Remember the 3000 Marines?

On our side bar was a request for support for 3000 Marines that we received in late July this year. I believe we've had almost every marine of the "Fighting 13th" MEU adopted, thanks in no small part to you the readers and many milblogs who heeded our call and sent the word out to all your great blog readers around the world.

The 13th MEU sent this photo as a special thanks to Soldiers' Angels and we pass it on to you so you know that your support was needed and appreciated:



Semper Fi!


Soldiers' Angels thanks the following websites for their continuing support for our mission:










The Conservative Grapevine

Rightwing News



- May no soldier go unloved

Letters From the Front: Update from LTC Turner

LTC Patrick Turner is in charge of the Army Air Force Exchange Services (AAFES) for CentCom. This is the group that supplies the PXs on bases. This includes convoys or helo supplying remote FOBs where the AAFES shows up once a month and allows the soldiers to buy toothpaste, shampoo, batteries, deodorant, etc. Of course, if they are out on a mission that week, they are out of luck unless a buddy back at base is tasked with purchasing necessary items.

While LTC Turner and his group try hard to provide for our men and women on the front lines, the realities of distance, supply, mission and resources of those on the base can mean that some do without. One pick item that is consistently asked for are sheets and blankets for the beds. This is one reason that Angels go out of their way to send regular packages to our folks "in the sandbox". There are the "wishes" and the "realities" and the realities mean some do without while others are living well.

There is a distinct disparagement between the central, large FOBs in Baghdad and Kandahar versus some little COP (combat outpost) in Iraq or remote FOB in Kowst Afghanistan. While some might wonder why that should be in this day and age, it is important to remember that this reality has always existed between those on the "rear echelon" and those in the field. Plus, as LTC Turner later notes, there is a distinct danger driving or flying supplies to such locations.

That's where Soldiers' Angels come in. We send packages through out the month that arrive there much more frequently than the PX AAFES folks since mail is considered (and is) essential to the morale and mission of the forces. Thus, mail is delivered just like here in the US: rain, shine, sleet, snow, dead of night, etc, etc, etc. We don't just think that mail is essential to morale, we know it is by the other letters from the front we received on a regular basis thanking us for reminding them that people care.

Please read LTC Turners' Update:

TO my friends and family:

Yes I know it's been over 60 days since my last email to most of you all but duty called. A number of you sent us in the cell here some items we are grateful to receive and share so it is truly heartwarming the level of support we get from our great American citizens. Examples: DVDs and books and magazines and some candies and so forth.

Received a great book from sister Maryrose called "Team of Rivals" about Lincoln during the War. It was sooooo good as I have a new respect for Lincoln-as if we all did not need one. Working on my diet and controlling other intake as always. My master sergeant went on a 4 day pass to Qatar which turned into a 9 day pass as his plane broke down. I was able to play in a scramble golf tournament where you hit off a green pad onto a "green" (a blanket" about 130 yards away. Problem was if you
hit the dirt in between it was one tough hole but I prevailed. Good citizens have sent me (fortunately) hundreds of golf balls I hit into Victory Lake near Al Faw Palace here in Baghdad. Even Toby Keith the C&W entertainer showed up for a hour long "concert" and I got a pretty good seat. [snip]



On 25 May it got up to 117 degrees and it was the hottest so far in the
year.

On the 27th of May I was directed to go to Afghanistan and conduct assessments of various logistical processes going on there for 33 days or so. To get there, you have to fly to Kuwait first which is always a bummer, wait, then fly into Bagram, Afghanistan. Had two planes have mechanical problems in 110 degree heat at Baghdad Intl and spent 10 hours sitting there so by the time I got to KUW, was pretty well worn out but set a personal record for water consumption. With only a day wait, flew the 3.75 hours from KUW to Bagram which is the home of the 82d Airborne Division. [snip] The C17 plane was almost full and got there just before midnight. Was able to meet the next day the Command Sergeant Major of the 82nd ABN to get an idea of what they were doing there the next day.



A lot of the so called culture in AFG is different than Iraq. Bagram is at 4700 feet, on a relative plateau and is surrounded by mountains. A10 Thunderbolt planes and Prowlers seem to be continually screaming over the base and it's crowded in my opinion as they over 13,000 people there. I lived as you can see in the initial pics in what is called a "B Hut" which is all wood except for a corrugated roof but it felt like a fire trap so I made sure the fire detector worked. The weather was down to 70 degrees almost every night initially and did not get into the 90s during the day until I left on 1 July. A massive difference from Iraq, at least in the northern section unlike down south in Kandahar I later found out.

Was asked to join a "Pilferage Working Group" at Bagram, AFG since sooooo much is stolen enroute by Afghanis and Pakistanis. It is remarkable how much thieving goes on, from fuel siphoning, to door removal and seal removal, you name it. A regular cottage industry. We have lots of products coming in from the ports in Pakistan (Karachi) and their inventiveness at stealing is only seemingly exceeded by their love for Allah, I guess.

I attempted several times to get to Kandahar from Bagram but the planes always seemed to be full so instead I flew on a helo to Jallalabad as a side trip. This is a about a 45 minutes helo ride and it is very warm. The ride I must say was quite spectacular as you start out in the desert, go up and down mountains about 300 feet off the deck, go over fertile valleys and water and return to the desert. If you were on a vacation you would pay serious money for this helicopter ride, believe me. Jallalabad was 111 degrees at 1130 hours so it was mighty warm. This is the home of the 173rd ABN Bde and these guys are fighters & killers which we need more of. The son of the unit's Command Sergeant Major had been killed in action the week before so the morale was kinda sorta down. Like in Bagram, all the Soldiers live in wooden B huts but they all have box air conditioners and the food was good. Able to even attend religious services that evening. The next day, flew back to Bagram on a short takeoff 2 engine fixed wing that could get to 25,000 feet which was fine by me as the temp went to 117 degrees and waiting in that heat is soooo oppressive. And I am not getting any younger.



















A week later we went on a mission to deliver some PX goods via a CH47 double rotor helo to a unit out in the middle of absolutely nowhere as far as I could tell. They are helping build a road to somewhat I gather as they are engineers. Their spirits were good and it was nice to talk to these young men and there were several young women there also. [snip].

Drove in a motor convoy to Kabul from Bagram during the 30 some days I was there. [snip] This is a about a 40 minute ride as fast as you can drive and you see everything from women from Burkas over their face up and down mountains into the crowded city of Kabul. Since I am the only guy that is armed with a weapon in the vehicle I am what is called the Shooter. Its almost like some cartoon, weaving in and out of traffic, honking like crazy and again, going as fast as you can without rolling over. Rule number 1 is NEVER STOP. Rule number 2 is read rule 1 10 times and I can assure you I did not ignore the rule. As we got into Kabul, and I have a pic or two driving down to Bagram, there is a Afghan guard there at the gate named "Rambo". Rambo is known for diving into a car at that gate when a suicide car bomber was attempting to initiate a bomb and stopped him by punching him out. So he is a legend. Now he stands guard at the gate with an American baseball bat. The same day a convoy just west of us had a suicide bomber and killed two and the next day a bus got lit up and killed some 25. So I decided to helo the next day out of Kabul back to Bagram as its faster and safer-I think.

