Soldiers' Angels: Getting Educated On the Needs of Our Soldiers

I found the next few videos interesting as they showed information that would be helpful to Soldiers' Angels and others supporting our troops in determining what sort of needs we might need to meet now and in the future.

These first videos are a two part series on amputees at Walter Reed and how they are improving technology as well as how physical therapy is used to manage their condition and bring normalcy back to their lives.

Amputees Walter Reed: choosing the right equipment


Amputees Walter Reed Part II: No regrets


This next video talks about the importance of sunscreen for our soldiers and choosing the right kind including what to look for on the bottle and how long it actually lasts. Even the best sunscreen only has about a two hour window then needs to be re-applied. That is something that we should be informing our soldiers about when we send them the sunscreen.

Sun Screen for Your Soldier



- May no soldier go unloved

Never Again

While we were at the VFW convention, we met and spoke with many veterans of wars from WWII to our current conflicts. We interviewed several of these men and asked them about their service and what support from home meant to them while they were deployed.

I noted on my previous post that there was a recurring theme among the vets: many of them had family who were serving in the military today. The second theme? Vietnam era treatment of our troops: never again.

Not long ago, I read an article stating that some of the treatment the vets received, like being spit on or called "baby killer" did not happen. It was a myth or occurred on an extremely limited basis. The person that wrote the article allegedly based this assumption on known police reports or other non-fiction stories that they could reference on the internet. A faulty premise to base such an assumption on and then write an article for a re-known paper in which to try to change history or assuage some guilt for politicians who were actively anti-war during the period and may have participated in protests against the war. They want to show that they are "anti-war" not "anti-military". A fine line to walk during a war that is unpopular and where protesters attempted all sorts of acts that are similar to the "old school", but often mere caricatures.

So, in rejection of any mythology theory on the "spitting, baby killer" meme, I bring you this video of a vet talking about his experiences on returning from Vietnam and the importance of support to the men and women on the front lines.

Never Again



If I had, had enough memory and tape, I could have recorded hundreds of these stories. There is no myth. They remember the day and the place. These gentleman and ladies just don't care to write it down to be researched on the web.
- May no soldier go unloved

Soldiers' Angels at the VFW Convention Kansas City

Soldiers' Angels Kansas City has spent the last five days going to the 108th VFW Convention and spreading the word about Soldiers' Angels and how the wonderful veterans and many auxiliary members can help support our troops.

All the Soldiers' Angels had a wonderful time, shared some great camaraderie, met some fantastic people and generally felt rewarded personally and as Angels for the experience.

I'll start at the end because it highlighted the reason why we were there. Angel Christy and I went to the closing party Wednesday evening at the Liberty Memorial Park in Kansas City. As we were preparing to leave, we came across a group of people who were standing in a circle, clasping hands raised above their heads as they sang to Lee Greenwoods, "Proud to be an American". We got a little video and, as usual, asked the group to give a message to our troops so we could send it on CD when we send our care packages. After recording the message, a few folks came over and we talked about what Soldiers' Angels does and how we would like to work with the VFW to extend the amount of support we can provide to our active duty and veteran service members.

A lady and husband from Minnesota told us that their son had served two tours in Iraq. He was wounded and received a purple heart on his last tour. He is going back to Iraq at the end of this year. He's married with three children and one on the way that he will not be here to see born. We thanked her and her husband for sharing their story and then we gave them some "Thank You for your Service" cards to give him and his friends. As I was explaining what we do and the process for signing him up and how he or others could sign up friends, I said, "And then he will be adopted by an Angel..."

I couldn't finish the speech I had given so many times before because this mother broke into tears, put her arms around my neck, hugging me and crying on my shoulder, repeating over and over again, "Thank you for what you do. Thank you."

