“You’ve Got Mail; Angel Mail That Is…”

 
 
 

 

Dear Angels, Troops and Supporters,

 

"You've Got Mail; Angels Mail That Is…"

 

Do you have a webcam? Put it to use and send a FREE video email to anyone from "Angels Mail" and a donation will be made to Soldiers' Angels.  The more video emails you send, the more you help Soldiers' Angels. It is easy to use, check it out http://angelsmail.org

 

Angels Mail was created by Marlo Anderson for Soldiers' Angels as a thank you for what our organization does to support the troops, as his son is in the National Guard and received support from Soldiers' Angels while he was deployed.

 

What else is new regarding our social media? Soldiers' Angels launched our new Twitter Background that the MindComet team created for us as a part of the CommuniCause $25,000 Social Media Makeover. Some people might think "No one is going to see your Twitter background - everyone uses a mobile device or desktop application." They'd be right - but only in part. People who are reading an account's tweets are generally already subscribed to the account. In this case, it's really about spreading the word and gathering new followers and supporters. A Twitter background is just like a Facebook landing page. Upon arrival, the user is posed with a decision: should they follow or not? Putting our best WINGS forward is crucial to enhance our success in that decision making progress for others to follow us on www.twitter.com/soldiersangels.

 

Our Facebook Landing Page has all the makings of intrigue. If you are not a "fan" or "like us" already, please check out our Fan Page at www.Facebook.com/SoldiersAngelsOfficial. When you arrive at our Landing Page you will see we offer three simple options; To Adopt, To Donate or to Join a Team. These three options are crucial to the existence of Soldiers' Angels.

 

At any given point in time, we have hundreds of service members waiting to be adopted by individuals across the globe with a simple commitment during the deployment of that warrior with 1 letter a week and 1 package a month. 

 

We are also a one stop shop in troop support with over thirty teams to choose from. If you want to bake, we have the Angel Bakers. If you want to help the wounded, we have the Wounded TLC team. There is a place for you if you love babies, canines or chaplains. We have the Ladies of Liberty that focuses on pampering deployed females. We have teams for veteran and family support and many more.

 

If you don't have time to volunteer, but have the financial resources, we have a place for you too, you can make a donation online, via mail or by texting "Soldiers" to 20222.

 

There is a place for everyone at Soldiers' Angels. We encourage you to check out all our options. Our American warriors, veterans and their families deserve to know that we stand wingtip-to-wingtip in support of all they have done for the freedom, rights and liberties we have as American citizens. As Patti Patton-Bader our founder says, "Each of our volunteers create ripples of kindness that add up to an ocean of greatness."

 

Remember all those that have served on Veterans' Day and bow your heads in thanks this Thanksgiving Day. "Be There" for our warriors… they are always "There" for us.

 

Wingtip-to-Wingtip,

 

Shelle Michaels

National Communication Officer

ShelleMichaels@soldiersangels.org

 

Day of the Deployed

 

On October 26, 2010, the 5^th Annual Day of the Deployed, Americans are encouraged to reaffirm their patriotism and allegiance to our flag and country, and to honor our brave men and women in uniform (and their families) who are selflessly putting their lives on the line to protect and preserve our way of life.

 

Businesses are encouraged to display the proclamation honoring America's deployed service members and their families. Other ways for individuals in local communities to honor a deployed service member are: holding a special thank you event, assisting with daily chores, raking leaves, watching their children, or adopting a hero, among many other ways to say "thank you!"

Major Bryan Carroll, recently returned from Afghanistan, explains why this is so important.  "Our brave young Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines, and Coast Guard are in harm's way, every day, around the world. I cannot even begin to tell you how much of a difference it makes when they know that they are loved and supported by their fellow citizens back at home. It could have been the worst day in the world, for any number of reasons, but that knowledge that comes from a letter, a care package, or a day like Day of the Deployed is what can make a critical difference in their spirits and morale. Thank you to all of you that participate in events like Day of the Deployed and sending care packages and letters to our brave troops."
 
Shelle Michaels, who led development of this special day adds, "This is the 5th Annual Day of the Deployed that Soldiers' Angels has honored.  We encourage Americans to join with and other organizations across America to make this a day that our country stands in unison to support our deployed warriors and their families, a day to renew our commitment to support the troops all year long."
 

