Dear Angels and Friends,

Your boxes are arrived! Thank you very much for all your support over the last year!

We are so proud of you! Without your donations and sponsorship, we could not take so much backpacks to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center or microwave food to the Kleber Barracks.

In 2005 we brought 796 backpacks and 239 bags (with personal items, candies and clothes) to the wounded soldiers at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, to the Fisher House, to the Marines, to the National Guard and to the Ramstein Inn (DWMMC).

We brought a lot of microwave food to the coffee bar at the Kleber Barracks in Kaiserslautern , over 100 pairs of shoes to the Chaplains Office Landstuhl, over 750 Christmas Stockings to Kleber and Landstuhl and more.

If you like to read more about our visits in Landstuhl this year look at Soldiers Angels Germany:
http://www.sablogs.com/index.php?blog=40&cat=232

And about our visits at the Kleber Barracks look here:
http://www.sablogs.com/index.php?blog=40&cat=234

So instead we'll just wish you and your family a great new 2006 and a Happy New Year.

God Bless you and your family!

Willie
Wilhelmine Aufmkolk
International President, Soldiers' Angels

Our German Angels also report: “We prepared 3 boxes of candy and cards for the outpatient barracks at Ramstein Inn and Fisher House….and eight folders with hundreds of Valentine's Day Greetings From Home were collected from Angels and placed at Kleber outpatient barracks, Ramstein Inn outpatient barracks, Fisher House, and the wards at Landstuhl Hospital. Each folder had 254 Valentine messages!”

Soldiers’ Angels also helped to get over 100 Get Well and support messages to the 3 Canadian troops who were severely injured in Afghanistan and who were treated at Landstuhl, by working together with our contacts at Landstuhl and a Canadian blogger. You can see the story (and the messages) at http://wakinguponplanetx.blogspot.com/2006/01/our-injured-soldiers.html.

Willie received a wonderful thank you from a wounded sailor for the collections of Christmas greetings from home that were placed in the hospital and outpatient barracks. Please visit http://sablogs.com/index.php?blog=40&title=a_thank_you_from_a_wounded_sailer&more=1&c=1&tb=1&pb=1 for this message of appreciation and gratitude.
Read about our German Angels’ Christmas visit to Landstuhl (http://sablogs.com/index.php?blog=40&title=christmas_at_landstuhl_hospital&more=1&c=1&tb=1&pb=1)

The ladies share a recap of their January 19 visit to Landstuhl here (http://www.brandonblog.homestead.com/files/2005_01_23_archive.html)

And, always, our German friends always welcome donations to help them carry on their mission of supporting the patients at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, which includes the outpatient barracks at Kleber. Here is a list of their current needs:

For the Kleber outpatient barracks we are currently requesting donations of:
- Shower Gel
- Toothbrushes & Toothpaste
- Mouthwash
- Deoderant
- FlipFlops to wear while showering (large sizes)
- Knit or fleece caps- Small stuffed animals
- Microwaveable meals, snacks, fruit cups (soldiers often arrive at Kleber from Iraq or Afghanistan in the evenings after regular meal hours)

Please send items to:
21st TSC, Medical Transient Detachment
ATTN: Soldiers’ Angels
UNIT 23203
APO AE 09263

Important:
- Please notify them when items are shipped at maryann.phillips at gmail.com .
- Include a card with your name, Email address, and short description of items sent in your packages. Without this information, they will be unable to confirm their receipt.

All donations are delivered directly through Willie or MaryAnn to Landstuhl hospital and Kleber Barracks.

On the Frontline

While we Angels don't expect to hear from the wonderful military men and women we support, it's always nice to be surprised by a free mail or an email. Here are a few to remind us all of how much we are appreciated.

Thank you for always writing. Sorry that I don’t always have the time to write back. I really can’t thank you enough for all the letters that you have sent and the support as well. People don’t realize how much we want to come home. Every day here seems to last forever.

Your constant letters are so appreciated. Our Christmas Eve party was disrupted by an aggressive battery of mortars. We were convinced that we would look back some day and tell stories about a Christmas in body armor, playing Trivial Pursuit and emptying caches of junk food.

It is truly amazing to see all the support from our fellow Americans, many that don’t even know someone in the military. Thank you for the glimpse into your life back there.

It’s nice having an Angel in my life and now you have a soldier in yours. Now that’s cool! I’m blessed by you and you’re protected by me. I believe every human should be free and that is what keeps me strong in all I do. To know you will always be safe because we are here makes it worth all we do.

It’s not so bad here some days, but there are days when I just miss home. I just can’t wait to return.

I’m sure it’s beautiful there this time of year. I can’t say that about this place. There is nothing but sand and dust. I am a nurse/combat medic. I work in a troop medical clinic. I laugh when I see anything that says “sterile.”

People like you make our stay over here better. I just want you to know that we soldiers appreciate you, too!

Cause of the Month

Hand/foot warmers for wounded soldiers

Landstuhl ICU, Germany cares for a large number of critically wounded soldiers before sending them back to the US. Patients’ extremities need covers for the flights back because of the cold. Several Angels, especially Sharon, Cynthia, Sara and MaryAnn, have worked hard to create patterns and instructions for sewing, knitting or crocheting the hand and foot coverings. To date, more than 60 individuals and groups, many of them not Angels, have made coverings for the critical patients.

Fleece mittens/boots are the best. They cover dressings and splints effectively. Make everything oversized so they can fit over big hands, casts, bandages and arterial lines. Knit caps are also useful. Make knitted/crocheted hand coverings 6” wide and 15” long and fleece ones 7” wide and 12” long. Knitted/crocheted foot coverings should be 8” wide and 18” long with fleece ones measuring 16” long, 6” wide and 12” tall (measurements are approximate).