You know, I couldn't speak for a moment because the tears were choking me up, too. I know how soldiers must feel when a stranger like me thanks them for their service. It wasn't me. I really hadn't done anything special. I did not go into danger like our men and women do every day. In fact, I had been having a great time while they are "over there" doing the hard work. Angels have a lot of different reasons why we join and support our military. I do it because I think it is the right thing to do. It is what we are supposed to do when our people go to war on our behalf. But, I realized that this gratitude was not really for me. It was for all of the Angels who go out there and support the troops unconditionally, untiring every day and the many people who donate time, money or supplies and make it possible for us to support our troops.

So, I hugged her back until she had composed herself and I had, too.

Pardon me. For this one moment, I have no pictures. My arms were a little busy at the time. Besides, I don't think I would have had the presence of mind to snap them.

I wanted to tell people about the Veterans of Foreign Wars. If you don't know, it's not just an organization of old soldiers and their wives getting together Saturday for a beer and to share a few laughs (though they do). These are people who have served our country in a time of war, continue to serve through many projects and programs to assist veterans, their families and many other community programs for children and the under privileged. Like the Military Order of the Cootie, a fun and hard working group of people that "wear funny hats", that volunteers at the VA and works to provide for the needs at the VFW National Homes.



There was another recurring theme that I recognized among these many veterans and their families: they give even more because their sons and daughters carry on the tradition, serving our nation as their parents have for years. Many VFW members told us that their son or daughter was serving in the military today. People know what our men and women are going through every day to complete their missions in Afghanistan and Iraq. We often ask where do we find such people? It is by the example set by such fine people as the Veterans of Foreign Wars that we continue to field the best and the bravest from the Land of the Free.

On Tuesday, a lady came by our booth and purchased a Soldiers' Angels t-shirt. As we had done hundreds of times in the last few days, we explained what Soldiers' Angels was about, sharing a few of our favorite "support" stories about the kinds of things that we did to support our troops. The lady thanked us for our support of the troops and then explained to us why she wanted the t-shirt. She had been a nurse in Vietnam. She would fly on the med-evacs with the soldiers, just like the many wonderful medics, nurses and doctors who do the same for our wounded today. She told us that the nurses that would fly with the wounded were called "Angels". She said the t-hirt would remind her of that always.

We were extremely fortunate throughout the convention. We took turns going to the different speeches by the visiting presidential candidates. Some we were merely able to shake hands or get a picture of, while others we were able to hand some literature and an angel pin with the opportunity for some photo ops. Throughout their speeches, all of them stated the our troops and our veterans have and continue to do extraordinary things that deserve our continued support.

This is Angel Stephanie talking with potential presidential candidate Fred Thompson after she gave him the card, brochure and pin, he diligently read it and commented that, "Supporting the troops was the right thing to do, but we should support them in everything including their mission." Here's hoping some of these folks will put their money where their speeches are and remember that Soldiers' Angels supports the troops every day.

After Angel Christy handed the information and pin to Sen. Barak Obama, he asked her if she would like to have her picture taken with him. Of course, we Angels are always looking for a way to get the information out about our organization and never turn down an opportunity for a little more publicity. While you might not be able to see the back, Christy is wearing a Soldiers' Angels jean jacket (which was extremely popular at the event). She has her Angel pin in the collar.

We also got to see President Bush give his speech. All of the Angels were excited because it was the first time any of us had an opportunity to see and hear a sitting president live and in person. While the hand shake opportunities were limited, we were able to talk to one of his staff named Joshua. We told Joshua that Soldiers' Angels wanted the president to have a "May No Airman Go Unloved" challenge coin, an Angel pin and information about how our organization supports the troops. To our surprise, Joshua had heard of Soldiers' Angels and asked us if we were in Tennessee. We told him that there were Angels everywhere. He thanked us and told us he would get the coin and information to the president. He made sure that he had Soldiers' Angels mailing address so that the president could send something to our organization (so, Patti, et al, if you are reading this, check your mail in a couple weeks for something from the White House).

