219 posts tagged “support the troops”

RUN FOR THE WARRIORS™

Sgt Eric Horton, USA displays his tenacious spirit in the 2008 race

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Sunday, November 8, 2009 - 9:30am

REGISTER TODAY!

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New Location: Town Hall
Town of Babylon
200 East Sunrise Highway
Lindenhurst, NY 11757

Please join us on November 8th at 9:30 a.m. for the 2nd Annual Long Island Run for the Warriors™ sponsored by Local 338. The 1st annual run was such a success that this year it has been expanded, shutting down streets and doubling the distance. With the help of the Town of Babylon, there are three race venues this year: 10k, 5k, and 1 mi fun run/walk. Come run through the street of Babylon (literally!) and support your wounded service members, their families, and the families of the fallen!

Another new feature this year is the First Responders Challenge!

FIRST RESPONDERS CHALLENGE:
We are calling on all fire, police, and other first responders to compete. Prizes will be given to the team that has raised the most donations and also, the team that recruits the highest number of participants. Start your team today… receive a $5 race registration discount for participating as part of a team.
First Responders! Race to support the cause!

TEAM CHALLENGE:
Team Challenge: Friends, co-workers, family members—want to start a competition to see who can get the most participants and raise the most money for Hope For The Warriors™  Sign up and create a team here

If you would to learn about sponsorship opportunities or need more information about this year's event, please contact: Jack Caffey, Jr. - (516) 852-2955

USN SEAL Lt. Daniel Cnossen is a member of SEAL Team One based in Coronado, CA. He is also a 2002 graduate of the United States Naval Academy. Dan is a Topeka, Kansas native.

Lt Daniel Cnossen

He was seriously injured while operating near Kandahar, Afghanistan on September 8th, 2009. At this point, he has had both legs amputated at the knee. He may need to have these amputations revised later on in the week in order to better fit his prosthetics in the future. He has an open book pelvic fracture, as well as extensive deep tissue and internal wounds to the lower half of his body. From the waist up, everything else is great; no brain damage, no paralysis, no torso or facial injuries.

Dan is a truly inspirational person. Please visit his website often.

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

http://transitioningveteran.com  and on facebook

Transitioning Veteran is dedicated to helping veterans who have or are in the process of separating from the

mlitary and who are looking for information on veteran benefits. Transitioning Veteran is a website that

helps guide veterans directly to what I feel are very useful links, when searching for information on

education, work and medical benefits. My hope with Transitioning Veteran is to make it easier for a veteran

of the Armed Forces to find important information pertaining to veteran benefits. I have spent numerous

amounts of time searching the internet for information that would help me to transition back into the civilian

world once I had separated from the Air Force. Since being out of the Air Force, I have used this

information that I found on the internet, to help me use my GI Bill, find a job and help me when applying for

my VA medical benefits.-Steve

Visit the blog too @ http://transitioningveteran.com/wordpress

Most recent blog post:

The Soldiers Project is a private, non-profit, independent group of volunteer licensed mental health professionals including psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, and marriage and family therapists. We provide free counseling and support to military service members who have served or who expect to serve in the Iraq and/or Afghanistan conflicts and to veterans of those conflicts. We see active duty as well as members of activated Reserve or Guard units. In addition, our services are available to the families and other loved ones of service members. We provide help to service members and families struggling with issues related to the overwhelming trauma of war including the cycle from pre-deployment to deployment to homecoming and re-entry to civilian life. Our services are entirely free of charge. We do not report to any government agency.

Who is eligible?

• Active duty uniformed service members who have served in OIF/OEF
• Members of activated Reserve/Guard military units with service in OIF/OEF
• Veterans of OEF/OIF
• Family members of the above including spouses, parents, grandparents, children, siblings, etc
• Other loved ones

Locations/Contact Us

The Soldiers Project
info@thesoldiersproject.org
818-761-7438
Toll free: 877-576-5343

The Soldiers Project Chicago
kschecht@uchicago.edu

The Soldiers Project Long Island
SRC1031@aol.com
516-284-7531

The Soldiers Project New York City
212-787-8676

The Soldiers Project Northwest
soldiersprojectnw@yahoo.com
206-290-1035

The Soldiers Project Sacramento
Nancy White
nancela@sbcglobal.net
916-971-3440

Jodie George
jodie55@aol.com
916-838-8191

The Soldiers Project
Southern California
818-761-7438

The "Memorial" in Memorial Day has been ignored by too many of us who are beneficiaries of those who have sacrificed their lives for our freedom and liberty. Often we do not observe the day as it should be, a day where we actively remember those Americans including our ancestors, family members, loved ones, neighbors and friends who have paid the price for the blessings of liberty.