Cpt. Dan Murphy, North Dakota Army National Guard Public Affairs Officer says, "From the service member deployed today to those who have deployed throughout history there is no greater call than to serve others. Take the opportunity to thank all who wear a uniform, that show of support means more than we can express."

 

Soldiers' Angels Patti Patton-Bader and Shelle Michaels developed the concept of Day of the Deployed in 2006 in honor of all deployed military members and their families. This day of honor is no longer a day of honor just from the Soldiers' Angels stand point, as governors across the nation are on board signing their own state proclamations.

 

Soldiers' Angels is a volunteer-led nonprofit, with over 30 different teams and programs supporting all branches of the U.S. Armed Forces. Volunteers send letters, care packages, and comfort items to the deployed, and support their families here at home. Soldiers' Angels also provide assistance to the wounded, continuing support for veterans, remembrances and comfort for families of the fallen and immediate response to unique situation. For more information, please contact ShelleMichaels@SoldiersAngels.org or view details on www.soldiersangels.org.

 

 
Complete story and proclamation: http://soldiersangels.org/index.php?mact=News,cntnt01,detail,0&cntnt01articleid=649&cntnt01returnid=15/

 
 
Shelle Michaels 
ShelleMichaels@SoldiersAngels.org

Soldiers' Angels National Communication Officer
Vet Tix Board of Directors
Interservice Family Assistance Committee Communication Conduit
Bismarck Mandan Chamber of Commerce Military Affairs Chairperson
North Dakota National Guard Family Advisory Council Member
ND Employee Support for the Guard and Reserve Committee Member

"Ask for what you want, or take what you get!"
~ Shelle Michaels
 

www.Facebook.com/SoldiersAngelsOfficial
www.Facebook.com/ShelleMichaels
 
 
 
 
 

Digital Subscription Service Expands North Dakota Guard's Ability to Provide Real-Time News and Information (UNCLASSIFIED)

 

 
 

 

News Release 11-007

For Immediate Release                                                                                                                   Oct. 21, 2010

 

Contacts:  

Dan Murphy at 701-333-2007 (office) or 701-426-0190 (cell)

Amy Wieser Willson at 701-451-6130 (office) or 701-412-6895 (cell)

 

Digital Subscription Service Expands North Dakota Guard's Ability to Provide Real-Time News and Information

 

FARGO, N.D. — A new digital subscription service now provides the North Dakota National Guard an efficient, cost-effective way of tailoring information to its many audiences. North Dakota became the first state to launch with GovDelivery after the National Guard Bureau allowed an enterprise pilot to extend the service to 18 states. The Bureau has been using GovDelivery since February 2009.

 

"In this day and age, more than ever, communication needs to be quick and complete," said Capt. Dan Murphy, North Dakota National Guard public information officer. "While we've always followed Department of Defense policy of 'maximum disclosure, minimum delay,' we continually look for new ways to refine that to reach all of our audiences — Guardsmen, families, employers, community members and elected officials — with up-to-the-minute news and updates specific to their interests and needs."

 

As part of the system, interested people can digitally subscribe to any or all of more than 25 available topics, ranging from education benefits, family events, retiree information, news, photo and video uploads and more. Signing up is simple: Go to the Guard's website, www.ndguard.ngb.army.mil, and enter an e-mail address in the box with the "E-mail Updates" header. From there, users can click to select the updates to which they would like to subscribe. Periodic bulletins and updates will then be sent via e-mail, and users can unsubscribe at any time.  

 

The new e-mail subscription service supplements a full list of award-winning online news and features from the North Dakota National Guard.

——

Since the 2001 terrorist attacks on America, the North Dakota National Guard has mobilized more than 3,500 Soldiers and more than 1,800 Airmen in support of the Global War on Terrorism. Currently, about 75 North Dakota Guardsmen are serving overseas while more than 4,000 remain in the state for emergency response and national defense.  For every 10,000 citizens in North Dakota, 65 serve in the North Dakota National Guard, a rate that's more than four times the national average.

###

 

BLUE STAR KITS----

  

Radcliff, KY (Vocus) October 6, 2010 -- USA Cares has partnered with Blue Star Mothers of America and Blue Star Families to form Operation Blue Star. The partnership will provide "Blue Star kits" to deploying service

members' mothers and spouses, reminding them they are not alone as well as informing them about the many organizations such as USA Cares, who are there to assist should the need arise.
 
