B*N*S*N3

A military “brat” runs the obstacle course at Operation Purple’s Camp Sandy Cove in High View, W.Va. Operation Purple camps are for children with deployed parents, parents who recently returned from deployment or parents who are about to deploy. Photo by Elizabeth M. Lorge

Military kids go to camp

Aug 20, 2008
BY Elizabeth M. Lorge

HIGH VIEW, W.Va. (Army News Service, Aug. 20, 2008) - Kids at Camp Sandy Cove here are spending the week doing typical camp activities such as canoeing, practicing archery, cooking outdoors and even learning the trapeze, but these aren't your typical campers.

The approximately 71 campers here are participating in Operation Purple, summer camps for kids with deployed parents, parents who have recently returned from deployment or parents about to deploy.

Created in 2004 by the National Military Family Association, Operation Purple's free camps are designed to help military "brats" enjoy fun and relaxation while bonding with other kids who understand the rigors of watching parents march off to war and moving every few years. According to organizers, about 10,000 kids are attending 62 camps in 37 states and territories this year, up from last year's 4,000 kids and 37 camps.

"The camp is really a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity," said 13-year-old Audrey Zipperer, whose father has deployed twice. "You get to do a lot of things you wouldn't be able to on a normal basis, like horseback riding. It costs quite a bit of money to go horseback riding. Here we get lessons all week long. The kids know how you feel and it's definitely comforting."...

Read the rest here.

B*N*S*N4

Yes, I know, but I had to share this one.:)

Sgt. Michael Daniels, a military police Soldier with the 716th Military Police Battalion, 18th Military Police Brigade, Multi-National Division - Baghdad, and native of Aiken, S.C., hands out school supplies, Aug. 13, 2008, to orphan children in the Salhiya District of Baghdad. U.S. Army photo.

Wednesday, 20 August 2008 By Sgt. Daniel Blottenberger
18th Military Police Brigade

Operation Iraqi Children Delivers in Baghdad

BAGHDAD — Anxious but appreciative orphan children in the Salhiya District of Baghdad had something to smile about when Multi-National Division – Baghdad Soldiers arrived, Aug. 13, to hand out school supplies as part of an assistance mission named “Operation Iraqi Children.”

During the engagement, Soldiers from the 18th MP Brigade lent a hand in the delivering of the school supplies to the local orphanage, as Soldiers from the 42nd Field Artillery Regiment and policemen from the Salhiya Iraqi Police teamed up to help the children prepare for school.

Operation Iraqi Children, which began in 2003 and was founded by Laura Hillenbrand and Gary Sinise, is designed to distribute donated school supplies to needy children in Iraq, Afghanistan and Djibouti.

“Operation Iraqi Children is a wonderful way for the people of the U.S. to help the children of Iraq, and by doing so, we are helping our Soldiers, who are working so hard over there,” said Sinise, on the Operation Iraqi Children Web site.

The IP and MND-B Soldiers will hand out more than 3,000 school supply kits that were donated to the children in Baghdad. The kits contain: a pencil bag, composition books, notebook paper, colored pencils, large eraser, a small pencil sharpener, pencils, ruler and scissors.

“The kits have been a huge hit with the local children,” said Capt. Nate Brookshire, 716th MP Bn. “The kits have also given the maneuver units and Police Transition Team a positive avenue to interact with local children with our Iraqi counterparts.”

The 716th PTT has handed out more than 400 kits since mid-July to the children in Salhiya while on community policing patrols with the Salhiya IP...

(source)

So many GREAT stories - so little time to tell you them all. And that really IS B*N*S*N!

NATO forces in Afghanistan: Some Gave all

Sergeant Shawn Eades, Corporal Dustin Roy Robert Joseph Wasden, and Sapper Stephan John Stock, combat engineers with 12 Field Squadron, 1 Combat Engineer Regiment, were killed on August 20. Ottawa, Ontario – (Photo courtesy of the Department of National Defence)

Three Canadian soldiers were killed and one seriously injured when an improvised explosive device detonated near their vehicle on August 20.


Sergeant Shawn Eades, Corporal Dustin Roy Robert Joseph Wasden, and Sapper Stephan John Stock were combat engineers with 12 Field Squadron, 1 Combat Engineer Regiment.

