Musings From Momma Marine - Supporting Our Heroes with Care Packages
Happy New Year from IRAQ!
Wed, Dec 31 2008 08:34
| Corpsmen, support, Letters from IRAQ, supporting our heroes, Letters from Military
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Some letters and emails are long and full of information. Then some are just straight from the heart and very short. They are all precious to me and mirror my own sons to the 'T'. Just like this one:
Dear Momma Jodi,
How was your Christmas, good I hope mine was not too bad it was better than I thought it was going to be, lol. Oh and a happy new year too incase I don't get to say it in time.
This is from Luis, a Corpsman with the 3/7 H&S in Iraq. No wasted space or fillers. Short and to the point. I love this kid.
Semper Fi,
Comments
Merry Christmas from 3/7 Marines
Wed, Dec 31 2008 08:11
| Momma Jodi, Letters from IRAQ, Merry Christmas, Letters from Military, Marines
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Hi Momma Jodi,
Merry Christmas and happy holidays! Just wanted to check in and see how you're doing. I'm busy as usual, but I'm doing well . . . I just wanted to say thank you for all that you've done. It has been great getting to know you; I'm glad you've accepted me into your heart and thoughts . . . it has been the best gift thus far. The Marines here all appreciate your support; their lives are all made so much better because of your warm care. Please don't hesitate to let me know if you need anything from me. Hope to talk to you soon!
Always,
Lenny
Amazing, he wants to know if there is ANYTHING WE NEED FROM HIM!
Aside from coming home safely, I can't think of a thing, can you? This is only one of the Marines you help support!
Semper Fi
Happy New Year!
Wed, Dec 31 2008 07:31
| support, gifts, supporting our heroes, Lets say thanks, heart project, Letters from the Home Front, heroes
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We have ended 2008 with a very successful sending program. My "heart project" has been received by many who have reached out and given to our Military and I want to say THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart!
I just received a box of Cigars from a very dear friend in Florida and I assure you they will be a FAVORITE in the boxes. I have joyously retrieved checks from the mailbox and the winter wear, games, videos, books, protein bars and other special requests are going out every week. I was also given two boxes of books depicting the Canadian River Area through photographs taken by Deborah Summers. I am very excited about being able to send them to our Marines letting them know about my home and it's beauty. The winter caps, gloves and sweatshirts given by the Word of Life Church have been a very big hit. The Church had everyone bring something for the boxes when they had their Thanksgiving Dinner. How awesome to give Thanks by giving to our special men and women.
The 5th grade classes at Borger Intermediate School, a 2nd grade class at Gateway and a 6th grade class at Borger Middle Schools all signed Thanksgiving and/or Christmas Cards and The Frank Phillips Ladies Softball Team sent cards to our guys as well. I've taken pictures of people in town to put in the boxes along with the cards and letters I've been given and I assure you as the replies come in, you'll know.
The employees at the Borger Hastings and my Hallmark Ladies have been great at making sure we have books, videos, cd's, sunglasses, gift bags and cards to send in our boxes.
Those of you who have dropped off sacks of goodies, books and gift items, at the Phillips Building in Borger, have no idea how much you have helped in filling the lives of our receivers. The men and women I send to are mostly those who have been listed as not getting much mail or any at all, so I know, you are touching hearts who think they aren't even thought about, much less, appreciated or loved.
Your giving and your thoughtfulness keeps my tear ducts cleaned out and I wish there was more I could do to show the appreciation for your kindness. All I have is "THANK YOU VERY MUCH!"
As our new year starts we have two units looking at coming home during the month of February. We still have units staying through to August of 2009 and as our present units come home, I'm sure another will slip into their place. It's part of that Momma thing wanting to take care of everyone and I'm working on it but it's a long and hard fought battle. Let's suffice it to say, this Momma ain't winning to many of those, "you have enough to send to just leave it alone and take care of who you already have" scrimmages going on in her head. The heart always wins and YOU make that possible.
From our Marines and from Momma Jodi, THANK YOU VERY MUCH for your outpouring of love and appreciation sent every week in the 'Supporting Our Heroes' boxes. Y'ALL ARE AWESOME! Happy New Year and may God pour out Blessings so massive you can't hold them all.
