Military Etc….

 

This year’s Army/Navy Game marks the 109th edition of the inter-service rivalry, and the 81st game to be played in Philadelphia. The long-standing tradition of Philadelphia as the home of Army/Navy continues with free activities, events and more!

 

WHEN:    December 6, 2008
WHERE:  Lincoln Financial Field

 

GATES OPEN: 8:15 a.m.

 

Army/Navy Fan Fest   8:15 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. 

HeadHouse Plaza, Lincoln Financial Field- Game ticket required

Join the fun with live music, face painting, interactive games, giveaways, and more.

 

March-On 9:30 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.- Game ticket required
Watch the Brigade of Midshipmen and Corps of Cadets march into Lincoln Financial Field.  This time-honored tradition is a moment to remember.

 

NAVY MARCH-ON BEGINS:  9:30 a.m.

ARMY MARCH-ON BEGINS: 10:00 a.m.

KICK-OFF: 12:00 p.m.

Television Coverage- CBS (National)  www.sportsline.com 

  

HISTORY:

 

The rivalry kicked off 117 years ago when Cadet Dennis Mahan Michie accepted a “challenge” from the Naval Academy and the two squads faced off on The Plain at West Point on November 29, 1890 (Navy had been playing organized football since 1879, and came out on top of the newly-established Army squad). Ever since, through those many years of intense cheers, unforgettable plays and climactic moments, the Army/Navy rivalry has been etched into the minds of countless fans and followers. All it takes is a visit to West Point or Annapolis, where everything (from the finely manicured hedges to the chant following grace-before-meals) proclaims “Beat Navy” or “Beat Army,” to understand how deeply ingrained this rivalry actually is.

 

Even the history of the 10 times that the game was not played tells the story of Army/Navy passion. The game was canceled once (1909) when Army canceled its entire schedule after the death of Cadet Eugene Byrne in the game against Harvard, twice during World War I on orders from the War Department (1917 and 1918), and twice when the academies could not agree on player eligibility standards (1928 and 1929).

 

However, the longest and perhaps most telling interruption (from 1894-1898) occurred only a few years after the rivalry’s inception. Following a reputed incident between a Rear Admiral and a Brigadier General, which nearly led to a duel after the 1893 Navy victory, President Cleveland called a Cabinet meeting in late February 1894. When the meeting ended, Secretary of the Navy Hillary A. Herbert, and Secretary of War, Daniel S. Lamont, issued general orders to their respective Academies stating that other teams would be allowed to visit Annapolis and West Point to conduct football games, but the Army and Navy football teams were “prohibited in engaging in games elsewhere.” In other words, Army and Navy were restricted to home games and, consequently, from playing each other. For the next five years, the explosive rivalry was defused.

 

In 1899, Philadelphia was chosen as a neutral locale to host the Army/Navy Game and begin the rivalry anew. Franklin Field was the site of this game, and through the 20th and now 21st century, Municipal Stadium (later JFK Stadium), Veterans Stadium and Lincoln Financial Field have all staged Army/Navy in Philadelphia. As the rivalry has moved into the new millennium, Philadelphia has continued to be the primary host of the storied series and the home of the game.

 

I am recruiting for the Soldiers’ Angels Ladies of Liberty team - Females supporting Females. If you or friends are interested in getting involved with supporting our female service members, please follow the instructions below!! 

 

This team focuses on the needs of deployed female service members. Our organization understands that females are instrumental in the current war (as in the past), and make special efforts to support them in their missions while showcasing our appreciation for their service. We assist with supplies for their unique health and hygiene needs, and help them experience a few pampering moments to rejuvenate and ‘be good to themselves.’

HISTORY:
Soldiers’ Angels has found a new niche in assisting our deployed service members with a team called Ladies of Liberty.

Almost two million women in America’s history have been veterans–from the American Revolution to Panama, Bosnia, Kosovo, Afghanistan and Iraq, women have served in some way in every American conflict. Thirty-three thousand women served in WWI, and almost 500,000 took part in WWII. During the Korean era, 120,000 women were in uniform, and 7,000 were deployed in-theater during Vietnam. In Desert Storm, seven percent of the total U.S. forces deployed were women - over 40,000 personnel.

