GI Jerry

I got word today that GI Jerry and his team are headed back to the U.S. They should be home by Thursday. What a great holiday gift.

just making cards

So I have been making a lot of cards lately...pure entertainment and a bit Zen.

Did hear from a couple of the soldiers I write. Looks like they will both be home before Christmas. What a great gift for them and their families.....

Thank you's

I am having a meeting with staff this week...thought I would give out some thank you cards...

Birthdays

So I make a birthday card for everyone that I can....here is my simple recent one...

I am contemplating making some cards for someone who is getting married. Seems one can always use "thank you" cards.

another card

I got this card from Shye yesterday. She is so clever. 

Need for letter writers.

I got this email today.....

Calling all Angels,

 We need help!!  We have over 1300 heroes waiting for adoption and we have 2 more large units going over. 

 Are you able to send ONE CARE PACKAGE and One LETTER????

 You do not need to spend a lot of money just a snack, a hygiene item and a letter/card.  We have prepared a discount on our hero packages at Soldiers Angels store also to help out.

 This is only optional.   Please let me know if you can do this.  Just send me an email.

 Thank you so much for your dedication and support to our soldiers.

Donna Spears

LWT Administrator

http://soldiersangelsforum.com/index.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=67568

 

Fire Fighter

Today we got two letters from an Air Force fire fighter. He wrote a sweet letter to my daughter. He also wrote to me....he is an adrenaline junkie like me. He sent two photos, one of himself in uniform and another of him with a woman. I assumed that she was his girl friend or wife. However, his letter explained that he had no idea who she was....he had been out somewhere and she had been there too and she took a picture with him...LOL

Two Letters

Yesterday I got two great letters. One was from a young man who is getting his RN. He is also big into MMA. My son, Cody, sent him a message via MySpace and this young man wrote him back to give Cody advice about wrestling. 

I also heard from a corpsman in Afghanistan. He said that he would keep us in his prayers...what an amazing thing to say....we keep all of the soldiers in our hearts and prayers....

Heat

Today I got another letter from Shye....she says that it is 130 degrees everyday....brings back memories of living in 29 Palms and reminds me why we left. 

emails

I have been lucky enough to hear from a guy in Afghanistan who is presently in the Army. He is a former Marine so he knows the beauty of 29 Palms...LOL. 

FT Bragg

Today I got a letter from a LT who is now overseas, but is from FT Bragg. He said that there was a "Bolder Boulder" over there as well. As I ran that with a couple of my kids, it is kinda interesting to think that folks would be running it in theatre as well. 

Four deployments

Today I got an email from a LT who is former enlisted. He is presently on his 4th deployment in Afghanistan. I think few of us can imagine what it would be like to be away from home, away from our families, that much. I can't stand to be away from my kids for more than a week....

Another Email

I got a wonderful email from a SSG in the Air Force today....he told me about his family and how amazing his mother is...what a great thing to say about one's mother. He also sent a photo of him at his promotion ceremony and it was a great photo....

K-9

I got a letter today from a soldier overseas....he is with the K-9. He sent me a picture of his dog sitting on the hood of his hummer. The dog is stunning. He also sent me a photo of the card I sent him...he put it up on his wall. I am touched. 

From Afghanistan

I got a great letter from Amanda today...she is in Afghanistan. She just got home from R & R where she got to see her family and her husband. She surprised her family which is remarkable since she had to travel all the way from Afghanistan to do it. And I don't think any of these soldiers whom I hear from realize how elated I am every time I get a letter or email from them. I really enjoy knowing how they are doing....they all seem to have such good hearts....

Got an Email

I got an email today from G.I. Jerry. He is working on getting his college degree. Presently he is taking an art class...he turned in a collage that included some of the cards I have sent him and he got an "A".....LOL.....

new card

I got this card today from G.I. S. She is the creator of the other cards that have been sent from overseas. I must say, I am impressed with her skill and creativity. And I am always thrilled when I get a card from her.....

Mother's Day

Today I got a card from a soldier in theatre...it was a mother's day card. How sweet is that?!

conversations

Great conversations can occur without ever speaking a word....the internet has given us that. I suppose that texting could serve the same purpose, although as it is often in abbreviated notations, I am not sure that it qualifies.

