"For the twentieth time in twenty-three years, Congress has again failed to pass the VA budget on time. This is completely unacceptable. A late VA budget means Congress is failing veterans. This year, the VA is not alone. The only budget that did pass on time was the one that funds salary checks to members of Congress.
I guess Michigan's lawmakers are simply following in Congress' footsteps. And just like our school districts, cities, medical providers and others depend on a timely budget, "thousands of veterans' hospitals and clinics nationwide are forced to ration care. They are unable to plan forward and address critical infrastructure, staffing and equipment needs."
While veterans wait for Congress to get their act together, it's important for us to remember that we still have troops fighting in the Middle East. DJ has two friends serving in Afghanistan and he says morale is pretty low right now. That's why he's asking for your help. After talking to the wife of one of his friends, she forwarded this email from her husband:
I feel so alone though and alienated, unsure whether I was given this job because they feel I'll do the best job, or because they don't want me around...
We've all felt alone and alienated at times, but imagine being thousands of miles away from home at the same time. That's why we at BFM decided to start an emergency troop care drive. The fund raising goal is small-only $300 - and I think we've managed to raise about $70 dollars so far. With that money we can buy DJ's friends some very nice care packages that contain the latest DVDs and music, good snacks like the coveted ramen noodle cups, and the best cookies and crackers that money can buy.
If all of us just chip in $20, we can get to $300 easily, but no donation is too small.
Please, click here to contribute to Troop Care through PayPal, or a check can be sent to:
In November of 2007, a handful of Michigan organizations banded together to show our support for the Michigan troops stationed in Iraq and Afghanistan. We call the program "Troop Care," and it works like this:
We identify Troop Care recipients by using the site anysoldier.com.
We shamelessly beg you for money
You give it to us
We spend 100% of the donations on the troops. We keep nothing for ourselves or our expenses
In the 18 months since Troop Care was launched, we've shipped almost 100 care boxes to Michigan National Guard and US Naval Reserve units deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan. These boxes include items such as socks, shampoo, soap, snacks and other food, personal correspondence, DVDs, and games and magazines. Most boxes are sent during our holiday fundraisers, but we continue to send small packages throughout the year.
Being involved in Troop Care is its own reward, but last week our soldiers made it a little more rewarding. Thanks to our troops, we were awarded the US Army Freedom Team Salute Commendation for outstanding contributions to the United States Army!
The program recognizes U.S. Army Veterans and the Parents, Spouses and Employers of U.S. Army Soldiers. The program also recognizes those Special Supporters who have significantly contributed to supporting U.S. Army Soldiers and the Army's Mission.
We received a US Army lapel pin, some US Army decals, and a Certificate of Appreciation.
The certificate reads:
Certificate of Appreciation
For outstanding contributions to the United States Army. The Army greatly appreciates your support of Soldiers fighting the Global War on Terrorism and is proud to recognize your personal sacrifices in preserving the freedom and security of our Nation.
The certificate is missing a lot of names. I won't be able to list everyone, but here are some of the notable organizations and individuals who have helped make Troop Care work:
Well it took me a while, but I am finally posting the wrap up for Troop Care 2008. (See the other shopping & shipping diaries here and here.)
First, let's talk numbers. We raised about $1450 in product and cash. I'm "best guessing" on the value of the products, but several people donated items such as books, towels, make-up, and so on. I had some pictures of these items here.
In terms of cash, we raised $1200 total, and I am proud to say that nearly half of that came from people in Shiawassee County. Of that, we spent $371.90 on shipping. Some pics:
This is the full shipment, waiting to be loaded to go to post office.
Well I've spent all the troop care money for this year, and I've got almost everything packed up. Here's what happened yesterday ..
First, I hit the stores. Here's my 2nd cartload of stuff:
Not a great picture, but it was really cold and I just wanted to get the stuff in the truck! One thing I will note here is that you can see we bought a lot of socks and boxer shorts ... these items alone cost almost $100. The boxers were a special request (we try to fill all specific requests) and everybody asks for socks. The sand gets in their boots and grinds away at the material, so their socks get worn rather quickly. We made sure every unit received some socks, but we just didn't raise enough money to send as many we wanted.
This is after loading the 2nd cart of stuff. There's a bunch of stuff in the back seat too, that you can't see in this picture. In total, we purchased 3 carts of products. The rest of the troop care items that we are shipping were donated.
Well here it is folks, our first Troop Care wrap up diary. Because we had so many item donations this year, it took us longer than expected to collect everything. We ended up with one major donor shipping his stuff separately, from his location, because we didn't get down there to pick up his donation.
