Military Week::Wednesday - Ready, Aim, FIRE!

TODAY IS GIVEAWAY DAY!!!

But first, a brief story to introduce you...

Last week I was in Atlanta , Georgia attending a conference. While I was in the airport, returning home, I heard several people behind me beginning to clap and cheer. I immediately turned around and witnessed one of the greatest acts of patriotism I have ever seen.

Moving through the terminal was a group of soldiers in their camo uniforms. As they began heading to their gate, everyone (well almost everyone) was abruptly to their feet with their hands waving and cheering.


When I saw the soldiers, probably 30-40 of them, being applauded and cheered for, it hit me. I'm not alone. I'm not the only red-blooded American who still loves this country and supports our troops and their families.


Of course I immediately stopped and began clapping for these young unsung heroes who are putting their lives on the line everyday for us so we can go to school, work and home without fear or reprisal.


Just when I thought I could not be more proud of my country or of our Service men and women, a young girl, not more than 6 or 7 years old ran up to one of the male soldiers. He knelt down and said 'hi...'


The little girl then asked him if he would give something to her daddy for her...


The young soldier, who didn't look any older than maybe 22 himself, said he would try and what did she want to give to her daddy. Then suddenly the little girl grabbed the neck of this soldier, gave him the biggest hug she could muster and then kissed him on the cheek.


The mother of the little girl, who said her daughter's name was Courtney, told the young soldier that her husband was a Marine and had been in Iraq for 11 months now. As the mom was explaining how much her daughter Courtney missed her father, the young soldier began to tear up.


When this temporarily single mom was done explaining her situation, all of the soldiers huddled together for a brief second...
Then one of the other servicemen pulled out a military-looking walkie-talkie. They started playing with the device and talking back and forth on it..


After about 10-15 seconds of this, the young soldier walked back over to Courtney, bent down and said this to her, 'I spoke to your daddy and he told me to give this to you.'  He then hugged this little girl that he had just met and gave her a kiss on the cheek. He finished by saying 'your daddy told me to tell you that he loves you more than anything and he is coming home very soon.'


The mom at this point was crying almost uncontrollably and as the young soldier stood to his feet, he saluted Courtney and her mom. I was standing no more than 6 feet away from this entire event.


As the soldiers began to leave, heading towards their gate, people resumed their applause. As I stood there applauding and looked around, there were very few dry eyes, including my own. That young soldier in one last act of selflessness turned around and blew a kiss to Courtney with a tear rolling down his cheek.


We need to remember everyday all of our soldiers and their families and thank God for them and their sacrifices. At the end of the day, it's good to be an American.

RED FRIDAYS 

Have you heard of Red Fridays, or maybe Red Shirt Fridays?  Let me give you a little background on Red Fridays - the premise is pretty simple...

Americans who support our troops used to be called the 'silent majority'. We are no longer silent, and are voicing our love for God, country and home in record breaking numbers.
Our idea of showing solidarity and support for our troops with dignity and respect starts this Friday - and continues each and every Friday until the troops all come home, sending a deafening message that every red-blooded American who supports our men and women afar will wear something red.
The color RED signifies the color of blood for all the soldiers whose lives have been lost as a result of war. 
By word of mouth, press, TV, online venues just like this one -- let's make the United States on every Friday a sea of red much like a homecoming football game in the bleachers.If every one of us who loves this country will share this with acquaintances, co-workers, friends, and family. It will not be long before the USA is covered in RED.

We need to let our servicemen and women know we support their sacrifice and we will not forget them and we will do this by wearing red on every Friday.

Wild Apple Design, in conjunction with the fabulous artistic talents of  Wild Blueberry Ink, have joined forces to offer several items for those individuals who want to support their country and soldiers by wearing red on RED FRIDAYS.  We recognize that many of you have dress codes or uniforms at your workplace and may be unable to wear RED clothing, so we have attempted to fulfill that market here. 

RED FRIDAY items are now available in the Wild Apple Design Etsy shop.  These items include:

http://www.etsy.com/listing/68215092/red-friday-bottle-cap-necklace-2-12884

Red Friday Bottle Cap Necklace: $14

http://www.etsy.com/listing/68214856/red-friday-bottle-cap-necklace-1-12882

 Red Friday Bottle Cap Necklace: $14

http://www.etsy.com/listing/68215412/red-friday-bottle-cap-magnet-set-5
Red Friday Bottle Cap Magnet Set: $7



http://www.etsy.com/listing/68215550/red-friday-bottle-cap-swivel-clip-12911
Red Friday Bottle Cap Swivel Clip: $6



http://www.etsy.com/listing/68215833/red-friday-bottle-cap-pins-set-of-2
Red Friday Bottle Cap Pins: $2 for 5



Red Friday Bottle Cap Key Chains - COMING SOON!!