 In terms of the scope of women serving our country, Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom are no different than past conflicts. At least 160,000 female service members have fought or are currently fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan. Today’s heroic deployed women–whose patriotism, courage and perseverance are shaping the nation on a daily basis–are in the same tradition of strength as those who served previously in this special sisterhood.
 

American women in uniform patrol bomb-ridden highways, stand duty at checkpoints shouldering M-16s and raid houses in insurgent-contested towns. These Ladies of Liberty are our daughters, sisters, wives, mothers and best friends. True to all teams that are formed within the Soldiers’ Angels organization, we are committed to make our service members feel the appreciation and gratitude of a nation.

This program originated in a University of North Dakota Women’s Studies class taught by Shelle Michaels in the 2006 summer session. The students originally adopted 24 females from the North Dakota Army National Guard (1-188th ADA JLENS and SECFOR).

On a national level, we moved into a support base via Soldiers’ Angels in May 2008. Since that start, we have send thousands of dollars worth of support and priceless amonts of care, love and appreciation to our female service members.

HOW TO START:

FIRST: Please send our Angel Team Director, Diane Fairben your information. She will maintain our team registration spreadsheet. Her email is LadiesofLibertyAngels@gmail.com.�

She will need name, address, city, phone, email, birthday (we take care of our team members as well) and anything you would like to share about yourself…….for our own records.

 Diane will send your information to the team leader who will then give you the names and details for your specific team. You will hear from your team leader within a few days (remember we are all volunteers!)

SECOND: Please send to me a mini-profile of yourself, with your name, state, photo and anything else that you would like to share. I will put that on our blog for others to see our amazing team - shellemichaels@msn.com. I do not put your full name on the blog, nor do I share information as per your home town or if you send me information about your children. If you choose not to have this information on our blog, that is fine, we respect your privacy.

DETAILS ABOUT TEAM FOCUS:

Just like any of the other teams at Soldiers’ Angels, this is additional support for our servicemembers. Our Sunshine Angel sends out a welcome letter/needs list to each woman that is submitted to us. As we get this information back, I send it to Rita who maintains our databases for our teams. She will fill in the blanks as closely as she can so we can best support the needs and wants of our Ladies of Liberty. REMEMBER- we don’t always get DETAILS about the service members we are supporting. It is usually the ones we have such little information about that truly need the support. 

TEAM INFORMATION:

 

You will be assigned to a team that has the following breakdown of LADIES:

50 service members to individually pick and choose from…

ONE deployed unit of about 25 women

ONE unit that has not yet deployed that you will support as you desire.
 

One Director- Shelle Michaels
One Angels Coordinator- Diane
One Ladies Coordinator- Rita
One Sunshine Angel- Ann

 

There are ten teams
One Team leader
One deployed unit
One unit that is training for deployment                                                                                                                                         Minimum- 85 Angels per team
Minimum- 50 individual Ladies of Liberty per team

Feel free to send one package to one service member each month, cards to all, packages to many, whatever you desire. You will not individually be assigned a name of a service member, you will get to pick  and choose as you desire. The names will remain the same until someone has redeployed and  returned home, new names will be added to the list of support due to the deployment factor as they are submitted to us.
A further explanation of the different focuses within at this point:
We have one deployed unit per each team and one deploying unit per each team that we will support. Upon return of a unit, we will add a new unit.

DEPLOYED GROUP LIST: Ideally each team member will send one package or letter to the deployed unit we are supporting each month. If everyone sends something, anything, then that unit will have full support. Your team leader will know of special requests and projects ongoing with that team.

Each month please send SOMETHING – a package, cards, letters to YOUR DEPLOYED UNIT. All their support packages are shipped to their POC (point of contact). These people are in the know of who is not receiving care from home and distributes the goods accordingly.

DEPLOYING GROUP LIST: Write a note of support or fun to the Point of Contact that is gearing up for deployment  (we may not always have this list.)

SINGLE LIST- which allows you to pick and choose names off the list provided. You may want to send a package to one or letters to all of the ladies on the rotation list. Pick a name and send her TLC!! One, some….. all. It depends on you! You may want to stick with the same lady, or not……This part is really up to you.

