Checking In

Hi......we just got home from Toby Keith concert at Shoreline Amphitheatre......It was totally awesome. Got some photos & will get em posted this weekend sometime but I will be in & out alot.

Tomorrow I am attending the funeral of Sgt. Matthew Tallman who was one of the crew members of the Black Hawk that went down last week on August 22nd & then I will be attending the Memorial for Cpl Sean Stokes, a Marine who was killed on July 30th in Iraq. Please keep these families in your prayers.

I have also received more cards but I haven't had time to go thru them as some will need to be tucked into the envelope before I can do anything more so won't be doing anything for the next couple of days.

TWENTY SEVEN YEARS AGO TODAY......

Yup.......that's me......the blond hussy who chose to get married in a red dress!! LOL! Most people we knew back then were taking bets on how long this one would last. I am hoping someone is gonna send off a check soon as we beat all the odds & still are. Hope you all had a good chuckle over this. Notice how good Steve looks.......that's before "the communicator" & I gave him all that grey.

GOOD NEWS, AUGUST 29, 2007

Four suspected insurgents captured in eastern Baghdad
Wednesday, 29 August 2007

FORWARD OPERATING BASE LOYALTY, Iraq — Soldiers from the Multi-National Division-Baghdad and Iraqi Security Forces captured four suspected insurgents and recovered a small weapons cache during a security operation in the Karadah District of eastern Baghdad Aug. 28.

The operation, carried out by Soldiers from the 2nd Battalion, 17th Field Artillery, 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, and the 4th Brigade, 1st Iraqi Army Division, was part of an ongoing effort to clear insurgent strongholds in the area. T

The four suspects detained are now being held for further questioning. The troops uncovered two AK-47 assault rifles, one spotting scope, and three eye pieces in the operation.


Central Baghdad school opens after two months of renovations
Wednesday, 29 August 2007
By Sgt. Robert Yde2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division Public Affairs

BAGHDAD — For the second time in a little more than a month, the partnership between the Kindi Neighborhood Advisory Council and the Soldiers from the 1st Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment’s Company E, has led to another school being opened in the area.

After opening the Waoud Kindergarten in July, the Andalas School, which will serve as a middle and secondary school, was opened Aug. 26.
The project, which took nearly two months to complete, was one of the first that Co. E, which is attached to the 4th Squadron, 9th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, took on after taking over operations in Kindi in June. Read more.....


Apache troop provides security, spreads goodwill
Wednesday, 29 August 2007

BAGHDAD — Keeping the balance between being a force to be reckoned with and being a symbol of peace and prosperity can be a difficult task. For many of today's Soldiers in Iraq, it's not part of the game, it is the game.
Soldiers from Troop A, 4th Squadron, 9th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, have been walking that proverbial tightrope while patrolling the streets of the Iraqi capital’s Karkh District.
Not only are they charged with being keepers of the peace, they also know they must be a part of the everyday lives of those living where they patrol.
Read more...


Afghan, Coalition Troops Kill, Capture Insurgents, Find Weapons
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Aug. 28, 2007 – Afghan and coalition forces killed 21 insurgents, nabbed 12 others, discovered a weapons cache and thwarted two ambushes in Afghanistan over the past two days, military officials said.

Afghan National Police members from Chamkani and coalition forces detained a key Taliban leader and six other insurgents in a targeted strike near Sultak village in the Patan district of Paktia province.

The high-profile suspect, Zakir Shah, is a mid-level Taliban field commander who helps transport foreign fighters and supplies between Afghanistan and Pakistan, military officials said. He also allegedly is responsible for the murders of Afghan civilians. Read more.....

FLY YOUR FLAGS!!!

Please join us in this FLY THE FLAG campaign and PLEASE forward this Email immediately to everyone in your address book asking them to also forward it. We have a little less than one week and counting to get the word out all across this great land and into every community in the United States of America .

If you forward this email to least 11 people and each of those people do the same ... you get the idea.

THE PROGRAM:

On Tuesday , September 11th, 2007, an American flag should be displayed outside every home, apartment, office, and store in the United States . Every individual should make it their duty to display an American flag on this sixth anniversary of our country's worst tragedy. We do this honor of those who lost their lives on 9/11, their families, friends and loved ones who continue to endure the pain, and those who today are fighting at home and abroad to preserve our cherished freedoms.

In the days, weeks and months following 9/11, our country was bathed in American flags as citizens mourned the incredible losses and stood shoulder-to-shoulder against terrorism. Sadly, those flags have all but disappeared. Our patriotism pulled us through some tough times and it shouldn't take another attack to galvanize us in solidarity. Our American flag is the fabric of our country and together we can prevail over terrorism of all kinds

Action Plan:

So, here's what we need you to do .