So we're finally to the point where we've got everything together. Here's the first day of shopping & packing:
About a dozen donated bibles and other Christian books. These were requested by some of the troops, so we put out a public request for this type of material. We received enough in donations that we can send some to everyone.
Donated magazines. I didn't bother to count, but there are a lot of them here. Star Magazine, a bunch of my tech magazines, a ton of Sports Illustrated, and one lucky bugger gets a Michigan History magazine.
A shot of the donated items & some of the stuff we purchased ... towels, lots of hygiene products, air fresheners, socks, and cosmetic items like cotton balls and make-up. You can also see the bibles on the far end of the table and a pair of PC speakers and the magazines on the near end of the table.
Dear readers, I present to you, the 2008 BFM Troop Care Hail Mary....
Hello friends,
Each year, the bloggers at Blogging For Michigan (BFM) ask for contributions so that we can send holiday care packages to Michigan troops who are deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan. The program is called BFM Troop Care, and it runs from Veterans Day through November 25. Last year, we raised over $7,000 and shipped to 17 units. We did this in partnership with Tri-City Local, members of UAW Local 598, and non-union employees at GM Truck & Bus. The efforts of these partners, as well as the support of hundreds of donors, made this program a great success last year.
So it's that time again, where we reach out to our personal contacts in a last minute plea to help us reach our goal. This year we are supporting approximately 170 soldiers assigned to the 7 Michigan units that are registered with the online resource www.anysoldier.com. These soldiers are in need of items such as hygiene products, snack food, socks, magazines, dvds, Christmas items, and personal cards and letters. We are determined to get a care package to all of them by Christmas. We still need another $800 to be able to meet their requests.
We understand that many of you have already given as much as you can to support your favorite candidates or other charities. If you can't make a financial contribution, can you donate some used reading material, board games, or dvds? Can you write some personal letters or sign some Christmas cards that we can send to the troops? We can make arrangements to pick up anything that you collect for Troop Care.
Whether you contribute financially or with items such as magazines or personal letters, we'll make sure that 100% of your contribution gets to the intended recipients. We donate all of the resources necessary to collect, purchase, and package the gifts for the troops. (Click here to see pictures of packing and shipping from last year)
This is a great way to show your commitment to our Michigan soldiers who are serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. Can you help? You can make an online contribution here, or send a check or money order to BFM Media LLC, PO Box 62, Corunna, MI, 48817.
This is a Blogging For Michigan Troop Care post. From November 11 through November 25, 2008, Blogging For Michigan will use 100% of every dollar received in the Troop Care fund to purchase and ship items to Michigan troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. Learn more about BFM Troop Care here. Click here to contribute to Troop Care. Contributions are not tax deductible.
A public service announcement campaign (see video below) was launched on Veterans Day from the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America in partnership with the Ad Council.
All PSAs direct viewers to the first and only online community exclusive to Iraq and Afghanistan veterans, www.CommunityofVeterans.org. The innovative social networking website offers a unique platform for veterans to connect with one another confidentially and serves as a portal for comprehensive mental health resources.
"Through our extensive research, it became clear that a critical part of a veteran's successful readjustment is connecting with other veterans," said [IAVA Executive Director, Paul] Rieckhoff. "Veterans want to be linked up with other veterans who understand. This campaign does exactly that, and reaches new veterans where they already are - online. CommunityofVeterans.org is like a MySpace or Facebook exclusively for new veterans."
Family and friends will soon have their own site too - supportyourvet.org.
A complementary PSA effort to engage veterans' loved ones will launch in the coming months. It will empower veterans' friends and families to start a conversation about the challenges the veteran may be facing and will include a website that provides resources and guidance.
According to the IAVA, veterans of World War II represented 12 percent of the U.S. population, but less than 1 percent of the current population has served in Iraq and Afghanistan. This contributes to the isolation they feel once they get home and makes connecting with other veterans challenging. This networking site hopes to reach out to those veterans and help them readjust.
This is a Blogging For Michigan Troop Care post. From November 11 through November 25, 2008, Blogging For Michigan will use 100% of every dollar received in the Troop Care fund to purchase and ship items to Michigan troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. Learn more about BFM Troop Care here. Click here to contribute to Troop Care. Contributions are not tax deductible.
Hello BFM buddies, today is Day 8 of Troop Care, and here's how things are going ..
We make a pretty generic and broad commitment that all of the units identified as being from Michigan will get a holiday package from us. This is something that caused us a little bit of trouble last year, because we went from having only 11 units to support when we started, up to 17 units when we were done. So far this year we've gone from 5 up to 7, which has increased out troop count by about 60. So as of today, we need $1200 to support all of our troops.