 
ADDITIONAL SUPPORT: HOLIDAYS, BIRTHDAYS and additional support to the Ladies or fundraising efforts for our team: When we are made aware of a situation, we will send special requests to ALL registered team Angels to get involved as they can.

The following kinds of items are just a start per ideas for our adopted ladies:

We Support You - letters, cards, notes, stationery from you or for them to use.                                    

Personal care - feminine hygiene materials, shower gel, waterproof mascara, clear lip gloss, DEEP conditioner, facial lotion, lotion and vitamins, tooth paste/brush, floss, etc.
Pampering items - spa items, body scrub, nail polish (for toes) and facial masks, etc.
Hair care - hair bands (brown, black or beige to match hair color), brushes, shampoo and conditioner, etc.
Leisure materials - books, magazines and ‘chick flicks’ (movies), etc.
Nutrition- nutrition bars, mini meals (to pack in rucks for missions), crackers, etc,
Crave It - Chocolate (October to May only or M & Ms do not melt), salty, sweet– think about some of the things you crave ONCE A MONTH– yup- they do too.

The Little things that make us smile - going to the park and picking a few flowers and pressing them, a pack of gum, a photo you took.                                                                                                                                 A Sip of Comfort- tea, coffee, hot chocolate, and a nice mug to go along with it;
 

 COMMUNICATION:
When communicating with these ladies, start out by saying that you are a member of Soldiers’ Angels Ladies of Liberty and ‘Shelle Michaels the Director of Ladies of Liberty sent you!’�

The only way you should be using the email addresses for any of our ladies is if you have sent them a snail mail with your info and they have replied back that it is ok to email them. If all team Angels start emailing them, even if it takes a minute to read and a minute to respond- that is 3 hours that they could have been communicating with their family or getting some sleep. Not all of our Ladies have unlimited access to a computer so, please refrain from emailing them, unless they have said it was OK.

If you receive communication from your lady, and she has given you the email address- please share that with your team leader so we can update our records. Also, if they tell you anything about themselves, forward that to the team leader. They in turn will send the information to Rita our Ladies Coordinator and to Ann our Sunshine Angel, again so we can assure we maintain close records.

Please get their birthdays from them as soon as you can from them so we can assist in celebrating their big day - We send them a www.bakemeawish.com cake!

Also let us know if they mention when they are coming home so we can get this into our data base as well.

You will need to send in a monthly report to your team leader. This is for Ladies of Liberty Related Support only. Other teams such as the Letter Writing Team or the Wounded Service member support ARE SEPARATE TEAMS—and you need to report into your team leader for those teams.

 Your team leader will send you a monthly report form and what we need to know is:                                  How many packages did you send and approximate content- and to who.

How many letters/cards did you send and to who.

Did you do any Angel outreach- give a presentation?

Article in the paper?

The reason we have monthly reports– is we monitor who is getting packages, thus far it is evening out perfectly but if I see anyone NOT getting support, I will then drop ship a package from the warehouse for them.

 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Our information is available: http://soldiersangels.org/index.php?page=ladies-of-liberty.

Our blog is: www.SoldiersAngelsLadiesofLiberty.com

We are on the Soldiers’ Angels Forum  to share ideas- www.soldiersangelsforum.com (scroll down to Ladies of Liberty.) You have the opportunity to talk and share ideas with others and get to know other Angels. Because not all Angels like going to the Forums - www.soldiersangelsforum.com, (although within Soldiers’ Angels reading the forums for updates is encouraged), you will receive all the information that you truly need to be successful from your team leader.

 

The blog is the only place where I can post photos- and I have this as an outreach tool to get more people involved. If they see what we are doing, they are more apt to join our team. The Ladies over there check this blog frequently- so if you have overall support messages that you want to share, feel free to email me and ask me to send to the blog.
 

 SMALL ADDITIONAL DETAILS:

 LoL in our case does NOT mean Laughing out Loud. It means Ladies of Liberty. HAHAHAH means laughing out loud!! haha!!  

I encourage you to be on the lookout for great opportunities (corporate sponsors, fundraisers etc) to support our females. I will pursue the leads that you give to me with our Soldiers’ Angels Development team. If you get the website, contact information, product information and grant or donation form (great) - the more information that you locate the better. I will work with the Development Team to assure the best options are utilized.