(1) Forward this in an email to everyone you know (at least 11 people). Please don't be the one to break this chain. Take a moment to think back to how you felt on 9/11 and let those sentiments guide you.

(2) Fly an American flag of any size on 9/11. Honestly, Americans should fly the flag year-round, but if you don't, then at least make it a priority on this day.

Thank you for your participation. God Bless You and God Bless America !

August 25, 2007 GOOD NEWS

Commander says Iraqi citizens turning against insurgents
Saturday, 25 August 2007

BAGHDAD — Iraqis who once aligned themselves with militants are now taking up arms against al-Qaeda, a top commander in the Iraqi capital said during a conference call Friday
.
Likening members of terrorist organizations to “street gangsters,” U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Joseph Fil, commander of Multi-National Division-Baghdad and 1st Cavalry Division, said Iraqis are becoming tired of price gouging on staples such as gasoline and ice when militant groups move in and take over neighborhoods.

“We have found that throughout the city there is increasing distrust, fatigue and disillusionment by the population with al-Qaeda and Jaysh al-Mahdi (militia group),” he said. “There is a strong desire in the neighborhoods to turn away from them.” (read more)

Shaken to the core.....

Yesterday was a very upsetting day. I woke to the news of 14 soldiers killed in the Black Hawk that went down in Northern Iraq. First I prayed that the son of someone I know was not the pilot & then I did what I do when I hear news of any casualty.......I cried. I pretty much do that every morning to get it all out but then I pull up my boot straps & do something good for the ones that are still there & look for the good news of what they are doing so I can pass it along here.

Well, before we went to bed last nite I saw on the evening news that one of the soldiers on that Black Hawk was Cpl Nathan Hubbard. His brother, Lance Cpl. Jared Hubbard, had been killed in Iraq in 2004 & his other brother was on another Black Hawk that saw his go down. The tears flowed....I cried myself to sleep. I get myself thru all this believing that this kind of thing doesn't happen. Our first born daughter died from SIDS in January 1984 so I do know that pain of burying your child....it is definitely something no one should ever have to endure. How can you possibly survive the death of a second child for any reason as you struggle so much to go on after the first.

Please pray for this family & give them your condolances in this online guest book at Legacy.com....along with the families of the other 13 who died in that crash. Continue to pray for all who serve & those who gave their all for our country and the family & friends who support them while they do.

Good News, August 23, 2007

IPs, Marines host youth soccer day
Thursday, 23 August 2007

By Gunnery Sgt. Eric Johnson

2nd Marine Division

U.S. Marine Corps Gunnery Sgt. Eric Johnson, operations chief of the Hadithah Police Transition Team, plays soccer with local Iraqi children in front of the Iraqi Police Station. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Stephen M. Kwietniak.

HADITHAH — The morning of July 4th started out like any other inside the Hadithah Police Station.

The Iraqi police conducted morning police call, uniforms were set straight, and reports were prepared. The Marines of the Hadithah Police Transition Team (PiTT) gave guidance to their Iraqi counterparts, making corrections wherever necessary. As the heat began filling the building, the anticipation for the day’s events grew.

Within the building’s multi-purpose room, the morning formation lined up. However, the formation wasn’t of Iraqi police officers standing at attention, ready for drill practice. In fact, no one was standing at attention. July 4th was the first Youth Soccer Day held at the Hadithah Police Station.

More than 200 local children gathered at the police station for a chance to play soccer with their police officers. The police and children were equally excited for the day’s festivities (read more)

Fun, Fun, Fun

95.7 The Wolf, which is our local Country station, sponsored a free lunchtime concert with Luke Bryan as the performer. Diane asked if I wanted to go & check it out. A good day to have some fun....the weather was beautiful & the music was good. We kicked back......enjoyed......and took pictures.




Diane took this shot below! LOL!



Luke Bryan & I.....


And me hiding behind the sign......


After the concert we headed across the street & had lunch at The Old Spaghetti Factory.......I hadn't been to one in awhile as they closed the one in Oakland. Very good food & great company as always.

Headed home to change & then back out to Blue Star Mom's South Bay meeting.....it was their 3rd Anniversary & they had a pot luck too. Great bunch of people......we will go again.

More Cards

Carrie sent in more Halloween & Thanksgiving cards which were made with the help of her DS Dylan......thank you both for your support.
These cards were made by sisters, Mickie & Melody. This is the first time for Mickie but Melody has sent cards in previously.....aren't they great! Thanks gals. I look forward to more from you both.
Mickie made this amazing cards to be sent TO the troops. Very kewl aren't they? I know they will be so appreciated by the recipients.

Look where I went this weekend......