I had a recent conversation with G.I. Jerry about "tent city pretty." It is a term that I had never heard before so I asked for an explanation. It seems that "tent city pretty" applies to women who back home, as opposed to in theatre, would not be seen as pretty at all. But, because there is a lack of females in theatre, the male soldiers change their definition of pretty. ...the "last female on earth" response. I find this disturbing as I would hope that the male soldiers would see the females as their comrades and not their conquests. It seems that the females often fall for the attention and are later left heart broken. I don't know who is entirely to blame for that. I would hope that women would be wiser, however, we all want attention and to be "loved." I would also hope that men would not be so cruel. 

In any event, it was an interesting conversation. Via email it is hard to read another's tone, thus, sometimes one takes real risks writing something that may be misinterpreted on the other end. My mother always told me to never put in writing what one does not want the whole world to see. Good advice. But, sometimes that would mean that real friendships could not be made via just the written world. So G.I. Jerry and I had a real conversation. I enjoy those.

The Family

I got another cute card from one of the soldiers in Iraq. 

Another great letter

Today I heard from a woman who joined the reserves at the age of 35 because it was always a dream of hers. Wow. What a great thing to reach one's dreams by the age of 35.

I got the cutest card today from a soldier overseas. I was so impressed that she was able to make one and that she took the time to do so. And I really appreciated it. 

Brain on Paper

For a year I heard from G.I. D everyday, sometimes twice a day. One can get incredible insight into a person from the words that person writes. (My mother would probably have disagreed with this statement....she said the only time my dad was romantic and loving was when they were apart from one another and he was sending her letters). It gives one a clue into how the person sees the world; what makes the person tick; his/her thought process, beliefs, values. So when the writing stops, one doesn't realize at first what is missing...until today I got a long note from G.I. D and I realized I missed his brain.....

29 Palms

Today I heard from a Marine who is based out of 29 Palms....I had sent a box to him because I too was based there once. It was not a beautiful place, but it was home for 2.5 years. And I acquired an incredible respect for Marines. The grandeur of a Marine standing at the entrance of the base was something that generated awe everyday. What an extraordinary group of people they are. 

Sweet words

I am in Vegas at a convention, but my husband sent me a text letting me know that I had gotten two letters from soldiers. One was from Miss C. She seems to be holding up well....apparently her boyfriend is hot to have kids. I need to find her a Children's t-shirt.
The second letter was from G.I. J....he wrote to my daughter, Carly, because Carly had sent him a letter....that was so sweet of him and it meant so much to Carly.

A small world

Today I heard from a young woman in Afghanistan....she is based in the same place as the soldier "J" whom I adopted via www.adoptaplatoon.org. The world can be so small even when they are people a long way away.

All is well

I heard from G.I. J and he and his guys are ok.....always good to know that things are at least stable.

My third child, Chaney. His older brothers call him "pretty boy." Not sure that he cares for that, but they would not be far off in their assessment of him. 

A couple of more cards that I made last night...I just got the new set on the right and I must say, I do love it. 

I haven't heard from one of the soldiers for the last few days. I have been working on not worrying, but it is difficult to do when you are writing to someone in a war zone. There is always some basal level of worry. 

Another letter

Today I got a sweet letter from a young woman on her first deployment to Iraq. She told me about her family, sent me a picture of them. She seems to holding up well....

I also heard from the guy I have adopted via www.adoptaplatoon.org. He was pleased with the last package I sent him because I had enclosed computer magazines. I had done a little profiling before I knew his likes and I had sent a sport magazine (albeit, SI swimsuit issue) as I assumed that a young soldier would be a big sports fan. However, I was incorrect in my assumptions....he is a fan of computers. Thus, computer magazines were sent. 

I have to say, there are times when I miss hearing from the soldier I wrote to last year. ...I used to hear from him almost daily. It is not an expectation that I hear from him now; it is just a change. 

Sunday

So today I made cards, lots of cards, so I could send them with the packages of goodies I have collected over this weekend to send to Iraq and Afghanistan. Snack bars, flavored powder for water, socks, magazines, candy, a yo-yo.....and a card, just a note to say "hi....thinking about you."

