...has been assigned to me by Soldiers' Angels. While I cannot tell you his name, I can say that he is assigned to B Trp 3-61 CAV 4BCT 4ID COP Keating. COP Keating is a Combat Outpost located in eastern Afghanistan only about 15 miles from the Pakistani border. For more Information see: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/jan/15/life-grim-at-remote-outpost/print/. It sounds like one heck of a hellish place to be stationed, so my bet is that this soldier sees too much combat.
There is a fly in the ointment with this assignment for me. My soldier has no email address listed with Soldiers' Angels. That means I cannot be in rapid contact with him to find out anything about his needs and wants for a care package for him and his fellow troops. He did put down a list of some items with Soldiers' Angels such as toiletries and cigarettes and dip (smokeless tobacco) since his base has no PX. I imagine I will start shopping in the next day or two. If he is still assigned to me at Christmas you can expect solicitations from me to you for help once again. Although I have a donation button posted on the upper right side of my blog I probably will not really pester anyone before then unless he and his buddies have some special needs that I cannot cover financially. Of course if you want to you can always help out by donating money to my PayPal account using the donate button I just mentioned.
All the best,
Glenn B
Showing posts with label soldiers' angels. Show all posts
Showing posts with label soldiers' angels. Show all posts
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Soldiers' Care Package Donations Update
Folks I know it is not the holiday season, but when it comes to our troops, especially those in harm's way, I would think at least a few of you would make a donation to this fund. As of tonight, I have one donation from C.V. of TN, in a pretty good amount. That one donation alone could fund a small care package for a couple of people; but I am pretty sure my readers can do better than that. As a matter of fact, I know you can do better than that because last time around, for the Soldiers' Holiday Care Packages - you guys were really generous. I know things have gotten tighter with gas prices, food prices, paper products prices, utility prices, electronics gear prices, booze prices, travel costs, and just about everything else you can imagine having gone up to the sky - but out men and women in the U.S. Armed Forces are still over in Afghanistan and Iraq fighting for us and the American way - in Afghanistan as for the ones to whom this/these package(s) will go.
So I am making a personal appeal to you to please do what you can to give a donation, even just a buck if you really cannot afford more, to help fund this effort. I would especially ask, heck I even expect, certain of you whom I have helped out in the past to make a donation. No you don't have to repay me what I sent to you, this is not payment to me anyhow; but I sure expect you to make a darned good effort to dig deep and come up with something for Jaime V (my assigned solider by Soldiers' Angels) and his unit in Afghanistan. Bear in mind that these guys and gals are now in the thick of things - as in the country where the war is escalating on a seemingly daily basis. Anything we can do for them is appreciated by them, of that I think we can be certain.
As for you who gave generously last time, I say thanks again; but I also ask you to give something again. You don't have to give as much as last time - as I said a dollar will do. If I get a hundred donations of a dollar, plus the donation I already have from C.V, plus what I will donate (at least $25 toward goodies to include in the package[s] plus the postage to ship the items), it will be a nice package or two or three that I can send to them from all of us.
I am only collecting for one month, until about August 10th at the latest. I will start sending out packages in about 2 weeks, or sooner if I reach $100 before then, and I'll keep sending out packages as long as the funds come in up until August 10th. Every penny you send will be used toward items to go into a care package. I will pay, out of my own funds, for the postage, for the shipping containers and tape, for the premium that PayPal takes right off of the top of the donations you make to this effort, and I will add $25 to $50 to the donations out of my own money. So please - if you are planning on donating - don't put it off. The sooner enough comes in, the sooner the first package(s) goes/go out.
If you want to donate, there is a donate icon on the upper right side of my main blog page. As I did last time, I will scan and document here on the blog the receipts for the items, and for the postage, and all that - and I'll probably post pictures of the items that go into the packages too.
For more info on this effort, go to: http://ballseyesboomers.blogspot.com/2008/07/soldiers-care-package.html.