A few of us from Operation: MOM were invited to a tea held by the Alameda Republican Women, Federated but only Diane & I were able to attend. We got there & tried to find the house....address at corner was 1600 block so we knew we had to go 3 blocks to get where we needed to be.....then got to corner & it was a different street. We turned around and the address matched this beauty......we both immediately pulled out our camera's.



When we got inside we were even more amazed by what we saw......here is the dining room & the food that was set out.....yummy. We did find out we could take photo's so I of course was off & running.......will post more later tho.


The speaker at this event was Fred LaCosse, who was a local to SF Bay Area as a news anchor, reporter & talk show host among other things. He did a presentation called "Your American Freedoms:Protect them or Lose them" which was totally amazing. Truly something I think should be done in every High School in the land.


This is a picture of Diane, Fred LaCosse & I in the living room of the home.

Type A? MOI???

I ran across this on a few blogs today & it finally got to me.....I had to know. So here are the results. Now it's your turn to try it.

You Have A Type A Personality

You are hyper, energetic, and always on the mood (I think this is supposed to be move) You tend to succeed at everything you attempt And if you don't succeed at first, you quickly climb your way to the top! You could be called a workaholic, but you also make time for fun As long as it's high energy and competitive, you're interested You have the perfect personality for business and athletic success

Do You Have a Type A Personality?

NICE MATTERS AWARD

I was nominated for this wonderful award by the very talented Angel over at Angelocity who just happens to be one of the wonderful card makers & more importantly is an Air Force Wife!! I hope you will check out her blog to see some of the wonderful work she does....tell her I sent you! (and don't forget to thank her hubby for his service to our country). Plus when you visit you will know exactly how many days until Christmas. UGH!

Per Angel: "This award is for those bloggers who are nice people; good blog friends and those who inspire good feelings and inspiration. Also for those who are a positive influence on our blogging world. Once you've been awarded please pass it on to others who you feel are deserving of this award."

So my nominee's are:
1. The Life and Times of a Butterfly Wife because she started me on the Good News posts & because she is giving our country more than anyone can imagine & continues to give more each day. Thanks BW

2. Simply Pink One of the first of the card makers to join in the Cards for the Troops project & just a nice person. Thanks so much Melissa

3. My Creative Corner! Wanda has a great blog, does wonderful work & has amazing tutorials. She also links to me & makes cards for the troops.

4 Beauty for Ashes...... Because it is Vanessa!

5. For the Love of Paper and Chocolate Because she is my BFF & I am trying to encourage her to blog. Make sure you wish her DD a Happy 3rd Birthday today.

I really would add way more people but so many have gotten this award already or something like it.....please don't feel left out if you aren't mentioned here ok?

GENERAL PETREAUS INTERVIEW

NEWS FROM AFGHANISTAN

I thought I would post this as so little is being reported about what is going on in Afghanistan these days & yes, there is still a war there. It seems to be forgotten by our media.

No Mountain Too High, No Bridge Too Far for Afghan Reconstruction Team
By Staff Sgt. Julie Weckerlein,
USAFSpecial to American Forces Press Service

PANJSHIR PROVINCE, Afghanistan, Aug. 16, 2007 – Whether crawling over dirt mounds to inspect a school, hiking mountains 9,000 feet above sea level, or handing out stuffed animals, members of the Panjshir Provincial Reconstruction Team are pushing progress in Afghanistan.

“It’s a very unique job,” said Air Force Lt. Col. Christopher Luedtke, PRT commander who deployed from Hill Air Force Base, Utah. “No day is ever the same here in the Hindu Kush (Mountains).”

A combined team of airmen, soldiers, U.S. civilians, and Afghans make up this team north of Kabul. They support the construction of micro hydro plants for electricity generation, new roads, bridges, wells, schools, district centers and even a radio station through Task Force Cincinnatus, Combined Joint Task Force 82 and NATO’s International Security Assistance Force. Since 2005, a Panjshir PRT has delivered radios, cement, humanitarian and medical aid throughout the province.

It’s a job that requires lots of energy, said Teresa Morales, an Army Corps of Engineers civil engineer, who visits various construction sites. She climbs over piles of bricks and bounds up partially constructed stairs to conduct inspections of PRT-funded projects.

“I try to be as thorough as possible during the inspections,” she said. “Sometimes that takes up a lot of time, but it’s important because the earlier you spot potential problems, the easier it is to fix them.” (read more)


Army Engineers Work to Connect Afghanistan One Road at a Time
By Sgt. David E. Roscoe, USA
Special to American Forces Press Service

FORWARD OPERATING BASE ORGUN-E, Afghanistan, Aug. 15, 2007 – U.S. Army engineers in Afghanistan are doing their part to restore security and the country’s economy by building roads, bridges and levees to connect Afghanistan’s people.

