This winter, an estimated 140,000 U.S. military personnel will be serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, in combat environments or in support of combat operations. Some will be on their 4th or 5th deployments–spending yet another Holiday away from the loving arms of family and friends. We want them to know [...]
Best wishes for a speedy recovery!
Courtesy of The Birmingham News:
Four members of an Alabama Army National Guard unit are recovering from wounds they suffered last week when two rockets landed in the base where they were working and exploded near them.
The soldiers are members of the 166th [...]
There were two great pieces published by the North Jefferson News this week covering the Veterans Day events in the area:
Mortimer Jordan honors area veteransIn a moving tribute on Monday, Mortimer Jordan High School’s career tech and FBLA programs sponsored a Veterans Day ceremony at the school. Several area [...]
Last month I posted about Applebee’s plan to offer free entrees this upcoming Veteran’s Day. Posted today at SlashFood was an updated list of more places offering free eats to our military:
…to celebrate Veteran’s Day next Wednesday, several major casual-dining restaurants — including Applebee’s, McCormick & [...]
Please keep the loved ones of those killed in the Ft. Hood shootings today in your thoughts and prayers!
Posted to Facebook earlier today:
Collecting cards and NEW stuffed animals for the families and children of the fallen/wounded heroes. Please send cards and stuffed animals/blankets/anything NEW that may brighten the life of [...]
Posted earlier this week to the Soldiers’ Angels Network blog:
Members of Soldiers’ Angels’ volunteer leadership have raised the stakes on this year’s online Valour-IT Veterans Day fundraising competition, which helps provide America’s wounded soldiers with voice-controlled laptops and other technology that supports their physical and psychological recovery.
Divided among [...]
Courtesy of this week’s North Jefferson News:
Stephen Duncan probably did not know that his enlistment in the U.S. Navy was going to inspire almost his whole family to join a version of the military.
But it did just that when the Hayden family traveled to Great Lakes, Ill., [...]
I love to see things like this and always make sure to give my business to places that support our troops and veterans. It looks like we’ll be hitting Applebee’s the next time we go out.
According to the Applebee’s website, this offer is “available [...]
Printed in this weekend’s The Birmingham News:
An Alabama Army Guard unit that deployed to Iraq last December is due back in Alabama this weekend.
About 190 soldiers with the 158th Maintenance Company were scheduled to arrive Tuesday in Camp Atterbury, Ind., said Alabama National Guard spokesman Norman Arnold.
The [...]
Posted earlier today to the Soldiers’ Angels Network blog:
Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki has authorized advance payments up to $3,000 for Veterans who applied for VA educational benefits and who have not yet received their monthly education payments.
If you are a Veteran who has applied for one [...]
Printed in yesterday’s Birmingham News:
Sandy Ballard waved a flag outside the Lakeshore Foundation tonight to give a group of veterans the greeting she said her loved ones did not receive when they came home from Vietnam.
“They need to see that people support them,” Ballard said.
About 450 people joined Ballard, a [...]
Our thoughts and prayers go out to Sgt. Gordon’s loved ones:
Army officials say a Stryker Brigade soldier who fell ill in southern Afghanistan has died at a military hospital in Germany.
According to an Army statement, 22-year-old Sgt. Robert David Gordon II of River Falls, Ala., got sick [...]
Printed in this week’s North Jefferson News:
What sounded and felt like a small earthquake in Fultondale on Saturday was simply a group of men and women wanting to help others.
More than 200 motorcycles roared in to American Legion Post 255 in Fultondale to take part in the [...]
Courtesy of this week’s North Jefferson News:
A veterans group in Fultondale is working hard to recruit new members. Recruitment is one of the main purposes of a picnic that North Jefferson VFW Post 10250 is hosting on Sept. 12 at Black Creek in Fultondale. The picnic, scheduled at noon, is [...]
My best friend sent me this email with a “get the tissues ready” warning. While Snopes denies that the following is literally true, I believe it best serves as a figurative truth to this: we must never forget how much our troops give and how much we owe them. [...]
There’s a great editorial by Thomas Segel explaining why we should not only shed tears for fallen heroes, but also for our wounded warriors:
In war related news, both electronic and print media has been very detailed about reporting the death totals of American service personnel, the latest roadside bomb blasts [...]
The Patriot Guard Riders are having a Memorial Ride Thursday:
The PGR (Patriot Guard Riders) will be hosting an honor ride on Thursday Sept 10. The escorted ride will start at the front of Bryant Denny Stadium and proceed to the quad where we will park and line up for a [...]
