America Supports You !

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Our Message to the Military.... "America Supports You"

April 12, 2007

E-Newsletter Volume CVI

Fairfax, Va.

Representatives from the Department of Defense “Why We Serve” speakers program receive a warm welcome from Ringling Bros.’ patriotic pachyderm at the ASY corporate supporter’s Military Appreciation Night.

New York, N.Y.

Celebrity chef Emeril Lagasse poses with service members and military families while wearing his America Supports You lapel pin during the taping of his military-only cooking contest.

Fort Belvoir, Va.

Melanie Eliana and Charlize Reagin enjoy a quilt featuring photos of their deployed husband and father, Army Staff Sgt. Josh Reagin, made by Operation Kid Comfort, part of ASY homefront organization Armed Services YMCA.
ASY from Coast to Coast and Across the Ocean

Toyota and America Supports You

As part of its ongoing commitment to our military men and women, Toyota is helping raise support for the troops by featuring the ASY logo and Web site on vehicles for their United Pro Cycling team, the NBA Finals Trophy tour and the Toyota Angling team.

Over 150 Marines and Soldiers were welcomed under the big-top last week for ASY corporate supporter Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus’ Military Appreciation Night. The troops and their families came from Marine Corps Base Quantico and Fort Belvoir, Va., to George Mason University’s Patriot Center for a night of free entertainment. “I really appreciate being able to bring my family. It’s awesome to think that they [invite] the kids that may not get a chance to come and see this,” said Army Maj. Kevin Golinghorst. Stephen Payne, vice president of corporate communications for Feld Entertainment, owner of the Circus, added his enthusiasm for Ringling’s support for the troops. “We’ve been working with the America Supports You program for the past two years,” said Payne. “The America Supports You message is given at the beginning of every show, and in addition to that, we’ve been working with military installations in areas we travel [to] across the country and help families keep in touch with loved ones.” The Greatest Show on Earth also selected a military member as the honorary ringmaster for the Military Appreciation Night performance: Marine 1st Lt. Matthew Hilton. Hilton, a graduate of George Mason University, is a part of the Department of Defense’s “Why We Serve” program and travels around the country telling his story of deployment in the Middle East directly to the American people. “Service members sacrifice a lot, but the families do as well,” Hilton said as he thanked the circus and the crowd for their support. Read more.

Bam! Chef Emeril Lagasse kicked his support for the troops up a notch last week while filming two new episodes of his Food Network television show, “Emeril Live,” that feature service members and their recipes. “Emeril’s Army-Navy Cookoff” and “Emeril’s Military Contest” will air on June 29th and 30th respectively, but Lagasse started his search for culinary-minded troops last fall. “I was so impressed with the creativity from all ranks, from every branch of the service,” said Lagasse about the hundreds of entries he received through the contest. The winning recipes represented all service branches and included such creative dishes as Rainbow Fruit Stuffed Pork Tenderloin with Fried Cheddar Grits and a Blueberry Coulis. Later in the show, Lagasse expressed his support for the troops serving overseas and urged viewers to do the same. “I know I speak on behalf of many Americans like me who want to sincerely express their gratitude and appreciation to America’s military men and women. You can read more about what they’re doing and saying by logging on to the Web site www.AmericaSupportsYou.mil. Write it down.” Read more.

Approximately 1.2 million children have parents serving in America’s Armed Forces today, including the National Guard and Reserve. April is the Month of the Military Child where everyone is reminded of the extraordinary circumstances and the additional challenges these children face everyday. Thanks to the efforts of America Supports You homefront group Armed Services YMCA and their Operation Kid Comfort program, military children missing their deployed parents can cuddle up with the comfort of a quilt made especially for them. The quilts help children deal with the separation by incorporating family photos, the child’s name and the parent’s service seal. Children over the age of five receive a pillow with the same photos. According to Dr. Sarah Hansel, a Department of Veterans Affairs staff psychologist, “The little quilts are something tangible that [military children] can grab hold of and take with them and wrap up in, be surrounded by parents’ love.” Some 3,000 children have received quilts from Operation Kid Comfort since it began at Fort Bragg in 2003. The program has also spread across the country to Fort Riley, Kan.; Fort Drum, N.Y.; Fort Belvoir, Va.; and Armed Services YMCAs in San Diego and Alaska with additional programs expected to open in Georgia and Colorado by Fall 2007. Read more.

