Unique Blood Drive Benefits Soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan

The 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, will be hosting a blood drive, sponsored by the Armed Service Blood Program and the Columbus Lions arena football team, scheduled for June 5 at the Kelley Hill Recreation Center, Fort Benning, Ga.

This blood drive is unique because donated blood from the Soldiers and Families of Kelley Hill will be sent to Iraq or Afghanistan, helping Soldiers, within a week of collection.

In support of the event, players and dancers from the Columbus Lions will be on Sledgehammer Field for a meet-and-greet during the drive, from 10 a.m. through 2 p.m.

Soldiers, Family Members and the public are invited to donate at the Kelley Hill Recreation, June 5, from 6 a.m. through 6 p.m. For more information contact the 3rd HBCT Family Readiness Support Assistant, Andrea Young at andrea.young3@conus.army.mil or 705-544-5712.
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SouthernLINC Wireless Gives a Little “Home” to American Troops This Holiday Season

(BUSINESS WIRE)--SouthernLINC Wireless, a Southern Company (NYSE: SO), today announced it is supporting Any Soldier Inc., a non-profit organization that helps boost morale among deployed servicemen and women via letters and packages from “home.”

Until Dec. 13, multiple SouthernLINC Wireless locations will serve as collection points for cards, letters and care package items, which will be sent directly to soldiers deployed from military bases in Alabama, Georgia, Florida and Mississippi. Employees, customers and community members are encouraged to support the troops by writing a letter or donating items to be included in care packages.

“We are proud to work with Any Soldier to support the dedicated men and women of the U.S. armed forces who are serving our country overseas,” said Bob Dawson, president and chief executive officer, SouthernLINC Wireless. “It’s comforting to know that a letter from ‘home,’ which costs so little, means so much to a soldier during these challenging times.”

Drop-off locations include SouthernLINC Wireless corporate offices in Atlanta and Birmingham, the Business and Government Sales Office in Montgomery and all SouthernLINC Wireless retail stores. For more information, including a complete list of drop-off locations, guidelines and suggested care package items, visit www.southernlinc.com/community.

Founded in 2003 by Marty and Sue Horn, Any Soldier® grew through a strong network of family and friends. Currently, Any Soldier is helping more than 100,000 active duty and reservists in all U.S. military branches.

“Our family started Any Soldier to help our son Brian and his unit from the 173rd Airborne Brigade,” said Marty Horn, a 20-year Army veteran and president of Any Soldier. “We are honored to be working with SouthernLINC Wireless to support soldiers from its local communities.”

In its five year history, Any Soldier has helped more than 1 million members of the U.S. military.

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Americans Called to Duty on Behalf of 6,000 Soldiers Overseas

PRNewswire/ -- Subscriptions for Soldiers is calling on the American public to take action and support deployed U.S. service members -- about 350,000 of them to date -- by helping to fill more than 6,000 requests for magazine subscriptions from men and women serving overseas.

In an effort to boost morale of American troops and provide relief from stress they endure every day by providing a monthly reminder of home, Subscriptions for Soldiers was launched by Magazines.com in April 2008 to provide free magazines to soldiers serving overseas. In the first three weeks, the program received more than 8,000 requests for magazine subscriptions from deployed service members. Currently, more than 6,000 subscriptions need to be filled, and the organization is reaching out to the American public to meet these soldiers' wishes.

"With a $10 donation, you can let a service member know they are remembered and give them something to look forward to each month," says Jay Clarke, president and CEO of Magazines.com. "At the heart of Subscriptions for Soldiers is a campaign to connect service members, those they serve and the life we all cherish."

With the war in the Middle East entering its seventh year, it is important to offer support to service members overseas. Depression and anxiety are common problems among soldiers serving long and multiple deployments. For active duty service members, receiving a monthly magazine can boost morale in stressful times.

"Magazines provide a source of entertainment that can be re-read and shared with others," says Kitty Pedigo, business development manager of Magazines.com. "They give service members a small break from their everyday stress and help them stay focused on the task at hand."

Many Americans may want to give back to those serving overseas, but the time and money required to put care packages together and ship them from the post office can be challenging. "Having access to an affordable and easy resource that provides soldiers with a magazine each month makes it easier for those who want to let a service member know they are appreciated," says Clarke.

To sponsor a subscription, individuals can visit www.subs4soldiers.com and submit a donation of $10 or more, which will be used to fill the magazine request of a soldier overseas. For more information, visit www.subs4soldiers.com.

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America Supports You: Military Couples to Wed with Hollywood's Help

After matching servicemembers re-entering the civilian work force with military friendly employers, "Hire a Hero" is stepping outside its box and trying some matchmaking of a different kind.