Here are some of the things that our troops are asking for -
According to the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans, "the VA estimates that nearly 200,000 veterans are homeless on any given night. And nearly 400,000 experience homelessness over the course of a year. Conservatively, one out of every three homeless men who is sleeping in a doorway, alley or box in our cities and rural communities has put on a uniform and served this country."
Homeless veterans are primarily male (4% are female), single, come from poor disadvantaged communities, and 45% suffer from mental illness and half have substance abuse problems. More than 67% served our country for at least three years and 33% were stationed in a war zone.
Estimates from 2006 show that 3,513 homeless veterans are in Michigan. I want to tell you about 50 of those men.
My daughter attends a Lutheran Church in Westland that recently hosted 50 homeless veterans from Detroit at their Sunday service. They also served them lunch and gave them personal care items like soap, razors and shampoo to take with them.
They were joined by Chaplain (Lt. Colonel) Herb Heavner from the Michigan National Guard who brought the men and also spoke to the congregation. He honored all branches of the service by calling on veterans in the congregation to stand and sing their military hymn along with everyone else. Army. Marine. Navy. Veterans from every branch were represented except for the Coast Guard. The Chaplain remarked that very seldom are homeless vets from the Coast Guard. He didn't say why, but if I had to guess I'd say because the branch has fewer members and they see less combat.
As the service ended and it came time to pass the collection plate, my daughter (who was ushering that day) told me she paused for a split second when she came to the rows where the homeless men were sitting. Not knowing if they had anything to put in the plate, she didn't want to embarrass them, but she didn't want to treat them any differently from the rest of the congregation. So, she sent up a quick, "Help, Lord, what should I do?", and found herself handing the plate to the first homeless veteran in her row.
What happened? Nearly every man in row after row reached into his pocket and put something in that dish. Dimes, quarters, dollar bills. Those men had little to nothing to give, and no one expected them to give anything, but they did anyway. They gave from their hearts, just as they once gave in service to our country.
That's what giving is all about. Selfless. In thanksgiving.
I know money is tight for everyone, but please consider giving even a dollar or two to Troop Care. We want our troops in the Middle East to know that we care about them while they're serving and we'll still care about them when they get home.
This is a Blogging For Michigan Troop Care post. From November 11 through November 25, 2008, Blogging For Michigan will use 100% of every dollar received in the Troop Care fund to purchase and ship items to Michigan troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. Learn more about BFM Troop Care here. Click here to contribute to Troop Care. Contributions are not tax deductible.
Members of Military Families Speak Out are condemning comments by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs suggesting that the dramatic increase in the suicide rate among young veterans is not connected to the war in Iraq. The suicide rate among male veterans under the age of 29 is now twice that of the general population.
In an interview aired Monday November 10th on PBS's NewsHour, Secretary of Veterans Affairs James Peake said that Veterans' suicides are the result of:
"the same kinds of issues that have to do with suicide in the general population. It is issues of failed relationships, senses of hopelessness, transitions in life, that are at the root cause . . . we're not making a direct correlation with combat."
Tell that to this widow.
Specialist Scott Eiswert committed suicide in May after being told by a friend that his unit of the Tennessee National Guard would be returning to Iraq. His widow, Tracy Eiswert, a member of Military Families Speak Out, expressed outrage at Secretary Peake's comments:
"I am not a statistic. We are a military family. We are real people with real experiences as a result of my husband's PTSD and his suicide. He wasn't that way before he went to Iraq, he came back changed."
After returning from a tour of duty in Iraq, Spc. Eiswert had been diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder by civilian doctors, but the Veterans Administration denied that his condition was the result of his experiences in Iraq. The Veterans Administration reversed that ruling in August. Tracy Eiswert said:
"It took him having to put a gun in his mouth for the military to admit that the changes in my husband were a result of the war. If they had admitted that earlier he might still be alive."
Or to Joyce Lucey, who lost her son, Corporal Jeffrey Lucey, a Marine Corps Reservist. Shortly after being turned away from a Veterans Administration hospital, Corporal Lucey killed himself on June 22, 2004. Lucey had strong words for Secretary Peake.
"This is dishonorable, disgraceful and shameful behavior from someone who is charged with giving the best of care to our warriors. With this type of message and thinking, Is it any wonder that many of our troops and veterans don't seek help from those who are so callous and uncaring?"
Click here to learn about Military Families Speak Out, who say, "Support Our Troops
Bring Them Home Now!!! and Take Care of Them When They Get Here."
