Hey joCee and Gran,
I think one reason a lot of them do go to old contacts, because things are still heating up in Iraq, although some things are getting better. I know that some of my contacts, like Jason Silva, I e-mail them when they go to old contacts, or there is the message on their Post that they have not been heard from. I know, though, that we can only do this with the ones that we are in contact with by e-mail. Also, my contact, Lovier Walker, now Lovier Miller as she got married when she went on R&R, will be coming home in September, but I advised her to still update AnySoldier, until they do leave. We are also IM partners and she is just a wonderful woman, who misses her husband and children like crazy, and can't wait to go home until her next deployment. I once asked her, with the war going on, was she still happy she had joined the Army. She told me she has been everywhere, and loves her job, and wouldn't change her life for anything. She is dedicated to the USA and the Army.
I was also busy doggie sitting for my sister, going back and forth to her house for the dog, and my place for my kitties, and work that, I didn't get a chance to read the forum and keep up with the posts.
Deb, Empress Francis, had pm'd me to tell me that Jason Silva, had gone to old contacts, so I e-mailed him, and he did respond. I'm sure Itsmesheila e-mailed him also as she supports these kids, and they love to EAT. LOL!
It was when I was on-line at my sisters and IMing Lovie, that Sophia Canino, who was a contact that sent me an e-mail, and was added to my Messenger list, popped up and said, who is this and how did I get her IM address. So I explained to her that I have sent them pkgs. and she sent me a thank you note. So she then said she remembered me, and I asked her where was she, and she replied Walter Reed. So, I asked her if she was wounded and that is when she told me, she was still in Iraq, was feeling healthy as an ox, and the next day was being medivacued out of IRAQ, with double pneumonia which led to her heart and lung failure, and the doctors still do not know why that happened. So since she is a Contact of AnySoldier, I asked her if she would like me to e-mail Marty, as he would know how to help and support her as he is a Daddy also. She is just a kid, and when I had heard from her on July 6th, she had already been in Walter Reed for 3 1/2 weeks, and didn't know when she would be going home.
So, if you are in e-mail contact with an AS contact, and they aren't heard from, just contact them and let them know.
As for the others that fall into old contacts, I am sure, they are out on missions, and may have a hard time contacting AS, or maybe they get enough support and drop off so others can be supported, or maybe they didn't get any support and became discouraged.
Whatever, the case, like a Mom from SF once said, and I can't repeat it verbatim, I mean I do suffer from CRS, if we can only touch one contact, then we have (can't think of the word) helped them.
I think joCee, that it would be a good idea to start a new thread for "Old Contacts", and this could be it.
Mimi
Never be bullied into silence. Never allow yourself to be made a victim. Accept no one's definition of your life; define yourself.
~ Harvey Fierstein