Reminder that you can not solicit money for anything you are working on. All funds donated must be shipped to Soldiers’ Angels. For anyone that knows anything about non-profits, it is very important that all donations as accounted for, as the IRS is very particular about this.

Soldiers Angels
1792 E. Washington Blvd
Pasadena, Ca 91104
Soldiers Angels Code of Ethics

Our community of Soldiers Angels is widespread and diverse, which is a very important aspect of our success. Like the military we serve, we must hold ourselves to a higher standard, and pledge to respect our deployed troops, their families and loved ones, as well as our fellow Angels at all times.

As we grow larger and attract so many new members, we need to remind everyone that each Angel must adhere to the following Soldiers’ Angels code of ethics and conduct:

Any information regarding the troops, their families, their loved ones or other Angels, including images, is confidential within the organization.

Any monies or other items donated to an Angel for Soldiers’ Angels shall be held in trust by the Angel and forwarded to Soldiers’ Angels as soon as practicable.

Angels should not request monies or items to be sent to their homes unless they have first received administrative approval.

Angels must not use their Soldiers’ Angels’ lists, addresses, emails or other information for any unsolicited email (including but not limited to: political, religious, personal sales emails or spam, etc.) Every Angel will learn how and use exclusively BCC in all emails.

Soldiers’ Angels must always be a safe place for soldiers, their families and loved ones to seek support. Anything of a sexual or pornographic nature or racial or religious slurs of any kind will not be tolerated. This also includes email addresses or Forum names of a suggestive nature.

Angels will not use the Soldiers’ Angels name, logo, email lists, addresses, or other Soldiers’ Angels information in the distribution or the display of any material that is deemed offensive by Soldiers’ Angels Administration. Logo approval is needed prior to use.

No Angel shall seek to impose their own personal, political or religious beliefs upon our troops, their families, or their loved ones.

Just as with the troops we support, each Angel will be held to the highest standard of ethical conduct in dealing with our troops, their families and loved ones.

Holding ourselves to the highest standard will ensure the future of our work and will allow us to continue our relationships with the military, military families, other support groups, and the multitude of individuals and organizations that support our mission through their financial and other contributions.

All Angels are expected to abide by this code of ethics and conduct.

Thank you for all that you do for our military, military families and veterans. Angel miracles happen every day!

With my love and thanks to all Angels,

Patti Patton Bader
Founder�
Wingtip-to-Wingtip,
Shelle Michaels
Soldiers’ Angels National Communication Officer
Ladies of Liberty Team Director

ShelleMichaels@msn.com

www.soldiersangels.org
www.SoldiersAngelsLadiesofLiberty.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“I owe a great debt of gratitude to those that risk their

lives, some having paid the ultimate sacrifice, so that I

may enjoy “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”

The least that I can do is say “Thank You!”

~ Emily Custer

 

To listen to the song and watch the video please click on www.EmilyCuster.com

THANK YOU

 

– written, composed and sang by Emily Custer.

From the start of our great nation to where I am today,

Americans have bravely risked their lives for liberty.

Serving our great country in the air, on land, or sea,

Just to pass this priceless treasure down to me.

Chorus

Thank you, I just want to say “Thank you.”

You sacrificed, you paid the price, ’cause freedom is not free.

For the pain and tears, across the years of our

nation’s history, From my heart, I say, “Thank you,”

for the gift of liberty.

Somewhere a child, a wife, a mother waits in anguished pain,

For fear their loved one won’t be coming home to them again.

Courageous ones have written freedom’s story with their blood.

To these heroes of my heart, I humbly say…

Chorus

Today, I live in freedom, thanks to those who’ve fought and died,

Who willingly have risked their lives and made the sacrifice.

I proudly stand behind those, who’ve answered duty’s call.

As Americans, I hope we all will say…

Chorus

From my heart, I say, “Thank you,” for the gift of liberty.

“Thank you.”