The "kit" is in the form of a bright red tote with the Blue Star banner on the front and the names and web addresses of the three organizations on the back. Inside the tote is information about each organization. A Blue Star pin and other items will be included as well.
 
Blue Star Mothers represents mothers, foster mothers, stepmothers and grandmothers who have a son or daughter who is serving or has served, and honorably discharged, in any branch of US military service. The group was founded in 1942 and was chartered by Congress in 1960.
 
Blue Star Mothers are highly recognized among America's military community with 219 chapters representing 10,000 members across the US. USA Cares will work directly with Blue Star's network of volunteer members to distribute helpful information to spouses and family of deploying service members. USA Cares Founder and Outreach Director, Roger Stradley remarked, "Forging a relationship with Blue Star Mothers speaks directly to our mission of raising awareness of USA Cares and the assistance we provide to service members and their families." Stradley, a Blue Star Father himself, had the opportunity to address the Blue Star Mothers on behalf of USA Cares at their annual convention held in August. When a partnership was proposed, it was passed at the gathering by what Blue Star Mothers President Wendy Hoffman referred to as an "overwhelming majority". She went on to say in a post-convention address that the partnership is a compliment to their organization that represents a wonderful opportunity.
 
Blue Star Families began in 2008 with explosive growth. With over 70 chapters across the United States, it has done extensive work with a comprehensive Military Families Top Issues Survey and has briefed First Lady Michelle Obama, who uses much of the information in her support of military families. In addition, it heads the Obama administration's efforts through the Summer of Service program and was selected to lead the ServiceNation coalition working group on military families and non-profit partnerships.
 
If you would like to support this effort of outreach to our newest moms and spouses of deploying spouses, it is as easy as texting USA to 50555 and responding with "YES". A onetime charge to your cell phone bill of $5 will be added and the donation will be sent to USA Cares for the exclusive use of Operation Blue Star. Standard text message charges may apply. For more information about donating using your cell phone, visit www.mgive.com .
If you would rather donate to this cause on line at http://usacares.org or by check, please add "Operation Blue Star" to the remarks on the web or on your check.
 
About USA Cares
USA Cares is a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization that helps post-9/11 military and their families with basic needs, assists veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and traumatic brain injury (TBI) and their families and works to prevent private military home foreclosures and evictions. In seven years, USA Cares has received over 24,000 requests and responded with more than $7 million in grants. Military families anywhere in America can apply for assistance through the USA Cares web site, http://www.usacares.org/ or by calling 1-800-773-0387. For more information on USA Cares contact John Revell, jrevell(at)usacares(dot)org or call (270) 352-5451
 
USA Cares has partnered with Blue Star Mothers of America and Blue Star Families to form Operation Blue Star. The partnership will provide "Blue Star kits" to deploying service members' mothers and spouses, reminding them they are not alone as well as informing them about the many organizations such as USA Cares, who are there to assist should the need arise.
 
The "kit" is in the form of a bright red tote with the Blue Star banner on the front and the names and web addresses of the three organizations on the back. Inside the tote is information about each organization. A Blue Star pin and other items will be included as well.
 
Blue Star Mothers represents mothers, foster mothers, stepmothers and grandmothers who have a son or daughter who is serving or has served, and honorably discharged, in any branch of US military service. The group was founded in 1942 and was chartered by Congress in 1960.
 
Blue Star Mothers are highly recognized among America's military community with 219 chapters representing 10,000 members across the US. USA Cares will work directly with Blue Star's network of volunteer members to distribute helpful information to spouses and family of deploying service members. USA Cares Founder and Outreach Director, Roger Stradley remarked, "Forging a relationship with Blue Star Mothers speaks directly to our mission of raising awareness of USA Cares and the assistance we provide to service members and their families." Stradley, a Blue Star Father himself, had the opportunity to address the Blue Star Mothers on behalf of USA Cares at their annual convention held in August. When a partnership was proposed, it was passed at the gathering by what Blue Star Mothers President Wendy Hoffman referred to as an "overwhelming majority". She went on to say in a post-convention address that the partnership is a compliment to their organization that represents a wonderful opportunity.
 
