2nd Soldiers' Holiday Care Package - Contents & Accounting

The contents for the second Soldiers' Holiday Care Package, of Fall/Winter 2010, will consist of:

One 10 pack of Hi-Chews (another fruit flavored candy)

One 30 count box of Funbites (a berry flavored all natural candy)

One box of Bicycle playing cards containing a dozen decks of cards

One 40 pack of Doublemint chewing gum (not 40 sticks of gum but 40 packs of gum with 5 sticks each)

One box of 100 Slim Jims (I am going to triple check to make sure these are not prohibited, if they are not allowed I will refund the money back to the donation account and I will get fatter eating them)

The above, with tax, went for $52.09.

Then a separate purchase was made of the following:

Two boxes of Sancho Panza Double Maduro Cigars, 8 per box.

The cigars went for $58.85.

The total price for the contents of this package was: $110.94 (not including shipping which I will pay for out of my pocket). Click on the image of the receipts to enlarge it (the image shows both receipts).

So far I have received a total of $175 gross or $168.42 after the PayPal fees were deducted. I contributed $25 to this care package above what I will pay for shipping. That means of the $110.94 cost of the contents of this package, $25 came from me and the remaining $85.94 came from the donations I have received. That leaves a remaining total of $82.94 in donations. That, along with my future cash input of about $25 per package from my pocket, should be about enough to fill two or three care packages that do not contain any higher priced items like the cigars.

I am hopeful, that once again as in past years, I will be able to buy some decent folding knives to include in the care packages from us. If I am going to be able to do that then I probably am going to have to depend upon some additional donations. If you have not donated anything yet, and if you can spare a little something, please do so. The link is on the right hand side of my blog near the top in the red area.

By the way, if you are waiting to hit the lottery before you donate, or if you are waiting for the moment you can scrape something together because you are hard up for cash, please forget about it. I only am asking for something you can spare and am not trying to twist your arm. A ten spot or a fiver would be nice but I will gladly accept a dollar - but please, only if you can spare it. More than that is always acceptable too but again only if you can spare it. Let me tell you, it humbles me each time I receive anything toward these packages especially during these hard times. Anything I receive will go toward the cost of the contents of the packages and toward what I believe, and I am sure you believe, is a good cause. That cause is helping make it easier for some of our men and women who are on foreign soil, in hostile lands, and are in harm's way while they are making the world safer for us.

All the best,
Glenn B

Soldiers' Holiday Care Packages - Update 11/11/2010

As you are aware the first package went out awhile back, I think it was on October 30th. I have not received any confirmation that it was received nor have I received a return to the emails I sent to my assigned soldier. This is the first time a soldier has not replied to me. Maybe he does not have email available to him right now, if not I trust he will send me a letter letting me know the package was received. Hopefully all is well with him. If I hear from him, I will let you know.

I have some items for the second package together. It mostly consists of snacks but there are also two boxes of 8 cigars each going into this care package. I don't know the size of Mike's unit but I am hopeful that 16 cigars will be enough to allow everyone in his unit to get at least one. Five cent cigars these are not, I think the total for 18 of them was almost $60. I hope I picked good ones, they are a maduro (dark wrapper) type. Cigars I have sent in the past have always been a big hit. These may make it in time for Thanksgiving; I will try to mail the package out tomorrow (post office is closed today). When I mail out the package, I will post a listing of all of its contents as usual.

All the best,
Glenn B.

Frank Woodruff Buckles - The Only Surviving American Veteran...

...of World War One is 109 years old (born February 1, 1901) but is still active in his pursuit of doing right by America and is a true patriot. Just yesterday, Mr. Buckles urged Congress to pass legislation to create a national memorial in Washington DC dedicated to those who fought in WWI. Can you imagine that there were 5 milion Americans who served in WWI and there is no national memorial for them? Mr. Buckles is the sole surviving American to have served during WWI out of 5 million Americans who did likewise. Now try to imagine, just for a moment, how it must feel to be the sole representative of 5 million other brave Americans and to realize that some 92 years after that war ended, our country has still not seen fit to erect a memorial to the brave soldiers, sailors, marines and airmen who served us then. I would imagine he might be frustrated and disappointed to say the least, maybe even mad as hell but one thing is for certain - he is not a quitter and has not given up the fight.

As for me, I never realized there was no national memorial in DC for those who served in WWI (shame on me). Well, here I go, once again I am about to ask you to contact your U.S. Senators and Representatives and maybe even the president. Send emails, write letters, call them on the phone and urge them to pass legislation to create, and then to actually erect, a memorial to those who served in WWI before the very last veteran of that war is gone. You can also go to the site of The WWI Memorial Foundation to make a donation to the group that is striving to have such a memorial dedicated to those who went through: The War To End All Wars. As a nation, we owe it to them, it would be right that at least one of them gets to see it done before he too is listed among the missing.

Mr. Buckles, my hat goes off to you sir. I salute you and must tell you it is an honor to realize that there are citizens in our country as patriotic as are you. Keep up the fight sir. I am hopeful that the memorial to those who served in WWI will be achieved for you to see!

All the best,
Glenn B

Note: I am not sure how timely is the following info but it is what I came across regarding WWI vets. There are only 3 surviving veterans of WWI worldwide (who joined the military before the armistice which was effected on November 11, 1918 ) and there is one WWI era survivor (who joined after the armistice but before the Treaty of Versailles was signed.) Each has their own story, see the following links. Frank Woodruff Buckles is the only WWI Veteran from the United States of America. The other two who went through the war as servicemen/woman are: Florence Beatrice Green of England born February 19, 1901 and Claude Stanley Choules of Australia born March 3, 1901). Amazingly all three are born within a month and a couple of days of one another. The one WWI era veteran is Jozef Kowalski of Poland, born February 2, 1900. He was born a year earlier than the others but it must say something for being born in February or early March. See this link for more info:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_surviving_veterans_of_World_War_I

That there is no national memorial in our nation's capital for those who served in WWI is a terrible shame. Let's get that righted. The below is the text of the emails I sent to my two senators and one representative in Congress:

"I urge you to take immediate action toward the creation of a National Memorial in Washington D.C. dedicated to those brave Americans who served in WWI. The reason I urge immediate action is because there is only a single surviving American veteran of WWI and it would be right and fitting to have the memorial legislated, budgeted and erected while he, the sole representative of so many who served in that war, is alive to see it. Frank Woodruff Buckles is that sole WWI American veteran and he is 109 years old. Surely his time on earth is short but he is still with us and still fighting for what is right and just relative to the other 5 million Americans who served in that war. I urge you to take action before it is too late, before the last surviving American Veteran of WWI is listed among the missing!"

HAPPY VETERANS' DAY

To each and everyone of you who have served the United States of America in her military service, I send out my most sincere wish that you have a happy Veterans' Day.

For any of you of any nation and old enough to have been in the first big one, the one for which todays' holiday was created when it was originally called Armistice Day, and I know there cannot be many of you left, I wish you happiness and good health at the 11th hour on the 11th day of the 11th month. God bless you.

All the best,
Glenn B

Anvils Away : Coolest One (Their title but actually it is pretty darned cool at that!)

I have found something I must strive to do before I die though the only anvil I own is about 3 or 4 inches long. So, I have no idea where I would get two anvils of proper size but if I ever do run across a pair, well I sure know where to get the black powder. After seeing how high the darned thing went, I have no intention of using that short a fuse or being that close if I ever do get the chance to blast one off.

Anvils Away : Coolest One

All the best,
GB