There are so many wonderful organizations and programs available to aid our military families. At MilitaryConnection.com, we are pleased to connect you with yet another great opportunity…

ESA Foundation and ThanksUSA Partner to Aid Military Families

Treasure Hunt Serves to Generate Donations to Annual Scholarship Fund

 

The ESA Foundation and ThanksUSA will unveil Treasure Hunt Four, a free trivia and puzzle game about American history, culture and values, on Thanksgiving morning, the organizations announced today.  The Treasure Hunt series, now in its fourth year, serves to generate donations to ThanksUSA’s annual scholarship fund to benefit the children and spouses of active-duty military personnel.

 

The ESA Foundation, the charitable arm of the Entertainment Software Association (ESA), will sponsor Treasure Hunt Four as part of a new three-year partnership with ThanksUSA that aims to increase the number of scholarships available to these families.

 

“This is a remarkable opportunity to express our gratitude to America’s servicemen and women and their families for their courageous sacrifices,” said Michael D. Gallagher, president and CEO of the ESA. “We look forward to working with ThanksUSA to expand the opportunities for military families to pursue their dreams of higher education.”

 

Treasure Hunt Four, which features more than 300 questions on a variety of states plus branches of the U.S. armed forces, will officially launch at 12 a.m. on November 27, 2008, Thanksgiving morning.  Once the game ends on August 15, 2009, ThanksUSA will award prizes, including laptops and gift certificates, to the winner of each game “chapter.”  Contestants may access the game at www.ThanksUSA.org.

 

“We are delighted to have the video game industry’s support in this important endeavor,” said ThanksUSA Executive Director Michele Stork.  “The ESA Foundation’s contributions to our scholarship fund demonstrate the industry’s commitment to making a positive difference in the lives of people across America.”

 

ThanksUSA is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing need-based, post-secondary educational opportunities to the children and spouses of active-duty military personnel.  Founded in 2005 by McLean, Va., sisters Rachel and Kelsi Okun, ThanksUSA has awarded approximately $5 million in scholarships to more than 1,750 families across all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

 

The ESA Foundation was created by the American interactive entertainment software industry to support and provide opportunities that can make a difference in the lives of America’s youth. The Foundation is fully supported by proceeds from its limited edition charity game pack’s sales and its annual fundraiser, “A Nite to Unite – for Kids,” which together have raised more than $11 million in the last 10 years. For more information about the ESA Foundation, please visit www.theESA.com/foundation.

All the preparations for this year are in place! Return on Christmas Eve to track St. Nick on his magical flight around the world! Until then, come back each day to receive updates from the North Pole and to discover new surprises in the Kids’ Countdown.

For more than 50 years, NORAD and its predecessor, the Continental Air Defense Command (CONAD) have tracked Santa’s Christmas Eve flight.

The tradition began in 1955 after a Colorado Springs-based Sears Roebuck & Co. advertisement for children to call Santa misprinted the telephone number. Instead of reaching Santa, the phone number put kids through to the CONAD Commander-in-Chief’s operations “hotline.” The Director of Operations at the time, Colonel Harry Shoup, had his staff check radar for indications of Santa making his way south from the North Pole. Children who called were given updates on his location, and a tradition was born.
In 1958, the governments of Canada and the United States created a bi-national air defense command for North America called the North American Aerospace Defense Command, also known as NORAD. NORAD inherited the tradition of tracking Santa.

Since that time, NORAD men, women, family and friends have selflessly volunteered their time to personally respond to Christmas Eve phone calls and emails from children. In addition, we now track Santa using the internet. Last year, millions of people who wanted to know Santa’s whereabouts visited the NORAD Tracks Santa website.

Finally, media from all over the world rely on NORAD as a trusted source to provide Christmas Eve updates on Santa’s journey.
www.noradsanta.org
Video Release
http://pentagontv.feedroom.com?fr_story=c0fdfa95a8e78077fa8557bb16f738b88f84cee4&rf=rss

A senior Air Force officer said that by the end of September 2011, the goal is to have 50 unmanned combat air patrols operating 24 hours a day, largely over Iraq and Afghanistan. Currently there are 30.

To generate the pilots for the increased flights, the Air Force hopes to create separate pilot pipelines for its manned and unmanned aircraft, said Col. Curt Sheldon, assistant to the director of air operations for unmanned aircraft issues. Until now, Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) pilots have had to complete at least one tour of flight duty before moving to the drone jobs.

