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How about joining us at a very special tribute at the Michigan Mens’ Soccer Game at 2pm and bring your loved ones to thank our heroes. Coach Steve Burns and his impressive team of athletes from all over the world decided there was no way they were having a game on 9-11 without thanking our heroes, and remembering their sacrifices.

This team which humbly helps in many community projects and has helped our troops ,is a team with integrity, talent,and passion for helping others and exemplifying the best of the sport of soccer for all of us to enjoy. This formidable team is ranked #9 in the nation this year which was not earned easily.

Yet it is no wonder because their Coach Burns holds the same values he expects of his players at all times on and off the field. These players coach eager energetic boys ages 6-18 in summer soccer camps each summer. They not only teach beginner to advanced soccer skills,but instill key values as well to make these camps extremely popular with families across the tristate area and even as far as Texas and California. Families have learned to book early as camps fill up fast.

With the help of Sandy Kellermann, President and Founder of Homefront Hugs USA, founded right after 9-11 ten years ago with her son Ed, this special Sunday game will have a positive tribute to all who served and sacrificed then and since then, politics aside. From our brave 1st responders to our men and women in uniform to their families who kept it together while they left to help, there are so many heroes from 9-11 who deserve our thanks still today. .

Homefront Hugs Teen Club will be singing to commemorate this day with the esteemed University of Michigan Triservice Color Guard giving our flag and this poignant day a salute of honor in traditional military ceremony.

And to make certain Michigan fans and guests feel a part of the positive unifying spirit of hope and remembrance, only $1 admission will be charged if any of the following items are brought for care packages:

• beef jerky
• gift cards for coffee or coffee
• teas of various flavors
• U shaped travel pillows
• used or new DVDs
• ATT phone cards
• baby wipes
• protein bars
• deodorant
• black socks large or XL
• maglites
• Swiss Army Knives
• gum or hard candy
• cards/drawings and letters also will be accepted for troops who are deployed

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There will be a banner that everyone can sign going to our deployed troops in the war zone sent over by Homefront Hugs as well as the items you bring above to help fill the needed care packages. Should you choose to want to do more than just this tribute alone or with your family later,please visit our own Ann Arbor’s Homefront Hugs at http://HomefrontHugs.org/volunteer or their kids page at http://HomefrontHugs.org/kidspage .

There will also be a moment of silence to remember the victims and heroes’ sacrifices of 9-11 before the games begin.

If we have learned anything at all from 9-11, we have learned how we are able to come together as a nation from all walks of life and religions and not let fear overwhelm us. We have learned that despite the shock and horror of 9-11, we gathered our emotions,swallowed hard, brushed ourselves off and got up and walked again after the initial blow. We remembered the strength of our nation to endure and saw the courage of our 1st responders, our troops and families who made us feel safe and free to follow our dreams again.

And as survivors, grateful for those who sacrificed the most, we also know life goes on and games like our wonderful soccer game Sunday need to continue. So come cheer our University of Michigan Wolverines on as they face the Georgetown Hoyas who will also be remembering 9-11 because of their neighbors: the Pentagon victims who perished that day after the third plane crashed into the Pentagon at 9:37 am.

………………………………………………………………..

It will be an exciting game and a meaningful tribute to a day in American history we will never forget. Yet we will also remember just like Americans, freedom endures.

Hope to see you there. GO BLUE !

UPDATE: Final Score: 2:2 tie in overtime….our Michigan Men played so hard and truly welcomed our special ceremony for 9-11 with open arms and honor. Always a class act. GO BLUE !

Never Forget

It was a sunny fall day in Pittsburgh and I had my usual 45 minute commute to the hospitals for my job. I turned on the radio as I always did for some news and music to start the day as I reviewed patient files.

My little munchkin Ed was smiling back at me from his photo, and I could feel myself already missing him having dropped him off at daycare 30 minutes ago. It was 9-11-01 at 9:01 am at the hospital and as I listened to the news, I began to feel shivers go down my back.

I could feel the confusion and tension in the room. My boss was praying and calling loved ones to meet at their Catholic church.The first plane hit the first tower, then the second and I knew from my aviation knowledge two planes crashing was no accident. My Jewish grandfather had taught me about the first and only time we were attacked during Pearl Harbor,and how incredible our WWII veterans were helping some of our family escape the camps and Hitler, to never forget.

As a USAF pilot’s wife or “dependent” as they like to call us, I knew about war. Our own marriage had failed due to lack of support during the 1st Gulf War when we had a tragedy occur. This morning, I could feel it in my bones that something was very wrong and I needed to go into crisis mode.