Blue Star Families began in 2008 with explosive growth. With over 70 chapters across the United States, it has done extensive work with a comprehensive Military Families Top Issues Survey and has briefed First Lady Michelle Obama, who uses much of the information in her support of military families. In addition, it heads the Obama administration's efforts through the Summer of Service program and was selected to lead the ServiceNation coalition working group on military families and non-profit partnerships.
 
If you would like to support this effort of outreach to our newest moms and spouses of deploying spouses, it is as easy as texting USA to 50555 and responding with "YES". A onetime charge to your cell phone bill of $5 will be added and the donation will be sent to USA Cares for the exclusive use of Operation Blue Star. Standard text message charges may apply. For more information about donating using your cell phone, visit www.mgive.com .
If you would rather donate to this cause on line at http://usacares.org or by check, please add "Operation Blue Star" to the remarks on the web or on your check.
 
About USA Cares
USA Cares is a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization that helps post-9/11 military and their families with basic needs, assists veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and traumatic brain injury (TBI) and their families and works to prevent private military home foreclosures and evictions. In seven years, USA Cares has received over 24,000 requests and responded with more than $7 million in grants. Military families anywhere in America can apply for assistance through the USA Cares web site, http://www.usacares.org/ or by calling 1-800-773-0387. For more information on USA Cares contact John Revell, jrevell(at)usacares(dot)org or call (270) 352-5451


 
 
 
Shelle Michaels 
ShelleMichaels@SoldiersAngels.org

Soldiers' Angels National Communication Officer
Vet Tix Board of Directors
Interservice Family Assistance Committee Communication Conduit
Bismarck Mandan Chamber of Commerce Military Affairs Chairperson
North Dakota National Guard Family Advisory Council Member
ND Employee Support for the Guard and Reserve Committee Member

"Ask for what you want, or take what you get!"
~ Shelle Michaels
 

www.Facebook.com/SoldiersAngelsOfficial
www.Facebook.com/ShelleMichaels
 
 
 
 
 

Operation Homefront holiday toy drive is underway!

 

Dollar Tree and Operation Homefront Toy Collection 2010

 

Operation Homefront and Dollar Tree have teamed up to help military families provide toys for their children at Christmas.

Over 3,900 Dollar Tree and Deals stores around the country will be collecting toys from November 1^st through December 6^th, 2010. We have a goal to collect 6+ million toys.  This is why we need your help!

 

Here's how the program works:

Operation Homefront chapter volunteers, Family Readiness Group Leaders, Family Support Specialists, VFW Posts, AUSA Chapters, Soldiers Angels, Blue Star Moms, and other key volunteers – you can register to be a volunteer for the Dollar Tree and Deals stores in your area, by clicking the link at the bottom of this page.

 

Once you click on the link to volunteer, you will be prompted to create a user name and password. You will then be required to enter your name, military affiliation, and contact information. Once you have entered the necessary contact information, you will be able to access a listing of Dollar Tree and Deals stores within a 100 mile radius of where you live.

You will then be able to select up to 15 stores you would like to serve as the pickup point of contact. Each store will have one point of contact, and that person is responsible for collecting the toys from that store during the collection dates.

 

Beginning November 1, 2010, store customers will be given the opportunity to purchase toys for military families. Once the items are purchased, they are placed into a drop box located near the checkout counters.

 

In order to streamline the process, it is recommended that the volunteer contact the Dollar Tree store manager before the kick off of the campaign to work out a pick up schedule.  It is possible to have a pickup schedule of once or twice a week depending on the volume of toys the store collects.

 

Once you have picked up the toys, you can distribute them to the military families you serve, or if instructed, return the items to the Operation Homefront chapter that services your particular state.

 

*Operation Homefront Chapter staff and volunteers have priority in selecting stores. Operation Homefront reserves the right to make adjustments to registered volunteers, i.e. limit the number of stores picked up by one person or make any other necessary alteration if in the best interest of the program.