This is a Blogging For Michigan Troop Care post. From November 11 through November 25, 2008, Blogging For Michigan will use 100% of every dollar received in the Troop Care fund to purchase and ship items to Michigan troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. Learn more about BFM Troop Care here. Click here to contribute to Troop Care. Contributions are not tax deductible.
Hello BFM buddies. Today is day 3 of Troop Care, and here's what's going on.
As you know, we use the website anysoldier.com to find troops who need our assistance. Anysoldier.com allows our troops to sign up and request whatever items that their unit would like to receive from folks at home. Last year we raised over $7,000 in cash and product donations, to send care packages to 17 units.
This year we have 8 Michigan units on anysoldier.com, but two of them are coming home within 1-2 weeks after the holidays. We are planning to concentrate our efforts on the other 6 units that won't be coming home until March, July, and August.
This brings us to a total of 176 troops to support, and we are askingbegging you to help us out. We're only askingbegging supporters for a small donation of $10 per soldier.
We know the economy is tough this year, so we're making an extra effort to make sure people realize that there are many ways to contribute to Troop Care. Troops have asked for items such as letters of support, magazines, dvds, board games, videos/dvds of NFL games, Christmas decorations, and other recreational items that you might have in your homes that you are no longer using.
Letters from kids and letters from churches are especially comforting for some of the troops. Can you round up a dozen or so people to write letters or collect magazines? Some of our troops have also asked for bibles; we don't have any specifics on what kind of bibles, but if you have access to multiple bibles that you would like to donate, please let us know.
Like last year, most units have asked for food items such as snacks like popcorn, chips, and candy. Cadillac Coffee even helped us out and made a sizable donation of product. (If you can do this, you'll get some nice press here!)
As usual, our troops need items like socks and hygiene products, which really pisses me off because the soldiers in the best military in the world should never have to ask for those things.
Other common items they've asked for are things like greeting/holiday cards to send home, scrapbooking supplies, phone cards, and soft towels.
So far we are nowhere near where we need to be, to send packages to these 6 units. Can you help us out by sponsoring a soldier for $10? I know there are 176 people out there who can contribute $10, and more who can help us collect bibles, magazines, and letters of support.
Just like last year, 100% of your financial contribution will go to Michigan soldiers who are serving in Iraq & Afghanistan. We use your dollars to pay for shipping and the products. We use our dollars to pay for things like shipping supplies and gas to run around shopping, picking up donations, etc. (If you check out the cool pictures in this post, you see that this can be quite a job!) We do not keep any of this money for ourselves and in no way do we profit from this fundraiser. This is our commitment to our troops and veterans.
If you cannot contribute online, you can make your check payable to 'BFM Media LLC' and send it (and/or your letter of support) to:
BFM Media LLC
PO Box 62
Corunna, MI 48817
We are also happy to arrange for the pickup of any large amount of items. If you are interested in organizing a church or school to collect letters, magazines, etc., we will do everything we can to make that an easy process for you.
So, to sum up:
1. We need more money. Please send us some. 2. We need your letters for the troops. Please send us some.
3. Thank you.
4. Thank you.
5. Thank you.
This is a Blogging For Michigan Troop Care post. From November 11 through November 25, 2008, Blogging For Michigan will use 100% of every dollar received in the Troop Care fund to purchase and ship items to Michigan troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. Learn more about BFM Troop Care here. Click here to contribute to Troop Care. Contributions are not tax deductible.
(Thank you for this great post, Rob. - promoted by Kathy)
This Tuesday is Veteran's day, yes another day that seems to go by and everyone just knows they get the day off, and it passes without much thought really put into it. However our Veterans are the most important signs of our freedom, from those who fought in the Revolution, to those who are currently fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan, our Veterans deserve our support and recognition.
It seems to me some people think a bumper sticker means they support the troops, but is that really supporting the troops? You see I believe supporting the troops is far more than just a bumper sticker or slogan, but it's our actions. Do you know that many of our troops live off food stamps? How sad is that, that those who put their lives on the line for us have to live off of food stamps. Over the last couple of years we have seen the poor health care so many of our Veterans receive, where are the support the troops people than? Bill O'reilly once said that any homeless veteran is just a drug user or alcoholic...yes what if they are? Should we not try to help them? I believe if we truly believed in "support the troops", we would pay them the same amount of money as you do a sports star, if we really believed in "support the troops", our Soldiers would never again have to worry about Health Care, and if we really believed in "support the troops", we would never send our troops off to War without a clear plan for victory.
Maybe this Veterans day, think about what "support the troops" really means to you, and the next time legislation comes up on helping our troops, pay attention to those who support better wages for our troops, better health care, and make sure that our troops are well protected, and have a clear plan for victory.