A friend of mine at the airlines called to tell me that another plane was flying hijacked over Pittsburgh and to get my son Ed out of daycare and OUT of the city,

“I’m not supposed to be relaying this but we have a hijacked plane and they are about to close the tunnels. You need to get out of there, get Ed and go home to Elizabeth, away from the city. NOW,Sandy.”

Within 5 minutes, I was in my car leaving work realizing our country was being attacked.

That plane was the “Let’s Roll” plane and crashed 15 minutes after I got home,about 25 min from where we lived as I hugged my son tight later safe at home. I felt sick knowing our troops would be deployed and knowing what it meant. I was a diplomat’s and Army officer’s daughter. I was a USAF pilots wife and knew what an attack on our soil meant. You see, I was married to Steve, an incredibly bright University of Michigan grad from Charlevoix who joined the US Air Force.

We had been through a lot including an overseas deployment, and the 1st Gulf War when there was almost zero support for families as we went through our own personal tragedy losing our twins during a tough pregnancy. We were no longer together but there was not a day that went by that I did not miss my 1st and only love, and wish we had made it somehow. He had been my best friend and hero,,,met in college working with disabled kids at University of Michigan. He saw me flying a kite with my special needs kiddo and his assigned little boy wanted to play too. We fell right away for each other and it was some of the happiest times of my life.

That 9-11-01, I looked at my little boy as we were finally safely home, with CNN showing the shock and turbulence all over the country and New York and Pentagon, and realized that this time around, we were going to do something to be there for the troops and families, something positive. This time I was going to do something for kids so they would not hear about this in fear one day, but have positive ways to help and understand what had happened this day.

So on this day, as I hugged my son and watched him play happily in his pop up tent with his stuffed animals and Hot Wheels in my bedroom, where we were barricaded,waiting for news,the concept of
Homefront Hugs USA was born ten years ago on 9-11-01.

On 10/11/11, in honor of Steve’s birthday and his service,Homefront Hugs began. This 9-11
we joined the University of Michigan Mens’ Soccer Team and our military to commemorate the 10th anniversary of both Homefront Hugs and 9-11. Lord knows, I never wanted to have a 10th anniversary for Homefront Hugs. I wish this war was over and our heroes were all home unscathed and fine with their loved ones. Instead Homefront Hugs has grown exponentially as our wounded come home,families are isolated and stressed with incessant number of deployments, and we have lost so many with promise and hope,so young and causing so much grief for so many families. Homefront Hugs is still needed now with Selfridge Air Base and others across the country getting ready to deploy again,we are busier than ever.

Our Homefront Hero Hugs program allows you to get your very own soldier to adopt during a hospital stay or deployment. We adopt their families too and were the first and are the last to do this understanding they are heroes too. Our wounded troops always need support so our Operation Healing Angel program is a great way for kids and teens to get started at home by writing cheerful notes or making drawings. You can help from home and make a difference and so can your children
and teens. For kids and teens, go to http://HomefrontHugs.org/kidspage There are just so many ways that there just are no more excuses. We have disabled,elderly,short, tall,young,old,artists, teachers, parents, couples, businesses, doctors, nurses, plumbers, pilots, writers, Hollywood stars, churches, synagogues, singers, grandparents, Jews, Muslims, Christians, Hindus, Catholics, Michigan and Michigan State fans, and I think you get the picture….We welcome everyone here. Our oldest volunteer is 86 and youngest is 2. Just ask and we can find a way for you to help from home too anytime of year!

And for our Michigan fans and supporters, thank you for coming to the Michigan Mens’ Soccer Game vs Georgetown  this 9-11 . Ann Arbor,Michigan is our headquarters now permanently and we are all volunteers united across politics, races,and religions to make a difference. Anyone can find out more at http://www.HomefrontHugs.org and email HomefrontHugsUSA@aol.com. United we stand. Freedom Endures(TM). And yes, GO BLUE !

When we adopt our troops now who come to us lonely or stressed and needing a Homefront Hug,

I always picture that this could have been Steve and there is no reason there should be any lonely or depressed troops without support in this day and age.He was my hero and I will always miss him, my best friend from Charlevoix and college romance. I never remarried though life goes on for all of us

At least today, I can make certain our heroes and families have the support they need whenever possible. We have the best volunteers nationwide. Join us or at least think about it as we do this all year long. This 9-11 do something though to remember in a positive way that gives back whetherwith us or others…as that is the best way to honor the lives sacrificed and those willing to still serve our country and keep us free and safe. Cherish those moments with your loved ones that so many who have paid the ultimate sacrifice on or because of 9-11 cannot do anymore. Make it a yearlong project of giving back and choose to help in your own way. Just do something, please as you are needed. This 9-11 do anything to honor our 10th anniversary and remember those sacrifices of our veterans and 1st responders, without conditions or politics. Help us make sure “no hero is forgotten”.