 

In order to register as a volunteer click the link and follow the instruction on our registration page. Thank you for your help with this program! http://www.operationhomefront.net/collectionvolunteer.aspx?id=6061

For questions about this program, Please contact your local servicing Operation Homefront Chapter or Brad Claus at Brad.Claus@operationhomefront.net or 210-659-7756

 

Supporting Soldier's Angels

Dear friend,
 
I am very proud to announce that my publisher is processing a check to Soldier's Angels for almost $5000.00 as I write this to you. It would not be possible without you so I want to thank everyone who purchased a copy of my new book Iraq: Inside the Inferno 2005 - 2008. Sales the first week were great but I want to raise as much as $50,000.00 for Soldier's Angels and I need your help to do it.



I have just returned to Afghanistan and I'm writing to tell you about a new book project I'm working on and an important organization that I'm backing with this book. I hope you will too.
 
ABOUT SOLDIERS' ANGELS
Soldiers' Angels is a volunteer-led nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting the American soldier in the field.  Morally, materially, and spiritually. Its volunteers number over 200,000.  In my opinion, SA is the most effective of all civilian support groups. You've read about them in some of my dispatches as I have been a champion of their heroic efforts for years.
 
Soldier's Angels has a number of great projects, including Adopt a Soldier, which matches one soldier in the field to one supporter or family at home who sends a letter every week and a care package at least once a month. But their most important contribution is also one of the most expensive is theFirst Response Backpack.
 
U.S. military personnel who are injured or wounded are moved out to treatment so fast that sometimes their gear and personal items never catch up with them.  Evacuated in the clothing damaged or removed during treatment, these soldiers often find themselves without basic supplies. A Soldiers' Angels First Response Backpack provides comfortable clothing, a full set of travel-sized toiletries and accessories, an international calling card the soldier can use to phone home, and a handmade Blanket of Hope. To date, Soldiers' Angels has distributed more than 15,000 backpacks to the wounded.
 
I've seen the great impact Soldiers' Angels has in the field, so you won't be surprised that I want to help them. Or that I'm asking you to join me in that effort.
 
A NEW BOOK DEDICATED TO THE MISSION & SOLDIERS' ANGELS
 
I am currently at work on a new book called IRAQ: INSIDE THE INFERNO. It will cover my years reporting in the field from 2005-2008. It will tell, with words and pictures, the dramatic story of how we won the war in Iraq – not primarily with our overwhelming technology, not with shock and awe destruction, but with the far more important force of American values.
 
The book will assemble some two hundred of the most powerful, telling, and dramatic photographs I have taken in Iraq (many never before published). With my publisher, Richard Vigilante Books, we have enlisted an award-winning documentary producer from Discovery Channel, Karen Kraft, and her handpicked team to create the book.  Pictures of American warriors at work, engaged in killing terrorists or rebuilding a school or a shattered neighborhood. My intent is to combine the best of my pictures with the best of my writing to create an entirely new type of experience. And for the final product to have the enduring memorial value of the most treasured, well-crafted volume in a great library. 
 
IRAQ: INSIDE THE INFERNO will come off the press for shipment late this year before the holidays, but my publisher is not going to ship the regular version to bookstores until Spring. Why?  Because we want to raise $50,000 to help Soldiers' Angels.
 
To meet this goal, my publisher is creating a limited number of boxed, signed, and numbered deluxe editions of the book to be offered exclusively to my supporters and both of us are contributing a portion of our proceeds to Soldier's Angels.
 
THIS BOOK IS SPECIAL
This 220 page, full color book will be printed on the finest paper used for art books and bound using timeless techniques of the book-makers' craft. Here are some of the details:

- The pages will be Smythe sewn, not just glued the way most books are today.
- The paper is acid free and guaranteed to last 800 years without yellowing or deterioration. 
-  The beautiful cloth cover – not plastic or some other synthetic fabric – will be gold stamped on both front and spine.
- And each book will be encased in a cloth-covered, gold stamped slipcase.
 
I will personally sign and hand-number each copy of this special edition and enclose a certificate, suitable for framing, to memorialize your support of my mission and of Soldiers' Angels.
 
PRE-ORDERS
The cost for each signed, numbered deluxe copy is $49.95, plus shipping.  A lot of money, but here is the bottom line:  The money we raise from sales of this book is crucial not only to support my own mission but for our goal of raising at least $50,000 for Soldiers' Angels. That's why we have tried so hard to create a work that expresses our gratitude for your support. As you know, I have returned to Afghanistan just days ago and my arrangement with my publisher provides book royalties to me earlier than a traditional publishing arrangement in order to assist me with my mission.
 