All the best,
Glenn B
So I am making a personal appeal to you to please do what you can to give a donation, even just a buck if you really cannot afford more, to help fund this effort. I would especially ask, heck I even expect, certain of you whom I have helped out in the past to make a donation. No you don't have to repay me what I sent to you, this is not payment to me anyhow; but I sure expect you to make a darned good effort to dig deep and come up with something for Jaime V (my assigned solider by Soldiers' Angels) and his unit in Afghanistan. Bear in mind that these guys and gals are now in the thick of things - as in the country where the war is escalating on a seemingly daily basis. Anything we can do for them is appreciated by them, of that I think we can be certain.
As for you who gave generously last time, I say thanks again; but I also ask you to give something again. You don't have to give as much as last time - as I said a dollar will do. If I get a hundred donations of a dollar, plus the donation I already have from C.V, plus what I will donate (at least $25 toward goodies to include in the package[s] plus the postage to ship the items), it will be a nice package or two or three that I can send to them from all of us.
I am only collecting for one month, until about August 10th at the latest. I will start sending out packages in about 2 weeks, or sooner if I reach $100 before then, and I'll keep sending out packages as long as the funds come in up until August 10th. Every penny you send will be used toward items to go into a care package. I will pay, out of my own funds, for the postage, for the shipping containers and tape, for the premium that PayPal takes right off of the top of the donations you make to this effort, and I will add $25 to $50 to the donations out of my own money. So please - if you are planning on donating - don't put it off. The sooner enough comes in, the sooner the first package(s) goes/go out.
If you want to donate, there is a donate icon on the upper right side of my main blog page. As I did last time, I will scan and document here on the blog the receipts for the items, and for the postage, and all that - and I'll probably post pictures of the items that go into the packages too.
For more info on this effort, go to: http://ballseyesboomers.blogspot.com/2008/07/soldiers-care-package.html.
Before I forget, allow me to say thanks to C.V. of TN.
All the best,
Glenn B
Friday, July 11, 2008
Soldiers' Care Package
Well, as I told you a couple or few weeks ago, I have been assigned to another soldier over in Afghanistan by Soldiers' Angels. I am going to start putting care packages together for him (or maybe her, the name is Jamie, and Jamie did not make it clear). If anyone is interested in helping out with the package, you can send donations to me for the care package via my PayPal account. I can only accept donations over the Internet via PayPal, or can accept cash from people I know locally. I'll place a link on the right side of the page, up near the top. I'll give it a month or so to see what comes in, then I'll put together a care package, and ship it off, with some of my own funds and all of the donated funds. Last time I did this, back before Christmas - it was a great success. Thanks to the generosity of my readers I had enough to put together several high end care packages; and thanks to StreamLight who donated a dozen flashlights we had some high end flashlights with batteries and replacement batteries to include in the boxes.
These guys and gals in our military deserve to remain in our thoughts, prayers, well wishes, and our gratitude forever - but especially while serving on foreign soil or on foreign seas. Anything you can help out with from a few pennies on up would be appreciated by me, and will probably be even more appreciated by the soldiers who receive the goodies in the care packages I will send to them on behalf of all of us who donate through this effort. I can say without a doubt, that Bob S the soldier to whom we sent the other care packages appreciated them as did the rest of his unit, and other units with whom they SHARED. Why not share a bit of what they allow us to enjoy and make a donation. Thanks.
All the best,
Glenn B
These guys and gals in our military deserve to remain in our thoughts, prayers, well wishes, and our gratitude forever - but especially while serving on foreign soil or on foreign seas. Anything you can help out with from a few pennies on up would be appreciated by me, and will probably be even more appreciated by the soldiers who receive the goodies in the care packages I will send to them on behalf of all of us who donate through this effort. I can say without a doubt, that Bob S the soldier to whom we sent the other care packages appreciated them as did the rest of his unit, and other units with whom they SHARED. Why not share a bit of what they allow us to enjoy and make a donation. Thanks.