They were attached to the 2nd Battalion, Princess Patricia´s Canadian Light Infantry Battle Group.

The injured soldier is in serious but stable condition.

Brigadier-General Dennis Thompson, commander of Headquarters, Joint Task Force – Afghanistan (Rotation 5) issued the following statement after learning of the deaths:

"An engineer reconnaissance team is a tight-knit unit and these men were no exception. They were a well-trained highly motivated crew that believed in the mission. As combat engineers, they were proud, resourceful, and armed with the technical knowledge that they generously used to assist the mission in helping the people of Kandahar province. Sergeant Shawn Eades was respected by his subordinates, his peers, and his superiors for his outstanding professionalism and his operational experience and his competence. He was a veteran soldier and this was his third tour in Afghanistan. He was a devoted father who liked to share stories of his children with his colleagues and his friends."

The four soldiers were on patrol on Highway 1, in Zharey District, when the explosion occurred at approximately 10:30 a.m., Kandahar time. They were evacuated to the Role 3 Multinational Medical Unit at Kandahar Air Field where three were pronounced dead.

This is the worst one-day death toll for Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan since July 4, 2007 when six were killed. (source)

Three Polish soldiers were killed on Wednesday in a roadside blast in central Afghanistan, officials said.

Polish Defence Ministry spokesman Jacek Poplawski said the blast occurred in the central Ghazni province. A fourth soldier was wounded. (CBC)

Soldiers stand to attention as the French flag is flown at half mast at the French 8th marine parachutist regiment headquarters on August 19 in Castres, southern France. French President Nicolas Sarkozy arrived in Kabul on Wednesday in a show of support for French troops after 10 were killed in the deadliest attack yet on international forces in Afghanistan.


ALWAYS REMEMBERED AND HONOURED

Can you help?

From a friend of mine:

One of our good Civil Air Patrol friends, had a fire at their house this
morning and lost everything. I was working with her last week on a Drug
Demand Reduction Program.

She has 13 years old twins. They all got out of the house safe, with a
few minor injuries. Ron (the father) is burned on his upper body (2
degree) and is in the hospital. The Red Cross has put them up at a hotel
for now. We are looking for any kind of donations possible for them.

I am the contact person for this and the email that we are using is
tcshelp@wi.rr.com if you could send an email out to your people that
would be great.

They are very involved in Civil Air Patrol and been helping out with the
disaster relief (flooding) we had here and many other things.

Thanks,
Rae
SM CAP

Looking for Military Wives...

From my inbox:

Hello CJ and Marcus,

I run Capessa.com, a site showcasing the real life experiences of women and
their life-learned advice, and we are searching for a military wife who
wants to get a makeover before her husband or boyfriend returns from being
deployed. I was hoping you might be able to help us find a deserving
candidate by either posting an announcement to your readers/community or
sending this information around to your circle.

We'll be shooting in Los Angeles, hopefully beginning in September or
October and finishing things up when the couple is reunited. The chosen
woman will have her story featured on Capessa.com and will win a complete
mind and body makeover, including a new hairstyle, a new fitness instructor,
a new wardrobe and personal counseling to prepare her mentally for her
husband's return.

Anyone interested is invited to submit a brief note explaining why she wants
to be a part of this project, if she has children, when her husband is
scheduled to return home and which branch of the military he's in. We also
ask that candidates confirm with their husbands that it's okay for them to
participate, since he will have to be on camera during the reunion, and that
they send in a recent photo. Submission materials should be sent to
militarywivescasting@gmail.com.

If you want any additional information, please let me know. Thanks again for
any help you can lend in getting the word out.

And an added note from CJ:

...ensure that you tell people to NEVER give any personal information like Social Security Numbers or credit card numbers to companies they're unsure of. Also, offers like this shouldn't ask for money from those wanting to take part. I'm not saying that is what will happen, I just want people to be cautious ANY TIME they deal with people professionally.

CJ

Wednesday Hero

Pvt. Nathan Z. Thacker
18 years old from Greenbrier, Arkansas
2nd Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division
October 12, 2007


Pvt. Nathan Z. Thacker had only been in the country for two weeks before his death, according to the soldier's father, Stephen Thacker.

