For those who support the troops

[Raiders Army]

Here are a few links to help you show your support:

“America Supports You” is a nationwide program launched by the Department of Defense that showcases the many ways America is showing its support for service members and their families.

The program is designed to gather information about and recognize the many activities Americans are doing to support our troops. More importantly, “America Supports You “ lets service members and their families know about these programs.

http://www.americasupportsyou.mil/

Operation Hero Miles, established by the Fisher House Foundation, offers Americans the opportunity to donate their unused airline sky miles to wounded troops and their families for visits to medical facilities and trips home.

http://www.fisherhouse.org/programs/heroMiles.shtml

There are numerous other links here: http://www.army.mil/howyoucanhelp/

Edit-The first link is a .mil website so it's legit. The Fisher House is a well-known organization. The other links on the army.mil webpage are Army approved. This is so you don't think that these are scams.

[Anthony]

thank you RA.

[Raiders Army]

No problemo HA.

[Farrah Whitworth-Rahn]

I'd like to add a few that I've been involved with.

For those who want to directly help supply the soldiers with small comforts from home, without a middleman type organization: http://www.anysoldier.com/

For the animal lovers: http://www.militaryworkingdog.com/donate/

And a local, Phoenix based organization that sends care packages to soldiers in the theater: http://www.packagesfromhome.org/index.shtml

EDIT: Here's a nice little database you can use to look up charities to see if they're legit. The IRS has a database of all real, legitimate and properly organizaed 501(c)(3) organizations (those whose donations are tax deductible).

http://apps.irs.gov/app/pub78

[Anthony]

thanks Farrah, i was looking for something like this. i mean well, but i'm extremely lazy. being able to do something like this is right up my alley.

http://www.treatanysoldier.com/CarePackages.cfm

[Farrah Whitworth-Rahn]

Anytime HA.

Here's a new organization that I just heard about: http://www.helpingourtroops.com/about.html

I've been thinking about helping them out, but just haven't had the time. Plus the founder is a little cutie. Bet that helps in her fundraising efforts.

[Raiders Army]

Originally Posted by Farrah Whitworth-Rahn

Anytime HA.

Here's a new organization that I just heard about: http://www.helpingourtroops.com/about.html

I've been thinking about helping them out, but just haven't had the time. Plus the founder is a little cutie. Bet that helps in her fundraising efforts.

Not to threadjack (but hey it's my thread), but do you know Kristen Maddox who's on that site?

[Farrah Whitworth-Rahn]

Originally Posted by Raiders Army

Not to threadjack (but hey it's my thread), but do you know Kristen Maddox who's on that site?

Unfortunately I do not. Why, want her number?

[Raiders Army]

Originally Posted by Farrah Whitworth-Rahn

Unfortunately I do not. Why, want her number?

Nope...just looks familiar.

[Blackadar]

I don't support our troops. I want them all to die. Preferably in horrible ways that include torture and dismemberment.

Feel better?


























(It's sarcasm folks)

[Anthony]

unnecessary.

[Anthony]

i'm gonna print out that link i posted before and hand out the fliers to my friends tonite at our annual fantasy football draft. we're all very lazy, but we're patriotic and we support our troops. i didn't have the desire to actually go shopping for a stranger, but being able to buy a pre-assembled package is exactly what it'll take to get me to contribute. most of the packages on that link i sent (via Farrah's link) are under $20, which is awesome.

[flere-imsaho]

Great links. Thanks for the info, folks!

Since I don't have links to share, let me share some shipping info:

1. If you're shipping to a military address (highly likely, of course), bear in mind that you only have to pay domestic shipping fees. This is because once it hits the military mail center, it leaves the U.S. Postal Service. The military handles costs from there on out.

2. Some post offices require you fill out a customs form, some do not. There appears to be little rhyme nor reason as to why. That aside, if you're asked to fill out a customs form, don't be afraid of it. Just list the contents of the package and their approximate price.

