Our Military Heroes!

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Posted 03-05-2010 at 11:00 AM by Rattlesnake Gal

Tags afghanistan, heros, military, operation military pride, pakistan, soldier, stryker brigade, troops

There are many Forum members with loved ones in the military. Since this topic is non lake related, I am starting this blog dedicated to our nation's heroes.

It would be great if you could post here and share your stories and experiences with your Forum family.

Since becoming friends with WinnDixie and learning about her grandson, it has really personalized our troops for me.
I have a renewed mission to do a little something to support our troops. Thanks WinnDixie!

Little things mean a lot. Excerpt from the Girl Scout Cookie thread.

Quote:

Originally Posted by WinnDixie

Over 100 boxes, raised by donations to a G.S. Troop here in Huntsville, have gone to my grandson's Army unit-- 5th Stryker Brigade presently at Marjah in Afghanistan. They will be a welcome treat, and won't last long!

Here are some links of ways to make a difference:
(Please feel free to add links!)

Support Our Troops!

Hero Miles - Donate your frequent flyer miles to assist service members and their families.

MotoMail Send a letter!

Operation: Care and Comfort

Operation Military Pride

Any Soldier

Amateur Radio Military Appreciation Day

Thanks for reading my blog!

Sincerely,

Celia
"Rattlesnake Gal"

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Thanks so much!

As the grandmother of two military grandsons, I really appreciate the support!

One is an Army Captain with the 5th Stryker Brigade in Afghanistan
One is an Airman First Class presently finishng his schools to be a C130 Loadmaster

Scott near his bunk

Tim

Scott in a bunker - I Love that bunker! I'm all about those thick walls!

It is a somewhat scary journey and I have taken my three Forum friends, RG, Chickie and Pineedles right along with me! They've been great...cannot thank them enough!

I do have a few stories about Scott's adventures in Afghanistan that I can tell...once I figure out all the blog rules!

Meantime, keep all the troops in your prayers.

Thanks!

WinnDixie

Posted 03-06-2010 at 11:19 AM by WinnDixie WinnDixie is offline

Updated 03-15-2010 at 09:18 AM by Rattlesnake Gal (Add pictures)

	Pease Greeters Another great link: Pease Greeters! Join your Forum friends and participate in Knitters-Caps for the Troops ~ This is a little out of date for the season, but that will leave you time for knitting.
	Posted 03-07-2010 at 02:28 PM by Rattlesnake Gal Updated 10-01-2010 at 11:11 AM by Rattlesnake Gal

	Thanks for starting this blog RG. Its tough having family and friends overseas fighting for America. I think the more we talk about our Men and Women in uniform, the more awareness we can generate for them and their family's sacrifices. The next time you see a service person, don't be bashful, walk up to them, and say thank you. You'll feel better, and so will they.
	Posted 03-07-2010 at 02:48 PM by Pineedles

My Pleasure Pineedles!

It just seems natural to share my thoughts with my Forum friends.
One stop shopping for my social interaction needs.
Take a trip back in time and honor our heroes at The Wright Museum.

From the gallery of nswebcraft

The museum is open by special arrangement during the months November through April. Click here for hours and additional information.
When the young men dress up in the old military uniforms for the parades in Wolfeboro, it really brings home just how young these heroes were.

Sunday, April 25, 2010

Posted 03-07-2010 at 03:12 PM by Rattlesnake Gal Rattlesnake Gal is offline

Updated 09-28-2010 at 03:29 PM by Rattlesnake Gal (Add Related Event)

Stay Tuned

I am proud to have family that served our country and will be working on collecting stories and pictures from them.

My father and our very own NoBozo served in the Navy
My father is a great story teller and I hope he will jump in directly at some point.
(I stole one of his hats when I was a kid and wore it out.)

My father in-law and nephew served in the Air Force
Dad is a great story teller too.

My uncle, brother in-law and our very ownPepper served in the Marines

My cousin served our country in the Army

Posted 03-09-2010 at 09:32 AM by Rattlesnake Gal Rattlesnake Gal is offline

Updated 11-11-2011 at 09:34 AM by Rattlesnake Gal

	Memorials to Visit World War I Memorial, Washington, DC. World War II Monments and Memorials: National World War II Memorial, Washington, DC. The USS Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, USA Iwo Jima Memorial, Arlington, Virginia, just across the Potomac River from Washington, DC.
	Posted 03-09-2010 at 09:57 AM by Rattlesnake Gal

They are All Heroes

Thank You RG for your blog.