Needed to get to Kandahar but always could not get transport so I decided with my Major to fly to there thru Kyrgyzstan (Manas) and was able to do it successfully, being only 5 people on a huge C17 plane eventually to Kandahar. "K stan" is a strong supporter of the USA in spite of the fact that everyone there is Muslim and a lot of our employees come from there. In Kandahar it was 111 degrees at 0800 and ultimately it got to 126 degrees which is probably as warm as I care to have it. Was invited to a "Fallen Comrade" service at the base wherein 3 Canadian Soldiers were KIA and their caskets were escorted onto a C130 plane on the ride home and I was able to get one pic of it all. [snip]



I met the Base Commander there and NATO is soon "taking over" Kandahar so there was a lot of business to discuss as to the equipment and so forth. In our attempt to get back thru Kyrgyzstan, suddenly with all the combat and weather issues going on, I was forced to stay at Manas for 5 full days. Could not go off the base because I was a "transient" and had to sleep in a tent which lowered my morale for sure but these tents nowadays.

Finally flew to KUW from Bagram on 1 July and tried to fly to Baghdad on 2 July. I felt the trip was successful in that no military guys had ever engaged Command on issues that were important to my "client". I know a lot about equipment (rolling stock) and was able to organize it in short order after conducting a lot of technical inspections, meeting the Command and so forth. In short I tried to be a doer and not a consumer and looking back upon it we had some success but it will always require
follow-up. Well, in attempting to get from KUW to Baghdad, I had literally four planes go down on maintenance (or so they told us) in one day. Had to get up at 0430 and not get to bed until 0200 the following day and all I did was get shuffled from one place to another with little result as it turned out. Whoever said life was fair? On the 3rd of July however able to get to Baghdad finally and am almost caught up from my mission.

Scheduled to go on a pass to Qatar XXXXXXX 4 days and that will be my first time off since I started this tour in January. Am looking forward to playing some golf as they allegedly have two courses there and just chilling out and reading a lot of the books and magazines people send us here.


Thanks again to all those support us here in Iraq and Afghanistan.

LTC Patrick Turner
AAFES Military Operations Senior LNO
Camp Liberty, Iraq

- May no soldier go unloved

Friday Letters from the Front: Friends for Life

Every Friday, we high-light some of the great letters and emails that we receive from the many men and women Soldiers' Angels have adopted and are caring for as they serve our nation far away from home. Angels always get excited when they receive messages from their troops and love to share them with others to let them know how much their support means to these fine citizens on the front lines.

We hope they inspire you, too.

Most of the Soldiers have made friends for life

The LTC (Lieutenant Colonel) of 618CT (combat team) recently wrote his wife about the great support his soldiers received before and throughout their ongoing deployment. His wife is a member of Soldiers' Angels in Landstuhl, Germany and works extensively with our members there, not only in supporting this unit, but in greeting and caring for the wounded of every branch of service (and civilians, too) when they arrive from the front at Landstuhl Military Medical Center.

He wrote:

Please let MaryAnn know how much we all appreciate everything she does for us as well as Soldiers' Angels. We get support from a number of different sources, but none are as generous, and most importantly, as consistent as Soldiers' Angels.

Most of the Soldiers have made friends for life and receive priceless correspondence and support from patriots all over the US. I have been a slug in not thanking her from day one. Her support began before we ever deployed and I am truly grateful. I need to do something for her and Soldiers' Angels to thank them.

Soldiers' Angels need no other thanks than this wonderful letter and knowing that we made a difference. MaryAnn is our Soldiers' Angel who was the first to take our Blankets of Hope and First Response Backpacks to our wounded at Landstuhl. CBS recently covered the importance of the Blankets of Hope in this piece about a similar organization dedicated to sending these wonderful blankets: Quilted Care Packages.

Kimberly Dozier received one of these wonderful blankets and said, "Let me tell you, from anyone who's gotten one of your quilts, it means a lot," Dozier said. As one who has been through it, Dozier said, "it's something you never forget."

Find out more about our Blankets of Hope.

We Will Sacrifice Everything

"Angel Bakers" are Soldiers' Angels that bake cookies and other goodies to send over to our troops. Angels will bake hundreds of cookies to send to any of our adopted service members. A soldier who received some of these goodies and a message of support from the team wrote a heartfelt letter to the Angels:

"It is Americans like you that make us proud to stand against the overwhelming odds and atrocities here because we will sacrifice everything to ensure that hearts like yours continue to beat strong and support our troops i just want to say personally , Thanks"

Find out more about Angel Bakers.

Why We Do What We Do

One of our great strengths is the number of Angels and their great sense of community. If an Angel needs assistance with providing a special care package or other support to an adopted military member, they can put the call out and Angels around the country (and even across the oceans) answer. In this case, a sailor on the USS "IKE" Eisenhower, received a bunch of cards for his birthday:

"And thank you again for taking the time to send me all of those cards. I'm still sorting through them to write back and say thank you to all of them. It was a big shocker because I had no idea so many people really cared. From what we see on the news all the time it sometimes seems that nobody really cares but I know deep down that a lot of people do and that's why we keep doing what we do."

The USS Eisenhower was deployed for six months in the Mediterranean and Arabian Gulf in support of Operation Enduring Freedom (Afghanistan) from October 2006 to May 23, 2006. "Eddie" wrote this follow up message upon his return.

Other Angels participate in the "Cards Plus" Team that specifically tracks and sends Birthday, Anniversary and other cards.

An Answer to a Prayer

Angels also provide support to our service members when they get back from their deployments through programs and individual acts of kindness. This requested support comes through special "alerts" that let local members know that a service member is in need.

In this case, a returned veteran was trying to get a home for he and his son. He needed help and Angels answered the call:

There is a great story about Francisco, when I sent the email out to the Florida Angels for furniture and/or household goodies and gift cards. I got a email that Francisco had written saying if he didn't get any money to pay his rent by that night he couldn't move in and he would have to sleep on someones floor, and the very next email I got was from a woman in FL that said she was on her way over to Francisco's Apt. with $300.00 and a queen size bed. Now if that isn't an answer to prayer I don't know what is.

Click on the image below to see a larger version of the letter from Francisco.



These requests come through a variety of official and unofficial channels. A local Angel Community Leader is usually contacted and tasked with talking to anyone from Social Services, Family Readiness Groups, etc and directly with the service member to verify and ascertain the situation. Then the Angels get to work.

Welcome Home Vietnam Vet

Soldiers' Angels are dedicated to serving all of our Veterans, past and present. We believe that service to our nation, our ideas and our people is one of the highest callings that a citizen can answer. We understand that our military consists of OUR people. People from our communities: friends, family and neighbors. When our nation sends our people to war, we believe it is an honor and a privilege to insure that all are cared for and all receive our gratitude.

When Angels meet an active duty member or veteran, we are sure to thank them for their service, no matter the war, no matter the service:

I went to Lowe's to buy a weed whacker. I asked this nice older man, a store employee, for some help getting the correct whacker. We picked one out and he was getting it down for me and made some joke about a pretty woman like me having a big, strong boyfriend/husband he didn't want to mess with, so he would lift it down for me. I joked right back that I didn't have either, but I was an angel to a Marine and a Mom to some of the 82nd. He turned and looked at me oddly (can't imagine why), so I told him about Soldiers Angels and what we do, how we work, the basics. I told him we send care packages, cookies, letters of support, all sorts of things. He asked if we were paid by the military and I told him no, all volunteer and explained who Patti was and how/why she started us.

The next thing I knew the man was in tears and then he threw his arms around me and picked me up (I am not the biggest woman you will ever meet). He put his head on my shoulder and cried. When he had composed himself a moment later, he explained that when he had come home from Vietnam, all he had ever gotten was spit on and called Baby Killer, that we would never understand what we were doing for those deployed service members and how they would never be able to really tell us. I hugged him again and told him Welcome Home.