Predators are playing a crucial role on the battlefields in Iraq and Afghanistan, providing real-time surveillance video to troops on the ground, targeting and firing Hellfire anti-tank missiles at militants, and homing in on enemy efforts to plant roadside bombs.

In North Dakota, officials announced in August that the University of North Dakota has a share in a $50 million Air Force contract to train Predator pilots, working with a team of global defense and aviation technology companies. The school also plans a four-year degree program for students who want careers in fields involving unmanned aerial systems.

To date, the Air Force has been using experienced fighter pilots to operate the drones. But as the demand has skyrocketed, the service has struggled to find enough pilots to fill both the manned and unmanned jobs.

Meanwhile, the test program for non-pilots is aimed at Air Force captains who have four to six years of experience, but no flight training. Their schooling would take up to nine months, and they would not have to meet all of the more stringent standards that jet fighter pilots must.

 

 

 

by Jeff Seeber

 The Military Salute Project has released the UNITED STATES FLAG MANUAL, a 45-page comprehensive summary of the Flag Code, public laws, Executive Orders, Presidential proclamations, DoD directives and military protocol regarding our flag.

Topics covered include the history of the U.S. Flag, regulations for its use, the order of precedence, illustrated guidelines for display, positioning of flag patches and pins, displaying the flag on vehicles, how to fold the flag, half-staff information, and military salute protocol.

Other subjects include information about the POW/MIA flag, the Blue Star flag, and the flags of the states and territories. The manual is free and can be downloaded from links on this page: http://www.veteranstoday.com/article4008.html

“For those of us that spend HUNDREDS of DOLLARS a month  in shipping packages to our CHAMPIONS OF FREEDOM…. this is important to know…” ~ Shelle Michaels, Soldiers’ Angels

New Annual January Price Change Consistent with Industry Practices

WASHINGTON, DC —Pricing for shipping services will change on Sunday, Jan. 18, the Postal Service announced today following a vote by its Board of Governors.

“The move to annual January price changes for shipping services products is consistent with industry-wide practice, and provides a clear picture of the competitive, affordable prices the Postal Service offers,” said Robert Bernstock, president, Mailing and Shipping Services.

Prices will change on Sunday, Jan. 18, for Express Mail, Priority Mail, Parcel Select, Parcel Return Service and some international shipping products. Overall, shipping services prices will increase an average of 5 percent. The new prices are available at www.usps.com/prices (click “New Shipping Prices” box).

“The new prices are very competitive within the shipping industry and reinforce the value Postal Service pricing offers our customers,” Bernstock said. “As always, the Postal Service does not impose fuel surcharges, hidden surcharges or surcharges for residential delivery or Saturday delivery.”

New for 2009 is Commercial Plus pricing, an extraordinary value for high-volume Express Mail and Priority Mail users. New Commercial Plus prices for Express Mail are 14.5 percent less than retail on average, and for Priority Mail 7 percent less than retail on average.

“Commercial Plus is a tiered pricing option designed with larger shippers in mind,” said Gary Reblin, vice president, Expedited Shipping. “It’s a very competitive offering for commercial customers — lower prices that will reward them for shipping higher volumes with the Postal Service.”

The Postal Service remains the best shipping value in the market, Reblin said, especially for Express Mail and Priority Mail packages weighing less than 5 pounds. Parcel Select, the Postal Service “last mile” ground product, where the Postal Service provides delivery for other parcel shippers and parcel consolidators, continues to be an excellent solution for high-volume shippers. For international mailers, Global Express Guaranteed, Express Mail International and Priority Mail International are the best value in global shipping.

Service
Average Price Change

Express Mail
5.7%

Priority Mail
3.9%

Parcel Select
5.9%

Parcel Return Service
5.3%

International Shipping Services
8.5%

This is the first time the Postal Service is adjusting prices for its shipping services on a different schedule from its mailing service price adjustments. Price changes for mailing services, including stamp prices, will be announced in February, and will be effective in May 2009.

4th Annual Project Valour-IT Fundraising Competition

Milbloggers have united across the globe for a friendly competition to raise funds for a project that has become very near and dear to their hearts. Many of them have been personally touched by the project called Valour IT.