Awesome Day

Today I got two letters, one email and one snail mail.....what a gift for me. One told me that I made him laugh with my story about running on Colfax in Denver. It is such simple stories that seem to be able to bring them home for a moment.....
Below I have a link to a friend's blog. She makes beautiful cards and we made one last night that I loved because it was of a tree with a yellow ribbon tied around the trunk...perfect for me to send to a soldier overseas.....
http://lifeinmycraftroom.blogspot.com/

Smiles

I got an email from "my hero" soldier today. I had sent a package of goodies for him and his men. I enclosed some "kid" stuff because I feel like everyone should have the opportunity to be a "kid" again. It made the guys laugh and it made him smile....that would be a good thing when one is away from home in a war zone.....

Making cards

I can become obsessive about making cards.....I get a new stamp and then I need to make a card with it....then I have to find someone to send it to....

Another letter

Today I got another letter from a soldier in Afghanistan. It was also a great letter....he said that the thing they look forward to most is getting mail as there really isn't much else there. Again, it is nice to know I can make a difference in someone else's day, particularly someone who is so far away.

Topics

It is funny when I have conversations with people about what they should include in their letters to soldiers....as though there is some sort of formula. I have come to learn that many people are intimidated by the idea of writing to someone they don't know. And I guess that I was at first. However, I seem to have gotten over that.
What I know now is that many of the deployed soldiers appreciate my writing to them the same way I would write to a long lost friend....just hearing about how my day was takes them away from where they are for a moment. And if for that moment he/she is able to smile or laugh or think about something other than Iraq or Afghanistan or the fact that he/she is away from home, then my letter has served its purpose.

Anticipation

There is a certain level of anticipation when writing letters....the anticipation of receiving a letter in return. For me, it is often an email in return from a soldier in Iraq or Afghanistan....waiting to hear if they have gotten what I sent.....wanting to know what else they might need.....wondering what their day/life is like.....what can I do to make it better.

Cards

I like to make cards to send to people. It seems to me that getting a card is even more fun than getting a letter. Recently I have been sending blank cards to the soldiers overseas so that they have something more interesting than a blank sheet of paper to write on and send home.

Soldiersangels.org has 501 names awaiting adoption. Adoptaplatoon.org just sent me an email stating that they are in need of more people to adopt soldiers and platoons overseas.

Letters to Politicians

In Colorado there has been a big flap about the Colorado Nurse Practice Act....it seems that the Colorado Medical Society wants to have some say in defining the role of advanced practice nurses...I would be one of those nurse practitioners and I have a pretty strong opinion about my role. Thus, I sent the following to some of the Colorado Senate...


Betty Boyd
Health and Human Services, Chair
200 E. Colfax Denver, CO 80203

Dear Senator Boyd:

I am writing to you as an Advance Practice Nurse who is gravely concerned about the implications of the CMS’s request to define Advance Nursing Practice. I see the two professions as separate, but collaborative. My concern is that there is a serious potential to limit the autonomy of APN’s and to do so would be a disservice to the population as a whole.

I am currently the coordinator for the Neonatal Nurse Practitioners (NNP) at The Children’s Hospital. We provide services to hospitals, families and newborns throughout the Denver metropolitan region. If our autonomy were to be limited, it would be probable that many of the hospitals where we currently practice would no longer be able to provide level II nursery service to their clientele. This would mean that the cost of health care would increase as more infants would have to be transported to a higher level of care in the urban centers. For some hospitals, this could have tremendous financial implications as NICU’s or Special Care Nurseries often supply the greatest revenue. Furthermore, this would create hardships for families whose infants’ medical management could not be provided close to home.

I think it is important to consider the potential impact of the CMS’s request. I recently attended a perinatal meeting at a local hospital. During this meeting there was a review of a case in which a very sick neonate was stabilized and transported to a higher level of care. It was the NNP who stabilized the infant. To a man, all who had worked at the hospital for several years acknowledged that had it not been for the NNP, the infant would have died. Thus, I would argue, that it is not just about providing care, it is about saving lives. APN’s need to have autonomy so we can do what we do……for some of us, that is saving infants.