When you meet a veteran, make sure you thank them for their service. They are the reason that we are living free today.

Next time you think you're having a busy day at the office...

There are many members of Soldiers' Angels who have family and friends in the military, though, not all Angels do. Many Angels simply support our Military because they believe it is the right thing to do. One lady who runs a blog (web based journal) calls herself "Some Soldiers' Mom" and has actively blogged since her son had deployed to Iraq. He was severely injured in August of 2005 and is now being medically discharged. His mother is a great advocate of the wounded and those suffering from PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder). She sends us this letter from the front:

A Day in the Life of an Air Ambulance Team

This article is a brief synopsis of a day in the life of a US Army Forward Support Medical-Evacuation Team (FSMT) in Iraq. The team has sixteen soldiers and three helicopters. The soldiers are eight pilots, four mechanics, and four medics. The pilots are all commissioned officers or warrant officers. The mechanics and medics are enlisted personnel; mostly sergeants. The flying machines are Sikorsky UH-60A Blackhawks. Each can carry up to six litter patients, or four litter patients plus four ambulatory patients. In the summer heat of Iraq, where 110F is the mid-day norm, the Hawks fly at about 130 knots (twice as fast as your family car on the highway).

The duty cycle for our team is 1st Up, 2nd Up, Chase, Off. Each of these is a 24-hour period, so we are on duty for 72 hours then off for 24 hours. Off is not really off as we have housekeeping chores and home improvement projects going all the time. Currently, we're filling and stacking sand bags around our housing trailers to protect us from near-miss indirect fire attacks such as incoming mortars and rockets. The Anti-Iraqi forces lob a few of these missiles at the base every week.

Read the rest here: A Day In the Life

A little letter or card makes a difference out here

It doesn't take much to bring a smile or comfort to a deployed soldier's life. Even the simplest and least expensive thing can make a difference:

"I have grown so much as a person and your letter of inspiration really helped make it that much easier this week. You don't understand how much a little letter or card makes a difference out here! Well, I can't thank you enough for supporting me and my fellow soldiers in this journey and mission that God has chosen for us. Words can't express the warmth you have placed in my heart. I will keep this feeling with me as I go out everyday on my missions!"

Silky Dirt

Sometimes, great local companies and national corporations help us support our members with generous donations and discounts. A Soldiers' Angel recounts her recent experience with Jonathan Antin hair products.

Jonathan Antin is a Beverly hills hairdresser that had a reality show on the Bravo Channel & he sells a line of hair care products on QVC, at Sephora & Ulta.

I put a free sample of his hair cream: Silky Dirt in a care package to my unoffical soldier Katja. (I love to save up samples and send them to the gals in the sandbox)

Kat got the package & she loves the samples. She uses a sample a week as a treat. A few weeks ago she used the Silky Dirt. She loved the smell of it so much!! And so did all the other girls. To quote her, "they all took turns smelling my head!"

So I started thinking wouldn't it be great to send samples for all of them? I emailed Jonathan's PR dept and today I received 6 boxes full of silky dirt samples!!! It's about 300 samples.

I can't wait to sent them to her. I know they will be a big hit!!

Thanks for reading and if you are in the market for some hair care products, I ask that you remember Jonathan supports our troops!!

Have a great day!

Amy's Alerts

"Amy's Alerts" come straight to the Angel Forum to let us know about the immediate needs and requests of deployed individuals or entire units. Even up to "Company" level (100-200 soldiers, airmen or marines). One marine was a recipient of support from a recent company of marines that was supported through an "alert". This is what he wrote:

Wright,

Hi. My name is Jonathan and I am one of Lt. ---- Marines. I just wanted to thank you guys and everybody else back in the States. Your support helps us so much over here. I wish you all well and I hope for the best for this world.

Deeply Honored To Have You As A Friend

HI KATHY, YOU SURE TO KNOW HOW TO MAKE SOMEONE FEEL SPECIAL. WHILE I MAY BE JUST A PART OF THE WHOLE FORMULA FOR BRINGING FREEDOM NOT JUST TO YOU BUT THE COUNTRY AS A WHOLE, I AM THE ONE THAT IS DEEPLY HONORED TO HAVE YOU FOR A FRIEND. SO ILL MAKE SURE THAT I DO KEEP IN TOUCH. SO HAVE YOU DONE ANYTHING OVER THE SUMMER. WELL I WILL GET BACK TO YOU THIS EVENING. YOU TAKE CARE,

What are you doing this summer? Do you want to make "a friend for life"? Feel the joy and soul uplifting Angel power of supporting our troops by joining Soldiers' Angels and adopting a hero today.



- May no soldier go unloved

Letters From the Front: You Kept Us Going

This is a picture of Army Rangers, "Tough Guys", still holding their Easter Baskets Soldiers' Angels sent to them in Afghanistan.

Soldier's Angels,

My unit and I want to thank you for all your support. Your thoughts and prayers have kept us safe for the last 10 months and are going to see us home safely very shortly.

Keep up the good work. Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines as well as all other service members' morale may be uplifted by a single letter. Imagine the power of a care package with special items just for him/her! You guys are helping people cope with the separation by creating a link with our world. God bless all of you for what you are doing. Your support means the world to us and has helped us understand that our time away from home hasn't been for nothing.

SSG Michelle

People often ask deploying Airmen, "What can I do to help?"

Most Airmen say, "Nothing. We're fine."

Asking for things is hard, and we can get almost everything we need at the base exchange.

It's not until I get a package from a loved one that I realize how much these little pieces of home really mean to me. Often I don't know that I'm missing Gummi Bears until they come in the mail, looking battle hardened from traveling halfway around the world.

Sometimes just a short, quick card can brighten my outlook. And every once in a while, you hit the jackpot. After a long, tough day, there's nothing like returning to your workspace and realizing you have a package waiting for you on your desk. It's almost like Christmas.

Packages are great. Gifts and candy are always shared with others. In fact, co-workers and hut mates often get excited for each other when we get mail and many times we'll be on the lookout for our friends' names while we're at the post office.

Regardless of how odd the gift may be, it's important because it tells me people are thinking of me while life continues to go on at our home station. My favorite package to date was the one I received from my office back in the states. They sent me a couple of our base's newspapers, and it was really fun catching up on the goings on at F. E. Warren Air Force Base.

I don't mean to knock e-mails. They have their positive points: They are instantaneous, easy and free. But in my opinion they don't make up for being able to hold a letter in your hand. Knowing someone took the time out of their busy day to write down their thoughts and let you know they were thinking about you. It's just a good feeling.

Now I know this is a two-way street, and I'm a bit of a hypocrite because I don't normally write many letters, but since I've been here I've written 15 letters. Most of the time I just tell people what my day is like. It may not seem that exciting to me, but for people back home it gives them a window into our lives. My goal is to write a letter to everyone in my address book before I leave Bagram Air Base. It's a lofty goal for a writing-challenged person, but one that is completely possible.

Recently I saw a quote from an unknown author and it really hit home. It said, "What a wonderful thing is the mail, capable of conveying across continents a warm human handclasp." When you think about it that way, how can you not write a letter?

I got an email from Reed today titled "WOW". I wanted to share this with all of you because without YOU this wouldn't have been possible.

"That is the coolest thing that I have received period.
The thought and time put into it is amazing. I really
don't know what to say. Thank you so much. That is a
keeper."

