UPDATE (11/12): The competition is over, and we surpassed the $60,000 goal by more than 50% — final tally: $92,542! Thanks to all the donors, and congratulations to the Marine Corps team, which finished well ahead of second-place Army. But we'll get 'em next year!
*** Last day of competition. Veterans Day. Please thank a vet and give today. ***
As in years past, I'm supporting Project Valour-IT again this year. And again this year, I'm late to the party.
Project Valour-IT (Voice Activated Laptops for OUR Injured Troops) is a project of the wonderful Soldiers' Angels Foundation. The money raised provides voice-controlled/adaptive laptop computers and other technology for Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, and Marines with severe injuries — typically hand and arm injuries or amputations.
The annual fundraising event is a friendly competition among teams of bloggers representing the service branches to see who can raise the most money for this wonderful cause. I join the Army team each year, in honor of my late father, Col. Samuel R. Combs, United States Army Signal Corps, who passed away August 16, 2006, at the age of 89, and who the Rocky Mountain News described as epitomizing the Greatest Generation. ("He answered his country's call even before the phone rang" is a phrase I shall always treasure. Thank you again, Bob Denerstein.)
Donations of any size are tax deductible and greatly appreciated. Please do me the honor of donating through my humble blog by clicking the button below. I've kicked in a C-note, as usual. Give what you can — it's dead simple, whether you use a credit card or PayPal (or one of the other options offered) — and even five or ten or twenty bucks helps a lot. Thanks for your support!
I've been meaning to sign up for this year's Project Valour-IT fundraiser all week, but haven't gotten around to it. Today, in the wake of the murderous attack at Ft. Hood, I've made time.
Project Valour-IT (Voice Activated Laptops for OUR Injured Troops) is a project of the wonderful Soldiers' Angels Foundation. The money raised provides voice-controlled/adaptive laptop computers and other technology for Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, and Marines with severe injuries — typically hand and arm injuries or amputations.
The annual fundraising event is a friendly competition among teams of bloggers representing the service branches to see who can raise the most money for this wonderful cause. I join the Army team each year, in honor of my late father, Col. Samuel R. Combs, United States Army Signal Corps, who passed away August 16, 2006, at the age of 89, and who the Rocky Mountain News described as epitomizing the Greatest Generation. ("He answered his country's call even before the phone rang" is a phrase I shall always treasure. Thank you again, Bob Denerstein.)
But this year, I'm also doing it for the killed and wounded at Ft. Hood and their families. Some of the survivors may need those laptops and other devices that Project Valour-IT provides.
Donations of any size are tax deductible and greatly appreciated. Please do me the honor of donating through my humble blog by clicking the button below (or in the left sidebar). I've kicked in a C-note, as usual. Give what you can — it's dead simple, whether you use a credit card, PayPal, or electronic check — and even five or ten or twenty bucks helps a lot. Thanks for your support!
Bill at Castle Argghh! reported on his Thanksgiving Day in Iraq (don't mind the acronyms and jargon; that's typical military-speak) and passed along a message from the locals:
… I stopped to chat with two of the Kurdish kaydets in Class 70. One's best bud is a Sunni and the other has a pal who's Shi'a.
As I was walking to the DFAC, I stopped to exchange pleasantries with a couple of the Turkish Ell-Tees who are here as Liaison Officers — the pilots of the Iraqi 3rd Squadron had invited them to be their guests at lunch.
Walking into the DFAC, I yakked with some troops from the Kurdish Army who'd been invited to have lunch by the MITT working one of the outlying FOBs. The whole group sat with a couple of the Nigerian construction workers operating the cranes that hoist the steel sheeting that a local builder is using to erect the new IqAF Flight School complex.
Every Iraqi soldier I saw this morning wished me a Happy Thanksgiving.
I'd like to pass those wishes along to you guys..
You know, that's heartening on so many levels.
BTW, Castle Argghh! is a fellow member of the Army team raising funds for Project Valour-IT. Have you clicked the banner in the left sidebar and donated a few bucks to this wonderful cause yet? The Army team has extended its lead over Navy to $10,000 now, so we're home free. But the severely wounded soldiers waiting for this technology assistance to aid them with their recovery and independence still need more help.
If you'd rather donate via another service team or directly, that's OK too. But please give. You can donate directly here.
If you're a regular reader, you've seen my earlier posts (here and here) about this year's Project Valour-IT fundraiser. It's a friendly competition among teams of bloggers representing the different service branches to see which team can raise the most funds for this wonderful cause.
