America Supports You E-Newsletter for July 31, 2007

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

July 31, 2007

E-Newsletter Volume CXXI

Silver Spring, Md.

Army Spc. Ryan Major with his mother Lorrie Knight-Major, as the community gathers to congratulate Rebuilding Together and Sears Holdings on the development of the America Supports You homefront program Heroes at Home.

Camp Arifjan, Kuwait

Performer Josh Gracin is issued his "official DCU's" by a servicemember.

Purchase, N.Y.

Soldiers from the 155th CSSB, Fort Dix, New Jersey stand with Diane McManus and 2nd Lt. Juan Salas (far right). McManus is a regular participant in the America Supports You homefront program My Soldier, which Salas helped create.
New on the ASY Team
America Supports You is proud to welcome five new homefront organizations to the team this week!
Swords to Plowshares provides services of all types such as health, social services, housing, and employment and training to veterans.
Strength for Service provides the daily devotional book Strength for Service for military personnel.
Operation Give a Hug provides children of deployed parents a special doll with a photo of the deployed parent on the face of the doll.
Fore Our Soldiers sends care packages to servicemembers around the globe.
Tennessee’s Helping Hearts cares for injured military members and offers support to the families of fallen troops.
ASY from Coast to Coast and Across the Ocean
New America Supports You homefront group Heroes at Home recently kicked off its program in Silver Spring, Md. at the home of Operation Iraqi Freedom veteran Army Specialist Ryan C. Major, who suffered severe wounds last November in Iraq. The organization, which focuses on helping servicemembers, veterans and military families in need, is the result of a partnership between Rebuilding Together, an all volunteer home rehabilitation organization, and Sears Holdings Corporation. While searching for suspected bomb makers on foot patrol with his unit in Ramadi, Specialist Major suffered the amputation of both legs, damage to both arms and a traumatic brain injury when an improvised explosive device detonated near him. To help accommodate Specialist Major’s home to his needs, the homefront organization has installed an elevator and built a new wheelchair accessible bedroom and bathroom. “We are privileged to be working with companies like Sears and Kmart who have always supported our servicemembers and continue to make a difference with programs like Heroes at Home,” stated Gary A. Officer, President and CEO of Rebuilding Together. In order to make the adjustments on Specialist Major’s home, volunteers from local Sears and Kmart stores, along with local contractors secured by Rebuilding Together’s Montgomery County affiliate, donated their time and expertise.

America Supports You homefront organization Stars for Stripes along with U.S. Army MWR in Europe helped sponsor country music singer and former Marine Josh Gracin’s tour of the Persian Gulf, where he played a series of concerts to honor troops overseas. He performed five shows for servicemembers in Kuwait and Iraq and spent time visiting those in the hospital. During his travels despite the 128 degree heat, he hit the courts for some basketball with Marines. The tour took Gracin to Camp Arifjan in Kuwait and a number of locations in Iraq, including Camp Speicher, Ballad Airbase, Kirkuk and Qayyarah Airfield West (Q-West). His performance at Camp Arifjan in Kuwait was attended by more than 2,000 troops, setting the record for the second highest concert attendance at the base. “This was something I just had to do,” said Gracin. “It was important for me to give back to our men and women in uniform and bring a little piece of home to our folks serving overseas.” My Soldier, an America Supports You homefront program, recently hosted a barbeque called “Hello Goodbye” honoring soldiers in a U.S. Army Battalion about to be shipped off to Afghanistan. The group’s intent is to try to make each soldier’s impending deployment and time away from home turf a little easier. The event was meant as a way for servicemembers to say farewell to the States as well as greet new pen pals at the local Manhattanville College. Attendees of the event were each encouraged to adopt one of the battalion members of CSSB (TLE) as a pen pal. In addition to the servicemembers at the barbecue, participants included Manhattanville College staff and students and other special civilian guests, including local high school students. New York State Commissioner for Veteran Affairs Ron Tocci also attended the event with co-founders of the program, Manhattanville College President Richard Berman and alumnus and active duty army 2LT Juan Salas. Berman feels that the pen pal exchange is a respectful method of military support and that the psychological care of the servicemembers is crucial, “sometimes soldiers just need a human touch, an ability to know that someone out there really does care and appreciate what they do.” Since the launch in 2004, over 400,000 people have participated in the My Soldier program, adopting over 175,000 deployed military personnel.
The city of Boynton Beach, Florida recently received a surprise visit through its work with America Supports You homefront group America Supporting Americans, which facilitates “adoptions” betweentowns, cities, or counties and individual military units throughout the country. The communities then send the individual military units care packages and letters of support. For the past three years, Boynton Beach has sponsored the Delta Demons of the 101st Airborne Division at Ft. Campbell in Kentucky. Recently Staff Sergeant T.J. Granum traveled from Kentucky to let the community know how much its efforts are appreciated. Granum is on American soil until October when he leaves his wife and home in Kentucky for another tour. "The letters from the children at the schools in Boynton Beach, that's huge because to get stuff from people you've never met before, you realize you're not forgotten," said Granum. Valorie Moats, a clerk for the City of Boynton Beach who works closely with America Supporting Americans says: "Just seeing the community come together, people who don't know what to do to show support to our military, that's what really it's all about… we're going to be here and support them however we can."