And remember something my sweet fun husband Steve, used to tell me when we were together in love and thinking about the future, how fast time was flying, “SAVOR…Savor this moment so that years from now we can
remember this as if it just happened” . I came away from the marriage having learned so much about myself and relationships but all in good time. It took a while and yet I knew everything happens for a reason as my best friend and late mother-in-law would tell me way into my thirties.

Steve always helped me remember to not sweat the small stuff and make the best of simple things in life which came from his wonderful American Indian mother Claire, my best friend whom I miss every day, now in heaven. You never know when those memories are all you have left as so many know this 9-11 too. It’s not whether we are for or against the war, we unite to support those who are too often forgotten as we grow weary of the news and war, and yes, even anniversaries. You can make a difference this 9-11 and beyond. For more ideas, click on our volunteer tab above and we also let you know what adoption is all about in case you have questions before you commit. It truly can be a rewarding and easy experience to adopt a hero to hug from home for a little while long distance while they are healing or in the war.Yet there are many other ways to help too. There is a place for everyone here at Homefront Hugs from every religion and way of life. We hope in honor of 9-11′s tenth anniversary and so many heroes still hurting and sacrficing so much for all of us, you will pick something to do if not now, maybe later. We will be here. And if you need support, we are here to support you and honored to do so. Please click on our “Be Adopted” or “Resources” page to start and then know your situation is confidential and we follow OPSEC. We are just a volunteer organization with the most amazing volunteers, all screened and registered, who care and want to say thanks in some small way.

Come Support Our Wonderful Michigan Mens' Soccer Team - GO BLUE !

Remembering 9-11- Family Circle Magazine- September 2011

Homefront Hugs

As the former wife of an Air Force pilot, Alessandra Kellermann, 45, knows how hard it is when a loved one is deployed overseas—the loneliness, the constant fear and worry, the deep sense of isolation. She also remembers the great comfort that sending a care package can bring. That’s why the Ann Arbor, Michigan, mom founded Homefront Hugs USA shortly after American troops were deployed to the Mideast in the wake of 9/11. Soldiers can sign themselves up—along with their families—at homefronthugs.org, specifying what they need, and the group matches them with volunteers who will mail them the items every month. “Whether they have families or not, our troops need to feel that there is widespread support,” Alessandra says. “They just want to be in touch with somebody and are happy to know others are thinking of them.”

And many are. More than 10,000 members have pitched in so far. In some cases they “adopt” servicemen who have been enrolled in Homefront by caring commanders. Military wives and moms-to-be sign up, requesting baby shower items, a magazine subscription or small gift card, stickers and comics for the kids, or DVDs for the family to watch together. Alessandra, who puts in 40-plus-hour weeks for the organization, also refers soldiers to agencies that can provide other services they might need, including mental health counseling, financial support or assistance filing military paperwork. And with her 12-year-old son, Ed, she created the Homefront Hugs Kids Club, which has now expanded to several chapters across the country, encouraging children to get involved, by wrapping packages, sending cards to soldiers and participating in local volunteer projects alongside kids whose parents are deployed. “When they can give back in their own community and come face-to-face with the people they’re helping, that makes a big difference,” Alessandra says. “And we hope they’re learning what our soldiers are fighting for—freedom—and that it’s their gift to all of us.”

As one Jewish soldier my son has adopted, wrote on Facebook,

 ”‎31 lost, 31 unwanted visits, 31 doors receive that dreaded knock, 31 families with shattered hearts, 31 pairs of boots lined up with rifles and dog tags and helmets, 31 comrades remembered and grieved for, 31 funeral services, 31 names on newly made grave markers, 31 empty places at the table, 31 souls who gave all, whose lives leave a void, so let’s take 31 seconds to repost this and pause to reflect on such a sacrifice as 31 gone forever…”  Army Captain Joel Leviten wrote.

His father, Dr.Dan Leviten of Lakeland,Florida, was my son’s pediatrician in the beginning of when we started Homefront Hugs, It has been 10 years now. Ten years too long…ten years of packing care packages, organizing volunteers, starting kids clubs across the country to give back but remember all religions are to be respected and honored, to remember our troops and veterans come from all walks of life. I know our lives are busy, I know we barely have time to read this. But please stop for a moment and hug your kids a bit tighter, your spouse a bit longer,and remember these freedoms and safety has not come for free. There are heroes who silently,bravely have paid the ultimate price, hoping too this war might end sooner than later so they could be home for those birthdays, anniversaries and just normal days of living free.