Thanks to all the Angels that made this possible!
Kim&Reed

Soldiers' Angels Europe: A Letter From Around the World

When I picked up the mail at the office I was surprised. As always many letters and postcards from the US. And as always many of the same die hard Angels like Angel Louella from Texas, or Angel Toni from Belleville, Mi or Angel Carol from Riverside, IA. All these Angels send a lot of letters and postcards. But this time there also was a letter from Hong Kong for the British Troops. That really was a surprise because that means that the Troops truly have support from all over the world.

Who ever wrote that letter, thank you, thank you from heart.

I am sure one of the soldiers is happy to receive it. Your letter goes out with one of the next care packages.

Think of the way this letter made. First it went from Hong Kong to Germany and then it’ll go from Germany to Iraq. Isn’t it amazing?

As I write this, UK security forces, intelligence and police are searching for two or more possible bombers who parked two car bombs in busy London areas. These men must be worried about their families while they continue to fight in Afghanistan and Iraq against the very same people who might one day succeed in harming their families. As allies, they deserve as much support as our own forces who are working hard to defend us. Please support our Coalition Allies. Help a British Soldier have tea time.

A Phone Call Away

Tonight as I was coming home from celebrating my birthday I got a surprise call from a soldier that I wrote to a couple weeks ago. We talked for about 20 minutes and he could not thank me enough for being a part of "The Angels". He said that the soldiers don't always see the good of what they are doing there and it means to world to get a letter from the states telling them that they are important and that we care about them and support them. It was a tear jerker conversation at times and I could tell he didn't really want to hang up but his phone time was up.

It never ceases to amaze me that soldiers feel the need to thank us when they are the ones putting themselves on the line each second of the day. I am so proud to be a part of Soldier's Angels and so proud of our men and women serving our country. This truly was a wonderful birthday

Spiritual Warfare

Our Mission is really over accomplished! What fun! There is no doubt Chaplain Theresa will have enough Rosaries for quite a while. With the numbers still promised to be shipped along with those we've all shipped already, she should have about 1,200!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Whoohoo!

Sincerest Thank You's to all the Angels who helped with this Mission, it was quite wonderful and heartwarming (and fun as well). We couldn't have done it with out all of you and your incredible contacts!

Huge Hugs,
Tigs Mom (Karen)

I am writing to express my appreciation to all of those who have received my information from this site and sent me letters, packages, and cards in support. I want to let you know that those are what meant the most to me during my time here and I cannot express my gratitude enough for you taking your time out to send those things to me.

Also, I am writing to let you at the site know that I will be leaving in the next month to month and a half, and would like you to remove my information from your site as soon as possible. I say this, because I want everyone to get the notice in time, so that things will still not be arriving here after my departure.

Thank you so much and continue to do the wonderful job of spreading love and encouragement to others who are have taken the oath to protect and defend our wonderful country of the USA.

Respectfully,
1stLt Tabitha

Our Medic from Dustoff Salerno In Afghanistan joins us for a quick update in the forums

I just wanted to say whatup to everyone on here. I know that I have been slackin big time on the forum. Its been a busy couple of months thats for sure. The East Khowst Salerno Krew is now operating out of two locations so we have to rotate back and forth weekly so that is partly why I have not been posting on the forum. I will try to do better. Other than that we are all doing great and are still receiving mail left and right from Soldiers Angels all across the states...even Germany! I got a box full of goodies from Germany a couple weeks ago so that was pretty cool.

I have been trying my best to send thanks to everyone as the packages and mail arrives. I know that there are some out there who I havent been able to thank. Here are a few names that I cannot match email addresses that very recently sent me a package. So if anyone can help or if you see your name please let me know.

Bill & Laura from PA
and
Stewart(last name) from GA

I really want to send them my thanks.

On another note, everyone out here is staying very busy. I flew over 100 hours these past two months. Probably the busiest I have ever been. Our amazing flight medics are doing great work at saving lives and treating the sick and wounded. We even flew an enemy prisoner yesterday who needed medical care. Our crew cheifs have been doing great work as well keeping our aircraft in top condition for flight and not grounded. As for us Pilots, we always like our aircraft flyable instead of grounded because what good are we if we cant fly! But seriously though, everyone has been working hard and as a team.

Many have started to take their much deserved R&R. Brian and Sean are both on leave right now. I get to take mine in August and luckily I will be able to be there for my sons 1st birthday so I am pretty excited about that!

Well, I just want to say thanks once again to everyone who has continued to support the DUSTOFF crew out here in Afghanland. We appreciate it very much. Talk to you all soon.
Adam

Soldiers' Angels Flag Flies From Mt. Shasta

Hello Angels,
Here are several pictures from my climb of Mt Shasta on June 8-10, 2007. I told
myself that my motivation would be to endure all pain like our soldiers are doing overseas right now. However, the conditions were not optimal and it was an extremely difficult feat. We didnot make it to the summit, but made it high enough to feel the accomplishment of climbing a mountain.

As you can see by the photo, the view was spectacular. Thanks to SA for providing the
hat and to the person who coordinated the making of the flag, it turned out great.
As always, keep up the good work. ~ Mike Keegan

Your Support Is Appreciated More Than You Can Ever Know

Hello Angels Angel ,

My name is Dylan XXXXX, I'm in the Army and am currently deployed to Baghdad, Iraq. I've been here for 10 months and have 6 or 7 to go. Throughout my tour I have received various letters and packages from various angels all over the 50 states. Although I haven't had time thus far to contact many of them I'd like to say thank you personally to each and everyone of them, and will do when possible. I have kept everyones letters so I may reply one day when the time presents itself.

In a few days here I will finally be going on leave, so things have slowed down for us to prepare for that, giving me time to join your forum and give my thanks. I would like to thank my current angel who has stayed with me throughout my entire tour thus far. Rachel thank you very much . I am very lucky to have your kind and caring support backing me. (she told me not to, but I'm doing it anyways, ha ha Top Banana )

**Although you might be getting all kinds of crazy ideas running through your heads, I urge you not to try and send me anything because I have thanked you or joined the forum. I would much rather you used them to tend to soldiers in greater need then I.**

Again thank you very much to all the angels for your support and caring. it is appreciated more then you can know .

- SPC Dylan (INFANTRY!)

Hello
I wanted to send a thank you to “Solder’ Angels” for a steel coffee cup.
I guess I should start over and explain this note [Sorry been deployed to long].
In 05 I was in Bagdad and then to Afghanistan in 06 and I am still going here in Afghanistan till the spring of next year.

A couple weeks ago our truck got a blast from a bomb, by GOD GRACE NO ONE WAS KILLED. But me and one of my other Sergeant had to go to the Med station to be check out. Nothing significant wrong with either of us, so back to work but some gave me a cup from your outfit with some coffee – I swear that “Angel” on the side of the cup was the greatest thing after a “bad day at the office”. I am back at my FOB and I can’t find the cup but the thought some one cares enough to send those cups sure made this old Sergeant Day. Thank You from one Infantry Sergeant here in Afghanistan.
SSG Charles

Your service is extraordinarily valuable

On a recent visit to one of our battle positions, I was intrigued by the number of fans inside the berthing area. I was quickly informed of the origin of the fans from several of the Marines. When I relayed this story of kindness I kept hearing more and more things that had been done by you and the Soldier’s Angels. It seems you have quite the following of people you have touched within the battalion, especially in the Communications Platoon.