Hollywood celebrity Jon Voight, spotlighting the America Supports You pin, stands next to Shauna Fleming of the ASY homefront organization A Million Thanks. Helping to spread the America Supports You message, actor Jon Voight wore the America Supports You pin at Sean Hannity’s Freedom concert in San Diego, California last week. The star was spotted sporting the pin onstage as well.
Freedom Walk News
America Supports You is happy to announce that 101 Freedom Walks in 40 states are planned so far to commemorate the victims and families of 9/11’s tragic events. The walks mentioned below are a few examples of this year's Freedom Walks.
The City of Inverness, Florida recently announced that it will be joining cities across the United States to host an America Supports You Freedom Walk on Tuesday, September 11, 2007. The walk is sponsored by The City of Inverness Parks & Recreation Department. In honor of those who lost their lives on September 11th, the city will also be holding a World Trade Center Memorial Exhibit and Tribute featuring articles from the World Trade Center, memorabilia, photographs, portraits, stories and flags on the same day as the Freedom Walk. The exhibit is being displayed by Andrew Tarpey, a retired Port Authority Police Officer and member of the local chapter of the National Association of Retired Law Enforcement Officers (NARLEO).
Also getting in on the America Supports You Freedom Walk action, Emery McClendon of Amateur Radio Military Appreciation Day, and Rex Mercer of the Fort Wayne Patriots are organizing a walk for the Fort Wayne, Indiana area. The walk will take place on September 11, 2007 at Liberty Tax Service. The walk will include a mini concert performed by recording artist Samantha Allen, as well as speeches by local government officials and others from the community.

Featured on the ASY Web Site Last Week
Scott Vallely Soldiers Memorial Fund
“The Memorial Fund has been established to assist and provide monetary support to members of the armed forces and/or their families in (their) time of need…. The fund will also serve to provide scholarship assistance to those young men and women who will be serving in the armed forces.”
- Marian Vallely, Trustee, Scott Vallely Soldiers Memorial Fund

Operation Wheels of Freedom
"We are a group of committed car guys who want to do our part to say thanks to the men and women of the armed services for their dedicated service to our country…Being 'car guys' we chose to do it using cars."
- David Muyres, Program Director, Operation Wheels of Freedom

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ASY In the News
The Honolulu Advertiser noted how the America Supports You Web site enables servicemembers and their families to connect with caring citizens.
NewsBlaze got the word out about Budweiser donating $100,000 to America Supports You homefront group Special Operations Warrior Foundation.
The Conservative Voice reported on America Supports You new homefront organization Operation Troop Aid’s wonderful work supporting servicemembers.

ASY Homefront Organization of the Week
Freedom Alliance was founded in 1990 by the organization’s honorary Chairman LtCol Oliver L. North with his stated mission to "keep America strong, keep America prosperous, and keep America free." The group works to honor and encourage military participation, as well as to promote America’s freedom. Freedom Alliance has a scholarship fund, in addition to other programs, meant to honor fallen or permanently disabled servicemembers by providing scholarships to their children. The organization is thrilled to announce that so far this year, it has provided over $200,000 in support for wounded troops and hosted 17 Troop Appreciation events across the country. The group wants to get the word out that it has scholarships available for kids whose parents have been killed or permanently disabled in the line of duty. The organization’s Scholarship Fund deadline has been extended through August 10th, and the application is available on the Freedom Alliance’s Web site. To learn more, please check out:: http://freedomalliance.org/fa/<A href="http://sohelpmegod.org/Projects/OperationThankYou/tabid/77/Default.aspx" target=_blank rel=nofollow>