Simple Ways To Support Our Troops
Are you looking for simple yet meaningful ways to support our troops?
Below are 4 low cost ways to do just that.
Sending Gift Cards
Sending Care Packages
Sending Calling Cards
Being A Pen Pal
cards.
Sending Care Packages - If you choose to support our troops by sending
care packages, be sure you know what to put in them. Iraq is an
extremely hot country so don't send anything that will melt (i.e.
chocolate). Soldiers have access to just about all the cheap snacks
they could ever want at the Post Exchange.
So what could you put in the care packages? Think entertainment.
Soldiers love watching movies and playing video games in their off
time. In most circumstances a Soldier would be delighted to receive a
new release movie as opposed to melted candy, foot powder, etc. Movies
are also supplied at the Post Exchange but the selection is often
limited.
Sending Calling Cards - You could also show your support by sending
quality phone cards. The calling cards offered to our troops often
times have hidden fees. This means Soldiers may pay for a four hundred
minute phone card but their minutes get cut in half by hidden charges.
Find a quality phone card to send to a Soldier and he or she would be
extremely grateful.
Being A Pen Pal - Another great way to support our troops is to become
a pen pal. As much as care packages are appreciated, it is only
logical to conclude that a personal note that you took the time to
write from your heart would be equally (if not more) treasured.
A quick internet search led to to penpalsforsoldiers.org. Check them
out or conduct your own search to find Soldiers wanting pen pals.
Labels: Iraq, Support, Troops
posted by Alex at 2:10 PM 2 Comments
Family Life and the US Military
Life in the Armed Forces is not for the faint hearted. This goes
double for their spouses and children.
There are many special challenges for dependents of service members.
One of the first are periodic moves to different locations. Uprooting
a life with friends and known conditions is at best harrowing even if
everything goes correctly. When something goes wrong, such as
belongings that show up late, it can get downright horrific.
Another special challenge is the community standard. Living on post
exposes everyone to the needs and requirements of the service. While
it is possible to annoy neighbors in a community by letting the grass
grow too high, in a military community that is a punishable offense.
Another of the challenges to be overcome is relative isolation. While
military bases have many amenities, this is not the same as having
everything you might desire or need, and typically the area
immediately around a military base isn't family friendly.
The most harrowing issue is of course deployment. Staying behind while
the service member is sent overseas, possible to a war zone is one of
the hardest tasks a family will ever face. While military units will
try to prepare both the service member and dependents, this is never
really enough.
The ways to combat this vary from family to family, but all units will
have some sort of family association that should provide help. From a
welcome committee which can provide you with maps and tell you where
necessities can be found to a support group which can help each other
out with needs or a shoulder to cry on during deployments. Having
other families who can show up and help deal with the burdens when
they grow overwhelming can be a lifesaver. Helping others in need can
also provide a needed lift for you.
Dependants will quickly learn to have their ID handy. This will be
required for services like the commissary. The actions and appearances
of dependents will effect the promotion and progression of their
service member. Military posts are much like small towns, with enough
people around to make secrets difficult to keep. There is an old
saying that anyone can make colonel, but it takes a wife to make a
general. This emphasizes the importance a family can have on a career.
Military posts will normally have a commissary of some sort where you
can purchase groceries, other stores and franchises to allow some
semblance of normal life, a post laundry, a library and a school or
schools. Often there will be neighborhood playgrounds.
Sometimes there are other facilities, such as workshops where service
members and dependants can perform automotive maintenance, woodworking
or other tasks.
There are visitor's centers which can point you towards the various
features of the post. Another option is to search online. Many posts
will have websites which discuss the post and locale, and there are
many blogs where dependents discuss life around the service and how to
deal with it.
For more information on the US military please check out the author's
site at http://usmilitary.com
posted by Alex at 1:00 PM 0 Comments
Drunk Driving Vs. The War In Iraq
There's a really popular trend right now of bombarding Pres. Bush with
criticisms for a lot of reasons, but particularly for the current
conflict in Iraq. I can't attest that his reasons for entry were
flawless or that we "should" or "should not" be there (that's so grey,
in spite of what a lot of hard-headed and self-important protestors
think). Basically, I feel that I, along with most Americans (both for
and against the war) are not perfectly informed and therefore, I have
a hard time picking sides, though I do dislike the whiney liberal
media. Anyway, on to my point.
In listening to the news, we are quick to hear about the rising death
toll in Iraq. Interestingly enough, though, it still loses out to the
number of fatalities caused by drunk driving in the United States by a
ratio of about 17 to 1 (according to MADD and DoD Reports, comparing
fatalities of 2005 to both causes). 17 to 1. 17 to 1. That's in favor
of drunk driving. There aren't 17 reports against drunk driving for
every report of some legislator fighting Bush's Iraq policy. In fact,
I'd wager that the number is quite inverse.
There are some big differences, too. Those who serve in our military
do so with a commitment to laying their life on the line in the
defense of our nation. Those killed by drunk driving accidents are
often on their way home from the store, taking kids to a school play,
going to see a movie, etc. They never chose to have their life
unnecessarily endangered. How is that fair?
So what I don't get is why we can spend so much energy slamming Bush
for his foreign policy while we let 15 more people die here for every
one that loses a life in Iraq and we do relatively nothing about it.
Why? I guess it's a weak and easy strategy to heave blame on someone
else so we don't have to feel guilt for our own misdeeds. Plus, if we
really cracked down on alcohol misuse, we wouldn't have those
hilarious commercials. I mean, talking frogs. That's good stuff.
That's worth 16,000 citizens a year.
Lewis originally posted this article on his blog at TheGoont.com,
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