Please Remember Our Troops

Christmas will be here soon. Sooner than most of us wish. For most of us, we will spend the day with family and friends. We’ll eat too much and perhaps drink too much wine. We’ll watch old classics and tear up even though we’ve seen those corny old movies a dozen times.

Many Americans, however, will be spending yet another holiday away from loved ones. They’ll be in places where sand storms turn the day to dark in a matter of minutes. They’ll be cold, because it’s that time of year, but they’ll still get out and walk their patrols, wondering if today is the day. They won’t get the day or weekend or week off because there is no day off in war. If they’re lucky, they’ll be at a base where they have hot food. Many aren’t that lucky.

If you haven’t sent anything to a soldier, it’s not too late.

If you’re looking for a really good New Year’s Eve resolution, it’s not too late. Our troops need to be remembered every day, not just on Memorial Day and Christmas.

It doesn’t take much to make them happy.

If you are so inclined, I’ve included a few sites that are very worthwhile organizations to contact soldiers. There are others where you can just send a donation if you don’t have the time to make a commitment. Anything you do to help is greatly appreciated. Regardless of how you feel about politics, these people volunteered to serve our country.

Please remember them. They remembered us.

Merry Christmas from Afghanistan sung by one of our soldiers.

Christmas parade in Afghanistan

So This is Christmas.

Tell Them Thanks.

I like this organization because you can adopt a soldier you know has requested to be contacted. They send in a needs list so you don’t have to wonder. There are a lot of female soldiers also so, if you don’t feel comfortable writing to a man, you have that option.

Books For Soldiers.

This is a little known charity, but what a great one to get involved with for the writing community. Everyone thinks that war is just one bomb after another, but there are a lot of times when guys and gals are shut down with nothing to do. Books are a wonderful gift and it that’s a gift that keeps on giving as they get passed from soldier to solder.

Remember all the women over there. They like a little romance in their lives also. What a great cause for all our romance writers to support.

Hero Boxes.

If you’d like to help, but you just don’t have the time to write or send out care boxes, this organization will do it for you. Just donate to them and their volunteers will handle the rest.

Soldiers Angels

I linked to the Blankets of Belief page, but please take time to look at the home page. If you have any desire, there’s a place for you. You’re a knitter or crocheter? We need you. Soldiers have sleeping bags, but they are narrow and often aren’t long enough for the tall men. You’d think blankets would be common sense, but it apparently isn’t. This is winter time, it’s as cold there as some of our coldest states. Many of the soldiers are in tents with no heat in sub zero weather.

Even if you just want to write a letter or donate, your donation of time, gifts or money all goes to a great cause.

This is a picture from Soldiers’ Angels of their Christmas tree program.