I was so happy when I got an email from Governor Dean just now listing two websites supporting our troops and the one for sending Care packages was the 173rd Airborne where many of us have sent packages to soldier's names supplied by SoCalDem.
No matter how you feel about Governor Dean, I think he deserves Kudos for this - gee wonder if AWOL sent out an email to his supporters?
Here's part of email:
Our troops are in harm's way this holiday season. Hundreds of thousands of American soldiers won't be home for the holidays -- but we can still let them know how proud we are of the finest military in the world. There are two ways you can show American troops how grateful their fellow citizens are for their sacrifice.
Many Americans want to send care packages to the troops, but have no idea how to do it. By visiting this site you can get information about sending a care package to one of our troops in the field:
http://www.anysoldier.usThe site provides information about what our troops need us to send and where we can send it. Many of our men and women in uniform endure the harshest conditions -- even the most basic food items or personal hygiene products can make a huge difference. They also need help with supplies like gloves and flashlights to help them complete their missions.
Some soldiers will almost make it home for the holidays. Each day more than 470 soldiers arrive home on short notice for two-week R&R stints -- but the military only takes them part of the way. Servicemen and -women are flown to Germany or one of three airports in the United States -- from there they are on their own to get home.
You can donate your airline frequent flyer miles to Operation Hero Miles to bring them all the way home. Twelve major airlines will accept donations as part of this program, started by Congressman Dutch Ruppersberger, Democrat of Maryland:
http://www.heromiles.orgAnd from the site Gov Dean recommended:
Want to send a care package to Any Soldier in Iraq,
but have no idea of what to send, who to send it to, or how to send it?
Featured on ARD German TV (Video here) and FOX News.
Sergeant Brian Horn from LaPlata, Maryland, is an Army Infantry Soldier with the 173rd Airborne Brigade in the Kirkuk area of Iraq who has a reputation for taking care of his soldiers. He has agreed to distribute the contents of any packages that come to him addressed "Attn: Any Soldier" to the soldiers who are not getting mail. This works! Your packages get to real soldiers that need and appreciate your support!
Please note that now we have more soldiers helping with this. We ask that if you send packages and letters that you spread them across the addresses we have below. Soon there will be more, but they are all in Brian's unit, the Sky Soldiers of the 173rd.
Why you should send your support:
October picture of the Soldiers with Company A, 1-508th Infantry Regiment find a place to sleep where they can from a patrol base near the Tigris River.
This is Brian's unit, he may be in this picture.
You may have seen the pictures of soldiers swimming in palace pools, relaxing in fancy chairs in a gold covered room, even sleeping in the beds of the tyrants. Looks pretty good. Now you know where the reporters hang out. However, the conditions our soldiers in the 173rd are under are a bit different. They are fed ONE 'hot' meal (from merimite cans) and two MREs a day, but 267 days of MREs is far too much for anybody. The soldiers for the most part don't eat the MREs anymore but buy food on the local economy or eat what you send them. Their living conditions have improved recently, they are often in a building and sleep on cots. Electricity is somewhat available, often going out, but better than nothing. This changes some of the abilities to cook food and use things like rechargeable batteries, etc. They do often go on 'mission', raids that will cause them to be away from any support.
They refer to themselves as "RPG magnets".
THE WAR IS NOT OVER FOR THEM.