Even after meeting the candidates and listening to the president, the most exciting moments for us were getting to meet some real heroes and showing them that Soldiers' Angels cares. During a lull in speechifying, we ran into James E. Livingston, Medal of Honor recipient(left). Then we were able to meet Don Ballard, also a Medal of Honor recipient (left). Both of these gentlemen gave us a few minutes of their time and permission to share their photos. In fact, Don Ballard said that he had heard of Soldiers' Angels and told us to "keep up the good work!"

On Wednesday, as we waited for the president, we met some local heroes who had been serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. We told them about Soldiers' Angels, thanked them for their service and handed them a pin or coin. Some of them had heard of Soldiers' Angels and were very happy to see us. We collected a lot of memories, handshakes and hugs that day.



























We also met John Miska from VFW Post 8208, Arlington, Virginia (right) who couldn't say enough about Soldiers' Angels and how our organization had helped the VFW pay for the gas they used to take the wounded to dinner and on other outings. He said to say hello to Lynette from Soldiers' Angels. She's our coordinator at Walter Reed Hospital. Everywhere we went, when ran into Big John and he would tell any VFW member present that Soldiers' Angels was endorsed by his VFW post.


We also met John Hanson from Grand Forks, North Dakota VFW Post 1874 who was the VFW State Commander 2004-2005 (center). He knew all about Soldiers' Angels and had our VP of Public Relations, Shelle Michaels on speed dial. He called her up to report that he had met us and we were all having a great time during the presentation of all the VFW state departments and follow up concert with Lorrie Morgan, the choir from the VFW National Homes for Children and the Army American Idol winner.



Our Angel gear was pretty popular as were the Angel camouflage bear. Many who bought it were sending it to a loved one over seas or to place it in a care package for a soldier they supported. We shook hands and shared the story of Soldiers' Angels with thousands of wonderful people. We sold our Angel gear to raise money for our Vet-Packs. Some people stopped and shared their stories from when they were deployed in defense of our nation. Patriotic colors and themes abounded at the convention and many loved our Red, White and Blue Soldiers' Angels t-shirts. We also met a VFW group from Lautenberg, Germany who knew all about Soldiers' Angels because they work with Landstuhl Medical Center and had seen our First Response Back Packs for the wounded.


This group of great ladies are from the VFW Auxiliary in Farmington, Missouri, right outside of St. Louis. They told us they were working on a project for Fisher House at the St. Louis VA Medical Center that specializes in polytrauma. They told us that they were looking forward to working with Soldiers' Angels to make sure our troops and their families get the best care possible.

We also learned that it was a tradition to exchange pins from the different VFW posts , commanders and presidents of the auxiliary. So, we broke into our private stashes of pins and carried Soldiers' Angels cards wherever we went. It presented a great opportunity to talk with people about our organization and how we could work with the Veterans of Foreign Wars to bring the most support to our troops from every state.

We were also fortunate to meet the next outstanding generation of defenders. A young troop of Army JROTC from Ft. Leavenworth High School received the National VFW award for outstanding drill team. The young men and women were dressed in period uniforms of the United States Calvary.

On the last day of the convention, there were a lot of active duty and recently returned Guard and Reserve military who had been invited to hear the President speak. We sent Angel Julie off to find some more that we might have missed in the crowded auditorium so we could make sure that we had given them each a personal "thank you for your service" from Soldiers' Angels.

To our surprise, she returned with a number of soldiers wearing a lot of brass that sparkled in the overhead lights. It was none other than LTG Caldwell, Commanding General, Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas; CSM Bruner, LTC Gilbreti, and Major Stroud.

LTG Caldwell immediately noticed our famous Soldiers' Angels coffee mug. He told all the people with him about how these coffee mugs can be seen all over the combat hospital in Baghdad. As we chatted some more, CSM Bruner shared with us that his brother was wounded in Iraq and was the recipient of one of our First Response Back Packs.