Respectfully,



E. Welch-Carre, MS, NNP

So I have been receiving wonderful emails from a hero....I must say, it is an amazing experience to get a response from someone who has earned a Silver Star and Purple Heart. And he is so appreciative and unassuming..... just a regular guy....but I know he is much more than that....he is extraordinary.

Mile High Comics

Yesterday I went to Mile High Comics because one of the soldiers with whom I have been corresponding has requested them for his guys. Since I have never been a real comic connoisseur I actually asked for assistance when I arrived (this is not my norm). I explained to the store clerk that I was planning on sending the comics to soldiers in Iraq. He was so helpful and helped me to pick out several popular Marvel comic books. He also told me that if he were in Iraq, he would really want some comic books. He asked me several other questions about my sending stuff to soldiers, ie did I have a son over there....No, I said, I just get names of people who need things and I send them. Another gentleman who worked at the store overheard our conversation and said that they had a few other customers who did the same thing. I was glad to know that there were others. As I was leaving the store after checking out, this gentleman brought me two copies of the X-men Ultimate for me to send over.....I was so humbled and grateful....The human spirit can be amazing. Now I shall send them a thank you letter.

www.milehighcomics.com

My Letter to the Editor

Letters to soldiers can be rewarding
I read with great interest Jinny Jordan’s column “Letter writing will not be my lost art” (on Feb. 15). I, too, have tried to maintain letter writing as part of my skill set as I know that letters, rather than bills, bring great joy to others.
I often send “thank you” notes to my staff so that they know that I have noticed them and that, in fact, I really do care about what is happening.
However, I must say, the letters of which I am most proud, are those that I have sent to U.S. soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan. As a Navy veteran, I have felt compelled to support my comrades. I would like to suggest that anyone who shares the desire to maintain the art of letter writing should write to a soldier overseas. There are several Web sites where one can get the name of a soldier: www.solidiersangels.org, www.adoptaplatoon.org, www.anysoldier.com.
Soldiersangels.org, in fact, has a letter-writing team.
Thank you.
Elizabeth Welch-Carre,
Former Navy officer,
Broomfield

Connections via mail

It is incredible the level of connection that one can make just via mail. Years ago, letter writing was the primary form of distance communication; and it could take days, weeks for a letter to traverse the country, much less the world, yet people seemed to still maintain relationships. Remarkable.
Today, one can have instant gratification with the internet. One can send words, audio, photos, videos which only makes the virtual seem more real.
So last year for two weeks I was disconnected from the soldier with whom I had been writing. His computer died and thus, so did communication. However, because his computer had crumped, he could not let me know why I was not hearing from him. I knew that several of his peers had recently been killed in action, so I worried. And I worried more. I had seen photos of his family; I had heard tales of his life....he was a real human in a dangerous place. So even though I didn't really "know" him in my real world, he was a part of this world and I worried. I can not describe the sense of relief I had when one day I opened my email and there was an email from him with the heading "Hello Again."

In 2007 I met a young Marine in Vegas....he was just back from Iraq. We were on the 22nd floor and he was looking out the window at the view down below. He said that it didn't look that radically different than Iraq seeing as how Vegas is a desert too. He was shaking. As a mother, I felt like I should try to figure out a way to soothe his soul, but as a stranger, I recognized that that wouldn't be appropriate. So I talked to him for a little while. I thanked him for his service and he assured me that he would be going back to Iraq as a good Marine would.

It was then that I decided that I would adopt a soldier in Iraq. In fact, I adopted 2. However, I was only able to maintain contact with one as the other was moved and I didn't get information about where he went. I do recall that when his packages were returned to me that I worried that something had happened to him. I was so relieved to know that he had just been moved.

The other soldier I was able to exchange letters with for a year. What an extraordinary transaction. I came to know him as a friend. I suspect that he and I would never had become friends under normal circumstances because our paths would not have ever crossed. I have wondered if perhaps this was the universe's way of telling me to look outside my normal circle or square, as it may be.

The one thing that I came to know was that having someone, a stranger, back home write to him, made a difference for him. You can often be yourself with a stranger in a way that it is sometimes difficult to be with someone you know well. And knowing that I made his day better, made my day better.

So I continue to write....almost daily, to different soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan. And when I hear back from them, it puts a smile on my face......

My kids....all 5 of them.