[Raiders Army]

Originally Posted by flere-imsaho

2. Some post offices require you fill out a customs form, some do not. There appears to be little rhyme nor reason as to why. That aside, if you're asked to fill out a customs form, don't be afraid of it. Just list the contents of the package and their approximate price.

Concerning #2: Weird stuff there. When I was deployed in 2000, they wouldn't ship soldiers' subscriptions to Maxim, since the customs inspectors deemed it as porn (although there is no actual porn in there). The weird thing was that they would sell Maxim in the PX/BX. We didn't have soldiers receiving Maxim during the war while we were there, so I have no idea about the current rules. Also, in 2000 it was in Saudi Arabia not Iraq or Afghanistan.

Just something funny.

[Franklinnoble]

flere is right about the shipping fees. I ship stuff to my brother in Iraq, and it's cheaper than sending the same package cross-country. So don't hesitate to send care packages for fear of international shipping - it's really very cost-effective.

[-Mojo Jojo-]

Originally Posted by Raiders Army

Concerning #2: Weird stuff there. When I was deployed in 2000, they wouldn't ship soldiers' subscriptions to Maxim, since the customs inspectors deemed it as porn (although there is no actual porn in there). The weird thing was that they would sell Maxim in the PX/BX. We didn't have soldiers receiving Maxim during the war while we were there, so I have no idea about the current rules. Also, in 2000 it was in Saudi Arabia not Iraq or Afghanistan.

Wait! You can't have porn in the army? No wonder they're missing recruiting goals...

[Farrah Whitworth-Rahn]

The custom forms aren't that difficult either. The post office has a great website for info on shipping to troops. I think there's even a list of what's restricted based on the
APO number.

http://www.usps.com/supportingourtroops/welcome.htm

[Raiders Army]

Originally Posted by -Mojo Jojo-

Wait! You can't have porn in the army? No wonder they're missing recruiting goals...

If you've seen the commercials for Summerslam with the Divas washing a car in their bikinis, that's what I've suggested all along.

Check this out:

http://www.king5.com/topstories/stor....2ee7164a.html

http://www.komotv.com/stories/38298.htm

Miss Everett trades in gowns for battle dress
Teen says joining Army is 'the right thing to do'

By Julie Muhlstein
Herald Writer

Last summer, Jennifer Cabanayan sported a sash. She appeared at community events, including the Mukilteo Lighthouse Festival and the National Night Out Against Crime, as Miss Everett Teen USA 2004.

Last week, the petite brunet woman wore jeans and a strapless white top as she sat in Sgt. Jason Bayard's office at the U.S. Army recruiting center near Everett Mall.

The 18-year-old will soon shed what she calls her "girly" look for newly issued BDUs, a battle-dress uniform. She'll need neither sash nor gown at Fort Jackson, S.C., where Aug. 11 she starts nine weeks of basic training.

No makeup, either. That's not allowed at basic, Bayard told the recruit in a moment that seemed straight out of "Private Benjamin." Cabanayan hasn't seen the 1980 fish-out-of-water Goldie Hawn comedy. The Everett woman is resolute about her commitment to serve.

"It's always been in the back of my mind," said Cabanayan, who attended Cascade and Marysville-Pilchuck high schools before earning her GED.

"I'm capable, I'm healthy. This is the right thing to do," she said. "I cannot wait for that moment of putting on a uniform. It gives you that honor."

Paulene Saylor, Cabanayan's mother, said her daughter comes from a military family. Saylor's father, Otis Saylor of Stanwood, served two tours in Vietnam with an Army airborne unit. His granddaughter will follow in his boot steps. After basic training, she'll go to airborne jump school at Fort Benning, Ga.

"I've shed a lot of tears, but I'm really proud of her. I encouraged my boys to join the military. I didn't think she was listening," said Saylor, a mother of four whose oldest son was in the Navy.

The Sept. 11, 2001, attacks brought personal loss. A family friend died, one reason Cabanayan was compelled to join the war on terror. London's deadly bombings July 7 made her certain.

Nearly four years ago, Cabanayan was getting ready for school when she heard her mother scream. "I thought it was a movie," she said of TV images of planes flying into the World Trade Center towers. "All my friends have grown up so fast. Current events, that's not just a class."