All the best,
Glenn B
Monday, May 26, 2008
A New Soldier For Me
It has been awhile since my adopted/assigned soldier in the Soldiers' Angels program returned stateside. We keep in touch a little bit now and then, which reminds me I have to drop Bob a line to see how he is doing. Now that he is back home, I was left without someone in the military to whom I could give some support while he or she is over in Iraq or Afghanistan. I don't know, I suppose though that because it was Memorial Day Weekend, this all came to mind so yesterday I sent an email to Soldiers' Angels requesting I be assigned to another soldier. I was pretty surprised, when I signed on line today, to see I had received an email from them already assigning me to another soldier.
Once again my soldier is over in Afghanistan. His (or her) name is Jamie (sorry I am not allowed to give away any more about his/her identity, and no I don't know if its a guy or a gal, so I will use he from now on). He is in FOB Salerno in or near Khost, Afghanistan. If I understand correctly, it is pretty close to Pakistan, and right on top of the Taliban stronghold in that region. My guess would be hot as hell in the summer, and icy cold in the winter. If I figured out the military address correctly, then he is part of a Field Artillery Regiment that supports the 101st Airborne. I won't know more about him until he gets back to me.
In the meantime, while waiting for a reply to the email I just sent him, I will start with the task of putting together a decent care package for Jamie and his fellow troops. If anyone has any suggestions please feel free to leave them in the comments section. I have put together and sent quite a few of these packages already for other soldiers, but I am always open to suggestions as to what to include inside of them. One new idea just read about, in a tank you note from a soldier to someone who sent him a package, is to send bandannas among whatever else I include in the package. They seemed to be a big hit.
Right now it is time for me to make a trip to my brother-in-law's house to pick up some hot pepper plants he has for me. Then maybe a stop by a Memorial Day parade. Then to some stores to pick up some goodies for the care package, and then back home for a BBQ, and to get some more painting done in the now spare bedroom (almost done with he job, hopefully by tonight).
Have a happy Memorial Day, and if you are thinking of how you can help support the troops, why not become one of the many who have joined the ranks of Soldiers' Angels, it is easy and well worth the effort.
All the best,
Glenn B
Once again my soldier is over in Afghanistan. His (or her) name is Jamie (sorry I am not allowed to give away any more about his/her identity, and no I don't know if its a guy or a gal, so I will use he from now on). He is in FOB Salerno in or near Khost, Afghanistan. If I understand correctly, it is pretty close to Pakistan, and right on top of the Taliban stronghold in that region. My guess would be hot as hell in the summer, and icy cold in the winter. If I figured out the military address correctly, then he is part of a Field Artillery Regiment that supports the 101st Airborne. I won't know more about him until he gets back to me.
In the meantime, while waiting for a reply to the email I just sent him, I will start with the task of putting together a decent care package for Jamie and his fellow troops. If anyone has any suggestions please feel free to leave them in the comments section. I have put together and sent quite a few of these packages already for other soldiers, but I am always open to suggestions as to what to include inside of them. One new idea just read about, in a tank you note from a soldier to someone who sent him a package, is to send bandannas among whatever else I include in the package. They seemed to be a big hit.
Right now it is time for me to make a trip to my brother-in-law's house to pick up some hot pepper plants he has for me. Then maybe a stop by a Memorial Day parade. Then to some stores to pick up some goodies for the care package, and then back home for a BBQ, and to get some more painting done in the now spare bedroom (almost done with he job, hopefully by tonight).
Have a happy Memorial Day, and if you are thinking of how you can help support the troops, why not become one of the many who have joined the ranks of Soldiers' Angels, it is easy and well worth the effort.
All the best,
Glenn B
Friday, February 22, 2008
Tour of Duty - Almost Complete
When I signed up with Soldiers' Angels, I guess I never had a clue as to how rewarding an experience it could be for me, or for anyone. Sure I knew it would be a morale boost for the soldier who would be selected as the one to whom I would write and send care packages, well I hoped it would be a boost and sort of took for granted that it would be anyhow. As it turned out, I was assigned to a soldier. That really is sort of the way it was, I was assigned to a soldier to be his email buddy, to send care packages, to keep his spirits high, to try to let him know that there really are people who care about our troops, to... well you get the idea. What they don't tell you at Soldier's Angels is that not only do you get assigned to a soldier, you become attached to him or her. No I was not the best at keeping in touch. As per the Soldiers' Angels policy I think I was supposed to write once a week, and send letters at that. I never wrote a letter, except to include in a Christmas/Holiday Care Package, and I think I forgot to put it in the box. All I wrote were emails, and luckily my soldier had frequent access to a computer. Of course I sent a few care packages over to him and his unit too. His emails to me were not all that frequent either, understandable on his part since he was the one in the middle of a war in Afghanistan. So sometimes the arrival of his email would remind me, heck I have not written in way too long.