If you or your organization would like to sew or knit these coverings for our wounded heroes, they can be shipped to:

21st TSC, Medical Transient Detachment
ATTN: Soldiers’ Angels
UNIT 23203
APO AE 09263

PLEASE email MaryAnn at maryann.phillips at gmail.com when items are shipped. Include a note with your name, email address and a short description of items sent in your package. Without this information, they cannot confirm the receipt of packages. You may wish to enclose a card or letter for the ICU staff. They have an incredibly tough job which they carry out with professionalism, dedication, and compassion.

For paper patterns for boots, please email Sharon at sharonbailiff at yahoo.com. You can also email MaryAnn or Sharon for more detailed information on making hand and foot coverings.

Angel Spotlight

Spotlight on...
Holly Aho (art-epiphany)

One night angel Holly Aho didn’t feel like making dinner. Instead, she headed off to Subway and on her way home caught the very end of a radio program. All she heard, really, was that a soldier who had been wounded in Iraq was recovering at a VA hospital and would appreciate visitors. Holly needed to know more. She found the website and realized that she felt compelled to visit this young soldier. “I’m usually not really compelled to do anything this out of the ordinary,” Holly says. “I decided that there is no such thing as coincidence, and God often motivates us by giving us a strong desire to do something, even if it seems to have no context at the time.”

If it was no coincidence that Holly had heard about this soldier on the radio, it was also no coincidence that her husband spontaneously arrived home early from work the next day. He watched their four children while Holly headed nervously to the hospital. Two hours later she arrived in a room filled with family. They welcomed her warmly, mentioning how nice it was that Kyle got so many visitors while other soldiers who were far from friends and family received none. Touched by the thought of lonely soldiers recovering without support, Holly went home to research organizations that provide such support.

Instead, she found organizations that provide letters and care packages. “I decided to do that, while continuing my search to find a way to visit these injured soldiers.” Holly purchased pretty paper, but decided that it wasn’t enough. An artist, she decided to make her soldiers feel loved and cared for with original miniature paintings enclosed in each letter. She worried that they would be considered too feminine, but a friend and former Marine assured her that they would be well-received.

Holly creates more than works of art. She has an award-winning blog that, in December, was voted best milblog (military blog, focused primarily on military issues) of the year, written by a civilian. Blogging, for Holly, began as a way to share thoughts, jokes and ideas with her soldiers in between letters. “I wanted to do it right,” she says, “so I decided to learn as much as I could about the subject.” Other bloggers found her and interest grew.

Holly has recently received an invitation to go to Washington, D.C. as one of five selected milbloggers to cover the 2005 Milblog Conference in April. Guests including Oliver North and Michael Yon will join discussions about milblogging and its importance in the lives of soldiers, military families and the general public. This is the chance of a lifetime and Holly thanks Patti Bader for providing the airline ticket to make the trip possible. Holly’s blog can be viewed at: http://sablogs.com/

Art, blogging…and books. Holly has written two books. One, called From Here to There, is a collection of true short stories focusing on the reality of supporting our troops. The other, Bump in the Night, is a story about children overcoming a fear of the dark. Holly created both the text and illustrations for the children’s book. Both are available at http://lulu.com/hollyaho.

Soldiers’ Angels benefits from Holly’s web experience. She is the webmaster for the Project Valour-IT website, the webmaster of the SA blogs and the webmaster at the SA forums. It is work she loves, done for the organization she loves. Art, whether it is in the form of blogging, painting or writing, is, Holly says, “the heart and soul of me.” Her life revolves around her strong love for creativity and her joy in sharing that love with others. “All of it is fueled by my passion for my children and family, for supporting our troops, for my fellow angels. Without that passion I think most of what I do would hold little interest for me. And even if I were never paid for any of it, I wouldn’t stop.”

Angel to Angel

Carrie, a fellow Angel and a junior at the College of William and Mary in Virginia, has requested our help in a college project.

Angels, I need your help for an independent study for my American Studies major. It is called America’s Voice and is on the troops’ views on the war. I am trying to get at least one person from each state to give an anecdote about something that happened while deployed. I am not looking for accounts of battles/attacks, but rather human interest stories. For example, I have heard of units who collect school supplies for children, hand out teddy bears or help provide medical care for local people. They can also be more minor, such as “adopting” a scorpion as a pet or decorating a Christmas tree with medical supplies. I am trying to find the stories the media does not always tell. Preferably these stories would be positive, but it is not necessary. What made the deployment worthwhile? Or, conversely, what made it miserable? My study would end with the creation of a final project in the form of something like a website or scrapbook, which means I also need as many pictures as possible.

Please help me collect stories. If you know a soldier who would be willing to tell a story, please give him/her my email address or send the story to me. These do not need to be long—a few sentences up to about a page. Photos, either of the soldier(s) or of the story specifically would also be appreciated. If you already have a story that your soldier has sent you, I can also use those. However, please remember that you need to get permission from the soldier before giving me any stories. By sending me a story, your soldier gives me permission to use it in my project along with his/her rank and initials (such as SGT J.P.)

I need all stories by early April, since my semester ends first week of May and I need time to put together the final project.

Please include:

- Location of deployment

- Where based when in the US (state and location name)

- Home State (either where hero is originally from or current location if considered home)

- Rank

If you know anyone else who would be interested in submitting a story, feel free to give them my email address.

Thanks!

Carrie
gobobgo at gmail.com