Take the time please and write us for information on ways you can help from home, whether it be with our wounded, our deployed, reaching out to families, or just remembering the sacrifices together at home. You can help from home. You will not have to come to our headquarters and do anything. You can help off and on or just one time. You can help by spreading the word that there are troops in need, troops and families hurting, veterans who feel forgotten and there IS a way to help from home. Of course, if you can, we can help you find a way to help outside your home too but we know how busy everyone is, how hectic our lives get, how the economy is depressing us right now. It is the same for our family too. But after being a US Air Force wife and watching my sweet husband then sacrifice so much never asking anything in return, I know it matters when you can find a small moment to say thank you. As weary as you are getting from the war, so are our troops and families but they still sacrifice for all of us.

 Our work is not political and our site is as inclusive as we can be as it is our goal to make sure we remember we are ALL Americans. Kids/teens can get volunteer credit and teachers can choose projects they might like to do sometime during the year. We write great reference letters for college and for job applications because volunteer hours count. And the secret of giving back, is the positive karma and inner peace you will feel when you realize how much our thanks mean when you help us at Homefront Hugs. Freedom Endures.

Please find it in your hearts to email me for some information HomefrontHugsUSA@aol.com , or visit our web site at http://HomefrontHugs.org

Please do not forget about our troops,veterans and families. They have not forgotten us.

To Read the Full Article click here

Alessandra and Homefront Hugs,

HomefrontHugsUSA and Healing Angel has been a tremendous blessing this week. I have received several gift packages including a 3-ft Christmas tree. Most of us seem to be hiding that we are a little down right now because it’s Christmas and we are so far away from families, memories, etc. It has been a regular busy work day, even though it is Christmas Eve. I was pretty tired by day’s end until I saw all the packages and the tree. The tree is what finally put me in a Christmas spirit. I decided to set it up on our wood deck between my hut and the neighboring hut. I have attached a picture. I happened to have battery operated Christmas lights, since 110volt lights and appliances don’t work here. So, I strung the additional lights on the tree, placed some ornaments, and had a lot of fun doing it. It was really nice to recieve it. I have intentionally saved the other packages until tomorrow, Christmas Day, to open. I thought it might make the day a little more like Christmas Day. I cannot tell everyone what a morale boost your packages have been for me. As I share the gifts with my team, it will pick them up as well. Thank you so much. I hope you all of a blessed holidays. I hope you are blessed as much as you have  blessed us. THANK YOU!!!!!  I am also including a photo taken last week during a snow storm. Thanks!!!!

Sincerely,

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Alessandra and volunteers of Homefront Hugs USA:

It is a joy to write to you and to personally thank you for the many wonderful gifts. First, I would like to thank you for the many hand-written cards.  It means so much to me that you have taken the time to personally write to us, even though you don’t know us. When you say that you appreciate our service in your own hand writing, it is very special and definitely believable. Thank you so much.  And, I really enjoy the paintings and pictures on the front of the cards. I regret to say that I never gave much time to the paintings on cards when I was home. Over here, the pictures bring back many memories of home and growing up. I have cut out the front of many cards and placed them around my room on the plywood walls. Winter pictures of birds, old houses with the US flag hung on the porch, winter scenes, etc – such great pictures. The evenings can be lonely and oftentimes I look at the pictures and daydream. Thank you.  I also appreciate the other eatable gifts.  Whoever is selecting the gifts really knows what they are doing. They are perfect for us. I will introduce you to “us” in a minute. We have a team office on our Camp Stone. We walk a little more than one-half mile out of our base and on the Afghan Army base, to the hospital where we work. Before we leave our office for the morning walk, we enjoy a pot of coffee. The Starbucks coffee you are sending is GREATLY appreciated.  Finally, I wanted to share the attached picture with you. Yesterday, I received two boxes from Homefront Hugs. Inside of one of the boxes were two cute, fuzzy eggs that zipped open with a little duck. Today, I had the opportunity to give one to a little girl at the hospital. She was so cute and she laughed and giggled when I gave it to her. I love doing nice things for the Afghans and you are helping me do that.

