General Chit-Chat

Spam Alert? Warning? Anyone receive it?

AmyG — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 15:18:09 GMT

Hi All

I just received an email that I opened...UGH. It read "Check it Out" in the title.......and the Forum Thread was Who Are our Contacts.....

The message body contained something about meeting Jenny ___ and how she was a snob and just looking for a date. The spelling was horrible..it was signed RicksDad.....

I am thinking this is a spam email........did anyone else receive this?

What happens to packages if contact's group leaves before the packages arrives?

doe-c-doe — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 01:32:12 GMT

Let me start by saying I love AnySoldier’s mission! I have sent packages in the past via other methods and was directed to this site for soldier support. I got an address from AnySoldier on Oct 22 and mailed my packages on Oct 23. When I check the site yesterday the group that I chose has left early Nov 1^st and have been removed from the active list. My question is where do the packages go? Do they follow the company/the contact person? Or do they get distributed to another company? It really doesn’t matter as long as they get to someone that wants them – just wondering. Thanks for the help.

Jonathan Jennings

Chyenne — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 02:58:31 GMT

Hi, has anyone heard from Jonathan Jennings in A'stan?

Ann

Operation Baghdad Pups Update

ValerieLloyd — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 20:36:24 GMT

I've posted about Operation Baghdad Pups before, and I'd like to share their recent update with you (the Web site has photos and stories of the rescued pets):

"Dear Supporter,

I have a heartfelt message for you from our U.S. troops in Iraq, a resounding, "Thank you!" With your donation, I was able to send the Operation Baghdad Pups team back to Iraq this month to save 16 soldiers' companions. Now, these dogs and cats get to experience the holidays at home with the soldiers who love them. Each of these animal faces comforted our troops during deployment, and today - thanks to you - they are all safe in the U.S. ready to help their soldiers adjust to life after war.

Although I'm very proud of this great success, my thoughts remain with the soldiers' animals that still await our help. We continue to receive multiple requests from troops every week begging us to save their beloved buddies. And so, I must start preparing to send our team back again soon. …

Thank you for your ongoing support! We can't do this life-saving work without you!

Sincerely,

JD Winston

Executive Director

SPCA International"

[Note: There are at least two SPCA Web sites. Operation Baghdad Pups is a legitimate program run by SPCA International. Their Web site is www.spcai.org .]

FREE MAIL!!

ncbeth — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 01:49:36 GMT

I received my second free mail today! It is the 3rd different soldier that has contacted me....2 by free mail 1 by email! This was a postcard.....I know we shouldn't expect any contact from our soldiers, but it is so thrilling when we do hear from them!

Guardian Bells

becky mcnutt — Thu, 02 Aug 2007 13:06:33 GMT

Marty,

Christmas is coming up fast and I would love the bells . Do you have anymore info for us on them.

Becky

Afghanistan bound mother's dilemma, Spc Alexis Hutchinson

door — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 21:30:11 GMT

It has come to my attention that a soldier needs child care help for her 11 month old baby while she is deployed. Here is a link to the story. Maybe someone knows of a solution to help?

http://www.ipsnews.net:80/news.asp?idnews=49256

Thanks for supporting our troops, door

The Way We Get By: PBS documentary/troop greeters

BarbaraB — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 03:30:21 GMT

This is a documentary about a group of folks in Bangor, ME who greet arriving and departing troops. It aired on PBS on Veteran's Day and will be available to view in its entirety until December 10. I thought it was very touching. I know the Maine group has been mentioned here a few times but didn't see this link already posted.

http://www.pbs.org/pov/waywegetby/watch.php

NYT article: giving to the troops (includes comments from Mjr B in A'stan)

Thea — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 20:04:26 GMT

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/12/giving/12VET.html?ref=giving

Encouraging article on giving to our troops.

Essay from the NY Times

inkydigits — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 23:38:47 GMT

This is a touching and beautifully written essay about a father and his son. Keep the tissues handy.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/08/fashion/08love.html?ref=fashion

thank you Marty

Deni Dax — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 23:55:43 GMT

I want to say Thank you to whoever put up the poem - "The Things I Carry" on the Home page. It is amazing and comforting.

Coupons, coupons, coupons

joCee — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 15:22:32 GMT

If you're like me, every penny saved seems to get routed back into Support. I look for savings everywhere I can.