Afghanistan’s rugged terrain and mountainous landscape isolates most of the population from the country’s major cities and industrial area. Lack of funding, harsh seasonal weather and flash floods have made it almost impossible to maintain a lasting road system within the country. Only about 35,000 kilometers of roads connect the country’s economic centers. This explains why one of the main goals for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and other engineer units is to build and repair an efficient road system in Afghanistan. (read more)

GOOD NEWS FRIDAY

Freedom Facts ::
Completed Gulf Region Division water treatment projects have provided the capacity to serve an additional 2.2 million Iraqis with potable water. At the end of the program, the added capacity could serve approximately 5.2 million Iraqis with potable water.

Iraqis lead Soldiers to weapons caches north of Baghdad
1st Brigade Combat Team
1st Cavalry Division Public Affairs

CAMP TAJI — Concerned Iraqi citizens recently fed tips to Soldiers from the 1st “Ironhorse” Brigade Combat Team (BCT), 1st Cavalry Division, which led to four weapons caches and two detained suspects during multiple operations north of Baghdad.

Troops from Battery B, 1st Battalion, 37th Field Artillery Regiment, attached to the 1st BCT, acting on a tip from a neighborhood watch volunteer, recently uncovered an improvised explosive device (IED) cache near the town of Sab Al Bor.

The cache included five complete IEDs and 12 incomplete IEDs. Also found were 20 munitions of varying sizes, 100 pounds of homemade explosive, one can of nitric acid, some command wire and the tools necessary to manufacture IEDs.

Acting on another tip, Soldiers of Company D, 2nd Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment, also of 1st BCT, found a 100 mm projectile, ten 80 mm mortars, six IED timers, two rocket-propelled grenades and an accompanying booster. (read more)

Concerned citizens hand over weapons cache to coalition forces
2nd Brigade Combat Team
10th Mountain Division Public Affairs Office

AL-OWESAT— A group of concerned citizens recently found a weapons cache along the Euphrates River and later brought it to coalition forces.

Soldiers of Company D, 4th Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry) out of Fort Drum, N.Y., were at Iraqi Army Patrol Base Samir, near the village of al-Taqa, when a group of local citizens brought the cache to them.

The cache contained 220 pounds of homemade explosives, seven 155 mm rounds, seven 120 mm rounds, 12 14.5 mm heavy machine-gun rounds, two steel-pipe directional charges packed with homemade explosive, 60 57mm mortar fuses, one 82 mm mortar tube, three homemade hand grenades, nine rocket-propelled grenades, two 88 mm rocket fuses and nearly 1,300 feet of detonation cord.

The weapons turn-in occurred within a mile of the site where Spc. Alex R. Jimenez and Pvt. Byron W. Fouty were captured on May 12. Search efforts continue for the missing Soldiers.

The cache was secured for disposal by an explosive ordnance disposal.

AN EMAIL FROM IRAQ!!

Received this email this morning & had to share it. I sent cards out to a unit of 50....half handmade & half from Willamette Christian Church so that each person got 2 cards each. Thanks to all of the wonderful cardmakers & to Willamette Christian Church who have made this project such a success!!

"The cards arrived, I already sent a few out, in fact. I'm still distributing them to the Soldiers around the FOB and everyone loves them. The common comment is, "who thought of this? what a great idea!" I'm working on getting a few of the guys to send you an email or a picture, but all in all, the cards are a hit!

Thanks so much. This was fun for me and for the guys.

Tom"

CARDS, CARDS & MORE CARDS

I have been receiving cards but I finally got a chance to get them out & take some photo's. Spent a good part of this afternoon getting cards & flaps in the envelopes & then snapped some pix. I found a couple of photo's I had taken before but put in the wrong folder that I will share with you to.


Here are some wonderful Halloween & Thanksgiving cards from Mary & her daughter. We could really use alot more of these to send out in this next mailing. Thank you so much Mary.
These great cards came from Zundrea....not her first batch either as she has been with us from the beginning. Thanks so much!
Here are some cards I received from Corie.......this is her first time to send in cards (and did it twice in fact). Check out her blog & you will see some of theme close up & personal. Thank you so much Corie.....hope you will continue to participate.
All these cards came from Mary & were made with her friend Debra. Mary lives in Hong Kong but is in the states visiting for awhile. She saw a link to my blog & decided she wanted to help. I am sure glad she did....Debra too! Thanks to you both.



I also found a couple of pictures I took that I misplaced in my computer.....

These are all the cards I received from the congregation of Willamette Christian Church in West Linn, OR. My friend Destiny organized this project. She asked the congregation to bring in greeting cards during their Sunday Service over a few weeks & they collected 911 cards total. Blessings to you all!

Now for my dilemma......I received these cards & didn't rename the file in my computer. They don't have a hallmark on the back so I don't know who made these kewl cards. Please if anyone out there knows I need you to let me know. Thanks so much.