We gave each of the officers a Soldiers' Angels Challenge Coin and a "Thank You For Your Service" card. We asked LTC Gilbreti if he knew what an Angel coin was for and, before we could explain he said, "It means, whenever I meet an Angel, I have to buy them a beer!" We all had a good laugh and enjoyed speaking with such fantastic representatives of our armed forces. Then we posed for some pictures and a video with the group. All the officers sent a message of gratitude to the men and women serving on the battle front. Then LTG Caldwell shook our hands, thanked us for our support and gave us each a Commander's Challenge Coin for "Outstanding Performance" which we accepted on behalf of all Soldiers' Angels.





Soldiers' Angels would like to thank the Veterans of Foreign Wars for having us as an exhibitor at their convention and for welcoming us to all of their events. We weren't simply a group soliciting their assistance in supporting our troops, we were treated as honored guests wherever we went and invited to next years convention in Orlando, Florida. We are looking forward to working with the many VFW posts across the United States to bring support to our troops and seeing them at every convention in the years to come.


- May no soldier go unloved

3000 Marines: Update

According to our adoption committee, we still have over half of the original 3000 Marines left to adopt. The response to our calls for support has been great, but we need to keep spreading the word. Over 1500 marines are still looking for support.

Find out more about the marines and how you can help by going here: Urgent Call for Support of 3000 Marines.


- May no soldier go unloved

Make That 3000 Marines

Reading the forums, the number of marines submitted from the Fighting 13th was updated to 3000 by the end of the day. That would be the entire unit.

Please help us support these troops. Nothing is too big or impossible when the will and strength of many work together. Go to the original post here to find out how you can help support these men and women.

Update: We still have over 1500 Marines left to adopt not including our daily influx of a hundred or more soldiers, sailors, air force and marines from other units.

Please find out how you can help by going here: urgent request for assistance for 3000 marines.


- May no soldier go unloved

One Thousand Two Hundred Marines: Urgent Alert for Massive Support

Just in to the forums on Wednesday afternoon:

One Thousand Two Hundred Marines (yes! 1200) [no! make that 3000 as of Thursday afternoon] from the Fighting 13th MEU (Marine Expeditionary Unit) have been submitted to Soldiers' Angels for support.

The Marines may be looking for a few good men, but we are looking for a lot of great citizens who are willing to help support these men and women. Some of these marines are on the fifth deployment in defense of our nation.

We need Angels to adopt as many marines as possible. We need many more patriotic citizens to sign up to become Angels to adopt some fine marines. Please help us support these men and women.

To read more about these Marines, please click here: Fighting 13th MEU

Sign up to be a Soldiers' Angels and adopt a marine by clicking here: Adopt a Marine.

Or donate money or supplies by clicking here: Donate

If you have any questions about how to adopt a marine or make a donation, please email Soldiers' Angels

Or call, (615) 676-0239.

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










The Conservative Grapevine

Rightwing News

Update: We still have over 1500 Marines left to adopt not including our daily influx of a hundred or more soldiers, sailors, air force and marines from other units.

Please keep spreading the word so we can give these Marines our full support.

- May no soldier go unloved

Soldiers' Angels and Avalanche Ranch VBS

There is something really enjoyable about going to small town America and talking to people about Soldiers' Angels and supporting our troops. It is in small towns that the military and those that serve are closer to home. Not necessarily because, as some people believe, the military is full of people from rural America looking for a way out. A large percentage of our armed forces come from urban and suburban areas. The difference is, in small town America, everybody knows that Chad or Joe or Diane joined the military and is stationed in Iraq or Afghanistan or many other places around the world. In urban and suburban America, most people don't know their neighbors very well, much less whether their son, sister, brother, or father is in the military and fighting in the war.

Because of this reality, it is small town America that is more likely to show their patriotism and support, unashamed and unbowed by politics, news or other's opinions. It is, after all, members of their community and in these communities, everyone knows somebody and everyone is important. And, in that way of small communities, no one is a stranger. Even if it is a group of soldiers they never met before. Because the town has men and women in the military and many veterans, these soldiers become a part of their family, too.

