Military Needs

This page represents some of the NEEDS/WANTS/REQUESTS that some of our Troops overseas deployed would like to have sent to them. Let's face it, when deployment time comes, they are quite limited on what to take, ESSENTIALS, but as time 'in country' carries forward and the wear and tear of the extended stays over 'there' continue to drag on for them, they need and want other things. Especially those who are wounded, laying in hospitals and recovering. I never encourage people merely to send monetary donations as there are just TOO MANY scams and frauds these days all in the name of our troops, veterans, wounded, patriotism, etc. But, that isn't the same when I ask you for contributions such as sending items yourself, or purchasing items where you receive a genuine product for your money that, in that sale and in your receiving of a specialized item, also benefits a servicemember. Thank You for your consideration in SUPPORTING OUR TROOPS AND VETERANS, PATRIOTS, AND HEROES!

GOD BLESS AMERICA

Mother's gift to Iraq troops: A lifesaving toy
BY: Rebecca Santana, Associated Press
12/07/2006
Even in an age of multimillion-dollar high-tech weapons systems, sometimes the simplest ideas can save lives. Which is why a Camden County mother is organizing a drive to send cans of Silly String to Iraq.
American troops use the stuff to detect trip wires around bombs, as Marcelle Shriver learned from her son, a soldier in Iraq.

Before entering a building, troops squirt 10- to 12-foot strands of the plastic goo across a room. If the Silly String falls to the ground, no trip wires. If it hangs in the air, they know they have a problem. The wires are otherwise nearly invisible.

A thousand cans are packed into Shriver's one-car garage in Stratford, ready to be shipped to the Middle East, thanks to two churches and a pilot who heard about the drive.

"If I turn on the TV and see a soldier with a can of this on his vest, that would make this all worth it," said Shriver, 57, an office manager.

Manufacturer Just for Kicks Inc. of Watertown, N.Y., has contacted the family about donating Silly String. Other companies make versions called "party string" or "crazy string."

"Everyone in the entire corporation is very pleased that we can be involved in something like this," said Rob Oram, Just for Kicks product marketing manager. He called the troops' use innovative.

The military, concerned about tipping off insurgents, is reluctant to talk about specific tactics. But Lt. Col. Christopher Garver, a military spokesman in Baghdad, said Army soldiers and Marines were not forbidden to come up with new ways to do their jobs, especially in Iraq's ever-evolving battlefield. And commanders are given money to buy nonstandard supplies as needed, he said.

Soldiers in Iraq have bolted scrap metal to Humvees in what has become known as "Hillbilly Armor." Medics plug bullet holes with tampons until the wounds can be patched up. Soldiers put condoms and rubber bands around rifle muzzles to keep out sand. And troops have welded old bulletproof windshields to the top of Humvees to give gunners extra protection, calling it "Pope's glass," a reference to the barrier on the pontiff's "Popemobile."

In an October call to his mother, Army Spec. Todd Shriver explained how his unit in the insurgent hotbed of Ramadi had learned from Marines to use Silly String to detect booby traps.

After sending some cans to her 28-year-old son, Shriver enlisted the help of two priests and posted notices in her church and its newsletter. Money and Silly String are flowing in.

"There's so much that they can't do, and they're frustrated, but this is something they can do," said the Rev. Joseph Capella of St. Luke's Church in Stratford.

Shriver and her husband said they would not mind seeing the string become standard-issue equipment, but they don't blame the military for not supplying it.

"I don't think that they can think of everything," said Ronald Shriver, 59, a retired salesman. "They're taught to improvise, and this is something that they've thought of."

Because the string comes in an aerosol can, Marcelle Shriver said, the Postal Service will not ship it by air. But a private pilot who heard about her campaign has agreed to fly the cans to Kuwait, most likely in January, and they will then be taken to Iraq.