I received this email from Paul Reynolds, Alabama PGR State Captain:
Greetings my friends,
As you know a Welcome Home celebration is long overdue for all of our Vietnam Veterans. The heroes have always deserved this, and I am so proud to announce their day has finally come in the great state [...]
Posted earlier this week in the Dothan Eagle:
Jayden Lacy was just 9 months old when her dad deployed to Iraq. Today, she will celebrate her second birthday, this one with her father by her side. U.S. Army Staff Sgt. William Lacy was one of nearly 180 soldiers [...]
Capt. Joseph Pyun, commander of the Alabama Army National Guard’s Company B, 1st Battalion, 169th Aviation Regiment, speaks to his soldiers Tuesday morning at Army Aviation Facility No. 2 at Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport. The occasion was a send-off ceremony for Birmingham-based Company B, which will spend the [...]
I received the wonderful news last night that my friend Lou Ann’s son, Bart, has joined the Army. He has passed his preliminary test and will take the physical and test later this week and next week. Bart is a 2008 graduate of Clay Chalkville High School and will most [...]
Courtesy of the Huntsville Times:
Military families will have the chance to honor their soldier at Saturday’s Military Family Day, hosted by the Madison/Marshall County Chapter of the American Red Cross.
The event is designed to help increase awareness of agencies, organizations and faith-based groups in the community that provide support and [...]
Remember hearing about the Bama Guard unit who “was in the right place at the right time“? Well, I just read in The Birmingham News that they will be receiving a well-deserved medal. (You can read the full story here.)
Congratulations, 2101st Transportation Company!
[...]Posted to The Birmingham News Breaking News blog:
One of two Alabama Veterans Service offices operating in Jefferson County has opened at its new Birmingham location. The Birmingham office opened today at 2121 Reverend Abraham Woods, Jr. Blvd. North. It will be open from from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., [...]
Printed in the Eufaula Tribune this weekend:
Teresa and James Orr recently traveled with their family and friends to Parris Island, S.C. to watch their son, James E. Orr, graduate from the U.S. Marine Corps boot camp.
The graduation was held Friday, Aug. 7. Orr has been at boot camp for [...]
Our thoughts and prayers go out to PFC VanOsdol’s loved ones:
The Pentagon says a 23-year-old soldier from Pinson, Ala., has been killed in Iraq. The Army says Pfc. William Zachary VanOsdol, died Wednesday at Ad Diwaniyah, Iraq, of wounds suffered when enemy rocket fire struck his quarters.
VanOsdol [...]
Courtesy of Mike, today’s Dothan Eagle features one of our finest:
The seconds before the Saturday night crash come back to Brittany Bragwell like a strobe. It is dark. The light is green. A pickup truck appears in her path. She swerves. The next thing Bragwell remembers is her white Nissan [...]
I noticed that the Birmingham VA site was updated recently:
The Birmingham VA Ranks 8th Among VA Hospitals Across the Country
The Birmingham VA Medical Center has been ranked No. 8 nationally among 153 Veterans Administration hospitals for quality of care and patient satisfaction. This year, the medical center ranked No. [...]
Our thoughts and prayers go out to Captain Luce’s loved ones:
Yesterday, the Alabama Army National Guard confirmed the death of 27-year-old Captain Ron Luce. Luce was serving in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan.
The soldier was serving as Team Commander in Qole Gersdar, Afghanistan when [...]
Our thoughts and prayers go out to Lance Corporal Ferrell’s loved ones:
Pam Ferrell says the pain she feels in unimaginable.
“Please pray for us, pray for me, pray for my family”
Pam’s son, Lance Corporal Bruce Ferrell, Junior, was killed Monday fighting the war on terror in Afghanistan. The [...]
Our thoughts and prayers go out to Sgt. Evans’ loved ones:
A Eufaula native died late last week while serving in Afghanistan. U.S. Army Sgt. Jerry Randall Evans, Jr., 23, died late last week according to his father, Jerry Evans, Sr. His father said he has heard few [...]
The following announcements were printed in the Montgomery Advertiser and Times Daily:
Air Force Airman Aleisha Golson graduated from basic military training at Lackland Air Force Base, San Antonio, Texas. She is the daughter of Murphy and Stella Golson, both of Prattville. Golson is a 2008 graduate of Autaugaville [...]