The troop-support organization has teamed with Dreamworks Television and Mark Burnett Productions to help two deserving military couples have their dream weddings. The gesture is a thank you for their service and commitment to the country, according to the Hire a Hero Web site.

"Providing something like this is just great," said Rob Barr, a Hire a Hero representative. "It's showing support for the troops, and it's kind of giving them hope that there are really people out there that care."

The next step to helping two couples live happily ever after begins at the Hire a Hero Web site. Military couples who plan on marrying later this year can fill out the entry and share the challenges they've faced while trying to plan a wedding with at least one spouse serving their country.

Just the distance during a deployment, for example, can make things nearly impossible, Barr said. Then the occasional tour extension crops up and completely undoes what the couple may have managed to get done.

"Little things like that," he said. "But they're also looking for military spouses that just said, 'OK. You know what? We're going to go to the courthouse, get married and have a wedding later.'"

Once the midnight July 28 entry deadline passes, it's all up to the Hollywood folks to choose the two lucky couples for the big "Wedding Day" program that will air on a major TV network this fall, Barr said, adding that he has no idea what's in store for the couples chosen.

"They're kind of keeping that top secret information," he said. "All I was told was that they're going to get ... to have their dream wedding."

Barr said he thinks Hire a Hero was approached to help find couples because of the group's involvement with helping former "Apprentice" winner Kelly Perdew find applicants to be his assistant.

"To my knowledge, I think they got our information from someone ... who said, 'Hey, use "Hire a Hero" to look for this kind of person,'" he said.

By Samantha L. Quigley
American Forces Press Service

Hire a Hero is a supporter of America Supports You, a Defense Department program connecting citizens and companies with servicemembers and their families serving at home and abroad.

America Supports You: Group Helps Family Members With Education

Military family members looking to further their education have a friend in a support organization called Thanks USA.

"So many spouses appreciate the opportunity to go back to school and finish their education," explained Carolyn Ferek, Thanks USA's board secretary, said in an "ASY Live" interview on BlogTalkRadio.

"ASY Live" is part of America Supports You, a Defense Department program connecting citizens and companies with servicemembers and their families serving at home and abroad. Thanks USA is an America Supports You supporter.

Ferek said the focus of Thanks USA is different from that of many other scholarship-based organizations, because while it does focus on providing assistance to military dependents, it also uniquely gears a lot of its funding toward spouses.

"It's not just for dependents," she said. "It's for spouses, because we feel like so many times the spouses are at home taking care of the families, and they are forced to put their career on hold."

When the organization was founded, Ferek explained, she could not find many organizations that focused on providing for spouses and dependents of current servicemembers based on their need. "Some offered them to military families if there was a death or an injury, but ours isn't like that," she said. "We offer it as a need-based scholarship; we have educational scholarships for any branch of the military for college, technical and vocational schools."

Ferek cited a couple of people the organization has helped.

"I remember one person that wrote to us saying that she would be the first one in her family to have a college education thanks to our program," Ferek said. "Another woman we helped down in Florida had just had a lung transplant, and still really wanted to go to college. She was just trying to get herself healthy, but she was just so positive and optimistic about her future and wanting to make a difference. So many of the scholarship winners want to give back to the community."

The organization has raised nearly $4 million and we has awarded more than 1,350 scholarships ranging from $1,000 to $5,000 dollars. "We have given scholarships to military families all across the United States in all 50 states," Ferek said.

By Jamie Findlater
Special to American Forces Press Service

Jamie Findlater, host of "ASY Live," works in the New Media directorate of the Defense Media Activity.

America Supports You: 'GI Java' Supports Foundation

The relationship between servicemembers and their coffee is so storied that the hot black liquid has a role in nearly every war movie ever made.

With a desire to support the troops and an understanding of that relationship, the mother and daughter team of Tamra Gravitt and Crystal Espiritu started GI Java. The coffee shop serves its brew to each customer with honor, integrity and excellence above the call of duty, according to a news release from the coffee shop.

The company, with five locations in Washington state, offers coffee in military-themed sizes: the small is called a private, and the large is a sergeant. A portion of all sales goes to U.S. Wounded Soldiers Foundation, and donations for the foundation are accepted in all five shops.

U.S. Wounded Soldiers Foundation provides for the needs of servicemembers wounded while serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The foundation is a supporter of America Supports You, a Defense Department program connecting citizens and companies with servicemembers and their families serving at home and abroad.

BJ's Wholesale Clubs in Georgia Support Military with a Local DAR Chapter

BJ's Wholesale Clubs in Georgia are assisting the Augustin Clayton Chapter Daughters of the American Revolution in collecting supplies for active military personnel.