I will be at our downtown street party tomorrow nite......if you are around stop by & say hello. Don't forget to vote for Waycross at GAC.com & for Operation Mom at Charity For Charities. Thanks so much!

I WON, I WON!

I periodically enter for blog candy when I run across a post offering some but I never win....until now. Back on Aug. 3rd Cathy reached 30K hits on her blog, Crafty Thoughts, and offered some yummy candy. Well I posted my comment along with 46 others & I got picked! Here are the goodies I won & amazingly enough it is mostly stuff I do not have. That's a miracle for sure. Take a look at Cathy's blog....she does some awesome work. Thanks again Cathy!

Don't forget to Vote please!

Vote for Operation: MOM at Charity for Charities (one time per person, get your whole family to do this)

Vote for Waycross at GAC.com daily to get their song "19" in the Top 20 (IT NEEDS TO BE HEARD!!)

Thank you very much!!!!!!!!

MAN-BOY

I found this on the forums at VA Joe & asked the author if I could share it .....here it is with permission from Shelly.

"My son is presently stationed at twentynine Palms Ca. He has served one tour of duty in Iraq last year and is preparing to deploy again very soon. Just a couple weeks ago I was downtown and ran into some demonstrators on a street corner, exercising their right to free speech which my son (and others like him for all the years our nation has exsisted) has risked their lives to protect. I was appalled to hear much of the same old Viet Naam rhetoric being spewed over what they termed "Bush's War." After a lengthy discussion with them, I went home and penned this poem in support of all our brave soldiers. Hope it helps someone..."

Man-boy

He grew up bronzed and windblown, in the dry Dakota earth,
took great pride in his family and the country of his birth;
cut his teeth on a Red Rider at the age of eight or nine,
ran out of paper targets and shot the clothespins off the line.
Girls? Well, they came in second next to stalking wild game,
his taxidermied behemoth hangs upon his wall of fame.
He had trouble passing English getting by with D’s and C’s
Graduated goal in mind the Few, the Proud, Marines!
Few it seemed, understood his goal; some thought him quite insane,
but 9/ll left him dreamin of “taggin’" Bin Laden in the brain.
He came on out of boot camp top marksman of his platoon,
was sure his time to claim his fame was coming very soon.
He’s an All-American man-boy and he serves his country proud,
loves his family deeply, seeks to serve his risen God.
He’s an All-American man-boy and he serves his country proud,
Honor, courage, commitment, Semper Fi and a big Oo-rah

Now he’s fighting in a different war, one you say just should not be,
fighting for a land not his, to keep her people free;
free from genocide dished out by madmen quite insane,
he’s heard her children crying, and he’s felt their bitter pain.
Still, you stand there shouting slogans, which we’ve all heard before,
while holding up your picket signs denouncing “Bush’s war" ;
complaining ‘bout tax dollars spent to “support the war machine"
as young men fall in desert sand, vests threadbare and lean.
I can tell you that my fear for him, each day that he is gone,
is mirrored by my fear for him when he at last comes home
to see you standing on the corner of his home town street
and with your home made picket sign you wave at him and greet
this All-American man-boy who has served his country proud,
who has loved his family deeply, sought to serve his risen God.
This All-American man-boy who has served this country proud
with honor, courage, commitment, Semper Fi and a big OO-rah!

I remember once not long ago when a war in another land
found our people on street corners, picket signs in hand,
screaming vile slogans, at our man-boys as they returned
greeting them in catchy phrases, "baby killer" and “murderer" .
Has it really been so long ago? Don’t we remember what we learned,
when our young men bruised and battered from Vietnam returned;
to find their country, shouting insults, waving signs and hurling spittle
Shame on us! Oh shame on us for having learned so very little!
I don’t discount your right to voice the opinion of your heart,
but I think before you speak those words, before your marching starts,
you should choose your vocab wisely, consider those now serving there
to avoid once more those past mistakes and then offer up a prayer,
for the All-American man-boys as they serve their country proud,
and for the families that love them, please, beseech Almighty God,to give safe passage for our man-boys as another’s land they trodin honor, courage, and commitment, Semper Fi and a big OO-RAH!

21 YEARS HAVE NOW PASSED......

Well the birthday has come & gone. We got back Saturday from the picnic & stayed to visit with the Balsley's. About 9:15 PM PDT my cell rang. I knew it was him & that it was after midnight in his neck of the woods. I answered to hear him singing "Happy Birthday to me, Happy Birthday to me, I'm all alone you evil woman, Happy Birthday to me". Seems I was an evil woman because I didn't call him at the stroke of midnight EDT.....Sheesh. So I held out my cell & the 4 of us sang to him. He was in his barracks.....his battle was in town so he was feeling neglected. To top it off they didn't do mail call on Saturday so none of the cards were delivered to him.