10% of the sales from all RED FRIDAY products sold will be donated to Soldier’s Angels, an organization of volunteers who provides countless methods of assistance to all branches of the U.S. Military, veterans and their families. To learn more about Soldier’s Angels, please check out their website:
http://www.soldiersangels.org

When Keith was in Iraq, I awoke on Christmas Day to find our furnace had completely quit working and our house was 55 degrees.  The outside temperature was 32 degrees with snowfall and winds of 18 miles an hour.  The temperature was dropping fast.  It was Soldier's Angels who assisted our family with help acquiring a new furnace, and our family is extremely grateful for their assistance.

I can't thank Shirley at Wild Blueberry Ink enough for all of her hard work on the graphics for the RED FRIDAY project.  Please visit her Etsy Shop right HERE.  You can also find Shirley and Wild Blueberry Ink here:

Newsletter: http://wildblueberryink.com/blog/

Blog:: http://www.WildBlueBerryInk.com/blog

Twitter:: http://www.twitter.com/wildbluberryink

Facebook:: http://www.facebook.com/wildblueberryink

GIVEAWAY CONTEST:

What you win:  1st prize winner  - RED FRIDAY Bottle Cap Necklace (Value $14 USD)
                                2nd prize winner - RED FRIDAY Bottle Cap Magnet Set (Value $7 USD)
                                3rd prize winner  - RED FRIDAY Bottle Cap Swivel Clip (Value $6 USD)

How you win: 

• Leave a comment on this blog telling me what you do (or plan to do) to support a soldier - One entry.
• Leave a comment on your Facebook page, with a link to this blog - One entry. (Don't forget to come back here and leave a separate comment that you did this, otherwise I won't know you did it!)
• Leave a comment on your Twitter page, with a link to this blog - One entry.  (Again, don't forget to come back here and leave a comment that you did this...)
• Write a blog post about the RED FRIDAY concept, with a link to this blog - Two entries. (Return and leave a separate comment here please.)

All winners will be chosen by random number generator on Monday, Feb. 21.


Today's Tips and Terms:

Definition of Deployment:  To position (troops) in readiness for combat, as along a front or line.  During this phase, units or individuals deploy from their respective installations into their designated assignment.

Deployment Cycle:  The four phases of a soldier's deployment, as described below:

·       Pre-Deployment: Timeframe - From first notification of deployment until deployment occurs.

·       During Deployment: Timeframe - From departure until demobilization.

·       Demobilization: Timeframe - From the unit’s arrival at the demobilization station to departure for its home station.

·       Post-Deployment/Reconstitution: Timeframe - From arrival at home station to 180 days after arrival.

Please join me tomorrow for a little insight into the world of The Real Army Wives of the 34th ID, complete with VIDEO!!  Our motto:  Whatever gets you through.... [Hint: With us, it was mostly CHOCOLATE!]

Military Week::Monday - Rise & Shine!

Today marks the first day in a series of posts this week regarding a subject that is very dear to my heart. As many of you know, my husband Keith is a National Guard soldier. He joined the Army when he was 17. He actually turned 18 during basic training in Fort Dix, New Jersey, while doing push-ups in a mud puddle with a drill Sergeant screaming things that are not fit to print here. Needless to say, this was a far cry from his normal family birthday celebration on the farm with birthday cake. You're in the Army now, son.


Well, Keith survived the mud puddle, and the drill Sergeant (and many who came after him) to graduate from basic training, advanced training and move into being a paratrooper. That's right, my husband was one of those crazy people who jumped out of planes ON PURPOSE! His favorite thing to tell people when anyone asks if our age difference matters (7 years and no, it doesn't) is that he was jumping out of airplanes when I was still jumping off of school buses. Ha ha babe, you're a riot!


Keith served 6 years in the regular Army and saw some interesting parts of the country and really enjoyed Panama. He served as rear support for Grenada, honorably discharged, joined the ranks of civil service and got a regular job just like everyone else.


Fast forward to about 5 years ago. When my husband joined the National Guard in 2006, he wasn't even my husband yet. We were just friends and he didn't need to ask my opinion on whether he was making a good decision or not.  Regardless, there is no way I would ever ask him to consider my personal wants before the needs of our nation  Truth be told, being a soldier and doing "what's right" is who Keith is. Truth, justice and the American way are his mantra - no wonder superhero movies are his favorite. (He got me to go see Ironman by telling me it was a love story. He was right...)


In September 2008, Keith and I got married. The hardest part of getting married was knowing that in a few short months, my husband would be deploying to Iraq. One of my first roles as a new wife was to learn as much as I could about the Army - FAST! I think I did a pretty good job of that, attending FRG (Family Readiness Group) meetings and going to pre-deployment academies with thousands of other family members.  More on my support system during Keith's deployment later.  Keith was deployed to Iraq from February 2009 through February 2010.  Last week marked the one-year anniversary of his homecoming.  In some ways, that year sped right by like a freight train.  In other ways, there were days I thought would never end.  Being deployed to a combat zone in a foreign country during a war can change a person in ways I'm not sure I can explain, but I certainly will try to help you understand in order that you may truly appreciate what military families endure before, during, and after the deployment of a soldier. 