Our emails to one another were never very heart wrenching, were friendly but never too affectionate (heck they were emails from two married men who were writing to one another as pen pals, and I think that was strange turf for both of us to tread), they had a certain friendliness about them while still seeming as if we were somewhat aloof from one another. Despite that feeling of apartness, that separation between us, there was also a feeling of respect for one another between us, of a sort of kinship, a certain type of brotherhood, a friendship that developed. No they don't tell you that you become attached to the Soldier to whom you are assigned, I guess much how they probably never told him he would become attached and greatly affected by his time spent in a war far from home.
It is evident in his latest email to me that both those things happened. He has been affected by the war, both good and bad, to a greater extent than he usually lets on in his emails, and I could see that in his latest email, the one in which he told me he is coming home to the USA later this month. I guess when you spend a year of more anywhere you are affected by your experiences, but to spend it in a far away land where things are strikingly different than they are at home, and to be there in time of war, while others at home forget you, even show disdain for you has got to be something you cannot understand unless you have lived it.
Still though Bob S. only tries to let his good outlook on life come through in his emails to me. I had to sort of read between the lines to see that war has effected/affected him in a way he does not want to say. I respect him for that, he will wind up going on with life fine because he has a good outlook about things. Here is the closing paragraph of his two paragraph email to me, in it you will see that good outlook shining through:
"There has been many good experiences that I will look back on over the next years ahead. I am sure as holidays or certain days come around think back to what I was doing on that day a year ago. Certain days of the week we had certain things that had to be accomplished. The support of many fine people like yourself has really helped make the time go quick. The many emails and just the hey hang in there will write more later emails that helped get your mind away from the frustration of being away from home, safety and security. The many people who would write to us to say, Thanks, really does go along way. The extra stuff they would send in the care boxes really was a huge Morale boost to many soldiers. The many different things we have received from supporters out there has been tremendous to know there are people who care. We, as soldiers, are here irregardless of there political views. We, as soldiers, are here because we decided to be a big dog and get off the porch and go run where others only talk about going and believe what they see on TV or hear on the radio. We all may not believe or agree with the leadership running this country, but we all do believe in giving others the freedoms Americans and illegal immigrants take for granted. Give the boy a chance to walk and eventually you will see a man run.
THANK YOU for all the support and friendship. Hope our "email pal" friendship will be able to continue."
As Bob S. has sent his thanks to me, I wanted to say thank you to him too. I will do that in an email to him because he, and others like him in our military, are the ones who deserve the thanks. I also wanted to thank all of you, those of you that is who show support for our military, and for their mission. Your helpful donation and well wishes that went into those holiday care packages I put together for Bob and his unit were a good thing, a kind thing, the right thing. You should all not only be proud of guys like Bob and all the other troops who defend our freedoms and those of others, you should be proud of yourselves for helping to give them the boost they needed to make their days go by a little bit easier.
If you are a person who has not supported the troops, well just read this sentence again, and think about if you are one of those about whom Bob writes who takes freedom for granted:
"We all may not believe or agree with the leadership running this country, but we all do believe in giving others the freedoms Americans and illegal immigrants take for granted. "
Are you a person who takes those freedoms for granted. I guess I am sometimes guilty of that myself, but there are just too many reminders out there each day to allow that to happen for too long, so most of the time I value my freedoms and liberties dearly. I also dearly value folks like Bob S because without the likes of him, we would have no freedoms, no rights, and no liberty to enjoy them. Many of you understand that, and you not only understand it but also practice what you believe and have supported our troops. To you, especially those who helped me out with those care packages that went to Bob and his unit, I say thank you very much, you are good Americans. To Bob, those in his unit, and to all of our troops in harm's way, I say: Thank you brothers and sisters, you are Great Americans. Stay safe, come home soon, you will not be forgotten.