This Memorial Day please help me honor the sacrifices of Our Nation’s Heroes who have made the ultimate sacrifice, as well as those who have returned home to face new challenges that the rest of us can only imagine –

I will be participating in Soldier Ride, the Hamptons on July 25^th ~ This is a bicycling and walking event that brings together veterans, cyclists, walkers, athletes, families, volunteers, and people from all over Long Island and New York City. I will be joining hundreds of people in a day of fun and celebration while helping to support America's Wounded Veterans! Join me and challenge yourself to bike 28 or 65 miles or walk/run 4 miles. Come out to meet, ride along with and honor wounded veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan.

Please sponsor me in this incredible event by making a donation or join my team and participate with us!!!

http://soldierride.kintera.org/hamptons/teaminvictus

Invictus is latin for "Unconquered" - Just like our Nation's Wounded Warriors!

Soldier Ride is an official program of the Wounded Warrior Project and is a rehabilitative sports event for the wounded warriors. But it is much more than that. For many of these combat wounded veterans it is a way to return to an active lifestyle. These cyclists, many who have been severely wounded, want to give back. The Soldier Ride also helps to raise awareness for the Wounded Warrior Project. Even though they have already given so much, they want to give this positive message to the public and pass the message on to the next group of wounded soldiers. Many of these men and women have been physically active throughout their lives and are not going to lose that. They are going to get on the bike and prove to themselves 'I can still do this.'' Soldier Ride is not about the politics, it's not about the war, it's simply about the soldiers.

All funds raised by this event go to the www.woundedwarriorproject.org The greatest casualty is being forgotten.

Thank you!! Have a great weekend!!

Please join Defiance Fight Gear in honoring the memory of the brave men and women who have given their lives in the service of our great country.

Defiance Fight Gear has created a design to honor the memory of our country's fallen soldiers and are donating $10 from each sale of this shirt to carefully chosen causes in three categories: those helping active duty personnel, those assisting combat wounded/disabled personnel, and those providing support and assistance to the families of fallen soldiers. In this way we pay honor to their memory, their service, and their sacrifice by providing assistance to their families and to their comrades who are still serving or have been wounded/disabled in the line of duty.

Organizations receiving donations from the sale of these shirts are Soldiers Angels, Operation Troop Appreciation, Operation First Response and Children of Fallen Soldiers Relief Fund.

Purchase a  Fallen Troop Shirt - $29.99

 This premium quality, super-soft, short sleeve crew matches the quality, softness, and fit of the top-of-the-line MMA & Tattoo-Art shirts that routinely sell for $70 & up! The shirt is 100% combed ring spun pre-shrunk cotton.

Bronx-Born Marine makes late entrance into Marine Corps, stands out from crowd

http://fightin6thmarines.vox.com/libr...

Story and photos by Sgt. Dorian Gardner CAMP RAMADI, Iraq – After receiving a letter informing him he was too old to be a Marine, the former youth counselor from the Bronx was determined to prove he possessed the character and grit to walk across Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island’s...