When we got home he we found that he had left a message on our answering machine pretty much the same as the call....except he left off the evil woman part. I tried to call him back but got his voice mail so I tried to sing to him again only I broke up at the end. He called later & told Steve to tell me when I sing "Happy Birthday" not to cry at the end. What can I say? I am a sappy mother.

I called him earlier & he tells me he is at mail call........."I've got 4000 cards here MOM" (I think he was exaggerating on this part tho) He put the gal on the phone from the mail room & I hear "He has lots of mail ma'am". I started to think he was angry with me but NOPE. He tells me he will call back in a while. When he got back to his barracks he called.....he started opening all the mail. He was so impressed.....and Happy. Thanks to everyone who helped me out with this. Even his Battles were impressed. He promised to take a picture & send to me but I have heard that before....not holding my breath here folks as I haven't gotten a picture of him since he first got there & I got a photo of an ice sculpture at Easter. But if I get it I will post it here....I promise.

Blue Star Mom's/Operation Mom Picnic

Fun was had by all who attended this first ever event. It was put on by San Francisco East Bay Blue Star Moms , San Francisco South Bay Blue Star Moms , Pacifica Military Moms & Operation Mom & held at Ed Levin County Park in Milpitas. It was a smaller group than all had hoped but we had alot of fun.....good food.... & we all got to meet some very nice people. Different groups but we all have a common goal...to SUPPORT OUR TROOPS & each other while our sons/daughters/husbands/wives/sisters/ brothers etc. Serve Our Country. Here are some photo's I took of the day.

Here is a photo of all who made it to the end of the day.

These are our Gold Star Families......

And this was an uninvited guest......a rattlesnake who 2 of the little ones found. This along with all those yellow jackets was the only bad thing of the day. Can't wait to do this again next year!

Peace Through Puppets

Soldier Takes Hands-On Approach To War, With Mom's Help
Puppets help to ease anxiety for Iraqi kids
By Steve Vogel , The Washington Post
Published on 8/12/2007

Washington — The reaction was immediate when Army 1st Sgt. Bruce Reges strode into the classroom in the Baghdad suburb of Baqubah, in the volatile Diyala province.

At 6-foot-5 and wearing full body armor, Reges, 57, looked fearsome to the schoolchildren. Outside, two Stryker armored vehicles blocked the street. A heavily armed security detail was checking out the roof and other classrooms.

Reges is assigned to an Army civil affairs unit out of Fort Bragg, N.C., working to reconstruct and support schools, irrigation projects and honey farms in Diyala. The team was visiting the school in May to assess what could be done to help, but the young students were terrified. (Read More)

SOME NEWS FROM THE PAST FEW DAYS

I haven't been very diligent in posting of late but hopefully things will calm down a bit as I need to get my house in order being I've been on the run so much these past weeks. It "litter"ally looks like a Scrap/Stamp store collided with a Hallmark & there were no survivors. I'm hoping to have some company soon so need to make some space.....more about this later. Anyway for now I am going to give you some links to some news I found here & there that I think are of interest & should be shared.


Soldiers help Iraqi boy get surgery

Trends encouraging in Baghdad hotspots

Iraqi Police, Paratroopers help neighborhood clean up its act

Services Meet or Exceed July Recruiting Goals

BadAss Marine I found this guy on BlackFive.....you definitely must watch this Marine.

'Get It Done' This is an article about Gen. Petraeus written by Peggy Noonan (former speech writer for Pres. Ronald Reagan) for Opinion Journal of Wall Street Journal. This man will be all over the news soon so get to know him now.

All Due Respect to Military Spouses... (Some Soldiers Mom)

Don't forget to Vote!

Vote for Operation: MOM at Charity for Charities

Vote for Waycross at GAC.com to get their song "19" in the Top 20 (IT NEEDS TO BE HEARD!!)

Thank you very much!!!!!!!!

TGIF!!

Hello there! We have come to the end of another week. Two days until "The Communicator" becomes totally 'legal'. Interesting part of it all is that I received an invitation from the hospital that he was born at for a reunion for all teh Newborn Intensive Care Unit (NICU) graduates next month. WOW....where did the time go? (insert sniffles here) He is supposed to have finally taken a new photo so I will have it enlarged & then enlarge a premmie photo & make a sign up like in a parade to take with....that will show those new parents they do grow up & all will be well. Should be fun.

I spent all day with Diane yesterday & I finally got the Norton Anti-Virus out of her computer completely....I did the happy dance for sure. All is up & running wonderfully. Did some more lessons & she is being a great student.......takes notes & everything. LOL! Steve came out after work & we headed out for dance lessons. Definately lots of fun & a good workout. Gonna keep this up for sure. We got home about 10:30 or so last nite....a long day. This is Diane in first pix & Me in the second.