I am the leader of a 13-member Navy healthcare team. We have doctors, nurses, technicians all serving as mentors to Afghan Army counterparts. We work in a new Afghan military hospital in Herat, Afghanistan. The Afghan nurses and doctors are very eager to learn. However, it is a very slow process. We were taught in our mentor training that it takes about one year to accomplish here what we can do in one day in our own hospitals at home. So, it can be very frustrating, but yet, rewarding.  Our biggest challenge is for the Afghans to sustain what we teach them.  Attached is a picture of my team with our interpreters, standing in front of a new hospital ambulance. We taught them how to drive and how to use the medical equipment inside of each ambulance. We are here for one year and will return home next summer. With 3 months of Army and mentor training, we will be away from home for a total of 15 months.

We are not really in need of anything specific.  Our families send us many of our necessities as well as sweets, etc. We do wish, however, that there was a Crispy Creme donut place here. Not much we can do about that.  I would like to close by saying thank you for taking time out of your busy days to encourage us and express your appreciation.  Until next time, thank you.

Sincerely,

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Friends,

I wanted to make you all aware of this wonderful organization, HomefrontHugsUSA, based out of our own Gulf Breeze. As you will see in the articles (copy & paste web sites from below) this organization touches military folks all over the world. “Operation Healing Angel” within HomefrontHugsUSA has sent my team many wonderful items and has really encouraged us with cards, coffee, etc. Alessandra and I have written back and forth as she continues to seek to meet the needs of deployed healthcare workers, as well as the servicemen and women with whom we serve. I want to thank Alessandra and her son, Ed, for all the work they do so unselfishly. If you are ever looking to support organization that is making a real difference to us fighting the fight, or to those who have fought the fight and are now healing, this is organization to support. Thanks HomefrontHugsUSA.

Our troops and military famillies are hurting and weary from the numerous deployments and could use some help and a morale boost. They also are the last ones to ask for help.

So when they do, or their loved ones ask, we listen at Homefront Hugs.

Go visit our  web site at www.HomefrontHugs.org or email info@HomefrontHugs.orgfor more info, their brochures, and online apps to volunteer from home with your family, from your place of work, or just by yourself. The rewards are priceless and you will be appreciated ….the troops are surprised still now that anyone cares enough to help or lift their spirits. Whether you send a magazine, a yoyo,a pack of gum or some beef jerky and a deodorant stick, you will become an instant friend and hero to them for remembering…for caring.During winter, they may need a warm blanket,socks or some gloves..but you just do what you can and we can help with the rest.

Just read some of the letters on the web site and check out the many ways you can make a difference any time of year. Jon us on Facebook at Homefront Hugs USA or on Twitter at HomefrontHugs and stay updated or add your own experience with us.

To adopt a soldier or a family does not cost much. It just takes some energy, some imagination and a big heart to care enough to understand that these troops and families are serving all of us and keeping us free and safe. Leave the politics at the door, remember what it means to be American this holiday season and just reach out to another human being in need far away or wounded in a hospital. Founder and president of Homefront Hugs, Sandria Kellermann learned that firsthand as a student at University of Michigan in the 1980s and as a health care worker at U of M Medical Centers in the 90s.. Now Homefront Hugs is receiving help from the University of Michigan soccer and basketball teams and is excited about continuing the legacy…

Concordia University even hosted a huge Veterans Day event this month inviting Homefront Hugs to share their missions with the Ann Arbor community and students. Over $500 was raised to help fill holiday care packages for the troops and families.

You and every person of every religion and ability is invited to help…there is a place for you no matter what your talent at Homefront Hugs…no matter what your age…and or ethnicity or choices in life…everyone is welcome just as our troops and families come from all over the world and from all backgrounds and lifestyles.

Bring your ideas, your hearts, your kids, your neighbors, your passion and make a difference with us. We are beginnning our 10th year of service back in our hometown that we have missed so much.

Join us and if you are in the military or a vet or military family and need any support, let us know, Everything is confidential. We follow OPSEC and we are the recipients of the Four Chaplains Award (which includes a Rabbi) for our inclusion and diversity.

We leave the politics at the door. We make sure no hero is forgotten. We know that the children with Mom or Dad gone are heroes too. We know sometimes Grandma or Grandpa is watching the children while Mom and Dad are deployed. Look around. You will find out someone knows someone who served or is deployed now.

Homefront Hugs USA is here to stay and our first priority will be the needs of Ann Arbor and Michigan especially now that our headquarters are permanently here where our family home is rooted.

“Savor those precious moments”  as a hero veteran and good friend of ours once said.

And remember why we get to be war free and live here and enjoy this incredible town and all it has to offer, without worry or fear, because of those who serve. When we watch the tree lighting or light our Hanukkah candles or pray in our Mosques, remember why we have freedom of religion and worship.

