We are now less than 16 votes from FIRST PLACE!
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Today is it the last day to vote in the VAJoe.com Charity for Charities contest.
As off this writing, we are 16 votes from winning. If you haven’t voted yet, please do. If you have voted, many thanks!
The winner gets $1500. That will buy a LOT of postage for the surge.
FYI, the following is a letter from a BFS soldier. This is fairly representative of the mail I get.
– after he flip..
Somewhere about a month out from my departure, I started collecting small promises. All of my friends, all of my family, places I would frequent, soldiers I recruited into the Army, all of them would offer these small promises to me. “When you leave, I swear I will send you stuff.” “Write me with your address, and I will make sure I write you back.” “If you need ANYTHING, all you have to do is ask.” Maybe they felt obligated to say these thing. I can only guess. They may have even believed they were being sincere at the time. It’s amazing how quickly people forget about you when you are gone. Out of sight-Out of mind is not just a saying. It’s a truth. My wife writes me. She is very consistent. Once a week I get something from her. It really is uplifting. In between letters, I wonder what happened to everyone else.
I am not afraid of dying here. Death doesn’t scare me a bit. Being forgotten scares me. If I pass on, will anyone remember me? So many people have passed through my live and have touched me in some way…Will they cast a thought in my direction?
I was a recruiter for just over 4 years before I came out here to Iraq. At the end of my recruiting time, I was tasked with escorting Generals from the Pentagon to attend funerals at Arlington National Cemetary. I attended too many of them…Hell, one is too many. I attended the funeral of a Marine I tried to recruit into the Army. His joining the Marines really was a loss to the Army. I hope the Marines know what they got…and what they lost. He was remembered well by hundreds of people. His funeral was a national event. It was tragic. So much potential lost.
I attended the funeral of another soldier…a Specialist. Besides the General and I, there were only 5 other people at the funeral. It was a beautiful although small ceremony. When all was said and done, his mother returned to Ohio. His friend, who was also injured in the explosion and was receiving treatment at Walter Reed, returned to the hospital. At the funeral, there were no fond rememberances…There was no testament to the life this man lived. It was so sad. It angered me in some way. It hurt me way down deep that Politicians and top Generals would show up for Bihn Le (he deserved as much recognition as anyone can give him), but almost no one came to mark the passing of this anonymous Specialist.
I consider that Specialist sometimes. Will that be how I end my time here on Earth? Will anyone remember me, does anyone care?
BFS cares. The Soccer Moms, Nascar Dads, the students, the Yuppies, the retired, the church-goers, the liberals, the conservatives, etc…All of you care enough to remind soldiers that someone out there cares for the sacrifices they are making. I hold on to the belief that at some point during that anonymous Specialist’s tour here, someone from BFS or from Soldier Angels, or any other like organization touched that soldiers life. You have touched mine.
Last night I received two packages from BFS members. One was the book “The Action Hero’s Handbook”, the other was filled with snacks and horror movies…just in time for Halloween. I don’t receive much here, so when I was told I had packages…plural…My heart did somersaults in my chest. I tore open the box right away and I handed out the Halloween candy like I was Santa Claus on Christmas Day. The Reese Peanut Butter cups were a hit! I saved just short of half of the candy for the night shift, and it was a good thing too, because by the time I dropped off my laundry and came back, all of the candy I left was gone. I kept some tootsie rolls for myself and let the rest of the soldiers devour the last of the candy when I came back into work for the night shift. Now I can enjoy some tootsie rolls while I learn to be a proper action hero.
It helps. Everything you send helps. The letters, the postcards, someone sent me a huge box of footpowder… All of it helps. Your packages and letters help me to not feel so isolated and removed from the world while I am here. Thank you for fulfilling the small well-meaning promises of those people who for one reason or another could not fulfill them. You guys are the best friends I never met. Everyone in my office appreciates what you do. Especially my Captain, who as it turns out, hoarded a bunch of the fun sized packages of Whoppers.
You guys are amazing.
With the double combo of extended tours and the troop surge, this holiday season will probably have the most soldiers deployed since 9-11. We need your help to meet the crunch.
BFS does not censor books on Wicca, LGBT issues or liberal politics.