The public is invited to stop by any BJ's stores, purchase items and deposit them in the bin at the front entrance of each store.

America Supports You: Challenge Coins Thank Vets, Help Nonprofit Groups

Searching for a tangible way to help Americans express their deep gratitude to servicemembers for their sacrifices, a Tampa, Fla., couple has designed their own challenge coin.

"As Americans, we should honor and acknowledge the sacrifices of members of the U.S. military," said Deb Benson, who co-founded Grateful American Coin Inc. with her husband. "In doing so, we should individually do what we can, however small, to help those servicemen and women who have sustained the most severe injuries."

The Bensons are doing just that with their organization's new coins. The tangible "thank you" bears the five service insignia on one side and the phrase "Thank you for your service from a grateful American" on the other.

Grateful American coins are available for purchase from the organization's site. While purchasers are presenting them to veterans with a heartfelt "thank you," something they've done 2,894 times since December, the net proceeds from their purchase are being donated to the Special Operations Warrior Foundation and America's Vet Dogs.

Both organizations support America's wounded servicemembers.

"Our goal is to write our first checks to these two organizations on our one-year anniversary in November," Benson said.

Grateful American Coin is a supporter of America Supports You, as are its two beneficiary organizations. America Supports You, a Defense Department program, connects citizens and companies with servicemembers and their families serving at home and abroad.

"The America Supports You [relationship] means a lot to our organization," Benson said. "[It] assists with credibility for our young organization while at the same time assisting with exposure for our program."

The work America Supports You does is valuable and needed for organizations like Grateful American Coin, she added.

Military challenge coins, typically bearing a unit's insignia, date back to World War I. Legend has it that a coin identifying the squadron of a pilot shot down and captured behind enemy lines saved him from being executed by the French as a spy. He provided his coin, the only personal property his enemy captors hadn't confiscated, as proof of his identity.

By Samantha L. Quigley
American Forces Press Service
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Group Facilitates Valentine's Day Greetings

Letting servicemembers know they're not forgotten this Valentine's Day couldn't be easier, thanks to a national troop-support group's online care package program.

Operation Homefront's "eCarePackage" program allows American citizens to send care packages to servicemembers and their families. The program also is available for military families to send and receive packages.

"(Servicemembers and their families) just have to register, but it's completely secure," said Meredith Leyva, founder of Operation Homefront. "We don't share any private information, not even first names."

When servicemembers or their family members register, they're assigned a number that becomes their eCarePackage identity. Registered users can pass that number to friends and family members, who then can use it to send care packages they create from the requestor's wish list.

Civilians can choose to send packages to servicemembers from specific states, branch of service, or even current duty station. The option to make it a birthday gift also is available.

The program, which began in time for Christmas 2006 and offers specific products for each major holiday, has a wide variety of products from which to choose, thanks to donors. Candy is available, as well as small pillows and "fun stuff," Leyva said.

"You're going to get some fun, higher-end stuff," she said. "It's a heck of a lot cheaper for a servicemember to send a care package this way, since all our care package products are donated."

The only cost to senders is shipping, and even that is discounted.

"We actually have got a deal with DHL, so we do tend to get cheaper rates in general, and we pass that on," Leyva said. "And, because we do have the direct partnership with DHL, we have been able to get valentine stuff out to Iraq as quickly as three days, but it's not guaranteed."

Though there's no cutoff date for sending eCarePackages to or from Iraq, Leyva emphasized that sooner always is better than later.

Another feature offered through the program is the opportunity for senders and recipients to connect via e-mail.

"We like to encourage 'thank You' notes," Leyva said. "They end up striking up a great conversation with the one who sent the care package."

Notes also can be included in the care packages, she said.

Operation Homefront is a supporter of America Supports You, a Defense Department program connecting citizens and companies with servicemembers and their families serving at home and abroad.

By Samantha L. Quigley
American Forces Press Service

Related Sites:
Operation Homefront
America Supports You

Caregivers Learn About 'Compassion Fatigue'

Many servicemembers who have experienced combat, and their families, are familiar with the term "combat stress." The effects of combat, however, aren't limited to those directly connected to the experience.

Stress can affect anyone who cares for those individuals, Dr. Joseph Bobrow, a clinical psychologist, told representatives of more than 100 troop-support organizations gathered at the Pentagon for the third annual America Supports You National Summit here today.

America Supports You is a Defense Department program connecting citizens and corporations with military personnel and their families serving at home and abroad.

"One of the things that we've learned from experience and research is that 'compassion fatigue,' and the potential for burning out, is not just limited to psychotherapists," he said. "Family members who are caring for wounded veterans are at risk. Veteran service workers, like yourselves, (and) volunteers (are at risk)."