In honor of my late father, Col. Samuel R. Combs, I'm a member of the Army team (the second blogger to sign up, in fact). The good news is that, after falling well behind Navy for a time, the Army team has now taken a commanding lead of more than $8,000. The bad news is that the total raised by all teams is only a little over $72,000.
This fine project needs — and deserves — more to continue its valuable work. Let's see if we can't push the total to $100,000 this Thanksgiving (the last day of the competition). Please express your thanks to our severely wounded veterans by clicking the banner in the left sidebar and making a contribution.
Have you clicked the Project Valour-IT contribution banner in the left sidebar and donated a few bucks to this worthy cause? Please do! The Navy team is still in the lead in this friendly inter-service competition, but the Army team has closed the gap and only trails by $2,000.
With your help, Army can regain the lead — and help lots of severely wounded troops in the process. Please contribute right now. You can use PayPal or a credit card, it only takes a minute, and it can make a big difference for someone who's given a lot for our country. Thanks!
I noted yesterday that the Navy team was "coming on strong," and I was right. They've surged into the lead. The Army team is still solidly in second place, far ahead of the also-ran services. With your help, Army can regain the lead — and help lots of severely wounded troops in the process.
If you've served in the Army, or have a friend or relative who's serving or has served, or if you just like the Army uniforms or recruitment ads — click the Project Valour-IT contribution banner in the left sidebar and donate a few bucks! It's a great cause, and you'll feel good for being part of it. I promise.
One of the many fine projects of Soldiers' Angels is Project Valour-IT. It provides voice-activated/adaptive laptop computers to troops recovering from hand and other severe injuries. To date, it's provided over 2700 laptops, and recently expanded its program to offer other technology items that aid injured troops with their recovery and independence.
DoD caseworkers and Soldiers' Angels representatives at many military medical centers continue to identify patients in need of such support. But the cupboard is about empty. Project Valour-IT desperately needs funds to continue its fine work.
To help raise the much-needed funds, a number of bloggers are engaged in a friendly competition. We sign up for the team representing the service branch of our choice, and compete to be the team that raises the most money. Once again, I've joined the Army team in memory of my dad, the late Col. Samuel R. Combs, who "answered his country's call even before the phone rang."
Please click the Project Valour-IT banner on the left and contribute to the project via the Army team. The competition runs through Thanksgiving. Right now, we're far in the lead, having raised almost as much as the other service branches combined. But Navy is coming on strong, and as I recall, they edged us out at the end last year. So please add a few bucks to the Army total by clicking that contribution banner right now.
Donating is quick, easy, and painless, and even if you can only spare five or ten bucks, you can help to really make a difference for men and women who've suffered a lot defending our freedom and safety.
Another belated congratulation. If you're a regular reader, you know I'm an enthusiastic supporter of Soldiers' Angels. Maybe I even persuaded you to contribute a few bucks to the annual Project Valour-IT fundraising contest in the last couple of years. Well, on Sunday, May 11, Soldiers' Angels founder Patti Patton-Bader was named "America's Favorite Mom" for the great work she does:
"I really am lucky to know so many heroes in my life," said Patton-Bader, who herself has two sons in the Army, one currently deployed to Iraq. "Whether they are the troops who serve our country or the amazing mothers here on this America's Favorite Mom program, I am honored to be in the presence of such inspirational people and also am humbled to know that America thinks the same of me." …
In a nationwide online poll last March, Patton-Bader was voted "America's Most Inspirational Mom" after having been nominated by her eldest son for founding and leading Soldiers' Angels. On May 5, 2008 she appeared on the Today show as one of three selected finalists in the "Favorite Military Mom" category. A nationwide online poll was again conducted, and the results were announced on May 11, 2008 with Patton-Bader being named winner in both the "Favorite Military Mom" and "America's Favorite Mom" categories.
Patton-Bader's son, SSGT Brandon Varn, eloquently described why she deserved the honor:
When I went to Iraq in 2003 my mom started sending me care packages everyday. When I told her some deployed soldiers weren't receiving anything and I was sharing my packages with them she started Soldiers Angels (www.soldiersangels.org) now the nations largest all volunteer military support organization that has adopted over 200,000 Soldiers, Sailors, Marines, and Airmen. My mom has hepatitis C and fibrosis of the liver and is in pain most waking hours and does all of this from her bed. She works as a mom for all the military and their families from the time she arises early in the morning until the time she falls asleep from exhaustion. … She like the rest of the volunteers at Soldiers Angels takes no money or compensation – she does all of this because she cares. … My mom is not only a great mom for my sister, my brother and me, but is a mother to anyone who wears a uniform and is truly America's favorite mom.