Today is catch up day & I have to play Betty Crocker too. We have a joint picnic tomorrow with Blue Star Mom's & we need to bring desserts. It's cupcakes for me. Will take lots of pictures to share. Have a great weekend everyone as I'm not sure how much I will be here.

Middle of the week update

Hi there......just got home from a Blue Star Mom meeting with Bev. Was a nice evening & met some very nice ladies again this month. Diane didn't go with us this time as she was off seeing Tim and Faith!! We will be having a joint picnic with Blue Star Mom's groups this Saturday....should be alot of fun.

"The Communicator" will be 21 in 4 days.....I sent him his card that I made but I still wanted to get a funny 21 card too. Went into Hallmark at the mall ....we checked out some of the musical ones but nothing hit me. I then headed back to the YEAR cards. Well as soon as I saw that 21 the tears started flowing. Salesgirl came up & asked if she could help me........I asked her if she could bring my son home while I was crying. Poor thing.....she won't be asking anyone if they need help for awhile. I want to say thanks to all who have sent him cards. I know he will appreciate it alot.

The girlfriend left today.......she was having problems with the classes & decided that maybe this was not the Military Occupational Specialty (MOS)for her so she had herself reclassified & is now going off to become a mortician. From Network Communications to Mortuary.......??? Anyway, he was pretty bummed & she emailed me yesterday to say she was going to miss him. Maybe they will take some time to get to know each other better? NAH....he's already talking about a few new ones. I keep telling everyone........short attention span. Still not sure what is going on with him but he thinks they will be moving him to another company & he may end up being permanent party there.

Will be off tomorrow.....gotta go see if we can rid Diane's computer of Norton Anti-Virus again. Wonder how long I will be on the phone this time. Then tomorrow nite we are gonna start dance lessons. It's been over a year since we publicly humiliated ourselves so it's time. Will try to get photo's for ya'll to laugh at. Have a good Thursday!

Sparks Fly: Lt. Colonel Buzz Patterson v. Captain Jon Soltz

Fireworks Erupt: Buzz Patterson Spanks Anti-War Activist

On Wednesday's "Hardball with Chris Matthews," Move America Forward Vice Chairman, Lt. Col. Buzz Patterson (USAF, Ret.), took anti-war activist Jon Soltz to task. Soltz was in the news recently when at the "Yearly Kos" convention he silenced a U.S. Army soldier who supports the missions of our troops. Soltz has repeatedly worked to undermine the missions of U.S. Troops serving in Iraq, and is active in the MoveOn.org affiliated group, Americans Against Escalation in Iraq.

Watch this great video, where Lt. Col. Patterson gave a much-deserved verbal spanking to Jon Soltz:

ANOTHER SOLDIER HEARD FROM!

Debbi

Thank you for the most beautiful cards I have seen! I really like them. Makes me not want to send them out and just keep them all for myself. It put a smile on my face, ear to ear.

Thank you soooo much. I hope you have a great day!

Pfc Mxxx

Here is a video of this same soldier who is waking up her "Battle Buddy" in their 'tin can'......I do have permission to share with you all.

I LOVE THIS JUDGE!!!

Judge Orders Michigan Man to Scrub Veterans Memorial With Toothbrush
Wednesday, August 08, 2007

A Michigan man scrubbed a monument to U.S. troops with a toothbrush Tuesday while wearing a T-shirt that read "I Stole From Veterans" as part of a punishment for a scam to solicit scrap yards for metal, the Saginaw News reports.

A judge ordered Philip Kolinski, 73, of Carrollton Township, Mich., to wash the veterans monument outside the Saginaw County Governmental Center after he was found guilty of soliciting metal donations for a sculpture dedicated to Iraq War veterans that was never built, the Saginaw News said.

Instead of using the metal for a monument, he sold it and kept the money, the paper reports.
Click here to read the Saginaw News report.

Saginaw County District Judge A.T. Frank also ordered Kolinski to to pay $9,000 in restitution and $2,095 in fees and fines.

A second man, James M. Arnst, 45, is awaiting trial for his alleged role in the scam.

Today's Good News

Citizens oust terrorists from mosque, help uncover weapons cache
Tuesday, 07 August 2007

BAGHDAD — Fed up with violent and indiscriminate terror tactics, a group of more than 80 residents of the Adhamiyah district, on the east side of the Iraqi capital, banded together Sunday to oust suspected terrorists from a local mosque.

The uprising led to a string of events over the next 12 hours that ultimately resulted in the arrest of 44 suspected terrorists and the capture of three weapons caches.