Posted to the SA Network blog, a great “why we do it” allegory:
I awoke early, as I often did, just before sunrise, to walk by the ocean’s edge and greet the new day. As I moved through the morning dawn, I focused on a faint, far away motion. I [...]
Printed in yesterday’s Times Daily:
The Korean War, a conflict between neighboring North Korea and South Korea that still simmers, may have ended 56 years ago Monday, but the camaraderie among servicemen remains to this day.
Instead of looking out for each other on mine-sweeping ships and during stealth underwater operations, [...]
Last holiday season our heroes loved receiving their homemade blankets from Soldiers Angels, and it we’re doing it again this year! In Iraq winter nights are quite cool, and temperatures in Afghanistan can reach -20 degrees Fahrenheit!
Will you make just one blanket to help ensure that our heroes know we [...]
There’s a great story posted in The Birmingham News about an Alabama National Guard unit who were in the right place at the right time. Sunday the unit was returning from training at Camp Shelby in Mississippi when their bus came upon a crashed church bus on I-20/59 near the [...]
Courtesy of WAFF 48 News:
A Huntsville family is having a celebration. Corporal Cody Majors was welcomed home Monday afternoon by his family and friends. Majors is on his second tour in Iraq. He’s home for some rest and relaxation.
Majors’ mom says she’s happy he’s home [...]
Got some spare time? How about joining the Letter Writing Team and sending mail to soldiers who are waiting to be adopted and have never received any mail from anyone!
The Letter Writing Team (LWT) is made up of registered Soldiers’ Angels who enjoy writing to our heroes, and who know [...]
Published today by the Tuscaloosa News:
Military personnel fighting overseas face more than struggles on the battlefield. Being away from family and loved ones can be one of their most difficult battles. In previous wars, soldiers could only hope to hear from family at home via letters. But in today’s technology [...]
Courtesy of the Baldwin County Now:
Army Pvt. William G. Moore, the son of Greg Moore of Kennesaw, Ga., and grandson of William Reid of Gulf Bay Road, Orange Beach, has graduated from basic combat training at Fort Jackson, Columbia, S.C.
During the nine weeks of training, the soldier studied the [...]
Posted yesterday to The Birmingham News breaking news blog:
The Alabama Army National Guard’s 1st Battalion, 131st Aviation Regiment, which served in Iraq from September 2006 to 2007, has received the Army’s Meritorious Unit Commendation for its “exceptional service” in Iraq, according to a National Guard press release.
“This is a [...]
Posted yesterday to Huntsville’s WAFF 48 News website, an article about a man who helps out a soldier and whose act of kindness would be paid forward when his own son needed it most.
There are still people that love soldiers, and will go out of their way and in [...]
Printed today in The Birmingham News:
About 80 members of a Centreville-based Alabama Army National Guard unit will begin final training next week at Fort Lewis, Wash., for a mission in Iraq.
According to a state Guard press release, the 129th Medical Company will “provide health protection and ground evacuation to coalition [...]
Printed in this weekend’s Tuscaloosa News:
Navy Seaman Shanna D. Grover, daughter of Carolyn L. Grover of Livingston, recently completed U.S. Navy basic training at Recruit Training Command, Great Lakes, Ill. Grover is a 2004 graduate of Livingston High School
Congratulations, Shanna!
Air Force Airman Tiffany N. Spencer graduated from basic military [...]
Our thoughts and prayers go out to Mr. Parrish’s loved ones:
An Alabama soldier died Thursday from wounds suffered when his vehicle ran over a road side bomb in Iraq.
Dusty Parrish of Walker County was an Army medic and a graduate of Jasper’s Walker High School. Karen Tucker, [...]
Our thoughts and prayers go out to SSG Hall’s loved ones:
A Huntsville native and Army soldier died serving his country.
SSG Jeffrey Hall of Huntsville was in Afghanistan when he was killed in a roadside bombing. WAFF 48 News was told Hall was a platoon leader and [...]
Printed in this week’s North Jefferson News Shopper:
Army Pfc. Carrie M. Miles, a 2002 graduate of Hayden High School, graduated from basic combat training at Fort Jackson, Columbia, S.C.
During the nine weeks of training, Miles studied the Army mission, history, tradition, and core values, physical fitness, and received instruction and [...]
Courtesy of The Birmingham News:
One of the next Alabama Army National Guard units to mobilize for duty in Iraq will have a mission of training Iraqi police officers. More than 75 members of the Athens-based 203rd Military Police Battalion will have a send-off ceremony on June 19 and then [...]