Military children, especially the 700,000 pre-school aged children, are also receiving support from Elmo and the whole Sesame Street crew with a new project called “Talk, Listen, Connect: Helping Families During Military Deployment.” America Supports You corporate supporter Wal-Mart and the Sesame Workship teamed up to launch the kit, which includes materials in English and Spanish and a DVD featuring Elmo and his dad who is preparing to deploy. “The materials themselves filled a very important gap in the literature and the tools that we had for military families,” said Leslye Arsht, Deputy Undersecretary of Defense for Military Community and Family Policy. “We know a lot about the effects of deployment and of the stages around deployment, but we really didn’t have very many materials for pre-school children, and we didn’t have very many supports for pre-school parent.” Thus far, military families have requested approximately 250,000 kits, which can be obtained through the Web site Military OneSource, www.militaryonesource.com. Read more.

The National Military Family Association recently announced that they are currently accepting applications for a free getaway vacation for wounded service members and their families as part of “Destination R&R.” The America Supports You homefront group and The Blewitt Foundation created Destination R&R to provide our wounded warriors with the opportunity to rejuvenate and have fun with the first retreat scheduled to happen from August 5-9 at the Turf Valley Resort in Maryland. Applications must be submitted by midnight on May 4, 2007. For more information, log on to www.nmfa.org/destinationRR.

Featured on the ASY Web Site Last Week
Spirit of America Tour
“We’re showing that the entertainment industry does support the troops, not by lip service but by actually doing something. The truth is, we have a fabulous volunteer (military) that has joined … because there is an innate sense of ‘America’ in these people.”
-Robert M. Rosenthal, Founder, Spirit of America Tour

Project Prayer Flag
“We can’t thank America Supports You enough. With Operation Grandslam [a Project Prayer Flag initiative with Major League Baseball team the Colorado Rockies]… once they knew we’re an America Supports You member, they said, ‘Well, I’ve heard nothing but good things about this group, and I know you guys are legitimate.’”
-Shawn Black, Founder, Project Prayer Flag

Marine Corps Family Support Community
“We support anyone who supports military families. This results in fewer worries for our Marines. If they know their families are being taken care of they can focus on their mission.”
-Michele Gire, Secretary, Marine Corps Family Support Community


ASY In the News
The Kitsap Sun (Wash.) noted that America Supports You provides ideas and opportunities to express your support for our troops and their children during April, the Month of the Military Child.

The American Chronicle (Calif.) published a piece acclaiming the great work of ASY homefront organizations, emphasizing ones like Thanks USA organized by kids supporting the troops.

The Vigileer (Aviano Air Base, Italy) wrote a story on America Supports You homefront organization Boatsie’s Boxes, which regularly sends care packages to troops deployed to Aviano and around the world.

ASY Homefront Organization of the Week
The Air Force Aid Society was established to help relieve the members of the Air Force and their families who are experiencing distress and to assist them in financing their education. The Society is the official charity of the United States Air Force. The great majority of its assistance work is managed on a decentralized basis by the active Air Force through the AFAS "command chain" on USAF bases/stations worldwide. Since its inception in 1942, the Society has helped countless members of the Air Force community by providing worldwide emergency assistance, sponsoring education assistance programs and offering a variety of base community enhancement programs that improve quality of life for Airmen and their families. In 2006, over 33,000 Air Force members and their families received direct assistance totaling $19.6 million. For more information, please log on to www.afas.org.

Thank You's from Soldiers
“I would like to thank all the people who have shown their support for the troops and the military. I can't help but cry reading all the messages from the American public. I'm not deployed currently but face a possible deployment next year with my husband in the Indiana Army National Guard. We will be leaving behind our two young children and I know that reading these messages of support will help me a lot. Thank you.”

SPC Angela Wasson, U.S. Army, Ind.

“Being in the Middle East can be a difficult challenge. Working long, strenuous hours day after day, it can be easy to lose sight of what we are doing over here. However, due to all the support we get from the States, from churches, friends and family, we can go on knowing that we are loved and appreciated. Thank you all for the support that you give, and know that it does not go unnoticed.”

ET3 Michael Kelly, Navy, Fort Wayne, Ind.

Our troops deserve to be applauded, and so do you!

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