All the best,
Glenn B
Our emails to one another were never very heart wrenching, were friendly but never too affectionate (heck they were emails from two married men who were writing to one another as pen pals, and I think that was strange turf for both of us to tread), they had a certain friendliness about them while still seeming as if we were somewhat aloof from one another. Despite that feeling of apartness, that separation between us, there was also a feeling of respect for one another between us, of a sort of kinship, a certain type of brotherhood, a friendship that developed. No they don't tell you that you become attached to the Soldier to whom you are assigned, I guess much how they probably never told him he would become attached and greatly affected by his time spent in a war far from home.
It is evident in his latest email to me that both those things happened. He has been affected by the war, both good and bad, to a greater extent than he usually lets on in his emails, and I could see that in his latest email, the one in which he told me he is coming home to the USA later this month. I guess when you spend a year of more anywhere you are affected by your experiences, but to spend it in a far away land where things are strikingly different than they are at home, and to be there in time of war, while others at home forget you, even show disdain for you has got to be something you cannot understand unless you have lived it.
Still though Bob S. only tries to let his good outlook on life come through in his emails to me. I had to sort of read between the lines to see that war has effected/affected him in a way he does not want to say. I respect him for that, he will wind up going on with life fine because he has a good outlook about things. Here is the closing paragraph of his two paragraph email to me, in it you will see that good outlook shining through:
"There has been many good experiences that I will look back on over the next years ahead. I am sure as holidays or certain days come around think back to what I was doing on that day a year ago. Certain days of the week we had certain things that had to be accomplished. The support of many fine people like yourself has really helped make the time go quick. The many emails and just the hey hang in there will write more later emails that helped get your mind away from the frustration of being away from home, safety and security. The many people who would write to us to say, Thanks, really does go along way. The extra stuff they would send in the care boxes really was a huge Morale boost to many soldiers. The many different things we have received from supporters out there has been tremendous to know there are people who care. We, as soldiers, are here irregardless of there political views. We, as soldiers, are here because we decided to be a big dog and get off the porch and go run where others only talk about going and believe what they see on TV or hear on the radio. We all may not believe or agree with the leadership running this country, but we all do believe in giving others the freedoms Americans and illegal immigrants take for granted. Give the boy a chance to walk and eventually you will see a man run.
THANK YOU for all the support and friendship. Hope our "email pal" friendship will be able to continue."
As Bob S. has sent his thanks to me, I wanted to say thank you to him too. I will do that in an email to him because he, and others like him in our military, are the ones who deserve the thanks. I also wanted to thank all of you, those of you that is who show support for our military, and for their mission. Your helpful donation and well wishes that went into those holiday care packages I put together for Bob and his unit were a good thing, a kind thing, the right thing. You should all not only be proud of guys like Bob and all the other troops who defend our freedoms and those of others, you should be proud of yourselves for helping to give them the boost they needed to make their days go by a little bit easier.
If you are a person who has not supported the troops, well just read this sentence again, and think about if you are one of those about whom Bob writes who takes freedom for granted:
"We all may not believe or agree with the leadership running this country, but we all do believe in giving others the freedoms Americans and illegal immigrants take for granted. "
Are you a person who takes those freedoms for granted. I guess I am sometimes guilty of that myself, but there are just too many reminders out there each day to allow that to happen for too long, so most of the time I value my freedoms and liberties dearly. I also dearly value folks like Bob S because without the likes of him, we would have no freedoms, no rights, and no liberty to enjoy them. Many of you understand that, and you not only understand it but also practice what you believe and have supported our troops. To you, especially those who helped me out with those care packages that went to Bob and his unit, I say thank you very much, you are good Americans. To Bob, those in his unit, and to all of our troops in harm's way, I say: Thank you brothers and sisters, you are Great Americans. Stay safe, come home soon, you will not be forgotten.