You can help from your dorm rooms, with your teachers (as the awesome Slauson MIddle School students did this year and wrote cards for our wounded at Operation Healing Angel for Veterans Day ) , with your parents or friends…from home…

Perhaps you just wish to help yourself from home or send a donation from your business. Do what works for you. Perhaps your own community club wants a neat holiday project and way to thank our veterans .

You do what you choose to do when you choose to do it…when you volunteer with Homefront Hugs.

Homefront Hugs is here all year long helping and supporting those who serve, promoting stewardship in our youngest generation and our seniors and disabled, and helping in disaster relief where our troops are sent as well.

You choose. But choose something. You are needed more than you know.

Email Info@HomefrontHugs.org ,go to Facebook or Twitter or look us up onGUIDESTAR or Volunteer Match or Utube.

You will read why volunteers have stayed with us for years participating in different missions and projects depending on what suited them and moved them at the time. We are a huge volunteer family worldwide and we never have enough help.

But here is what one Navy officer wrote us during a long deployment which somehow sums it all up:

” Dear Alessandra and the volunteers of Homefront Hugs USA: It is a joy to write to you and to personally thank you for the many wonderful gifts. First, I would like to thank you for the many hand-written cards.  It means so much to me that you have taken the time to personally write to us, even though you don’t know us. When you say that you appreciate our service in your own hand writing, it is very special and definitely believable. Thank you so much.  And, I really enjoy the paintings and pictures on the front of the cards. I regret to say that I never gave much time to the paintings on cards when I was home. Over here, the pictures bring back many memories of home and growing up. I have cut out the front of many cards and placed them around my room on the plywood walls. Winter pictures of birds, old houses with the US flag hung on the porch, winter scenes, etc - such great pictures.

The evenings can be lonely and oftentimes I look at the pictures and daydream. Thank you.  I also appreciate the other eatable gifts.  Whoever is selecting the gifts really knows what they are doing. They are perfect for us. I will introduce you to “us” in a minute. We have a team office on our Camp Stone. We walk a little more than one-half mile out of our base and on the Afghan Army base, to the hospital where we work. Before we leave our office for the morning walk, we enjoy a pot of coffee. The Starbucks coffee you are sending is GREATLY appreciated.  Finally, I wanted to share the attached picture with you. Yesterday, I received two boxes from Homefront Hugs. Inside of one of the boxes were two cute, fuzzy eggs that zipped open with a little duck. Today, I had the opportunity to give one to a little girl at the hospital. She was so cute and she laughed and giggled when I gave it to her. I love doing nice things for the Afghans and you are helping me do that. I am the leader of a 13-member Navy healthcare team. We have doctors, nurses, technicians all serving as mentors to Afghan Army counterparts. We work in a new Afghan military hospital in Herat, Afghanistan. The Afghan nurses and doctors are very eager to learn. However, it is a very slow process. We were taught in our mentor training that it takes about one year to accomplish here what we can do in one day in our own hospitals at home. So, it can be very frustrating, but yet, rewarding.  Our biggest challenge is for the Afghans to sustain what we teach them.  Attached is a picture of my team with our interpreters, standing in front of a new hospital ambulance. We taught them how to drive and how to use the medical equipment inside of each ambulance. We are here for one year and will return home next summer. With 3 months of Army and mentor training, we will be away from home for a total of 15 months. Sometimes,we do wish,however, that there was a Crispy Creme donut place here. Not much we can do about that.  I would like to close by saying thank you for taking time out of your busy days to encourage us and express your appreciation.  Until next time, thank you.

Sincerely,
Ken Laube
Captain, U.S.Navy “

www.HomefrontHugs.org for info to be a part of a special organization !
Happy Holidays to everyone…stay safe and warm and cozy…wherever you are.

See the full article here.

July 2010

Thank you so very much. The help is needed more than you know. Just in case you hear it on the news, most our guys are ok. We had 9 get hurt on Monday. Rocket attack. Most are out of the hospital, just one was real bad, he lost his right leg. He is in route back to the states. My soldiers were not any of them but in my unit. Just a few hours ago we were rocketed again. This time no one got hurt. We were very lucky. My guys stayed strong through it all. Did what they do without even thinking about it. The next two hours will not come soon enough. I get off work at 2200 (10pm) 1230pm your time. It’s been one long day.