I am proud to be from a country that has caring and compassionate people like you. Your service is extraordinarily valuable and as I’m sure you have heard, it is greatly appreciated by everyone you touch through your gifts.
Thanks again and God Bless each and every one of the fine folks in your organization.

Semper Fi,
Jay

Where Did You Sleep Last Night?

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- May no soldier go unloved

Friday's Letters From the Front: Thank You for Your Support

Greetings From Baghdad

Hello, greetings from Baghdad, Iraq. I just want to thank those angels assigned to me, who have wrote me a letter or sent me a card, I appreciate your love and support, and it's an honour and privilage to serve this great nation we live in, and fight for our freedoms. I also appreciate your prayers too. I know I have seen your mail going out to many of our troops, thank you so much, we love all of that love and support we're getting from you angels, it really boosts our morale, when we receive some love from people back home, and it makes our jobs easier knowing we are being supported by our people back home in America, people like you, I've said it before and I say it again, Thank You Soldiers Angels, we the soldier love and appreciate you too.
I just finished writing and addressing Iraqi post cards, and I wanted to let you know that I'm well and staying safe.
Sincerely, SSG Marvin

Hello from Iraq,

First I would like to thank you for all that you do, we apreciate it greatly. The soakers were a great ideal we had a couple of soldiers who couldnt wait to have a water fight. Thanks for all the small packages they worked out really well. Everyone got what they need and then some. I hope you all know how much you are appreciated by us for taking care of our troops. Once again thank you and God bless.

Jason

An Angel To Watch Over Me

Mr Bader,
My name is SGT Shamar I'm a friend of Mr Olivas. Thank you so much for everything you have sent me. All your prayers and support are greatly appreciated. Last week I started wearing my Soldiers Angel pin on my bullet proof vest and trust me it protected me. I was out on a routine convoy that was hit by an IED. I think my Angels has something to do with no one sustaining any injuries during the blast. Well I have to go because there are other soldiers waiting for this computer but in closing THANK YOU!
SGT Shamar

First Response Back Packs

Hello and thank you for your support.

I recently received some backpacks full of goodies for our soldiers. As the nurse in charge of the intensive care unit, my nurses and I see quite a few patients come through our unit. You should feel great about the support that you give. The back packs are great for the injured soldiers, and they are great for the nurses to have something to give. The back packs are a big hit with everyone.

Your note mentioned that we could email a wish list. This request is for the hospital staff so if you have other priorities, please take care of those first. These are all "nice to have" things. -Snack foods that are "healthy". We receive lots of cookies, but I have quite a few health conscious people that prefer to eat healthier snacks.
Anything from tuna snack packs to trail mix and anything in between. -Room deodorizers. Anything that makes it smell better except for aerosolized cans, plug-ins or things you need to light (i.e. candles). The gel containers work well. We use them in the bathrooms, hospital units and sleeping quarters. -Drink mixes. Any of the sugar-free mixes to make the water taste better would be great. It's so hot that we drink LOTS of water.

From all of us here at the hospital in Baghdad....THANK YOU! We all appreciate your support!


Angela
MAJ
Head Nurse ICU1
28th Combat Support Hospital
Baghdad, Iraq

Soldiers' Angels Kansas City raised money to send over 70 backpacks to our wounded!

British Troops Love Our Support

(British Sailor) Hope you don't mind me emailing you, we received your letter and I was quite touched as it's true we don't receive much mail like that from our fellow britains!!

David
XXXXX
XXXXX
Comments/Question:: Hello,
I am a british solder currentlly serving in Iraq along side U.S. troops. A group of us recived a letter from a Sharon XXXX email address: XXXXXX. On behalf of all of us and others that will recive this letter at some point in the future Id like to say thank you so, so much for your support from the U.S. public and Sharon. I did try and submit my self as a solder on your site but I see you only deal with US Military. I think its an amazing thing you all do and it keeps us all going through the hard times and reminds us that people like you are supporting us from back home. Once again thank you very much from the bottom of out hearts. Dave. XXX

Don't worry! There is a way to support our allies through Soldiers' Angels Europe

These guys are hungry for mail and support.



Birthday Greetings from Angels

Thanks to all the angels who sent a birthday to Stephen, he just email me a message of thanks

"Anyways, it really did mean a lot to me and it made me feel like I was home again. I was shocked as well with the amount of letters that were in the box. I think it will take me the rest of the deployment to write back to all those people, but if they were kind enough to write me I am going to try and write them back."

To all of the angels who sent my un official Doug a Birthday card Thank You. Here is part of his email...

Thank you very much for the Bday packages. You have spectacular timing. I was floored with the generosity ... The cards from all the folks from Soldiers angels were very nice and very uplifting. I can't tell you how much I appreciate the support ...

Thank YOU very, very much!

Hello again Stephanie. My guys wanted to make sure that I told you thank you very much.

On behalf of the the guys THANK YOU VERY, VERY, VERY MUCH!!!

Well everything over here is getting kind of hectic again but like always we'll pull through. Hope you and your family are fine. Oh and I don't usually have too much time on the computer but if you could, would you tell whoever you can at the soldier's angels thank you as well. We really appreciate everything you guys are doing for us, I know I say this every time I write but it's just that we are all so grateful out
here that some times we have nothing else to say but thank you.

Roger

"Please Help My Soldiers"

Hello,I am wanting to submit members of my platoon. This is my third deployment over here. I am with the 3rd Infantry Division based out of, GA. Most of the members in my platoon are on their second tour here. Some do not receive any mail besides bills. No matter where you go bills end up following you. I would like to have them receive something other than bills. A little encouragement from home goes a long way. Some are very shy or dont know what to write back. I would like to thank you for all of your support. It goes a long way to know that we have people at home that support us.

Someone submitted my name to soldier's angels. I've been very impressed by the letters and support that I've received. Now I am requesting the assistance of soldiers angels for my company. I am the Executive officer of an Ordinance Company. We have a platoon of medics, cooks, staff, and mechanics. We are currently at 273 soldiers in our company. They work grueling days and are exhausted afterwords and are always looking for something to do. My request is simple. Please help our soldiers by providing something fun and uplifting for them to do. It doesn't necessarily mean purchasing them expensive gifts or videogames. They enjoy other things too like puzzles, crosswords, chess and checkers, card games, ect. Many people will even send over the weekly newspaper crossword puzzle to help keep them occupied. Doing this helps them releave stress and keep their minds off of being homesick. It also effectively helps pass the time.Thanks for all your support! LT V

Dear Angel, I am a transportation platoon leader for 27 outstanding men and women who are from the South Carolina. We just recently deployed to Afghanistan and will be here for 1 year running all transportation missions through most of Afghanistan. The platoon before us recommended this site as they had wonderful support from their angels. We hope to feel the same support! Thank you unconditionally for your support! Anything you can do for us is greatly appreciated.

Veterans Are Grateful for Our Help TOO!

Rec'd this today from the VA in Albuquerque, NM


Hi Twyla, we received some back packs and comfort items and are very grateful. I spoke with one of our social workers yesterday and he is very interested in the back packs and we will use the comfort items for our lodger program. Again, thanks you so much and an official thank you letter will be sent shortly.


Sonja Brown
Chief, Voluntary Service &
Public Affairs Operations
New Mexico VA Health Care System

On Memorial Day I joined the Patriot Guard Riders escorting the bus with the patients from Walter Reed on it to the parade in Gettysburg, Pa.