This is a Blogging For Michigan Troop Care post. From November 11 through November 25, 2008, Blogging For Michigan will use 100% of every dollar received in the Troop Care fund to purchase and ship items to Michigan troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. Learn more about BFM Troop Care here. Click here to contribute to Troop Care. Contributions are not tax deductible.
The Blogging For Michigan community is excited to announce that holiday Troop Care time is here again! The goal of Troop Care is to provide support to Michigan troops stationed in Iraq and Afghanistan.
From November 11 through November 25, bloggers at bloggingformichigan.com (BFM) will be publishing articles to raise awareness of the unique challenges faced by our troops and our veterans, and we will be BEGGING YOU, dear readers to contribute to the Troop Care fund. 100% of this fund will be used to purchase and ship items such as socks, hand lotion, soap, shampoo, magazines, DVDs, dried foods, etc., to Michigan troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. BFM does not make any money from this effort.
Troop Care will be shipping to Michigan units who have requested items through the website, AnySoldier.com. By using AnySoldier.com, we can be reasonably assured that the items requested by the troops will reach their intended recipients.
I've written before about the problems that veterans have when they return home from war in terms of employment. In this economy, many of us have come home, only to find out our jobs have been downsized, shipped overseas, or that what we once had is no longer enough to pay the bills. There's also the problem of your boss wanting to make sure you don't have a job to come back to. And with a war going on, it's difficult for a member of the Reserve components to find work because many employers secretly worry that if they hire you, they'll lose you to the war. Many of my fellow Soldiers are victims of this discrimination even today.
Finding a job is hard enough in this economy. Finding one as a vet is often next to impossible.
Enter SGT Justin Callahan of the US Army's 10th Mountain Division. SGT Callahan is a disabled OIF veteran who created Hire Heroes USA, an organization dedicated to getting jobs for other disabled veterans.
To quote SGT Callahan: There are men and women out there who feel they are only approached to be put on a pedestal or used as props. If you want to thank a veteran for their service, offer them a job. Give them a chance to apply their skills, work ethic and values to the civilian workforce. Let them have the opportunities to take care of their families.
This is the best way you can support veterans-by making sure they have a good paying job and are able to take care of their families and put a roof over their head.
If you are a disabled veteran in need of work, check out Hire Heroes USA and sign up.
Over at Crooks and Liars, Billo was shown as slamming John Edwards for having the nerve to say that we should actually make it so that veterans aren't homeless. You see, in Billo's world, there are no homeless veterans. In his world, supporting the troops means slapping the yellow magnet on your car, supporting Bush, and turning a blind eye to the plight of those who serve.
ES: I think (Edwards') message is strong and he has tremendous conviction, but I think he needs a little bit more material than just the "Two Americas" talk, he got to get a little bit deeper...
BO: Well, we're still looking for all the veterans sleeping under the bridges, Ed, so if you find anybody, let us know, because that's all the guy said for the last three nights...
ES: Well they're out there, Bill. Don't kid yourself.
BO: They may be out there, but there's not many of them out there. Okay? So if you know where one is, Ed...
ES: Well, actually...Now, wait a minute...one in ..
BO: Ed, Ed. If you know where's a veteran, sleeping under a bridge, you call me immediately, and we will make sure that man does not do it. Is not there.
Everybody quick! Scour the VA centers, the homeless shelters, and everywhere you can find to make sure that Bill pays up!
There are over 190,000 veterans sleeping on the street tonight. Find them and give Bill a call at 1-888-369-4762.
Each month, BFM will be shipping to at least one Michigan unit that is deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan. We are using the online resource anysoldier.com to identify these units.
This is part of our ongoing commitment to our troops and veterans. We want them to know that the people of Michigan are grateful for their service, and that we stand by them in their time of need. Plus, it feels really darn good.
We have scheduled a Troop Care Holiday Care Package fundraiser for October, 2008. This will be a 2 week fundraiser in which we ask for contributions so that we can send each Michigan unit a care package for the holidays. We hope to once again be able to build a coalition of online and offline partners, to assist in this effort.
More than anything else, we'd really like our troops to come home safe. But until then, we'll keep them in our hearts and minds, and do our part to make their service a little more comfortable.
You can keep up with details on our shipments, in the "Troop Care 2008" blox in the right column, beneath the Audio Blog feed.
Packing at Kathy's house - candy & gum (the gumballs can't go because they're not individually wrapped. So we used the BFM business account to buy them back from the Troop Care fund. Sadly, none of us like gumballs.)
The Blogging For Michigan community is excited to announce that holiday Troop Care time is here again! The goal of Troop Care is to provide support to Michigan troops stationed in Iraq and Afghanistan.