Thacker's father said his son felt a duty to enlist. "He said it was his job. Even after he got his orders that he was going over there, he said it's his job."

Thacker had attended Guy-Perkins High School in Guy, Arkansas. He earned his GED in 2006, his father said. Thacker enlisted in the Army in April 2007 and completed his training at Fort Benning, Ga. He arrived at Fort Drum in August 2007. His honors include the Purple Heart.

"Nathan was an excellent man," sister Sabrina Black said. "He loved me, I loved him, and I’d give anything to have him back."

Pvt. Thacker was killed when an IED was detonated near his vehicle near Kirkuk. Three other soldiers were injured in the attack.

Pvt. Thacker is survived by his parents, siblings and his grandfather.

These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.
We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.

*Much Ado*

Written by SC Eagle. Posted with his permission:

There's much ado this election year, as there is every four years, it
seems. And there's plenty ado to be had, irregardless with which side
you identify, or even if you're 'undecided'. Are you a Republican? If
so, Senator Barack Obama scares the bejeezus out of you - he's going to
completely ruin the country, destroy the world, and it's quite possible
that the "Anointed One" is really the Anti-Christ. If you're a
Democrat, Senator McCain is worse - he's four more years (everyone knows
he'll never live two terms, right?) of President Bush, who IS the
Anti-Christ.

The undecided voters, that crucial bloc whom both campaigns are
desperately courting, are either trying to find at least one good
reason to choose either of these poor choices, or trying to find
something to watch on TV that isn't about the Olympics.

If you listen to the campaigns, this election is the most critical
election in all history. Is it? Really?

It is a fundamental lack of civics knowledge permeating our nation which
convinces us that the President of the United States is the most
important man (sorry, Hillary) in the world.

And, he is. Or at least, in the Free world as we still distinguish.
Here at home, what has the President done to you lately?

One election issue that will likely never go away - Abortion. People
will base their vote on this issue alone - is the candidate pro Life or
pro Choice?! Does it matter? Well, the President does get to name
Judges to the Supreme Court, but not without the Senate's assent. And
is anyone truly expecting /Roe v. Wade/ to be overturned? It's been law
for 35 years now, and I predict that another 35 is a safe bet. We've
elected both pro Choice and Life candidates, and truth be told, I'm not
sure it's easy to say which had an impact on the local abortion clinic.


How about another issue... Hmmm, lessee... The Poor. Every four years,
the Poor are trotted out as the bain of the Republicans and the
Democrats are their Saviors. Nevermind that since the Great Society
/forty/ years ago, not much has changed. There are still poor, still
some rich, and some folks in the middle. And thus, it shall always be.

Drugs. Want some? Go to your local high school (junior high if you
want bonus points) and pick three kids at random. You should be able to
fill your order in no time.

Ok, I'll be fair. Let's examine this year's "new issue". It's a
surprise, and is predicted to possibly give the Republicans the edge
they need. Energy Freedom. We've been discussing this one, folks, for
forty years. Car still runs on gas, right?

The point is that our two parties' are bringing out the same issues,
same /crises/ as they do each time.

So, let's *IGNORE* what they want us to see! We don't need to blindly
follow along from their dog-eared playbook.

(Note: I started this before recent events in Georgia took hold.)

First, the President should be a Leader. That is his #1 function. To
shape the direction the country should turn to, and say, "Follow me!"
Presidents should never be bogged down in the minutiae - there are more
than enough personnel on Uncle Sam's payroll to staff that.

Also, Presidents should find ways to /exit/ our lives. While I have
concrete philosophical reasons for this belief, let me share a practical
one. There are over /three _hundred_ million /citizens currently. How
can one person, or even one government, insert itself into each of those
detailed lives successfully and consistently?

If we're honest with ourselves (a rare enough event), we'll acknowledge
the likelihood is nil.

Our President should focus on affairs of the whole - defense, trade,
international relations, and occasionally posing for pictures with the
Girl Scout who sold the most cookies.

Let's practice minimizing. Neither party wants to do that (both parties
are spending hundreds of /millions /of dollars on their nominating
conventions for candidates whom are already chosen - don't think that
money could be better spent on any of their agendas rather than confetti
and balloons?).

Oh, lastly, to the undecideds - take your time. We'll have the same
issues four years from now.