I got to talk to some of our Fallen Hero's that day. I noticed one had a Soldiers' Angels sweat shirt on. I asked him if he would like a Soldiers' Angels pin to go along with it and he said he already had one.

He told me how the wonderful [and] caring members of Soldiers' Angels have been showing him their support + to honor them he had quite a large tattoo of the Soldiers' Angels logo on his right arm.

John

Angel Work On the Home Front

I arranged to take pizza, breadsticks, hotwings, and drinks to the Army and Marine Corps recrutiers' offices tonight. So I go pick up all the munchies and load it into my car. I drive up the recruiting station and park. I grab everything and start walking into the office and out comes a Marine recruiter to help. We set everything down and start talking and I tell them about SA. I divided up the food and run over to the Army recruiters. When I walked in, they all just smiled and said hello. I arrange the food on the table for everyone to help themselves and introduce myself and tell them about SA. During the two hours that I was there, i walk back and forth between the offices and talk to all of the recruiters and hand them pins and coins and shake their hands and tell them thank you for your service. I have to take fliers and business cards up there at a later date, because my printer went on the fritz! I had a really nice time talking to these soldiers and Marines and learned some things about each of them. One shared with me his experiences in Iraq. I walked out of there with a grin from ear to ear because I was able to spread the word about SA and feed some troops!!! It was a very rewarding time.

The Happy Dance

My grandsons are still here staying since their mom is still recovering from her episode back the tail end of May. One of their "duties" as they call it is running down the driveway to "rescue" the mail. My son is glad to turn that "duty" over to them for a few days. LOL After all the birthday cards & PC's he brought home.

Today I hear them both SCREAMING at the top of their lungs..."GRAMMAA, GRAAAMMAAAAA we got MORE free mail!! They delivered 4 free mail envelopes to me. All are from the LWT & all of us are doing the HAPPY DANCE Top Banana Top Banana Top Banana Top Banana all over the house. Sure hope the neighbors aren't watching they will think we have lost our minds.

Keep sending those letters we do make a difference.

Hugs
Tammy W

Help us support our soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines. Join Soldiers' Angels and you'll discover that feeling of satisfaction that makes Angels do the "happy dance".


- May no soldier go unloved

Letters From the Front - Thank You For Your Support

This video is from local KC Angels who read letters and told stories about the wonderful responses they received full of gratitude for the support they have given to our troops all around the world.



I wish that I could reach more people with our website and within our community. I wish they could see the requests that come into Soldiers' Angels. Many of them are not for the soldier writing the request. They are often writing for others that they serve with who get no support.

In Amy's Alerts, I read a message:

dear angel, my unit is assigned to a MiTT team, and we live apart from our parent unit. the augmentees that i lead are forced to only use a small room, with a broken couch to have their down time, aside from their personal computers. We love to recieve mail, but working day in and day out in such close proximity to the iraqi army, only allows us limited opportunities to go to our parent unit and recieve our mail...we just love the mail and the goodies we sometimes recieve from home. any good tidings our way is greatly recieved. i think this operation you guys have going here is also very awesome. i hope we can find a great angel and communicate with them to regain a little of that sense of home.

I am Not a soldier but A SGT in the US Army this is my third deployment here in I raq since the war started. I have a lot of soldiers who like myself on my first tour will never see mail or even a package. I just wanted them to know that there are people who care.

A lot of care packages get sent to Afghanistan and reach Bagram or Kabul but few make it downrange to the FOBs. I'm on Camp Stone and have been here over a month and have not seen one package come in for any of the soldiers here. We don't have an AAFES store here so comforts are limited. Things like Tang powder, kool aid w/sugar/ crackers, chips, ect. would be greatly appreciated.

Even with 90,000 Angels, the number of soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines that are without support is staggering. So many Angels try to support as many as they can, including "unofficial" adoptees who aren't signed up, but may have been referred by a friend or family member. The over 140k men and women in Iraq and 20k in Afghanistan are only those who are there now. Many have been deployed and returned. Some with physical and mental health issues. There are many wounded, like those we were hoping to support with Operation Aces High.

I wish people could see and hear the gratitude that these men and women return for something as little as a letter with an uplifting scripture on the envelope. That was the recent humble request of a soldier. There are so many like him.

DEAR ANGELS

I WANT TO THANK YOU FOR ALL THAT YOU ARE DOING, YOU MADE A DIFFERENCE TO ME THIS WEEK AS I RECEIVED FOUR LETTERS OF SUPPORT AT A TIME WHEN I REALLY NEEDED TO KNOW THAT SOMEONE OUT THERE CARES ABOUT US...

THEN WE GET LETTERS FROM OUR ANGELS, I CANT TELL YOU HOW UPLIFTING IT IS TO GET A LETTER FROM A STRANGER WHO IS SO POSITIVE TOWARDS US SOLDIERS, THESE ARE THE KIND OF PEOPLE WHO COME UP TO US IN AIRPORTS AND JUST SAY THANK YOU, SHAKE YOUR HAND AND SMILE, IM ALWAYS LEFT IN TOTAL AWE WHEN THIS HAPPENS, IT LEAVES ME TOTALLY HUMBLED.

I got 25 letters today, and a package from Tammy C. I got some letters from a 7th grade class and a 5th grade class. I am riting them all back individually, so that could take a while LOL

I just wanted all the Angels to know how much I appreciate what they have done for me. You know what a tou[gh] time I had coming back here, but there letters really have made a difference!!! Please let them know, they really do make a difference for us over here, even if they never hear back from the person they [w]rite to, the[ir] letter that day may have been just what the soldier needed to go on for the next day. I know when I have not been able to talk to you which has hardly been at all this last month that the letters I get in the mail have lifted my spirits a lot.

There are days that I mite not get any, but I know that I have alot of angels out there thinking of me and praying for me. Please honey tell them that we need them to help keep us going. It's not easy over here and we are constantly reminded that most of these people don't want us here, but to know that we have so many people back home that support us, that care about how we are doing and want to help take care of us is
an awesome thing."

Dear Terri,

Thank you for the care packages. It was a very welcome suprise for my platoon and I. We had just returned from a 3 week mission and found the care packages sitting on our bunks.

I wanted to let you know that it was better than Christmas morning. One item in particular really hit home for us. It was the skittles that you sent. You see, we have been out on assignment for over three weeks and have seen nothing but dirt, sand and barren hillsides. After awhile everything seems to look the same. So, when we dug into the care packages and saw all the bright colors of the skittles candies, it really made our day and reminded us that someone at home cares about us.

Thank you for everything you are doing for me and my troops. We really, really appreciate your support.

Sincerely,

Josh

Even the smallest among us can make a difference.

My 5yr. old and I were at McDonald's with my mom today. I was talking to mom about how I was going to save my Ketchup packages for my soldier and if she wasn't going to use the rest of hers I would take them too. My 5 yr. old grabbed her happy meal bag and said I'll be right back. I thought she was taking it to the trash. I wish! I then watched her go to every table saying she needed everyone's extra ketchup for her soldier she adopted in Iraq. I could've died and burst with pride at the same time. I explained to my nearest neighbors about SA and what we had done. They said that was sweet and wanted the website addy. Rebekah proudly came back with a half a bag of ketchup. Sure hope my soldier is hungry LOL
Kim

We can help them with their mission which means they come home that much quicker:

Sara,

As always, really nice to hear from you. Thanks for the note and also the packages sent in support of these poor children. The toys and candy for the local children will be vital for our connection with them. I don't mind you sharing any of the notes that I send you. I want people to know that you and your Angle Baker friends have had such an amazing impact on my men and me.