We need to honor and support our Veterans, from all wars and times of peace. Especially those that serve today.

I have many friends who are Vets and some are disabled. These men gave their all and although they came home they did not come back the same as when they left. They need our appreciation and support still today. They did not receive a heroes welcome when they came home like our military gets today.

I am a Navy Veteran from the late 60's and early 70's.

I spent my active duty on the USS Little Rock, CLG-4. I got to see lots of ocean and saw much of Europe. From the Baltic Sea, to the Mediterranean and as far east as Athens, Greece and on into the Caribbean. I was a Operations Specialist (Radar) 3rd Class.

I learned so much and I grew up a lot because of my military experiences.

I am an active member of the Little Rock Association.

The first member of my family to be in the military was in the Revolutionary War and came from the Dunbarton, NH. He was Asa Putney.

My great great Grandfather, William Winters Putney from Wilmot, NH fought in the Civil War and died in Andersonville Civil War Prison, also officially known as Camp Sumter.

Until my brother Don joined the Navy in 1965, no one in my family had been in the Military since William.
My grandfather and dad were exempted due to their jobs although they tried to join during WWI and WWII.

Posted 03-09-2010 at 07:36 PM by Just Sold Just Sold is offline

Updated 03-15-2010 at 09:47 AM by Rattlesnake Gal

Fudge Tales

I've entertained Rattlesnake Gal with some of these stories, so here goes. Scott loves peanut butter fudge, and--it being a homemade item that ships well--we have tried to support with big double batches of fudge..about 7 lbs. It's a combined effort, I make it; his grandfather takes it to the PO. and stands in the long line! The very first batch got mailed on a Monday and ended up back on our doorstep the next day! I was saved from a complete meltdown by my husband taking it to the PO and getting the mishap all straight. I will say overall the PO has been really very good and helpful; the fudge gets there in less than 10 days, too.

We can attest to how marvelous these treats from home are, for all of them. One batch arrived when they were at a FOB high in the mtns. Scott saw a big football player soldier running up the hill to him, waving a box and calling "Capt. Warnke! It's fudge"! It lasts less than four hours, generally. So far we have had several adoption requests and one even wants to know if I am married! The real point is that they are SO appreciative of goodies from home. All Scott's people sit in a circle when the packages arrive and open them one at a time, savoring each. Everything is shared. God bless them all!

Posted 03-12-2010 at 03:02 PM by WinnDixie WinnDixie is offline

Food in Afghanistan.

Scott has sent home pictures from time to time. Without RG holding my hand, I'm not able to post them here. I can tell you--the place is all orange, brown and gray.

It looks like the craters of the moon...a very stark surrounding. Scott's people have had to pay visits to some villages. They found out they had to leave the Stryker vehicles outside the gates. Unfortunately they bumped the wall of a house and it, being dried mud primarily, came crashing down.

The village elders have shown nice hospitality to them. That has been "interesting". There is a very good tasting tea that Scott has drunk. The cup might not always be as clean as we, here, would expect, however. So there can--at times--be a few gastric problems! Nevertheless, drink it you must..it would be rude not to.

The best one, though, is "Nam Bread"--foot bread-- so-called because the dough is kneaded with their feet!

To quote Scott "Once you get over that, it is actually really very good"! As he says, having told some tales I will refrain from relating here, "It's amazing what ceases to get on your 'gross-o-meter'"! Our guys..you've got to love them!

Posted 03-12-2010 at 03:31 PM by WinnDixie WinnDixie is offline

Updated 03-14-2010 at 11:40 AM by Rattlesnake Gal

	Thanks for Sharing! I want to thank all who are participating in my blog to honor Our Military Heroes! Over time I will be adding more of WinnDixie's great pictures, do stay tuned. You are really going to enjoy them! (Scroll up to see what I have added today!) Celia
	Posted 03-13-2010 at 02:44 PM by Rattlesnake Gal

	Thank You WinnDixie & Just Sold! Thank you both for sharing your history and stories with us. Your pictures really add so much. Thanks for sharing them with us. You are making this blog look good! Sincerely, Celia
	Posted 03-15-2010 at 09:41 AM by Rattlesnake Gal Updated 03-15-2010 at 11:53 AM by Rattlesnake Gal

Videos - Thanks Winni-Retired

Winni-Retired pasted along these YouTube videos that you may like to view. He will fill in the story behind the links when he gets a few minutes.
(For some reason I cannot get the videos to show up in this blog, only the links to them.)