My publisher is now accepting pre-orders for IRAQ: INSIDE THE INFERNO. Pre-ordering will guarantee you a copy – we can print this special edition only once – and within days of the book coming off the press. If our experience with the special signed edition of my last book, A Moment of Truth in Iraq, is any guide, it will sell out, so the only way to absolutely guarantee you will be able to get a copy is to pre-order.
 
More importantly, pre-orders will help us raise funds for Soldiers' Angels more quickly. I'd be thrilled if we could raise all of the $50,000 we have targeted for Soldiers' Angels on pre-orders of the special edition alone. If we can do that, then we can raise even more.
 
I think you'll love the book and hope you'll pre-order today. It makes a great gift, especially because it is also a gift to the American soldier, who, as I said in A Moment of Truth In Iraq, 'is not only the most dangerous man in the world, but the best man, too.'


--
Very Respectfully,
Michael Yon

Please remember that this website accepts no advertisement and is dependent on your support.   



Please send any regular mail for Michael to:

Michael Yon
P.O. Box 5553
Winter Haven, Fl 33880

 

NONPOINT RELEASE OFFICIAL ‘FRONTLINES’ VIDEO

Soldiers' Angels extends its deepest appreciation to musicians of Nonpoint for their generous donation.  All profits from their new single, "Frontlines" will be split 50-50 between Soldiers' Angels and the USO.  Thank you, Nonpoint, for being such great supporters of the troops!

 
http://soldiersangels.org/index.php?mact=News,cntnt01,detail,0&cntnt01articleid=669&cntnt01returnid=15
 
 
 
 

 
Shelle Michaels 
ShelleMichaels@SoldiersAngels.org

Soldiers' Angels National Communication Officer
Vet Tix Board of Directors
Interservice Family Assistance Committee Communication Conduit
Bismarck Mandan Chamber of Commerce Military Affairs Chairperson
North Dakota National Guard Family Advisory Council Member
ND Employee Support for the Guard and Reserve Committee Member

"Ask for what you want, or take what you get!"
~ Shelle Michaels
 

www.Facebook.com/SoldiersAngelsOfficial
www.Facebook.com/ShelleMichaels
 
 
 
 
 

Surveillance video from businesses next door led police to the arrest of 42 year old Charles Edward White

SAN ANTONIO -- A crook broke into Soldiers' Angels last Sunday, stealing half a dozen flat screen tvs and laptops carrying valuable memorabilia.

"Certificates, awards, letters, inspirational letters," says the group's co-founder, Jeff Bader. "All of these were in the display modules and it feels like the loss of a loved one. Feels like we were violated."

The thief also vandalized the charity's exhibit room with flame retardant foam, right by the Fallen Heroes memorial.

"It was totally disrespectful," adds Bader. "It's unimaginable that someone would come into a place, a non-profit, and steal from a non-profit trying to help American soldiers."

Surveillance video from businesses next door led police to the arrest of 42 year old Charles Edward White. White is now charged with burglary of a building, but News 4 WOAI found this isn't his first time behind bars.

White has been in and out of jail since the late eighties for assault, kidnapping, drugs, and burglary.

Police haven't been able to recover the stolen items. Replacing the goods could cost Soldiers' Angels thousands of dollars... money that may have to come out of what they give to soldiers.

"This is going to cost money that could have gone to help wounded soldiers, deployed soldiers," says Bader. "It could have been used for better purposes than that, so we're going to need help replacing some of these items."
http://www.woai.com/news/local/story/Soldier-support-group-vandalized-calls-for-help/9zXIULf6fkW2WZ8JPEDn7g.cspx

Chance to win $2,500 in our Spooktacular Baking Activity Contest!

Thought the families might enjoy this---

Enter our Spooktacular Baking Activity Contest and you could win up to $2,500!   Submit Your Entry What could you and your family scare up for Halloween? Share your idea for a fun and easy creation to bake with the family using NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Refrigerated Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough.   Vote For The Winners Ten creepy masterpieces will go on to compete for the grand prize of $2,500. The winners will be chosen by our NESTLÉ® baking community on Facebook. Submit your recipe and photo for frightening fun today!