Thanks and I hope this finds you well.

Sonny

And, they remember our support for a very long time.

I was walking around in Sunnyvale at the art and wine festival and just had to stop in on the marine booth. (no other branches were there). Well after I introduced myself tot he marine he asked me to thank ALL of you wonderful angels. His name is Ray and he received a few packages while he was in Iraq. On his behalf, thank you all!

I have sent letters and care packages. I have marched in parades. I have attended welcome home parties and I have been to the funerals. It amazes me that I have done so little to earn their service and I am humbled when the smallest thing is treated as the grandest treasure.

Daily, I see requests to Soldiers' Angels like those above. I read the letters of gratitude. I read the names on the list of missions at the PGR. They are almost all young and they come from every place in the United States. They serve and they sacrifice, their very bodies, minds and sometimes their lives.

They are ours and I hope that you will see them as ours: our families, our friends, our neighbors and ours to support.

I ask you to remember our men and women and join Soldiers' Angels in supporting them.

Until they all come home.



- May no soldier go unloved

LTC Patrick Turner Update from Iraq May 16th

Providing packages and support for Iraqis and CMOC (civil military operations):

From time to time, SoldiersAngels volunteers ask me what to send to us here for the Iraqi children and so forth. Note the email below that answers the questions you may have on this:

A cohort of mine, Captain Sheila Corcoran is a Team Chief for what is known as a Civil Military Operations Center ( CMOC ). A CMOC's mission is to serve a community at large. Her particular CMOC has, as part of their mission, a health care clinic and assist in finding "displaced persons"( these are people that have been separated from their families for one reason or another).

During a visit, I asked her what are the items that she needs the most that would benefit the community that she serves.


Here are the items the she requests in this order:

1) School supplies such as pencils, "Big Chief" tablets, erasers, etc...

2) Books in Arabic please, remember where we are. Hopefully your book stores will assist in finding them for you. Consider asking a local Mosque for help.

3) baby formula

4) diapers

5) baby wipes

6) Children & Adult vitamins

7) Children's clothes ( all sizes)


When purchasing these items please be "culturally sensitive" remember, our intent is to put an "Iraqi face" on what we do. No squirt guns, anything that looks like a weapon or a gun is not compatible with our mission here. Let's not get an American Soldier hurt accidentally.

I noticed, but forgot to ask, that there were no TOYS in evidence that they are asking for so cease fire on those.


LTC Patrick Turner
Camp Liberty

If you would like to support the CMOC and LTC Patrick Turner's project, please drop me an email at kehenry1_at_hotmail_dot_com for his contact info.

- May no soldier go unloved

Thunder Run Correspondent in the Sand Box: The Hug

Thunder Run Correspondent says that he is "dusted in" due to a sand storm so he has a few moments to write another dispatch:

I think we’ve all had that sixth sense that something is missing. You may be walking in the woods and realize that there is something different. The birds have stopped chirping, or there is a lack of background noise. Well, I just realized that I’ve been here for several days now, and I have heard very few complaints.

Now I have an honorable discharge from the Navy and an honorable discharge from the Army. I can say that I have heard a wide spectrum of truly unique and creative complaints. I’ve heard people who would win gold in world class complaining. We used to have a saying in the Navy that if the bitching stops, prepare for a mutiny.

The secret weapon in today’s arsenal against complaining is - (drumroll please) “The Hug.” It is also known as “Da Hug.” I’ve seen it once.

Read the rest here.






- May no soldier go unloved

Thunder Run Correspondent in the Sand Box: Your Support Is Important

Update from Thunder Run's Correspondent.

On his experience with our soldiers:

One of my first escorts was a young kid (just a boy really) who came down with the Kuwaiti Krud, so they assigned us T. She's a petite soldier from North Carolina. I tested her, a little, by asking when she had been to the range, to which she replied, "Well, we're going again Thursday." That's one tough lady.

During one of our stops, I stepped out of our SUV to snap a picture. I guess I forgot where the Hell I was, because I moved off the road to get a better shot. Then I moved closer to the object to get an even better shot. When I turned around I almost ran into her. She was like my shadow, and had been covering me the whole time. I apologized to her for acting like a frickin' tourist.

On your support for our troops:

I've heard from several people that your blog is - and I quote: "a breath of fresh air." Whether you realize the full impact or not, you are doing a tremendous job for morale. We need what you provide. On a larger scale, your readers need to do what they do best. Whether it is to support the troops with mail or donating computers, or whatever it is - IT IS WORKING!!

That's right, regardless of what the television is saying, it is working! So don't stop! Many years ago, an old gray sergeant once told me, "Damn it soldier, don't fix it if it ain't broken." Truer words were never spoken.

I know it's hard to teach an old dog new tricks (and I'm an old dog). There was a time when we were young, and thought that we were immortal. We were what you call door kickers. Now it is time for NEXT GEN. Tell your readers this ... You want to do something this very moment? You want to do something that makes all the difference? Take a knee and pray for our troops. They deserve it.

- May no soldier go unloved

LTC Turner: Iraq Update May 5, 2007

Please be advised that the only parts of this message that were edited were to insure compliance with OPSEC regulations and insure the safety of our current and future serving men and women in theater. Beyond that, totally the words of LTC Turner.


From LTC Patrick Turner:

Last email sent 45 days ago. Last time we visited I finished up a trip down to Kuwait and was preparing for a trip to Baquoba, Iraq or what we call FOB Warhorse. There, a certain sized unit engages in daily combat with Sunni insurgents and Al Qaeda. My mission, in earlier April, was to ascertain the level of support for the exchange system, inspect equipment, make an assessment and so forth. From Camp Liberty where I am based, I had to helo up to Balad, Iraq and sometimes it is called Camp Anaconda about 30 minutes (depending on how circuitous the route is) in flight. For the first time, I was able to fly in the daytime at low level to Balad and pulled out my video camera and got a pretty close view of the countryside. Also took some pretty interesting still pictures with my Olympus FE-190 digital which is a wonderful camera my wife and I have found out. Flew into Balad and had to "hang out" for several hours as flights going into Warhorse are done at night. Being as there has been recent helo issues, I voted along with the crew for this option.





For the first time in Iraq, I flew in a CH47 which is a large helicopter with two large rotor blades. Had not been on one in awhile and they fly with the back door down and a .30 caliber machine gun braced onto the tail. Of course, the rear crewman wears night vision goggles so he could certainly see a lot better than me. The helo flies, not surprisingly, in total blackout because the pilots wear the night vision goggles as well. We swooped in pretty fast and landed. I exited off one side of the pad and missed my contact and had to walk probably 1.5 kilometers until I could line up my bunk for the night. Normally I need the exercise but I don't like walking long distances in full body armor, weapon, backpack and briefcase of sorts. Certainly was sweaty and finding out I was going to be on a cot did not exactly make me enthusiastic.


Conducted my inspection and so forth with the local management and engaged the Mayoral cell as well. Was able to get inside their command post and see how they track the battle and what vision devices they have as well and it was "interesting". I was invited to a officer's call that night and some 2LT got promoted, smoke cigars and so forth and just plain male bonding because there are so few females. But assuredly, there is no alcohol in Iraq unless you illegally import it. Next morning, had to get up early and the bird landed 45 minutes ahead of time at [redacted] as it is very rare to fly during the day. Unfortunately, the windows to the Blackhawk had no windows. I tried initially to video but flying 130 miles an hour almost blew my camera and ballistic glasses off my head. I knew the pilot would be very aggressive in terms of speed to take off since this is a tough area. Onward we flew back to Camp Liberty in about 30 minutes or so and surprisingly saw some vegetation and trees but bad guys all over the place only you can't see them readily. Flew over one town and saw the Mahdi army black flag waving from a large building so I guess I know who they belong to: the Shias.