Shriver said she would continue her campaign as long as her son was overseas and she had Silly String to send.
"I know that he's going come through this. I hope they all do," she said.
How to Help
A Stratford mother is collecting Silly String to send to her son and other troops in Iraq. They sometimes use the substance, which squirts out in a stream about 10 to 12 feet long, to detect wires connected to booby traps.

Donations of Silly String or similar products and money to defray costs are sought.
Checks made out to Marcelle Shriver can be sent to St. Luke's Church, 55 Warwick Rd., Stratford, N.J. 08084.

To the troops far away

For yet another Holiday

May I say I share your sorrow

For all of our tomorrows

For missed 'major' events

And everyday 'minor' comments.

When duty calls, you go

With Pride and Honor you do glow.

It gets more difficult each tour

Knowing what to expect, the horror.

The danger lurks behind every corner

And every building's dormer.

Along the roads, so long and open

The IED's await like mere tokens

To tear off limbs and maim and harm

No matter what they do, we won't dis-arm

Throughout the battles, terror and fears

Our troops hold on to Faith, Family, Friends and Tears.

As the Holiday Season 2006 approaches

They'll look to us as depression encroaches.

A sandstorm will turn into a beautiful snowfall so warm

While ALL pray this is the last Holiday Season so far from home.

Once again someone will don red and play Santa

They'll again use their imaginations to get through yet one more

"HOLIDAY SEASON DEPLOYED"

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

MERRY CHRISTMAS

TO OUR TROOPS DEPLOYED

AND THOSE OF US

WHO LOVE THEM

THE MOST.

MILITARY FAMILIES!!

http://www.defenselink.mil/News/NewsArticle.aspx?ID=2049

‘Blue to Green’ Allows Sailors, Airmen to Transfer to Army

By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Nov. 7, 2006 – As the Air Force and Navy continue to transform themselves, the two services are finding they do not need the number of people they once did. But thanks to a program called "Operation Blue to Green," sailors and airmen chosen for separation can transfer to the Army and remain on active duty. The two "blue" services are scrubbing their officer and enlisted ranks and eliminating jobs. The Air Force, for example, will draw down by 40,000 jobs in the next few years.

“These are highly qualified and motivated people,” said Army Lt. Col. Deborah Stewart, the chief of officer accessions policy at the directorate of manpower and personnel management at the Pentagon. “The Blue to Green program allows them to continue to serve.” The program allows qualified airmen and sailors to transfer to the Army. This year, there is a $10,000 bonus for those accepted into the program.

Enlisted personnel in grades E-1 to E-5 retain their ranks and time in grade when they transfer. Officers retain their rank and date of rank. All who transfer go through the Army’s Warrior Transition Course – a four-week course to show the airmen and sailors
how the Army does things.

If those who wish to transfer have specialty codes that translate to Army jobs, then they do not need to retrain, Stewart said. “An MP is an MP, whether Army or Air Force,” she said. Other career fields that transfer easily are military intelligence, administration, supply and transportation. “The majority of the jobs that are open are in combat support, combat service support specialties,” she said.

In fiscal 2006, 172 airmen and sailors transferred into the Army – 152 from the Air Force and 52 from the Navy, according to officials at the Army Human Resources Command. The goal was 200.

Air Force officials said the program has a pretty good jump start for fiscal 2007. “To date, we’ve have 69 enlisted (members) apply -- 25 approved, 44 pending,” said Air Force Lt. Col. Jimmy Standridge, chief of the separations branch at the Air Force Personnel Center, Randolph Air Force Base, Texas. “On the officer side, we have 84 applications -- 63 approved and 21 still pending.”

The Army cannot say what the goal for fiscal 2007 is yet. That depends on Air Force “force-shaping” boards that will determine how many positions will be cut from the service’s rolls. The officer board will be held in March, and while it’s not expected to be as large as previous boards, it will still identify a number of people for separation. Standridge said those people will be offered the Blue to Green option.

Related Sites:
Operation Blue to Green