Even if you don't have time for clipping, can't remember to lug them around with you, can't remember to give them to the person at the register, you can still coupon. There are sites that will link coupons directly to your store cards. These allow you to select what coupons you want, they are loaded onto your store account within a few hours, and you can even print a list of the coupons you have loaded.

If you do have time for compulsive coupon clipping, and you have a printer at home, that's even better. Stores generally time their sales to match up to the coupons that come out that week. Some stores even allow you to combine electronic coupons with manufacturers' coupons, which can often add up to "WOW!" My favorite ‘low-spam' sites for printable coupons are:

Each coupon seems to have a unique number/barcode on it, so they can't be photocopied, but you can often print out several (the quantity varies) and the sites are updated frequently.

Get together with your friends and co-workers, find out what coupons and free samples they can use, and trade, trade, trade. Oh, and don't forget the coupon section in the paper and magazines like Woman's Day and All You. If these are not things you would normally buy, look through them first to make certain there are enough coupons you would definitely use to more than offset the cost.

If you want to get even deeper into couponing than this, I recommend setting up an email account on one of the free email servers (like gmail, hotmail, yahoo ...) to handle all the potentially unwanted emails you'll get.

Lately the WalMart free sample page has been rather skimpy, but this is occasionally a good source for samples. I also frequent StartSampling.com.

Another tactic is to go through your pantry and cupboards and look at the name brand items you buy anyway. Google the name to find their website and see if they have a promotions tab. Some will already have current printable coupons, samples or coupon books that you can get. Many will have the option to sign up for email alerts for promotions. Check your ‘shopping' email account regularly because some of these promotions are over once there have been a certain number of requests.

Red Cross and Holiday Cards

Deni Dax — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 15:39:08 GMT

Red Cross to Distribute Holiday Cards

"American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Oct. 23, 2009 - The American Red Cross again will sponsor a national "Holiday Mail for Heroes" campaign to receive and distribute holiday cards to servicemembers, veterans and their families in the United States and abroad.

The card campaign includes those working and receiving care at Walter Reed Army Medical Center here.

A special P.O. Box address will be published the first week of November online at http://www.redcross.org/holidaymail.

In the meantime, people shouldn't send cards to Walter Reed unless they are addressed to a specific wounded warrior.

Due to security restrictions, Walter Reed cannot accept generic mail addressed to "A Recovering Soldier" or "Any Soldier." In past years, hundreds of cards were returned to senders because of generic addresses, many sent in response to misleading e-mails.

The American Red Cross and Pitney Bowes Inc. will partner for the third year to provide screening of all mail sent to the special P.O. Box address. Cards postmarked no later than Dec. 7 will reach servicemembers recovering at Walter Reed."

AnySoldier.com Flyers in my Christmas Cards....

Cindy LeBlanc — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 23:30:15 GMT

I'm mailing my Christmas Cards VERY early (tomorrrow). I'm putting my AnySoldier.com flyers with lots of information inside each one so people will have enough time to send holiday letters, cards and packages to the troops once they get the information. I handed them out to the parents and children for Halloween and they were so appreciative! Some were just saying that they wanted to do something for the troops for the holidays but just didn't know how. I told them the troops need support during the holidays for sure but they need it all year long too! This is just one way to spread the word about this wonderful website. Thanks to the Horn family for making this possible!

Merci beaucoup, Cindy Brown LeBlanc - Lafayette, LA

Stop Loss Compensation from 9-11-01 to 9-30-09

door — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 18:15:27 GMT

The DOD has a program for qualified servicemembers to compensate current or previous personel who were stop lossed.

Many have been out of military service for years and it is important that they know that they may qualify and should file for the compensation.

Please spread the word to all your new and old contacts so they can tell their friends.

Here is a link with information:

http://www.military.com/news/article/army-news/troops-to-be-compesated-for-stop-loss.html?ESRC=army-a.nl

Thanks for supporting our troops,

door

AnySoldier Flyers for Halloween...

Cindy LeBlanc — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 20:08:53 GMT

I've made AnySoldier.com flyers with lots of information about the website. I plan on giving them out to the children when they come to 'Trick-or-Treat'. Anything to spread the word about this great organization! Cindy LeBlanc - Lafayette, LA

Where are my "old" (haha) AnySoldier comrades????

MustangLover — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 23:48:40 GMT

How have all my friends been from the early days when the forum started?? How about a roll call? I am sorry I was gone for a while but it couldn't be helped. I see that a lot of you DO still post here, and that is wonderful!