This week, I would like to share a little bit of what having a military life has been like for me over the last few years, in hopes that you will gain a greater appreciation for what military families go through during the deployment cycle.  If you are a military family, the experiences my family had may not mirror your experiences, but the intention of this week is education and information. I would be more than happy to answer any questions you have.

Today's tips and terms:

ACU's - Acronym: Army Combat Uniform, current combat uniform of today's Army (think desert or digital camo).

FRG - Acronym: Family Readiness Group. The FRG is a command sponsored organization of all assigned Soldiers (married and single), DA civilians, volunteers and their families (immediate and extended) that together provide mutual support and assistance and a network of communications among the family members, the chain of command, and community resources. While all of these individuals are automatically considered to be members of the FRG, participation is voluntary.

Skype - Skype is a method of making phone calls to anyone, anywhere in the world, using a microphone and an Internet connection.  Positive aspects include free or extremely low costs involved.  Negative aspects include spotty reception and often poor connections.  (More on this later...) 

For those of you who like STUFF, there will be a NEW PRODUCT released this week, as well as a giveaway. Trust me, this is good stuff! This is a totally new, totally original line, created in conjunction with Shirley of Wild Blueberry Ink.  Shirley is amazing.  I could seriously write an entire blog post about how wonderful I think Shirley is.  As my kids would say, she is "the bomb dot com."  When I approached Shirley to help me with the digital artwork for this new line, she rocked my socks off!  You will NOT be disappointed!  This week's blog posts are linked hand-in-hand to the new products that will be released.  The new items will be released Wednesday, as well as a giveaway - STAY TUNED!


The following poem was written by a gentleman named Michael Marks, as a way to express his thankfulness to soldiers.  It really hit home when I read it, so please honor soldiers everywhere by reading it also.  Thank you.

A Soldier's Christmas

The embers glowed softly, and in their dim light,

I gazed round the room and I cherished the sight.

My wife was asleep, her head on my chest,

my daughter beside me, angelic in rest.

Outside the snow fell, a blanket of white,

Transforming the yard to a winter delight.

The sparkling lights in the tree, I believe,

Completed the magic that was Christmas Eve.

My eyelids were heavy, my breathing was deep,

Secure and surrounded by love I would sleep

in perfect contentment, or so it would seem.

So I slumbered, perhaps I started to dream.

The sound wasn't loud, and it wasn't too near,

But I opened my eye when it tickled my ear.

Perhaps just a cough, I didn't quite know,

Then the sure sound of footsteps outside in the snow.

My soul gave a tremble, I struggled to hear,

and I crept to the door just to see who was near.

Standing out in the cold and the dark of the night,

A lone figure stood, his face weary and tight.

A soldier, I puzzled, some twenty years old

Perhaps a Marine, huddled here in the cold.

Alone in the dark, he looked up and smiled,

Standing watch over me, and my wife and my child.

"What are you doing?" I asked without fear

"Come in this moment, it's freezing out here!

Put down your pack, brush the snow from your sleeve,

You should be at home on a cold Christmas Eve!"

For barely a moment I saw his eyes shift,

away from the cold and the snow blown in drifts,

to the window that danced with a warm fire's light

then he sighed and he said "Its really all right,

I'm out here by choice. I'm here every night"

"Its my duty to stand at the front of the line,

that separates you from the darkest of times.

No one had to ask or beg or implore me,

I'm proud to stand here like my fathers before me.

My Gramps died at 'Pearl on a day in December,"

then he sighed, "That's a Christmas 'Gram always remembers."

My dad stood his watch in the jungles of 'Nam

And now it is my turn and so, here I am.

I've not seen my own son in more than a while,

But my wife sends me pictures, he's sure got her smile.

Then he bent and he carefully pulled from his bag,

The red white and blue... an American flag.

"I can live through the cold and the being alone,

Away from my family, my house and my home,

I can stand at my post through the rain and the sleet,

I can sleep in a foxhole with little to eat,

I can carry the weight of killing another

or lay down my life with my sisters and brothers

who stand at the front against any and all,

to insure for all time that this flag will not fall."

"So go back inside," he said, "harbor no fright

Your family is waiting and I'll be all right."

"But isn't there something I can do, at the least,

"Give you money," I asked, "or prepare you a feast?

It seems all too little for all that you've done,

For being away from your wife and your son."

Then his eye welled a tear that held no regret,

"Just tell us you love us, and never forget

To fight for our rights back at home while we're gone.

To stand your own watch, no matter how long.

For when we come home, either standing or dead,

to know you remember we fought and we bled

is payment enough, and with that we will trust.

That we mattered to you as you mattered to us.

See you tomorrow, everyone.