VMM-162 Golden Eagles
Operation Iraqi Freedom 08.1
Al Anbar Province
Al Asad, Iraq
March – October 2008
(5 minutes 41 seconds)

I love the quote at the beginning of this video.

“Some people spend and entire lifetime wondering if they made a difference.
Marines don’t have that problem”

Ronald Reagan

IRAQ Invasion
March - April 2003
(2 minutes 48 seconds)
Warning! You may want to turn the audio down or off on this video. It's rather raw and edgy and may shock you out of your chair!

Posted 03-18-2010 at 06:00 PM by Rattlesnake Gal Rattlesnake Gal is offline

Updated 09-28-2010 at 03:06 PM by Rattlesnake Gal

	Nephew in A-stan A picture of my nephew John (last name and unit with held for security) in Iraq. He is currently in the A-stan mountains. We hope he will be home soon. ToW
	Posted 03-21-2010 at 07:08 AM by Tired of Waiting

	Great Picture ToW! I would imagine all that gear is pretty heavy and very hot at times. Looks like he can carry all but the kitchen sink. We hope that he stays well and arrives home safely.
	Posted 03-23-2010 at 09:49 AM by Rattlesnake Gal

	Thanks RG John says his pack out weighs in at 70# without the rifle. And yes we think there is a kitchen sink in there some place along with the rest of the kitchen. How else would he eat in the field. We pray for him and all the men and women serving our country and freedom. He is reported to be coming home in a few weeks. Thanks again ToW
	Posted 03-24-2010 at 05:45 PM by Tired of Waiting

	He made it HOME. John is home now. He is well and glad to be back in the U. S. of A. Please continue to pray for the rest of our troops that are still in and going into harms way. ToW
	Posted 04-23-2010 at 05:32 PM by Tired of Waiting

Our Troops

ToW, I'm so glad for you and your family that John is back on US soil!

An update on the son and son in-law of Winni-Retired:

Winni-Retired's son has made it to Pakistan. He was supposed to go to Afghanistan, but his orders were pulled and his unit deployed over a month early, with less than 10 days notice. No leave. Just 36 hours to get his personal stuff squared away, then onto the ship and gone......

On the way over to Pakistan, the flight crew and ground crew of VMM-266 made a video, so that the family back home could see them. The troops on board have limited to no e-mail capability. Even as an officer, Winni-Retired's son has only been able to send a couple of e-mails... thus the following video !!!

(For some reason, I cannot post the video, only the link.)
Be sure to check out the comments too!

Party in the USA 266 RIEN

Larry's son in-law still has four plus months left in Afghanistan and is flying combat missions almost everyday. About a month ago he did get to talk with him for a few minutes. He said it is worse than the invasion of IRAQ... the worst of all his deployments and this is the fifth since January, 2003. He is scheduled to be home at the beginning of February 2011.

Winni-Retired's son will be back to the States in about 10 more months. Some time at the end of July.

Please send your thoughts and prayers out to Winni-Retired and his family and to all of our other brave men and women who serve our great country... they are all heroes!

Posted 09-28-2010 at 02:57 PM by Rattlesnake Gal Rattlesnake Gal is offline

Updated 09-28-2010 at 04:28 PM by Rattlesnake Gal

	Your Stories If you have a story or pictures to share, but would rather share them through me, please do!
	Posted 09-28-2010 at 04:29 PM by Rattlesnake Gal

	Wow Real nice job RG!
	Posted 09-29-2010 at 05:52 PM by VitaBene

	Freedom isn't free - somebody paid for it. Thanks to all you and your family members who have served or are serving now! Really, "thank you" isn't enough.
	Posted 09-30-2010 at 03:23 PM by Argie's Wife

Page 1 of 2

Our Military Heroes!

Comments

Thanks so much!

Pease Greeters

My Pleasure Pineedles!

Stay Tuned

Memorials to Visit

They are All Heroes

Fudge Tales

Food in Afghanistan.

Thanks for Sharing!

Thank You WinnDixie & Just Sold!

Videos - Thanks Winni-Retired

Nephew in A-stan

Great Picture ToW!

Thanks RG

He made it HOME.

Our Troops

Your Stories

Wow