Project Valour-IT supplies voice-controlled laptops and other technology that supports the physical and psychological recovery of wounded veterans.  Each year the MilBloggers help spread the word about the project and encourage people to get on board by donating through PayPal on their blog.  Teams are divided by service branch in a spirit of fun competition, though all the money goes to the same place.

Project Valour-IT, in memory of SFC William V. Ziegenfuss, helps provide voice-controlled/adaptive laptop computers and other technology to support Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines recovering from hand wounds and other severe injuries.  Technology supplied includes:

• Voice-controlled Laptops - Operated by speaking into a microphone or using other adaptive technologies, they allow the wounded to maintain connections with the rest of the world during recovery.
• Wii Video Game Systems - Whole-body game systems increase motivation and speed recovery when used under the guidance of physical therapists in therapy sessions.
• Personal GPS - Handheld GPS devices build self-confidence and independence by compensating for short-term memory loss and organizational challenges related to TBI and severe PTSD.

The experience of Major Chuck Ziegenfuss, a partner in the project who suffered serious hand wounds while serving in Iraq, illustrates how important these laptops and other technologies can be to a wounded service member’s recovery.

Please click here and here to learn more about this amazing project and the bloggers who make it happen!

Team Leaders:

Army Team Leader: Blackfive

Air Force Team Leader: Mudville Gazette

Coast Guard Team Leader: CG Blog

Marine Corps Team Leader: Doc Russia

Navy Team Leaders: Boston Maggie and Information Dissemination

This competition lasts until the day after Thanksgiving…check back to see if your “team” won. But, in this competition, everyone wins, especially our wounded heroes.

[Note: Soldiers' Angels welcomes the support of so many wonderful bloggers who have made Project Valour-IT possible, but does not endorse any political content, neither are "teams" in this competition endorsed or sponsored by the DoD.]

Dunwoody Promotion Video

Gen. Ann E. Dunwoody

The story coming from WASHINGTON  by Robert Burns - The Associated Press

- Call it breaking the brass ceiling. Ann E. Dunwoody, after 33 years in the Army, ascended November 14, 2008 to a peak never before reached by a woman in the U.S. military: four-star general. At an emotional promotion ceremony, Dunwoody looked back on her years in uniform and said it was a credit to the Army - and a great surprise to her - that she would make history in a male-dominated military.

“Thirty-three years after I took the oath as a second lieutenant, I have to tell you this is not exactly how I envisioned my life unfolding,” she told a standing-room-only auditorium crowd. “Even as a young kid, all I ever wanted to do was teach physical education and raise a family.

“It was clear to me that my Army experience was just going to be a two-year detour en route to my fitness profession,” she added. “So when asked, `Ann, did you ever think you were going to be a general officer, to say nothing about a four-star?’ I say, `Not in my wildest dreams.’

“There is no one more surprised than I - except, of course, my husband. You know what they say, `Behind every successful woman there is an astonished man.’ “

In an Associated Press interview after the ceremony, Gen. George Casey, the Army’s chief of staff, said that if there is one thing that distinguishes Dunwoody it is her lifetime commitment to excelling in uniform.

“If you talk to leaders around the Army and say, `What do you think about Ann Dunwoody?’ almost unanimously you get: `She’s a soldier,’” Casey said, adding that he admires the fact that, “she’s a soldier first.”

Dunwoody, 55, hails from a family of military men dating back to the 1800s. Her father, 89-year-old Hal Dunwoody - a decorated veteran of World War II, the Korean War and Vietnam - was in the audience, along with the service chiefs of the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines, plus the Joint Chiefs chairman, Adm. Mike Mullen.

Dunwoody, whose husband, Craig Brotchie, served for 26 years in the Air Force, choked up at times during a speech in which she said she only recently realized how much her accomplishment means to others.

“This promotion has taken me back in time like no other event in my entire life,” she said. “And I didn’t appreciate the enormity of the events until tidal waves of cards, letters, and e-mails started coming my way.

“And I’ve heard from men and women, from every branch of service, from every region of our country, and every corner of the world. I’ve heard from moms and dads who see this promotion as a beacon of home for their own daughters and after affirmation that anything is possible through hard work and commitment.