Their friend Amy Jarrett was a 28-year-old flight attendant on United Airlines Flight 175, the plane that crashed into the second tower. "Every one of those people who died had families and friends," Cabanayan said. "I never thought it would hit home."

The Miss Everett Teen USA title was a way to have a voice. "If smaller kids think you're a princess, they might listen more," Cabanayan said. Last November, she competed in the state pageant. Her Everett reign ended in May.

Miss Washington Teen and Miss Washington USA are preliminaries to Miss Teen USA and Miss USA titles, said David Van Maren, state director for the pageants. Miss USA goes on to Miss Universe. NBC Universal and Donald Trump own the organization, and winners appear on NBC shows, Van Maren said.

What's ahead for Cabanayan is far from the glitzy world of TV.

Otis Saylor, who's been teaching his granddaughter how to lace paratrooper boots, said she "doesn't have the slightest idea" of the trials to come. "Boot camp is not at easy thing," the 62-year-old Saylor said. "She thinks it's going to be a picnic.

"I'm proud of her joining the military," he added. Yet, Otis Saylor said he "completely disagrees with the war in Iraq."

"I'm a very patriotic person, but I think the war in Iraq is wrong," he said.

Recruiter Bayard said everybody has an opinion about what's going on in the world.

"Most people are supportive of the troops," Bayard said.

As a woman, Cabanayan can't go into combat roles, but support roles could put her in areas of combat. Bayard acknowledged recruitment numbers are down as the Iraq insurgency and violence in Afghanistan continue. "These are tough times," he said.

In March, Secretary of the Army Francis Harvey said the service would likely miss recruiting goals for several months. The Army's full-year enlistment target is 80,000 people.

One of them is a 5-foot-4 teenager with waist-length hair and a striking smile. Last week, she got the braces off her teeth. Cabanayan hopes to go to college on benefits earned during three years of active duty. Advertising or fashion merchandising strike her fancy.

First, she'll learn to jump from 500 feet out of a C-5 or C-131 airplane. "I cannot wait for that first jump," she said.

If she ever wonders what one soldier can do, she may remember a recruiter's words:

"It's giving one person over there the possible opportunity to come home," Bayard said.

[CHEMICAL SOLDIER]

I dont care what anyone says she's still a ''LEG'' to me.

[Raiders Army]

She is going to Airborne School.

[Mike D]

Originally Posted by Franklinnoble

flere is right about the shipping fees. I ship stuff to my brother in Iraq, and it's cheaper than sending the same package cross-country. So don't hesitate to send care packages for fear of international shipping - it's really very cost-effective.

When stationed in Turkey, there were not many companies that even knew what an APO/FPO address was. Many are recognizing it now, but there are still a lot of companies that won't deliver their goods overseas to military folks because they don't know it's just costing them to ship to San Fran or New York.

So if you are trying to order something for a soldier in Iraq or anywhere overseas and the company isn't offering shipping to APO/FPO, usually an e-mail or two solves the problem.

I ordered a Playstation game from Best Buy even though they didn't advertise shipping to APO/FPO. Once I e-mailed them and told them that it didn't cost anything, they took the order by e-mail and shipped it to me. Now Best Buy has APO/FPO shipping included on their web-site. It's all about awareness.

[flere-imsaho]

Good info, Dutch. I haven't ordered stuff for shipping yet (just been taking boxes to the Post Office), so I was unaware of that.

RA: That's definitely weird about Maxim. Since Ben's not into that kind of magazine, I can't comment on whether they're allowing it be shipped now or not.

[Raiders Army]

Heh heh. Sometimes I just assume everyone "knows" that APO/FPO shipping isn't an additional cost. I did encounter a problem when I bought the Dreamcast when it first came out and having somebody ship it to me. Can't remember if it was EB or not.

Boxes are the best thing to get. I remember my family sent me a bunch of boxes in 2003. I had a soldier who didn't get any mail so I gave him one of my boxes. Made my day as well as his.