Found out later in the day that 21 bodies were found tortured and burned and dumped from Baquoba that morning. The base is only [redacted] but only got two mortar or rocket rounds that night. We have a very aggressive officer in charge at Warhorse I am told at Baquoba and an extensive article was written in the New York Times recently on this place.

Able finally in early April to attend a social gathering of so called Intelligence personnel and must admit met some strange, but interesting, characters to include a couple of Iraqi generals. It was a good night to meet some new people and pick up news around the Theatre. Had some nice spaghetti which I don't normally care for but it was done right and good casual conversation was had. Out near a pool but since the water can be brackish I passed on the opportunity but the mosquitoes or their variation had their piece of me.






By the time 20 Apr 07 rolled around I was ready to visit Al Anbar province in western Iraq and made a 11 day visit there, returning on 1 May. Of course, this is United States Marine territory but there are surprisingly a number of army units sprinkled throughout the four locations I helo'd to: Falluja, Ramadi, Al Asad and Taqqadam or normally called "TQ". Trying to get from Camp Liberty to Falluja is horrendous. I was on "Space A helo" and it meant, for a 13 minute helo ride, I had to sit at the heliport a total of 9 hours over two different days. Fortunately, it was not 130 degrees and ultimately, I flew at night. This time, I finally was able to fly in a Marine CH46 which is about 80% of the size of a CH47 where you can put about 8-9 people on each side instead of more. And, which is unusual, they have a side machine gunner just behind each pilot to provide defense. We had a Cobra gunship for support on our flight and I thought those things went away in the 1990s but the Marines are still using them. They are even using "Huey" helos as supporting gunships. Maybe they are cheaper, I don't know. Well, we corkscrewed somehow onto the helipad and as always, its perfectly dark, loud as hell but fortunately someone was there to pick us up.







We drive extensively around Falluja and it is a larger based than you would imagine. But, you can hear the gunfire not too far away and mortar illumination rounds are being constantly fired to support our Marines in nighttime combat operations. Not too far where we slept, a 156mm mortar shot several times (outbound is always good) and who knows what they were trying to do. The reception of the local Marines was very gratifying even if I was an "army dude". I wore my army desert uniform from 2005 to blend in a little more with the Marines since the army digital uniform is so different so maybe that was appreciated to some degree. Traveling with a civilian and a Marine warrant officer, I always like someone telling me where to go in strange places.

We conducted our business and could not fly out until [redacted] or so to Ramadi. Ramadi has a number of local populace who are of ill repute to be sure. We took off for Ramadi in another double rotor helo and got about halfway to Ramadi at about I would guess [redacted] feet. I was seated in the right rear of the craft and bookended by my two traveling partners. I saw the Crewchief suddenly duck down while he was peeking out the "back door" and my two buds observed a spray of red tracers come up right behind or onto our helo so I guess the Bush pacification program is not working at that zip code presently.

The pilot took immediate aggressive action by banking hard [redacted] and it forced me momentarily to think I was on a ride at Six Flags only the stakes were different this time: it was real and this was no drill. We gained speed and landed quickly/directly into an airport at Taqqadam in an emergency stop. We had to de-ass the helo which the crew checked for bullet holes and so forth. The guy traveling next to me said he heard three hits on the helo but I did not. So by the time we finally got to Ramadi and to bed it was late-as always. Hey-I would jump in a pickup truck to go from place to place but the odds on completing that mission would be tenuous-at best.

The second day I was at Ramadi coming out of the Mess Hall when about 1/2 mile away, just outside the wire was the largest explosion I have heard in Iraq and then about 10 minutes later another, but not as large. Seems like another suicide bomber in a car, called a "VBIED" (vehicle borne improvised explosive device) wanted to service his 45 virgins or whatever and took about 10 policemen with him and the terrorists are smart enough to also bomb what we call the first responders minutes later. Many of the wounded were treated on base I was advised for humanitarian reasons. While I was gone out west, I just remembered that a rocket or mortar hit our Mess Hall at Camp Liberty (Baghdad) after hours but due to having a "e-barrier", which is a double tier of steel protection over this high occupancy facility so I guess there was some action.






Went to Al Asad next which is a huge base out in Western Iraq; flew in a Marine Stallion I think it is called and is a large helo. Took 35 minutes or so to come from Ramadi and did not get to bed until 0400 as we fly 98% of the time at night or very, very early morning to avoid mischief. Toured the base, among other things and took shots (attached) of several destroyed Russian planes and equipment and so forth which is laying around inert. We fly A10 Warthogs out of here as evidenced by getting up pretty close to the flight line in my pics. All in all, certainly a desert base with a lot of people. Met the base commander Colonel and exchanged a number of views. He told me Al Asad had not taken indirect fire for 4 months but can't say that about the previous two stops.







Went onto Taqqadam the next day for two days and an extra day for waiting. Checked all of their equipment, i.e. vehicles and forklifts which needed a lot of attention. Am creating an entire program for maintenance of the vehicles and forklifts and so forth as I have a lot of experience in doing this in a previous life. I love organizing things like this to help the cause in anyway I can. Met lots of Marines obviously and exchanged a lot of viewpoints. They think different to be sure but at the end of the day we are all fighters in the end. Took about a day and a half to finally get out of Taqqadam, which is the headquarters for the Marine Expeditionary Force, back to the Baghdad area. Normally this is a about a 20 minute helo ride going east but priorities and routes were not timed for me so I had to ride a C130 fixed wing for 30 minutes all the way back to Al Asad and then fly from there into Baghdad Intl Airport. See how 20 minutes turns into three hours before you know it?

There is daily action around here wherein you here firing all the time and is not necessarily at a firing range. We have UAVs fly over and we have a large hot dog shaped balloon/eye in the sky to tract difficulties and pinpoint targets for counter battery fire.

Still continue to get tremendous personal and cell support from Soldiers Angels and the friends I have met there. Everything is shared amongst the men in the cell. Snacks, non fiction books and you name it show up and it does not take long to cross level, believe me. A friend from my old unit in the Dallas area, a LTC Pete Wells, a resident of Fort Worth is the XO of a Civil Affairs unit so we are already doing things and exchanging items and so forth for their benefit and ours. Right now, we are trying to get Pete any viable toys for his unit to give to Iraq children and we will be happy to pass along. The only thing I offer that our cell needs presently is USED DVD movies so if you have any that you don't want, don't like and is not children's fare, pls send and we will definitely share. No Alec Baldwin, Susan Sarandon or Bubbra Streisand movies, please as it makes the men sick to their stomach and we just ran though our last pallet of pepto bismol......



It hit 100 degrees yesterday for the first time so we are preparing for the heat the best way we can. I try to walk daily in no matter how hot it is as that helps my stamina. When I will go out to the field when it is 130 degrees, and in the direct sun, in full battle rattle I will lost more weight but the key is to stay dehydrated. There are always pallet fulls of plastic water bottles to help with your thirst as you can get a heat injury pretty quick.

Well it took me over three days to write this. Forgive the spelling and syntax errors as I am always in a rush.

Thanks for your support, Mom.


LTC Patrick Turner
AAFES Military Operations Senior LNO

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