The initial takeover of the Abu Hanifa Mosque occurred at about 2 p.m., apparently triggered by news that terrorists had murdered two relatives of a prominent local sheik.
(Read more)

Col. Simcock talks of progess being made...

CHARITY FOR CHARITIES

Charity for Charities Voting has Begun! VAJoe Will Donate $2,000 to the Winners Vote for your favorite military charity in the VAJoe Charity for Charities event. VAJoe will donate $2,000 to the charities with the most votes. Vote August 5–20 . Encourage friends to vote. Continue to nominate charities for the event. Here are a few recently nominated charities:

9-11 HelpAmerica Foundation
American Military Family
America's Wounded Heroes
Independence Fund
Midwest Shelter for Homeless Veterans
Military Order of the Purple Heart Service Foundation
Operation Give
Operation Helmet
Operation Mom
Paralyzed Veterans of America
Retired Enlisted Association

Help VAJoe help your favorite military charity. Vote and ask your friends to vote.

Thanks,

Debbi

PS....please vote for Operation MOM!!!

ALSO CHECK OUT THEIR FORUMS....and you get a Free TShirt for 12 posts.

2Peas Challenge for Tuesday

2Peas Challenge~ Are you the kind of person who would rather use 35mm film or do you prefer digital prints? I personally love to use my digital because it's easy to take with me wherever I go plus I can take as many photo's as I want & then print what I want. It is my day to day camera. When we want to take special photo's my husband pulls out his 35mm .......this way we can take those special photo's plus make enlargements of them as needed.

In case you hadn't noticed.....Winkflash is having their 6 cent sale on 4 x6 Prints. Use code JC53YR73 as many times as you like......no limits but details may change at any time. Hope you can use it.

TRUCK SHOW & WAYCROSS CONCERT

Yesterday fun was had by all.....A few of us from Operation Mom headed out to Fremont to The Saddle Rack for a Truck Show & Free Concert. Diane had entered a truck which was painted in honor of her son Travis who was KIA in Iraq 3 years ago & her son Tyler entered his motorcycle which is also in honor of Travis. She won best paint! Congrats Diane. Here are some photo's of the truck & bike....

She had this shirt (below) made in honor of the day (actually the Waycross concert) .....

There were alot of very kewl trucks......mostly new BIG ones. Here's an assortment of what we saw tho there were lots more.

They a few cars showed up.....of course I had to take some pictures of this beautiful Mustang

Here's a Charger & a Plymouth (I think that's what Steve told me it was).....correct me if I am wrong please.......

This car arrived in the back of one of the trucks.....it's small

As I was roaming around (I was trying to see how many Support The Troops magnets I could find.....sadly not many) when a sticker in the back window caught my eye. It was an "In Memory of" one.......I went & got Diane to see if she recognized the name. When we returned the owner of the truck was back. Turns out he was a Marine who has fulfilled his contract & the "In Memory of" sticker was someone who was in his unit when he was in Iraq. He then showed us the names of the fallen from his unit that he had tattoo'd on his arm.....

Turns out his mother had been in Operation Mom (world gets smaller every day) during his time in the service but they moved so it was harder for her to continue to come. We then took him back to Diane's truck so he could get some photo's & we took pix of his daughter on Tyler's bike....what a cutie.

Towards the end of the show Ted & Ben from Waycross arrived & we got to meet them outside. Took a few photo's of them with Diane's truck & with all of us......they are the sweetest guys. That Southern Hospitality showing thru big time. Ben is from Augusta which is where 'The Communicator' is right now......I showed him his picture & said "if you see him roaming around town & he has a cig in his mouth......take it out & tell him his mother said to stop smoking!" He assured me he would.

(L-R, Steve, Ted, Ben, Debbi, Kathy & Ken)

We then headed inside to get a table & wait for the music to start.

The first band up was called "Whiskey Dawn"

The next band up was "Northern Comfort"........we all bought CD's.

Finally we got the hear "Waycross"! The other bands were very good but we did come to see Ted & Ben sing "19" after all. Well they didn't disappoint us as they sang it as the first song of the night. We were all in tears of course....it's so moving. They continued on with more & ended the show with "19" and dedicated it to Diane........We got some autographed pictures, took more photo's & Ted & Ben autographed Diane's shirt. It really was an awesome day......I recommend you see them if they come to your neck of the woods for sure.

Ted Moxley Ben Stennis

(L-R, Debbi, Ben, Dotty, Ted, Diane & Nancy)

A great time was had by all.......make sure you check out all the MySpace pages that I have linked to & please vote at GAC for Waycross to get "19" on the top 20 (you don't have to register I don't' think.

And if you haven't heard the song "19" or seen the video.......HERE IT IS!

Waycross - 19 - video powered by Metacafe