Monday, July 16, Soldiers' Angels Kansas City was invited to the Peculiar United Methodist Church in Peculiar, Missouri for their annual Avalanche Ranch Vacation Bible School. Every year, the vacation bible school performs a mission. These missions include providing for the underprivileged and the elderly. These missions teach the children the joy and satisfaction of giving back to their community. This year the church was looking for a new mission. Some soldiers newly arrived in Iraq were looking for support. Soldiers' Angels provided the perfect match.


After a brief introduction, Soldiers' Angels showed pictures and talked to the children about what it was like for deployed soldiers: how they lived, where they slept, how hard they worked and what it was like to be far away from home for a long time. The children were asked if they had been away from home and did they miss their families. Of course, they did, so they understood that the soldiers missed their families, too. Then they were asked if they had someone far away who would send them cards or letters. How did it feel to open the card and know someone was thinking about them? One little girl replied, "Happy!" That's exactly how the soldiers feel when they get mail.


At the end of the presentation, all the children got together and sent the soldiers a big "Howdy" for the video that will be included in the care packages. Then everyone went to their classes and each group, from pre-school to fifth grade, wrote a message or drew a picture to send to their adopted troops. A brief message and short list of items, including toiletries and snacks, were sent home with the children to give to their parents. These items will be collected throughout vacation bible school and over the next Sunday. The church is requesting a "love fund" on Sunday, June 22, to pay for the shipping of the care packages and to let others in the church know about the collection of items if they wish to contribute. Soldiers' Angels and Peculiar United Methodist Church will hold a packing party on June 28 to prepare the items for mailing.


Soldiers' Angels thanks the Peculiar United Methodist Church and the wonderful children of Avalanche Ranch Vacation Bible School for their fantastic support of our military men and women.

If you would like to show your patriotism and appreciation, please join Soldiers' Angels in supporting our men and women by going to our website, soldiersangels.org, and checking: adopt a soldier.

If your organization is interested in a similar program or would like more information about Soldiers' Angels, please email us at kcsoldiersangelsmo1@gmail.com.



Peculiar United Methodist Church put up this Soldiers' Angels display in their foyer giving basic information about Soldiers' Angels and shows a sample care package put together by Angel Christy.







Barbara from Peculiar United Methodist Church put together the display and provided many decorative touches throughout the church for their "Avalanche Ranch" theme.







Children writing messages of love and support to the troops during "missions and crafts" at Peculiar United Methodist Church "Avalanche Ranch" Vacation Bible School.







One of the children holds up a picture that they drew on the back of their letter for the soldiers at the Peculiar United Methodist Church "Avalanche Ranch" Vacation Bible School.







Angel Christy makes a new friend at the Peculiar United Methodist Church "Avalanche Ranch" Vacation Bible School.








- May no soldier go unloved

Tiger Woods Supports Our Troops!

Tiger Woods Supports Our Troops

El Tiger will honor soldiers and military families on the Fourth of July at the inaugural Earl Woods Memorial Pro-Am Tournament, scheduled for July 3 - 8 at Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Maryland.

“It’s very important to me that this tournament honor the men and women who serve in our armed forces,” Woods said. “They put their lives on the line so that we are able to enjoy our freedom, and we’d love for them to come out and enjoy a few days of relaxation. Our intent is to honor and really thank the people that protect us.”

Tiger is donating 30,000 free tickets for the tournament to military personnel, who will be treated to special seating behind the greens and hospitality tents. And Tiger's foursome will have a military presence:

Woods even extended a playing date to a soldier: Sgt. Maj. Mia Kelly of the 1st Information Operations Command at Fort Belvoir, Va. She will tee off with Tiger at 6:30 a.m. on the No. 1 hole on Congressional CC’s blue course. Air Force Master Sgt. Andy Amor of Andrews Air Force Base, Md., and AT&T Chairman Randall Stephenson will complete the foursome.

“I think this is one of the most exciting things ever – it’s almost like winning the Powerball of golf,” Kelly said.

- May no soldier go unloved