All the best,
Glenn B
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
Christmas/Holiday Shopping For The Troops...
...is something I have not yet done, but I plan to do so this year. Being sort of a traditionalist when it comes to any sort of Christmas shopping, I usually do not do so until after Thanksgiving. This year will follow suit, and beginning this weekend I will be on the lookout for items I can buy to send to my Soldiers' Angels adopted soldier. The soldier I was appointed when I signed up for Soldiers' Angels is Bob S. (I do not think I am allowed to give out his whole name due to Soldiers' Angels regulations, but if I find I can do so, I will). He is assigned to a FOB in Afghanistan (if I remember right this means forward operating base so he and his fellow troops are in the thick of things over there). I am supposed to write to him frequently, and now and again send him some sort of care package. I must admit that I have been lax in contacting him as of late, last time has to be over a month ago, but I will make up for that.
What I am planning to do this year is to make up a really nice care package for him and his companion troops for this holiday season. Call it a Christmas package, a Hanuka package, a holiday package or a care package, it does not matter all that much to me, but this one for the Christmas season will be nicer than the other two I already sent to him. I plan to include some quality gear in this one; things like Stinger or Surefire flashlights, a lot of batteries for them (and these are expensive lithium batteries not your typical alkaline junk), some wool blend socks (yes it gets cold over there, and I want to put at least a dozen pairs of these into the box), some hand warmers (as used by hunters), a few folding knives (maybe not the best quality ones but certainly something that will stand up to good hard use though I have to check to see if this is legal), some disposable body wipes (always appreciated from what I understand), light sticks (the glow sticks that last up to 12 hours), anything else I can think of that will help our young men and women survive their time in their godforsaken assignments.
In this regard I am going to do something I have not done before, something that I shun when done for personal gain, but to which I have often in the past contributed when done for a good cause. I am going to ask my readers to make donations to a Holiday Care Package Fund that I will set up through my PayPal account. While I have an account, I still need to figure out how to direct payments only to this cause, and get an icon to place on my blog for those payments. I should have that done within the next week or so, and the link to the Care Package fund will appear at the top right of my blog home page. Any donations that are made to the fund will go toward the purchase of items to be included within the care package. I will spend every penny donated to the fund on such items, and this means I will pay for the PayPal fee out of my own pocket (yes they charge for someone to receive funds, but not for someone to send funds, so while you get to send them with no fee, I have to pay a percentage to accept them). Postage for the package will be paid by me, as will the cost of the packaging supplies. I also will make a decent donation to the care package fund myself, probably to the tune of about $50. I am hoping that I can raise a minimum of $500, but I would hope for more than that, closer to $1,000. I do not have a really large readership, but if you think this to be a good cause, and if you think you can spare some cash towards it, I would ask that you each try to donate at least $10 to it through PayPal, then again even a dollar would be nice. (By the way, PayPal is pretty easy to join, and I do not think there is any fee involved since when I signed up there was not.) The more my readers can donate, the more I can purchase to send to Bob S. and his comrades in arms. So I can send one flashlight and one pair of socks and maybe a box of wipes with my own contribution; or with generous contributions from each of you I will be able to send a dozen flashlights, a case of wipes, a box or three of glow sticks, and so on.
I plan to send the package out about 2 to 3 weeks before Christmas, and hope that means it will arrive there in time for the holidays. I will include a note to Bob about how the package was funded, and I will sign it from all of us who will have made donations. I will also ask Bob to make sure that the package is divided out to his fellow soldiers, so as many as possible in his unit receive at least one gift regardless of their religious beliefs or lack of them. It's a season of giving, and we are giving not based upon the faith of the recipients, but rather upon their service to us as United States Military Service Personnel. Remember too that you do not have to be a member of any particular faith to make a donation, you are doing it for the troops. I just picked the season because in my Catholic upbringing it was the tradition to give at Christmas; and even though I no longer practice any religion, I keep up the tradition of giving gifts at this time of year because it is a good tradition no matter your faith or lack of it. Giving to our service people during the holiday season, when they are thousands of miles from home and loved ones is certainly an excellent way to thank them for their service, don't you think? If you agree with me, please help me out on this one so we can show them we truly care while they are stuck on foreign soil, doing battle to keep us free, during what should be a time of year spent with family and other loved ones.
