THROUGH THE EYES OF A GOLD STAR MOM

As I read this post on Amy Galvez's blog "Through The Eyes of a Gold Star Mom" I
felt that it needed to be shared. Amy Galvez is a Gold Star Mother. A Gold Star Mother is a mother who has lost a son or daughter in the service of our country. Like my dear friend Diane her Blue Star turned to Gold. Diane had the honor of meeting President & Mrs. Bush this past
Wednesday at a reception held at The White House.

Please read this...

My Tribute to President George W. Bush

As the days count down to President Bush leaving office, a barrage of
emotions have come over me that I did not expect. I knew it would be hard for me
to see President Bush go, but these feelings caught me off guard. You see, the
Bush presidency became very personal to me. It literally defined my life and
changed it forever.

When President Bush took office in 2001, we were an average middle class
family with three kids, then ages 12, 15 and 18. Life was hectic but nothing too
out of the ordinary. President Bush instilled confidence in me. I felt like he
had good insight and understanding and could get the job done. After 9/11 he
demonstrated an ability and strength of character that made me believe he was
the right man
at the right time, and that America would be well served by him. I
admired his determination and steadfastness to do what had to be done. I knew
that President Bush was driven by his depth of character, his core values and
beliefs, and his desire to always do what was best for America.

President Bush did not seem to care about scoring political points or making personal gains. That knowledge comforted me when my son Adam joined the Marine Corps in 2004. (READ MORE)

Amy Galvez Is Off To Boot Camp

(pictures courtesy of They Have Names)

Amy Galvez is a Gold Star Mother. Like so many Gold Star Mothers, she honours her son - Adam - by serving and supporting troops still fighting on. I found this post on "You Served" which is a blog I read from time to time. I thought I would share her latest project.

Amy Galvez Is Off To Boot Camp

October 1, 2008 By CJ

Posted in Charities/Contests

For those have known me for any amount of time know that I’ve worked hard on They Have Names to ensure that our fallen Soldiers have a name and that their story is told. One of the stories I told was that of Marine Corporal Adam Galvez. I was able to tell his story mainly through interviews with his mother, Amy.

Well, since Adam’s death, Amy has been very busy about the business of supporting other Marines and troops. She was instrumental in getting a street named Adam in their hometown in spite of the opposition to the war by their mayor. And now, she’s working to raise money for the Injured Marines Semper Fi Fund by putting herself through Marine Corps bootcamp…sort of.

We are going to the Marine Corps Recruit Depot to run the obstacle course
used only by Marine Recruits. This is three mile course dotted with 17 obstacles
including trenches, fox holes, wall climbs, tunnels, push ups, just to name a
few, all with Drill Instructors hot on our heels to “encourage” us through the
course.

BUT WHY?To benefit injured Marines returning from Iraq and Afghanistan
by raising money for the Injured Marines Semper Fi Fund. IMSFF is an awesome
organization that has given over 8,000 grants totaling more than 22 million
dollars to injured Marines and their families.
Our goal is to raise $7,500.
With 15 team members each raising $500 we will easily meet our goal. I am asking
you to make a donation to support my participation in Boot Camp Challenge to
benefit injured Marines. Donations will be accepted through CoolMarines.org.
Following the event, a check will be present to Injured Marines Semper Fi Fund.
100% of the money raised will be given to IMSFF. All team members are traveling
and participating at their own expense. For more information and to make a
donation go to http://www.coolmarines.net/boot_camp_challenge.html

Amy is an awesome Gold Star Mom who has put her heart and soul into everything she does since losing her son to benefit our troops. She spends hours with care packages and other awareness projects and does so quietly, without fanfare or a lot of attention. But, I’m the one bringing attention to this because she can’t do it alone!

Please spread this as far and wide as possible to help Amy meet her goal for a worthy cause.

Go to They Have Names and read about this remarkable family. Then, do what YOU can to help Amy on this one. Thank you.