Bobrow, who also is executive director of the Coming Home Project, a troop-support organization, said becoming overwhelmed by the experience of caring for servicemembers and their families is the nature of that work.

"We can anticipate this happening," he said. "It doesn't necessarily ... mean a psychiatric disorder, just like post-traumatic stress ... is not necessarily a psychiatric disorder.

"In fact, it's the body, mind and soul's way of coping with an impossible situation," he explained.

Volunteers can easily fall victim to emotions similar to those that they aim to ease in their charges, he told the support group members. "The same seed of empathy and compassion that draws us to the work that we do, if it's taken to an extreme, is the same seed that could lead us down the slippery slope to burnout," Bobrow said.

Burnout, or compassion fatigue, can be overcome, but it's better to avoid it to begin with, he said. Incorporating positive thoughts and actions into daily life builds resiliency against burnout.

He offered the group several suggestions on how to stave off compassion fatigue, most notably the need to develop the ability to recognize when things start to get overwhelming. When that happens, it's good for individuals to know what refreshes them, he said.

Keeping their attitudes about the work they're doing fresh and upbeat isn't just healthy for volunteers. It can be one of the best things for the people they're working with, Bobrow told the group.

"Our own capacity for peace and joy and well-being ... is really, fundamentally, what we end up giving the next person," he said. "That's what people pick up from us, so if our batteries have run out, then we're no longer those agents of compassion."

Bobrow shared his experiences and advice with two groups during the summit. Army Lt. Gen. Carter F. Ham, operations director for the Joint Staff, and Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates also addressed the group, as did Allison Barber, deputy assistant secretary of defense for internal communications and public liaison, the architect of the America Supports You program.

Breakout sessions from the summit were recorded and will be available on the America Supports You Web site.

Related Sites:
The Coming Home Project
America Supports You
Related Articles:
America Supports You Summit Helps Groups Build on Momentum

Sibling Group Helps Others With Loss

By Samantha L. Quigley
American Forces Press Service

For decades, mothers and wives who lost a loved one in combat had a community of others who faced similar feelings to turn to for support.

Today, brothers and sisters of those killed in action have a similar support network.

Karen A. Hickman, of Indiana, founded Gold Star Siblings, Inc., so that siblings of deceased servicemembers had someone to lean on who understands what they're going through. "There has never been an organization just for siblings," she said. "Our goal is to become one voice, to reach out and help the ones trying to deal with such a traumatic loss."

That was something she didn't have when her brother was killed while serving in Vietnam.

"When the funeral took place, I felt like an outsider," Hickman said. "I had to grieve alone and where my parents couldn't see me because I had to be strong for them and my younger brother.
"I have never felt so alone," she added.

Gold Star Siblings grew from those feelings of isolation and Hickman's desire to never let another sibling suffer in silence. And while the members of her organization are not professional counselors, they certainly can understand what many siblings are facing today.

"We are just like (them): confused, angry, sad and always wondering, 'Why him or her, and not me? Why was our world turned upside down?'" she said. "We have been there, and everyday the thought is always with us."

Helping each other through grief, in part, means presenting a Gold Star flag to the oldest sibling, Hickman said. If there are other siblings, they receive Gold Star lapel pins.

If the family requests, Gold Star Sibling members also will stay with them during a servicemember's funeral.

Gold Star Siblings is a new supporter of America Supports You, a Defense Department program connecting citizens and corporations with military personnel and their families serving at home and abroad.

Hickman said she hopes the affiliation will offer her organization exposure and the networking opportunities to let everyone know she and other Gold Star Siblings are there for those who need their help.

Related Sites:
Gold Star Siblings Inc.
America Supports You

Troops get DVD's and cards for Valentine's Day!

What a wonderful idea! I know they must appreciate the movies. There are so many Americans with huge hearts. - HH

Partnership Remembers Troops at Valentine's Day
By Samantha L. Quigley
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Jan. 17, 2008 - Troops serving in Iraq this February will see a little Valentine love from the states thanks to a partnership between a troop-support group and a regional video store.

On Jan. 15, 25 Family Video stores in the Central Illinois area began collecting DVDs and Valentines for the troops, said Eric Schuller, president of Operation Homefront's Illinois chapter. The effort is part of the "Send a Soldier a Movie and a Valentine" campaign, which will end January 29.

Operation Homefront is a supporter of America Supports You, a Defense Department program connecting citizens and corporations with military personnel and their families serving at home and abroad.

"By sending this small gesture of a movie and a Valentine you are showing the men and women in the military that we care for them and what they are doing for us on a daily basis," Schuller said.