Thanks again for your support 
Have a good weekend 
Chris

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August 2010

Hey, sorry that I have not gotten back sooner. I have been swimming in paint…it feels like it anyway. I am getting out new building ready for our move next month. Can’t believe that this thing was just a pile a bricks 3 months ago. I am in it almost 14 hours a day, building, painting, mounting lights. you name it. Tomorrow I’m laying the floor, some type of thick rubber type linoleum. 150 lbs rolls of it that i have to glue down to the most uneven concrete work i have ever seen. No not my work. Afghanis built the building its self. They are not one that takes pride in their work. It’s kind of hard when they leave for the day and go back to a mud hut like house. I have seen so many that don’t even have a floor…just dirt. But they have a nice car, and a cell phone.

Anyway, i am ok. Just working way too much. I will send you a picture of before and after. Thank you for worrying about us. Its nice to know that you’re missed. The soldiers are wore thin, we still have some on leave, i have one working with me on the building, and the others still have to work our normal 12hr shift.

Thank goodness that it has stoped raining. for a week streat, it rained everyday. one day we got 2 inches. In a desert like land scape, we had a few flash floods that we had to go save a dozen Afghanies cause their cars got washed away off the road. it all turned out real good. the villager elders and other locals praised the Army for helping them when the Talaban would not. So mark one us for the U.S.

I do have a few request from the soldiers. If you can. its not food this time…we realy still need some, but

2 pair running shoes size size 10 and 12 (we have others that need them but are good for now)
2 flat black sheets any size (Solders need them to make a wall from the other solders)
Excedrin – Back and Body
Hygine items like men stuff (Body wash, axe, good razors) we get a lot of the hotel bottles, but you use one aday, its messy and they stink)

I need a pair of macanices work gloves (like the ones at a auto parts store) mine wore holds building
I really could use a jig/saw blade for my Dewalt Jig saw and rip saw. (i dont know if you can get that, its kind of different request.)

thank you so much for helping support my soldiers. I will write more later and send some pictures
Chris

Chris
Afghanistan

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November 2010

Sorry that I have not replied in a while. After the loss of one of our MPs out at one of our camps from IDF. We have been very busy, have not had time to get on the computer much. It’s been more like sleep, shower, work, sleep, repeat. A few more attacks than we are normally use to having. Can’t go in to details, but we had a few this week here on Salerno. All my guys are ok. Here are a few pictures of the memorial that we had last week.

I can’t believe that its 22 November already. Nov has flown by. That’s a good thing. The weather way low and fast. Its 38 deg outside now. We might 55-60 tomorrow. Time to pull out the long johns. The guys are hanging in there. We have some new guys in here now, the National Guard unit that works with us are changing out. You can tell that they are new at being deployed. Just a little green around the edges. Lol I guess I was 9 years ago.

The Mess Hall is planning a big turkey dinner for us. I hope it’s better than the food they have been having. You can only eat chicken so many times in a week. We are already getting in the Christmas Spirit, well trying too. I played Christmas music last night like back ground music you would hear in a store. No one ever really said anything, could just tell that it got people in a better mood. We got a News paper tree in the mail yesterday, Something about wrapping tinfoil around a cone shape newspaper and then adding lights and tinsel. It turned out good.

I hope the next 2 months will not be the longest. We have a lot going on so it should keep us busy enough that time will go by fast. We have started pack out some of our containers to ship home early. My wife has mailed us a few Christmas decorations to put up. Going to wait till the day after Thanksgiving to put them up and our big Christmas tree. If I don’t, I don’t think anyone would get in the spirit.

Thank you for all the support you have given us the past 10 months. We are so much better off with your support. From the buildings you have helped us build to the food that the guys have eaten. You have really made a difference.

Don’t know if you get the chance to watch any movies, make sure you watch, RED, Knight & Day, and SALT. All are great action movies. I’m a guy, if they are not blowing thing up, or killing everyone in sight, it’s not a good movie…lol Peggy, my wife, is spending both Thanksgiving and Christmas over at one her friend’s house. Her friends’ husband is deployed also. They have a kid the same age as mine so it’s good for them to be with someone and not get depressed cause I’m not there during the holidays.

Tired of being tired, but hanging in there
Chris
Afghanistan

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Chris shares everything he gets with everyone. He signed up all his buddies to be adopted and had to be coaxed to be adopted!

See the full story here

About Alessandra

When a serviceperson go to war, they need more than just training and gear with them – they need the unconditional support of their loved ones.

They need it when they wake up in the dark to pull on their boots. They need it in battle as they confront the enemy. And without a doubt they need it when they return home, changed in so many ways from the experience of war.

Some soldiers never get this kind of unconditional support, and the result can be as devastating as the battlefield itself.

Alessandra Kellermann knows this from painful personal experience.

After meeting her husband Steve Schmidt at the University of Michigan and getting married, the couple moved overseas while Steve fulfilled his duties as a pilot in the United States Air Force. Eventually he saw action in the first Gulf War.