First of all, hello Marty and I hope things have been going smoothly here on the site.

Phillis, Deni, Gran, VickiV, CaliGirl, Callee, Lisajan, teena, mrsnorthcarolina, door, Jenifer, KristenF, Brooklyn Born, Irish, Sarah, joCee, Marilyn, STL, Mrs.A, Pat Hodges Furth, I KNOW I am missing a bunch!! What have you all been up to?

~Julie

John J. Hicks

James L. Miller — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 00:13:48 GMT

John J. Hicks is a contact of mine who has requested a Chicago Bears flag which is packaged and ready to go but I have lost his address and he is not responding to my email. Does anyone have his address and could they get it to me?

Thank you,

James L. Miller

Missing old contacts/just some thoughts

AmyG — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 16:11:08 GMT

I know I have posted before about "where did they go?" with older contacts to whom I have been sending packages. I realize deployments end and things change. but in reading some of the "new" contacts info I realized something, I miss the soldiers/airmen/marines/coasties I sent packages to. I miss their updates and sense of humor and mostly I hope they are doing well and getting along with their life.

It is interesting being part of anysoldier. Finances have put some restrictions on how generous I can be with my packages, but I have learned the value of a letter. I have learned how you can squeeze just one more item into an already bursting at the seams FRB (just wrap more tape around it, it will be fine) I've learned a sense of honor and respect with each post office trip. I've learned how people can group together, sight unseen, to offer such strength in support, whether it be to scatter in search of post cards for one soldiers project, find the perfect rock , or cut, glue, paste and share your family smiles with holiday cards.

I guess Old Contacts are still part of us. They are the foundation of AnySoldier, though faces and names change from one deployment to the next, the Old Contacts are what keep us striving to show support and send care.

They've held the torch and we've followed the light.

Thank you AnySoldier

Writing Letters

Jason — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 07:12:44 GMT

Hi. I'm new to the program, and I have a couple questions.

If I want to write to my contact himself/herself, should I just use the contact address and NOT write "ATTN:Anysoldier" under their name? For instance, if my contact was 'Sgt Smith', who has been passing along my mail to his soldiers, but this time I want to write to Sgt Smith personally, is leaving out the "Anysoldier" designation the best way of letting him know the mail is for him?

Also, if I write a letter that is intended to be passed along to any soldier in a company, will he/she receive the letter in the envelope with the contact's name on it? Or will the envelope be opened and then the letter passed along?

Thanks a lot!

I Want A Soldier, Too. . . .

Adnai — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 21:10:17 GMT

I can so imagine a little kid going, "can we keep him/her, mom? He won't wear his BDU's all the time. . . And look! No gun, see? Can we?"

Sorry. It's just so many people are so excited when they "adopt" their soldiers, I just kind of think that would be my reaction.

But OK. Here we go, Adnai's dilema.

She is a college student. Therefore, she is broke most of the time paying for tuition and whatnot. I won't be able to send care packages - my family is in a hard rut right now, and I have to help them out. Even though I think it'd be cool to send care packages. I love those things to death. . .

So right now I'm interested in being a pen pal or something of the sort. Anybody mind helping me out in that retrospect?

A wonderful gesture

inkydigits — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 07:29:37 GMT

A flight attendant with Delta Airlines supports the troops...

http://nky.cincinnati.com/article/AB/20091018/NEWS0103/910180340

School Letter Writing Campaign

anonamouse — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 21:39:55 GMT

I was thinking about having the students at my old elementary school write letters to the troops and so I was wondering, what is the best way to organize a letter writing campaign? What are the best/cheapest ways to ship the letters? How should I pick contacts to mail them to?

Thanks in advance for any advice you guys might have to offer!

Flag from Utah event

AmyG — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 18:07:07 GMT

I just received my sponsored flag from the Freedom Riders Event in Utah. I was expecting one of those tiny flags that people wave at parades, but this is a generous 3ft by 5ft flag. Folded perfectly. Along with the flag was a certificate and a gift from dogtags for kids. It had the name of the soldier I had picked. I selected his name at random.

What hit both my husband and I......this soldier was killed on 9/23/05. Today is 9/23/09. For a man we never knew there are tears.

Thank you Marty for your efforts. You have changed our world

HUGS Amy

Praying Helps

aidamanalo — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 12:59:57 GMT

Whenever I miss him, I pray and it helps a lot. I visit this website, it’s very inspiring.

http://www.god-answers-prayers.com