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Month of the Military Child – How Do You Influence Your Military Child/Grandchild?
I had a lesson taught by a small loving act during this Month of the Military Child. A package arrived in the mail from @MilAve_Leanne and when I opened it, I was humbled by what I saw. The art work was a future Monet or Picasso and the words were clearly a Robert Ludlum or Tom Clancy to be. “I will catch a fast leprechaun on a St Patricks Day. My grandpa and I will fly a fast jet. We will swoop it up with a net. The leprechaun will shout Woo hoo. Grandpa. the leprechaun I will enjoy the ride.” A school project during the St Patrick’s Day timeframe…
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This Army Family deserves the “Give the Gift of Good”
Vote for the Ortega’s (#4) Here“…our nominee has a great opportunity to win the $20,000 home makeover from the Foundation…” We are very excited! We have a specific mission to support our military community at MilitaryAvenue.com. Our efforts have been rewarded with a sense of accomplishment, smiles and appreciation. But today we are just ready to tell the story of one Army family and our effort to identify a military family for a home makeover from the Home Depot Foundation. The Adam and Monica Ortega familyWe have started our mission with the selection of the crew! MilitaryAvenue has reviewed all of our entries for the HD Foundation, “Give the Gift…
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A Thank You to Our Veterans: A Giveaway for Veterans Day
We know from personal experience the sacrifices of a veteran. That is why we are excited to be able just a small gift of appreciation from our good friends, and military-supporters, Home Depot and Sears. We also have some beautiful gifts from a-zphotogifts.com. If you are a veteran or the family member of a veteran you don’t want to miss this opportunity. $100 Gift Card $25 Gift CardA Beautiful Personalized Throw from a-zphotogiftsAn elegant crystal with your photo or one of a loved one. Who is eligible? Any proud member, current or past, of our US Armed Forces. Any immediate family member of a veteran (spouse, child, mom or dad). We know…
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Joining Forces Christmas Cards from Military Children
As you know I am all about military support! I am the granddaughter of World War II Veterans, the daughter of an Air Force pilot and the wife of an Army Soldier. Anytime I can instill pride in my children for these generations before them I do. So I really love the idea behind Michelle Obama’s latest Joining Forces request. The First Lady is asking military children from around the globe for some personal contributions to the finishing touches on the White House decorations this holiday season. The request is for military children to submit 5×8″ handmade holiday cards with words of appreciation for their military parents, as well…
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Heroes at Home – Helping Veterans One at a Time
It was an easy conversation, two veterans talking about what they both enjoy doing – helping other veterans, particularly those in need. None to be left behind… Tom AielloTom Aiello and I had met in New York during another great veteran event last year but now we were talking about the Sears Heroes at Home program. Heroes at Home had just finished the rebuild of their 1,000th veteran home in conjunction with Rebuilding Together. I could hear the pride in Tom’s voice as we talked about the program that has given back so much to veterans. Sgt Johnny Agbi was an Army medic, disabled, in a wheel chair, living alone…
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“Celebration of Service” – Helping out Veterans
Loading supplies for veteran’s homes!It started early, involved 1,170 volunteer hours at four veterans’ homes by the end of the day according to Doug Bellah, Home Depot Store Manager, Kentwood, MI! All volunteers, helping veterans get ready for Michigan’s winter, improving their homes, lifestyle needs and more. Their shirts were orange and said, Celebration of Service and included a budget of $8,000 for the four homes’ improvements and had workers from eight Home Depot Stores from Western Michigan – Ludington, Muskegon, Grand Rapids, Alpine … Dan and I traveled to one site to talk with Mark, a 3 ID Army veteran from 1993-1996. With a family of six, they were…
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A Gift of Your Time
This weekend’s 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks brought a lot of reminiscing for America and individuals. “We Will Never Forget … “ Where we were, why did this happen and how we responded as a nation. The images just flowed through my head of the towers burning in New York, the Threat Condition Delta on our military installations, locked and loaded automatic weapons at the installation entry points, a command post full of very determined airmen and the President reading to a young group of children. So many to remember … As we were enjoying our coffee and breakfast this morning, I pulled out our calendar with special…
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Back to the Big Metal Tube – Part 2 Cancer Redux
Yep, “call in two days” if you have not heard from us is truly an eternity for the patient and loved ones. Our journey with cancer is always an interesting one! We were visiting a doctor two weeks ago to help with some post surgery issues on my skin. When we mentioned that some of the skin near the surgery location in my heel was similar to what we had seen prior to discovering cancer in that location, he almost ran from the room. Deb and I almost laughed at his patient care style but understood as it is such a unique cancer (1% of 1%, da da da) and…
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“Too Sweet a Deal”? You Decide!
The military lifestyle is a tough road! No one can deny that but many civilians do not understand why it is tough either! Long deployments, extensive TDY/TADs, frequent relocations (PCS), and caring for our families despite these conditions are frequently misunderstood. Also largely misunderstood is the impact on the lives of Reserve Forces including the National Guard and Service Reservists. Yep, some civilians may even ignore these situations but I think the major issue is education. How do we tell our fellow citizens that we are stretched as a community and in some cases would like them to “cover our 6 o’clock” for us? Checking 6 is when another aircraft…
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Share a Legacy this Military Appreciation Month
May is Military Appreciation Month. Where lies your military-heritage? Is it your spouse, a parent, a grandparent, a cousin, an aunt or uncle, a child? Have you told them how much you appreciate them? How you appreciate their service? What they have done to recognize their valor, their pride, their honor? I come from a long line of military service. My grandfathers, my dad, my husband. My pride runs deep. How about you? Head over to USAA’s “Share a Legacy” and create a badge on their Wall of Honor. Take a couple of minutes (at the most) to put into words who you are proud of! Let’s make this Military Appreciation…