Soldiers' Angels is a huge organization sponsoring more than two dozen separate projects. Countless volunteers and contributors make these efforts possible. But the organization came into existence and continues its fine work today because of the vision and dedication of Patti Patton-Bader. Why not drop by the Soldiers' Angels site and offer your congratulations and support?
"May no soldier go unloved, may no soldier walk alone, may no soldier be forgotten, until they all come home."
As I get older, I find that time keeps moving faster, and sometimes I let things sneak up on me. Take, for instance, Veterans Day. And the annual Project Valour-IT fundraiser leading up to it.
Project Valour-IT (Voice Activated Laptops for OUR Injured Troops) is a project of the wonderful Soldiers' Angels Foundation. The money raised provides laptop computers with voice-control software for Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, and Marines with severe injuries — typically hand and arm injuries or amputations. Many of the laptops become part of "loaner libraries" at the major military medical centers, while others are provided to wounded heroes on a permanent basis. So far, over 1500 laptops have been distributed. More are needed. To learn more about the project, go here.
The annual fundraising event is a friendly competition among teams of bloggers representing the service branches to see who can raise the most money for this wonderful cause. I'm (belatedly) joining the Army team again this year, in honor of my late father, Col. Samuel R. Combs, United States Army Signal Corps, who passed away August 16, 2006, at the age of 89, and who the Rocky Mountain News described as epitomizing the Greatest Generation. (“He answered his country’s call even before the phone rang” is a phrase I shall always treasure. Thank you again, Bob Denerstein.)
Donations of any size are tax deductible and greatly appreciated. Please do me the honor of donating through my humble blog by clicking the button below (or in the left sidebar). I’ve kicked in $100. Give what you can — it's dead simple, whether you use a PayPal account or a credit card. Thanks for helping!
A number of organizations, including Soldiers’ Angels, Any Soldier, and Move America Forward, have organized efforts to get cards, letters, and gift packages to the troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. I hope you’ve participated. But what about the troops in Guantanamo? They’re forced to treat with kid gloves some of the vilest and most dangerous men on the planet. They’re routinely bombarded with feces and urine and attacked with improvised weapons. And they’re pretty much forgotten by all the "support the troops" folks.
The prisoners at Gitmo, on the other hand, seem to be fondly remembered by some. According to a retired Army officer on the Bill Bennett show this morning, the 430 or so inmates have received 15,000 cards and packages from "well-wishers."
If you’d like to honor the troops at Gitmo — to send some sweets or just a card saying "Thanks and Happy Holidays" — remember that, due to security concerns, the USPS no longer accepts mail addressed to "Any Soldier" or the like. Address your card or package to:
Col. Wade Dennis (for any troop)
JTF GTMO
APO AE09360
Tomorrow is Veterans' Day, and if you look in the right sidebar, you'll see that the Project Valour-IT Army team is still well short of the fundraising goal we want to reach by then. At this writing, the "scorecard" shows the Army team far behind Navy and barely ahead of the Marines.
Project Valour-IT (Voice Activated Laptops for OUR Injured Troops), sponsored by the Soldiers' Angels Foundation, is a great cause, in my humble opinion . In honor of Veterans' Day, please click the donation button on the right and help out. Whether you give $1700 like Charles from PA or $1 like Robert from WA, every donation helps. Thanks!
Project Valour-IT (Voice Activated Laptops for OUR Injured Troops) is a project of the wonderful Soldiers’ Angels Foundation. The money raised provides laptop computers with voice-control software for Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, and Marines with severe injuries — typically hand and arm injuries or amputations. Many of the laptops become part of "loaner libraries" at the major military medical centers, while others are provided to wounded heroes on a permanent basis. So far, over 600 laptops have been distributed. Many more are needed; there is a waiting list to get one.
Long-time readers might recall that last year about this time, I took part in a friendly competition among milbloggers to raise money for Project Valour-IT. Well, we’re doing it again this year, with teams representing the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines attempting to outdo each other in fundraising.
Check out the teams and how they’re doing at this page. For more about the project and how much it means to the beneficiaries, look at some of the stuff I linked to last year, or maybe this post.
Of course, I’ve joined the Army team again this year — in honor of my late father, Col. Samuel R. Combs, United States Army Signal Corps, who passed away in August at the age of 89, and who the Rocky Mountain News said epitomized the Greatest Generation.
Donations of any size are tax deductible and greatly appreciated, and I’d be pleased if you donate through my humble blog. I’ll start things off with a hundred bucks. Please click the button below (or in the right sidebar) and give what you can — it’s PayPal and easy as can be, whether you have an account with them or just use a credit card. Thanks for helping!