Family Video also is providing a card for the Valentine message as well as a $2 discount on any DVD patrons purchase in the store for the program.

Just after the program kicked off, the video chain announced it would match DVD donations one-for-one, Schuller said.

"If we collect 5,000, they'll donate another 5,000," he said. "That's huge."

Raelene Ohanesian, Family Video's director of sales and marketing, said the company is proud to team with Operation Homefront on this project. "Family Video has had a long-standing commitment in supporting the men and women who ensure our freedoms," she added.

For more information on participating in "Send a Soldier a Movie and a Valentine," please visit the Web site of Operation Homefront's Illinois chapter.

Operation Homefront Illinois
America Supports You

Foundation Offers Military Families Financial Help

By Samantha L. Quigley
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Jan. 11, 2008 - Servicemembers on extended deployments can rest easier knowing that if their family experiences an unexpected financial emergency, help is available.

The American Soldier Foundation was created to assist servicemembers on extended duty and their families, Daniel Wright, the organization's president, said. Assistance also can extend to families of those killed in the line of duty.

"We believe that the lives of the men and women keeping our country safe should not be any harder than they have to be," Wright said. "The foundation can provide grants or interest-free loans for medical expenses, education, funeral expenses, marriage counseling, financial planning and a wide variety of other services."

Through its Web site, the organization also offers resources for education, family life, employment and personal finance. Military families can get advice on whether to buy or rent a home, check current mortgage rates or even determine how much a skill set is worth in different job markets.

The American Soldier Foundation recently became a supporter of America Supports You, a Defense Department program connecting citizens and corporations with military personnel and their families serving at home and abroad.

"I think the (affiliation) with America Supports You will provide a lot of exposure for a cause that can never be paid too much attention," Wright said. "There is no more valiant, heroic and, regrettably, too often a thankless job in this world than a (servicemember) in the United States military.

"It is because of these individuals that the rest of us can go to work, raise our families, and keep this country," he added.

America Supports You: Partnership Gives Spouses Gift of Education

By Samantha L. Quigley
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Dec. 28, 2007 - Military spouses now have a larger scholarship pool to draw from, thanks to a new partnership between the National Military Family Association and the Fisher House Foundation.

The collaboration will enable the NMFA to expand its Joanne Holbrook Patton Military Spouse Scholarship Program to many more deserving spouses, association officials said.

"With 55 years of combined experience serving military families, both NMFA and Fisher House Foundation are acutely aware of the challenges and hardships facing today's military families," Tanna Schmidli, chairman of the NMFA's board of governors, said. "We are thrilled to be working together on this very important project supporting military spouses."

Joanne Holbrook Patton Military Spouse Scholarships are awarded to military spouses to obtain professional certification or to attend post-secondary or graduate school. They normally range from $500 to $1,000 and may be used for tuition, fees, and school room and board. Spouses of uniformed servicemembers, including active duty, National Guardsmen, reservists, retirees and survivors of any branch or rank are eligible to apply. Applications will be accepted online at www.nmfa.org/scholarship Jan. 1 through Feb. 29.

"Through our partnership with the Defense Commissary Agency, in seven years, we have been able to provide more than $5.5 million in scholarship grants to more than 3,500 military children," said David A. Coker, president of the Fisher House Foundation. "We are partnering with the NMFA to be able to expand our grants to military spouses."

The National Military Family Association and the Fisher House Foundation are supporters of America Supports You, a Defense Department program connecting citizens and corporations with military personnel and their families serving at home and abroad.

(From a National Military Family Association news release.)

Operation Homefront Seeks Help for Deployed Service Member

Operation Homefront is asking residents and business in the Hinesville, Georgia area for their assistance to help a service member in need.

On December 5, 2007, a 28 year old Army Specialist came home from Iraq on R&R (rest and recuperation) to find his wife had taken everything and left him with an empty house. This soldier has nothing left: no car, no money, no household furnishings, no clothing for himself or his four children, and no Christmas. The children, ranging in ages from 2 to 7, were left with a next door neighbor. To make matters worse for this soldier, two of his children have birthdays coming up this week.

Please consider making a monetary donation to assist this family in need. We are also accepting donations of new or gently used household furnishings, and gift cards from places like, Wal-Mart, Target, and Toys "R" Us".

Please visit our website at www.operationhomefront.net/georgia to donate online or get more information on how you can help. Please mark all donations with case number: GA0700131, so we can ensure funds are directed to this family.

Please help this service member put his life back together for himself and his children and help us get him back in his home in time for Christmas. If you have any questions or need further information, please call Operation Homefront of Georgia at 800-390-2115.