Calling cards are good too. Keeping in touch with the family is always great, whether it be your parents, wife, kids, or brother or sister.

[CamEdwards]

Thanks for this, RA. WMAL here in DC raises a lot of money for Fisher House at Walter Reed.

I also heard tonight that Walter Reed hosts an open house "party" the 2nd Saturday of the month. It's open to the public from noon to 3 p.m., and is an opportunity to visit with some of the soldiers who are recovering at Walter Reed and may not have family that can come visit. The next one is going to be September 10th. I'm going to call Walter Reed on Monday and verify. When I get confirmation I'll let you know.

[capsicum]

FYI - I'm sorry to everyone who posted thoughtful comments in my Cindy Sheehan thread. I only deleted it because it had degenerated into nothing but a childish name calling fest - myself included. I felt the subject was being disrespected and thrown way off-topic.

[Mike D]

Originally Posted by capsicum

FYI - I'm sorry to everyone who posted thoughtful comments in my Cindy Sheehan thread. I only deleted it because it had degenerated into nothing but a childish name calling fest - myself included. I felt the subject was being disrespected and thrown way off-topic.

I hope you weren't expecting us to have a group hug and sing cumbaya. We are way to civilized for that.

[Tigercat]

The word support in the title is a little(actually a lot) loaded, but thanks for the links in this thread!

[mckerney]

http://www.operationuplink.org/

http://www.fallenpatriotfund.org/

[Greyroofoo]

Great Thread Raider's Army!

[Leonidas]

Originally Posted by Raiders Army

Concerning #2: Weird stuff there. When I was deployed in 2000, they wouldn't ship soldiers' subscriptions to Maxim, since the customs inspectors deemed it as porn (although there is no actual porn in there). The weird thing was that they would sell Maxim in the PX/BX. We didn't have soldiers receiving Maxim during the war while we were there, so I have no idea about the current rules. Also, in 2000 it was in Saudi Arabia not Iraq or Afghanistan.

Just something funny.

Saudi was always very wierd about this stuff. As I recall you couldn't even send Sports Illustrated to Saudi cause pics of female athletes were considered porn in the Kingdom. As for shipping Maxim and such but it being in the exchange, I think there's a difference because the mailed stuff has to clear local customs and is subject to search and seizure while the stuff in the exchange gets a pass.

[gstelmack]

Special Operations Warrior Foundation: http://www.specialops.org/

Provides full college scholarships to the children of special operations troops who were killed while on duty (in action or training accidents).

[Raiders Army]

Weird thing was too, I went to the APOD to pick up a replacement LT, and there were a bunch of Saudi Customs Inspectors watching porn in their trailer. From what I understand, they're pretty freaky behind closed doors but pretend to be good religious zealots in public.

[Leonidas]

Originally Posted by Raiders Army

Weird thing was too, I went to the APOD to pick up a replacement LT, and there were a bunch of Saudi Customs Inspectors watching porn in their trailer. From what I understand, they're pretty freaky behind closed doors but pretend to be good religious zealots in public.

Probly porn confiscated from our troops.

[Raiders Army]

This is one of the best charities out there. If you click on the video link under Phil Mickelson, it's a moving story.

These guys modify and build houses for disabled vets. You don't even need to give money. Just give them your information if you want to supply materials or labor to help modify homes so disabled vets can get around.

http://www.homesforourtroops.org/

[Leonidas]

http://www.operationiraqichildren.org/
Click on the Related Links link and you'll have about every charity under the sun listed, including this very good one: http://www.amillionthanks.org/

[Tekneek]

We've been sending care packages for a while now. We got some subscriptions to magazines we were told were popular with the soldiers and started sending those over too. Apparently they are more valuable than money amongst some of them.

[CraigSca]

Raiders - this is a great thread. Because of this, a solider overseas is receiving a care package and a new pillow.

Thanks!

[Raiders Army]

Originally Posted by CraigSca

Raiders - this is a great thread. Because of this, a solider overseas is receiving a care package and a new pillow.

Thanks!

No, really. Thank you.