By the way, if Bob S., by some miracle, winds up on home leave at that time, I will ask him for another soldier in his unit to whom to direct the package, or I will ask Soliders' Angels for another solider to whom I can send the package.
All the best,
Glenn B.
What I am planning to do this year is to make up a really nice care package for him and his companion troops for this holiday season. Call it a Christmas package, a Hanuka package, a holiday package or a care package, it does not matter all that much to me, but this one for the Christmas season will be nicer than the other two I already sent to him. I plan to include some quality gear in this one; things like Stinger or Surefire flashlights, a lot of batteries for them (and these are expensive lithium batteries not your typical alkaline junk), some wool blend socks (yes it gets cold over there, and I want to put at least a dozen pairs of these into the box), some hand warmers (as used by hunters), a few folding knives (maybe not the best quality ones but certainly something that will stand up to good hard use though I have to check to see if this is legal), some disposable body wipes (always appreciated from what I understand), light sticks (the glow sticks that last up to 12 hours), anything else I can think of that will help our young men and women survive their time in their godforsaken assignments.
In this regard I am going to do something I have not done before, something that I shun when done for personal gain, but to which I have often in the past contributed when done for a good cause. I am going to ask my readers to make donations to a Holiday Care Package Fund that I will set up through my PayPal account. While I have an account, I still need to figure out how to direct payments only to this cause, and get an icon to place on my blog for those payments. I should have that done within the next week or so, and the link to the Care Package fund will appear at the top right of my blog home page. Any donations that are made to the fund will go toward the purchase of items to be included within the care package. I will spend every penny donated to the fund on such items, and this means I will pay for the PayPal fee out of my own pocket (yes they charge for someone to receive funds, but not for someone to send funds, so while you get to send them with no fee, I have to pay a percentage to accept them). Postage for the package will be paid by me, as will the cost of the packaging supplies. I also will make a decent donation to the care package fund myself, probably to the tune of about $50. I am hoping that I can raise a minimum of $500, but I would hope for more than that, closer to $1,000. I do not have a really large readership, but if you think this to be a good cause, and if you think you can spare some cash towards it, I would ask that you each try to donate at least $10 to it through PayPal, then again even a dollar would be nice. (By the way, PayPal is pretty easy to join, and I do not think there is any fee involved since when I signed up there was not.) The more my readers can donate, the more I can purchase to send to Bob S. and his comrades in arms. So I can send one flashlight and one pair of socks and maybe a box of wipes with my own contribution; or with generous contributions from each of you I will be able to send a dozen flashlights, a case of wipes, a box or three of glow sticks, and so on.
I plan to send the package out about 2 to 3 weeks before Christmas, and hope that means it will arrive there in time for the holidays. I will include a note to Bob about how the package was funded, and I will sign it from all of us who will have made donations. I will also ask Bob to make sure that the package is divided out to his fellow soldiers, so as many as possible in his unit receive at least one gift regardless of their religious beliefs or lack of them. It's a season of giving, and we are giving not based upon the faith of the recipients, but rather upon their service to us as United States Military Service Personnel. Remember too that you do not have to be a member of any particular faith to make a donation, you are doing it for the troops. I just picked the season because in my Catholic upbringing it was the tradition to give at Christmas; and even though I no longer practice any religion, I keep up the tradition of giving gifts at this time of year because it is a good tradition no matter your faith or lack of it. Giving to our service people during the holiday season, when they are thousands of miles from home and loved ones is certainly an excellent way to thank them for their service, don't you think? If you agree with me, please help me out on this one so we can show them we truly care while they are stuck on foreign soil, doing battle to keep us free, during what should be a time of year spent with family and other loved ones.
By the way, if Bob S., by some miracle, winds up on home leave at that time, I will ask him for another soldier in his unit to whom to direct the package, or I will ask Soliders' Angels for another solider to whom I can send the package.
All the best,
Glenn B.
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