“And I’ve heard from women veterans of all wars, many who just wanted to say congratulations; some who just wanted to say thanks; and still others who just wanted to say they were so happy this day had finally come.”

In remarks opening Dunwoody’s Pentagon ceremony, Defense Secretary Robert Gates underscored the tradition of military service in Dunwoody’s family, spanning five generations, beginning with her great-grandfather, Brig. Gen. Henry Harrison Chase Dunwoody, who graduated from West Point in 1866 and was the chief signal officer in Cuba from 1898 to 1901.

“As she’s been known to say, olive drab runs in her veins,” Gates said.

Later Friday, at Fort Belvoir, Va. - her birthplace - Dunwoody was sworn in as commander of the Army Materiel Command, responsible for equipping, outfitting and arming all U.S. soldiers across the globe. Just five months ago, she became the first female deputy commander there.

Dunwoody was nominated by President George W. Bush in June for promotion to four-star rank, and she was confirmed by the Senate in July.

There are 21 female general officers in the Army - all but four at the one-star rank of brigadier. It was not until 1970 that the Army had its first one-star: Anna Mae Hays, chief of the Army Nurse Corps.

Women now make up about 14 percent of the active-duty Army and are allowed to serve in a wide variety of assignments. They are still excluded from units designed primarily to engage in direct combat, such as infantry and tank units, but their opportunities have expanded over the past two decades.

At a Pentagon news conference following her promotion ceremony, Dunwoody was asked whether she believed women should be allowed to serve in the infantry and whether women’s role in the Army should otherwise be expanded.

“I don’t have a personal view on it,” she replied. “I think we have a law that precludes that (serving in the infantry) right now, and we are in compliance with that law. If that law needs to be revisited, I think we have a deliberate process to do that.”

 

Dunwoody, 55, who comes from a family of high-ranking military men dating back to the 19th century, is now the highest ranking woman ever in any branch of the military.

Born in 1953 at Fort Belvoir, Va., and growing up a military “brat,” Dunwoody until yesterday was the service’s second highest ranking woman. She will head up U.S. Army Materiel Command.

Dunwoody was commissioned in 1975 after graduating from State University of New York at Cortland in 1975. She also holds two masters degrees.

 

Her first assignment was to Fort Sill, as supply platoon leader in June 1976, and she remained at Sill in various positions until she was sent to quartermaster officer school at Fort Lee, Va., in July 1980.

She later served in Germany and Saudi Arabia.

After graduating from the Command and General Staff College in 1987, she was assigned to Fort Bragg, N.C., where she became the 82nd Airborne Division’s first female battalion commander.

 

Among her many military decorations are the Distinguished Service Medal, several Meritorious Service Medals, Kuwait Liberation Medals from service during Desert Storm, and a master parachutist badge.

Until Dunwoody pinned on her fourth star, the top woman officer in the military was recognized to be:

Coast Guard Vice. Adm. Viven S. Crea, a three-star flag officer since 2006.

Some, however, can argue that Crea remains at the top by virtue of her position as Coast Guard vice-commandant, which makes her second in command overall of that service.

With her husband, a 26-year Air Force veteran looking on, Dunwoody, a 33 year veteran, ascended to the peak military rank 41 years after general and flag ranks were opened to women.

Prior to 1967, the highest rank women could attain was colonel. In 1970, Anna May Hays became the first woman to earn the star of a brigadier general when she became chief of the Army Nurse Corps.

Women from all branches of the military began making three-star rank in the mid to late 1990s, and it has continued into the “double noughts.”

The first woman to reach three-star rank in the U.S. armed forces was now-retired Marine Lt. Gen. Carol A. Mutter in 1996.

The first woman soldier to reach that rank was Army Lt. Gen. Claudia Kennedy in 1997, who retired three years later after 31 years of service.

Vice Adm. Patricia Ann Tracey, who retired in 2004, was the Navy’s first vice admiral.

Air Force Lt. Gen. Leslie Kenne, who retired in 2003, in 1999 became that service’s first woman three-star general.

 

 

The Army Times has a fantastic interview with Gen. Ann Dunwoody that is available to read here:

www.armytimes.com/news/2008/11/defense_111708_intvw_Dunwoodyw/