The distance – both from each other, and from their support networks back home – coupled with the psychological and emotional strain of the war during their separation, proved to be too much for the couple. Unwilling to ask for counseling lest the problems show up on Steve’s military record, the relationship faltered and eventually ended in divorce a few years later.

“We were very much in love,” recalls Kellermann. “But we were young and naive and not strong enough to work at the marriage alone away from family and friends.”

The experience was on Kellermann’s mind following September 11, 2001, as hundreds of thousands of soldiers geared up for battle. Raised in a Jewish/Catholic family with an immense respect for World War Two veterans, Kellermann knew there was another way for war stories to end than how her’s did – they could also end with warm homecoming celebrations, quiet relief and unconditional love.

And as she thought about how she could contribute to the war effort, an idea was born.

Today Homefront Hugs USA, the organization Kellermann founded in 2001, is enabling members of the public to “adopt” U.S. servicemen and women and their families with “homefront hero hugs.” Through it other programs such as Operation Healing Angel (which sends cards and care packages to wounded soldiers), Never Forgotten Tribute, Troops Guestbook  (which collects statements of support for and by the troops), and Homefront Hugs for Kids (which gets children involved in the effort) the nonprofit offers the nation a variety of ways to let troops know you care and support their commitment to our nation’s safety and well being.

According to Kellermann, the organization is entirely volunteer-led and politically neutral, and all funds go directly to their programs and their troops.

The formula seems to be working: not only are the troops expressing gratitude for the support, but many of the organization’s volunteers say the experience of getting involved at Homefront Hugs has been powerful.

One volunteer donated an expensive collection of Beanie Babies. A doctor has his living room filled with care packages for families. A woman in Florida writes handwritten letters – often as long as eight pages – to families and widows of service members. 9/11 families join together to support groups of heroes during holiday season.

“Not only are our military heroes, but my volunteers are heroes too,” said Kellermann. “They come form all walks of life with different reasons for wanting to help. There’s a spot for everyone at Homefront Hugs if you have an open mind, a dash of TLC, and patience. The needs are vast and the more the merrier.”

Homefront Hugs USA uses VolunteerMatch to help recruit new volunteers and donors who are inspired by its mission of unconditional support for our troops. To date the organization has received more than seventy referrals.

“Since we joined VolunteerMatch, we’ve received nothing but stellar applicants wanting to make a difference and help in whatever area they choose,” said Kellermann.

With eight years of support for the troops behind her, Kellermann believes Homefront Hugs will continue to grow as more people discover its programs. That’s good news, she says. Because just as the memory of WWII parades have faded over time, so too has the sense of shared purpose that existed after 9/11.

“People forget we have thousands upon thousands of troops redeploying and deployed,” she adds. “But our troops are experiencing their own 9/11 overseas and need our support – unconditional and steadfast.”

See the full article here.

Our motto- Freedom Endures.

I was told about this organization so I copy pasted the info for any interested parties.

Description

At Homefront Hugs USA, we have missions for the wounded, missions to adopt a soldier or a whole group of hereos, freedom contest for children and a kids page.. and many missions to support the military families manning the homefront including advocacy and education along with crisis intervention.

We welcome everyone to join our missions or just sign up for our newsletter which we try to get out monthly. You can do this all from home and your computer or start up one of our missions in your comunity or state. You can join us at your convenience and help is always appreciated whenever it is feasible for you.

At Homefront Hugs we need volunteers to write cards to our wounded in over 7 key hospitals where little support is received, to help pack backpacks and lunchboxes for children who are disaster victims, or just join us as volunteers and help spread the word to obtain more volunteers. Teenagers and college students are welcome as interns and to obtain credit for high school with parental permission.

We value your help in sharing our missions and needs too so we can get monetary support too for our missions and our care packages which go all over the worlds to our wounded and deployed. Due to the economy and being a small new public charity, our funds are extremely low and desperately needed to continue our missions especially for the wounded troops. Donations are all tax deductible of course and any amount is welcome.

Bottom line, we need you ! Our volunteers are valued and we give each of you a volunteer card when you register with us. Giving back to our country and our communities- is what Homefront Hugs is all about – that no hero nor volunteer hero is ever forgotten.

We are proud recipients of the Legion of Honor Award and 1st prize national award for volunteering from the Points of Light Foundation because of our hard work and desire to unite Americans of all backgrounds,races and cultures in what Americans do best- sharing their compassion and empathy with one another beginning with our children and making this world a better place to live in- in peace and harmony.

See the full article here.