Semper Fi
Greetings to the Borger Gateway 2nd Grade Class
Wed, Dec 31 2008 06:50
| Navy, Corpsmen, Letters from IRAQ, Letters from Military, Marines, Letters from the Home Front
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My Granddaughter, Emme, had her class sign Thanksgiving Cards for our Marines and we put them in care boxes sent Corpsmen to Iraq. Chief Scott Stanley sent the following letter:
Dear Students,
I am Chief Scott Stanley, I was very happy to receive the care package from you, and the nice card. I want to thank you for your effort and time in sending it to me. This package brightened up my day. I hope that Santa brings you everything you asked for. I also hope you have a great Holiday Season, Remember do well in school and have fun. You will always be with me.
Always,
Scott Stanley
HMC USN/IRAQ
Semper Fi,
Merry Christmas
Wed, Dec 31 2008 06:15
| deployment, Soldiers, Army, Marines, christmas, Letters from the Home Front, Military
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Our sons came home for Christmas and it was a gift from the "Priceless" list. First to arrive was our Marine from 29Palms CA and how wonderful to see him. He is beautiful. He has grown at least 4" taller and carries that Marine Honor with pride... Our Soldier arrived a day later and it is especially wonderful to have him home this holiday as he will report back to Ft. Dix, NJ the 2nd of January 2009 with deployment for Iraq set for the 3rd. As I sat (and sit) and look at my sons, I think of those I mail to and in my heart yearn for them this Christmas, too. As I have said before, "when you are added to my mailing list, you enter my heart and become one of mine", and what better than to have all my "sons" home for the holidays.
We love them all. We are proud of them and appreciate, more than words can say, the sacrifices they have made, are making and will make for the quest for freedom in a very oppressed land. You may not hear of the cheers they receive, the hugs they get, the smiles and love given to them by the citizens of the countries they are deployed to, but they are very appreciated by the majority of the people there and we need to realize that and not let the bad news cloud the good work our Military is doing in Iraq and Afghanistan. Our men and women have volunteered to be doing what they are doing and the majority of them feel they are doing good. Listen for their voices above the clamoring of the bad talk and the nay-sayers, look deeper than the television news teams and news-papers. There is more good news than bad, if only you'll look and listen for it.
If you want an address to write to and find out for yourself just how things are going, let me know, our Marines would love to hear from you how things are going here as well. They only get the news shows and news-papers, too. Can you imagine being away from home and reading the news papers today describing our country. Would YOU want to come home??
Enjoy your New Year and when you see one of our Military, go out of your way to shake their hand and tell them "Thank you! I really appreciate what you are doing!" You'd be surprised how it will lift them up and help make their day.
Semper Fi,
Ed Freeman .... A True Hero
Tue, Dec 16 2008 05:28
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You're an 18 or 19 year old kid. You're critically wounded and dying in the jungle at Landing Zone X-ray in the Ia Drang Valley, Republic of Vietnam, 14 November 1965. Your infantry unit is outnumbered 8 - 1 and the enemy fire is so intense, from 100 or 200 yards away, that you own Infantry Commander has ordered the Medi-Vac helicopters to stop coming in.
You're lying there, listening to the enemy machine guns, and you know you're not getting out. Your family is 1/2 way around the world, 12,000 miles away, and you'll never see them again. As the world starts to fade in and out, you know this is the day.
Then, over the machine gun noise, you faintly hear the sound of a helicopter, and you look up to see an un-armed Huey, but it doesn't seem real, because no Medi-Vac markings are on it. Ed Freeman is coming for you. He's not Medi-Vac, so it's not his job, but he's flying his Huey down into the machine gun fire, after the Medi-Vacs were ordered not to come.
He's coming anyway. And he drops it in, and sits there in the machine gun fire, as they load 2 or 3 of you on board. Then he flies you up and out through the gunfire, to the Doctors and Nurses. And, he kept coming back . . . . . 13 more times . . . . . and took about 30 of you and your buddies out, who would never have gotten out.
Ed Freeman risked his own life by flying his unarmed helicopter through a gauntlet of enemy fire time after time, delivering critically needed ammunition, water and medical supplies to the besieged battalion. His flights had a direct impact on the battle's outcome by providing the engaged units with timely supplies of ammunition critical to their survival, without which they would almost surely have gone down, with much greater loss of life.
Ed Freeman, was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor in July 2008. His heroics grew nation wide when his character was played by Mark McCracken in the film, "We Were Soldiers."
Captain Freeman died 20 August 2008 at the age of 80 due to complications of Parkinson's Disease.