CAMP RAMADI, Iraq – After receiving a letter informing him he was too old to be a Marine, the former youth counselor from the Bronx was determined to prove he possessed the character and grit to walk across Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island’s Peatris Parade Deck wearing the Eagle, Globe and Anchor.
Currently serving in Ramadi, Iraq, as the network operations supervisor for Regimental Combat Team 6, Sgt. Victor Arroyo was not guaranteed anything at the recruiter’s office like many other Marines. Managing to enlist even though he was two years past the cut-off age for enlistment, the 34-year-old Marine considers every day in this Marine Corps a blessing.
Shortly after his mother, who had been teaching more than 20 years was laid off, Arroyo, who was born and raised in Bronx, New York, knew that his chances of retaining a position in the school district as a youth counselor were slim. Though his mother was able to find another teaching job, Arroyo saw this as an awakening rather than a misfortune. The Marine Corps was calling.
As a teen, Arroyo was a young Marine cadet, an organization similar to Young Marines. Arroyo participated in field training events and competitions with other cadets throughout the state of New York, and as a cadet, learned how to properly press his utility uniform, shine his boots and utilize the phonetic alphabet and military time.
When he wasn’t taking part in field exercises with the cadets, he was at home in a full house, with his mother and a number of guests. Arroyo did not see much of his father growing up.
“I was angry at my father,” said Arroyo. “I was angry at myself, indirectly influenced by my relationship with my old man.”
Living in a neighborhood infested with violence and drugs, his father was a part of that life. He tried to escape it but no matter what happened, he found his way back, said Arroyo. Although Arroyo was aware of his father’s actions, more positive role models influenced him.
Growing up, his grandfather, a soldier who served in Korea, told Arroyo stories of hard-knuckled Marines and how well they carried themselves on the battlefield and in training. “He used to always tell me to join the Marines; that they are the best,” said Arroyo.
One story in particular stuck out, according to Arroyo. His grandfather had traveled many places in the world and one joint-training cycle alongside United States Marines led to his participation in one of the Marine Corps’ most significant battles during the Korean War.
Arroyo’s grandfather fought with the Marines during the amphibious assault at Inchon in 1950, a battle that resulted in victory and a swing of momentum in favor of U.N. forces during the early days of the Korean War. Arroyo would hear much more about the Marines as time went on.
After high school, Arroyo married and eventually became a father of two. Choosing to stay with his family rather than pursue a career in the military, Arroyo began working with kids. In 1996, he began work at a private facility for emotionally disturbed youth.
“It was something different every day,” said Arroyo. “There was no routine.”
For many years, Arroyo stayed close to the youth in his city, working with gang members and helping troubled youth with their General Education Development test, college courses, and sometimes simply finding jobs.
“I enjoyed what I did but I was looking at the writing on the wall,” said Arroyo. “The New York Department of Education was shaky. The only thing I wanted to do besides work with kids was be a Marine.”
Ten years later, Arroyo was standing outside a Marine recruiter’s office. The afternoon he walked in, Arroyo told the recruiter, “I am 31 and I want to be a Marine.” Arroyo was told to come back tomorrow if he was serious. At 9 a.m., the recruiter walked up to the locked office to find Arroyo standing outside, anxious to follow a dream.
The recruiter began his presentation on what the Marine Corps had to offer. Politely interrupting the Marine recruiter, Arroyo had his own speech prepared.
“I am not 18 years old; I am not a high school senior. I am divorced, I have kids, and I have a career. Can we just pull out the contracts and start signing?” said Arroyo.
After a number of waivers were reviewed and accepted, he was on his way to boot camp. Days before leaving, an early online-survey with his age registered an automatic response letter from the office of former Marine Corps Sergeant Major, Sgt. Maj. John L. Estrada.
“We regret to inform you…” the letter read. As he continued reading, the letter explained that age limitations conflicted with his hope to enlist. Ready to set feet on those yellow footprints, Arroyo put the letter back in the envelope and saved it for his return from boot camp.
On January 12, 2007, Private First Class Arroyo walked toward his grandfather in his dress blue uniform, as the honorman of his platoon.
Meritoriously promoted three times, Arroyo moved up in the ranks, taking on more responsibilities as well duties.
Staff Sgt. Juan Angeles, the Regimental Combat Team 6 Information Assurance Chief, has monitored and mentored Arroyo since he came to the operating forces as a private first-class.
“He was locked on,” said Angeles. “He would always take opportunities to direct whatever was going on.”
Not the common Marine, Arroyo’s experience working with others contributed to his ability to lead others in the work space.
“In the rear, even as a private first-class, he would basically take charge of the group,” said Angeles. “He can easily take the lead on anything. I am sure he will excel at whatever he is doing.”
Looking toward the drill field as his next challenge, the man who was told he wouldn’t be able to become a Marine hopes to one day transform civilians into Marines. Now in Iraq, meritoriously promoted to the rank of sergeant, Arroyo doesn’t see an end in sight for his potential future in the Marine Corps.