"ONE PERSON" Can Make a Difference
Tue, Dec 16 2008 04:15
| ONE, support, supporting our heroes, returning troops, airport, troops, Military
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A very special friend reminded me through email and an attached video: It's true! One person can make a difference. I can. YOU can. ANYONE can. And if we put ourselves all together, WHAT A WONDERFUL DIFFERENCE WE CAN MAKE....
One man decided he wasn't going to have our returning troops be treated like he was when he returned from combat. So he did something. Every day, this wonderful "ONE" goes to the airport at DFW to meet returning troops. But this "ONE" isn't alone. He is joined by dozens, and because of their desire to join with him and "do something", our troops are blessed..... Bert Brady - Welcome Home
Thank you! for joining with me to Bless our Troops!
Semper Fi
From HMH-466 in Iraq
Tue, Dec 9 2008 02:40
| Afghanistan Updates, support, Thanks, Iraq Updates, supporting our heroes, Marines, christmas, Letters from the Home Front, heroes
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Momma Jodi,
Hello, GySgt Malone here from HMH-466 in Iraq. Just wanted to drop you a line and say thank you to you and all who helped to brighten my Marine's day by sending the good stuff out here. The cards were passed out and brought many smiles to my men and women's faces. The kids did a great job on the cards, I would like to send out some stickers or something if I could. Please let me know how many you would need and I will do my best to get some for the kids. Thanks again for thinking of us out here, take care and God Bless!
Gy Malone (Shannon)
This is my crew, I am on the far left, thanks again!
Sun, Dec 7 2008 09:46
| support, Thanks, supporting our heroes, Lets say thanks, Marines, heroes
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When you think you've had a horrible day, or you are angry about traffic, the garbage not being carried out, the mess around the house, the junk in the yard. You are upset because the weather isn't what you wanted it to be and you had to cancel your outdoor plans. You just want to sit down and feel sorry for yourself because life isn't going the way you want it to go. . . Take a couple of minutes and watch "Lets Say Thanks" and if you still feel like you did before you watched this clip, well, send me an email or call me and I'll see what I can do to help you out. Because YOU REALLY NEED SOME HELP! I love you all and thank you for visiting this site. Semper Fi, Momma Jodi
Comments (1)
Mon, Dec 1 2008 05:53
| support, parade, supporting our heroes, Marines, christmas, heroes
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Tonight, Monday 1 December, Borger's Christmas Parade was a family affair. Great-grandparents, Grand-parents, kids, grand-kids, great-grandkids.... it was fun. It was cold. It was a race for the candy. I remember going to Parades just to see the Parade. 
Now, the kids see how much candy they can collect and the entrants (floats) compete to see who can throw the best candy. We watched the Parade and then watched the kiddos race for the candy.
Now, the kids see how much candy they can collect and the entrants (floats) compete to see who can throw the best candy. We watched the Parade and then watched the kiddos race for the candy. While watching all the activities, I noticed just
down the street some teenagers sitting on the back of a pick-up and candy all over the street in front of them. I walked over to them and asked why they weren't picking up the candy, when all of a sudden, WHAT TO MY WANDERING EYES DID APPEAR?! A YORK PEPPERMINT PATTY! I love YORK PEPPERMINT PATTIES! I snatched it up and right beside it was a BIG TOOTSIE ROLL! Okay, not so big but not one of those little baby tootsie rolls. And those kids were just sitting there! The young folks said they were waiting for the Parade to end, then they were going to pick it all up. I said my boys would already have been picking it up. I told them that if they really wanted to do something good for someone, I'd give them a bag and they could pick it all up for me to put in the boxes I'll send out this week to our Marines and Corpsmen in Iraq and Afghanistan. They asked what I did and I told them that since June I'd been sending boxes every week to deployed Marines. I gave them a bag and they cleared the street of "Float Candy" and it was heart-lifting to see them gather it all up for our HEROES and to hear their laughter and giggles while harvesting the candy from the street.
I thought about my sons, and in the laughter of the children and teens around me, I heard their laughter and it brought back the memories of them running here and there to gather the parade treats and I wondered how many other mommas were thinking about their sons and daughters tonight while watching their own community's Christmas Celebrations. Watching those kids, those teenagers, gather that candy made this momma very happy with her memories of past Christmas Parades.
To Madison, Emma, Tate and Greg I can only say that from the bottom of this Momma's heart and on behalf of the Marines and Corpsmen who will receive this week's boxes, THANK YOU! You are SUPER and you will never know just how many hearts you made happy with your collection of "Float Candy"!
Merry Christmas and Thanks for the Memories Semper Fi,
Momma Jodi