Army Household6

Hunter had a visit with Gary Sinise today …

Just got an update from Blake:

Talked to Hunter today. He had an awesome time with Gary!! His visit definitely uplifted his spirits. He said Gary is just a normal guy.

He got to talk to him for about 45 minutes and even got some autographed stuff! Gary also invited Hunter and some other troops to one of his concerts in December. The concert is in Florida close to Disneyworld. Hunter said that Gary is going to fly him and others to the concert!!!

Awesome Huh…what a good guy!

I’d say that’s a really good guy! Can’t wait to hear that update!!

Want to leave a message of support for Hunter?? Check out Hearts for Hunter Foundation website

(Hat Tip : SpouseBuzz) I saw this on SpouseBuzz and thought it was a really cool idea! 

MILITARY WIVES FIND SUPPORT FROM EACH OTHER MILITARY WIVES CONFERENCE TO BE HELD IN NASHVILLE NOV. 7-8

Nashville, Tenn. – No matter whom Americans elect to the White House this November, military wives will still be coping with the ups and downs of military life, including deployments.

While many families throughout the United States will be welcoming their loved ones home soon, there also be those saying goodbye for year-long deployments. But they don’t have to be on their own.

Wives of Faith is a faith-based military wives support organization that was started by a Navy reservist wife and an active Army wife in 2006 to connect, encourage and support military wives who do not live near a military installation or lack the resources or knowledge they need to succeed as a military wife in their marriages, families and deployments when they apply. 

The group will hold its first weekend conference in Nashville, Tenn., Friday and Saturday, Nov. 7-8. The theme, “This is the Day,” encourages military wives – active, reserve or Guard – to embrace the day God has for them now, instead of always looking to tomorrow for happiness.

“So often, we look at the next week, the next month, the end of this deployment, the beginning of the next one, and we never quite know what to do with today,” said Sara Horn, a co-founder and the executive director for the organization, whose own husband was deployed for most of 2007. She said several wives from as far away as Washington state and Pennsylvania have already registered. “Military wives are often on an emotional roller coaster, and if you live far away from a family readiness group or your husband’s installation, you can feel very alone and civilian friends don’t always know what to say or how to help. Our goal is to bring wives together and connect them to help each other.”

Whether military wives are going through deployment or not, the conference is open to all active, reserve or guard wives. Conference speakers include Babette Maxwell, founder of Military Spouse Magazine; Marshelle Carter Waddell, author of Hope for the Home Front; Carol McGlothlin, author of Medals Above My Heart; Judith Fuller, a Ft. Campbell Army wife; and Sara Horn, author of Weekend Warrior No More.  Sponsors include Military Spouse Magazine, Financial Peace University and the Milton Hershey School.

Registration is $55 for the Friday night and Saturday event, or attend Saturday only for $35. Both rates include a one-year subscription to Military Spouse Magazine and lunch on Saturday. A childcare option is also available. More information and registration is available at www.wivesoffaith.org, or contact the Wives of Faith office at  (615) 302-1932  

It’s been an intense, crazy-busy couple of days around here but in a good way! I have to say that I’m so proud of EVERYONE for jumping into action when it counted! Your cards, letters of encouragement,etc are definitely doing the trick and lifting Hunter’s spirits.!

I also wanted to mention that Hunter will be receiving a visit this weekend from actor Gary Sinise, whose making a trip up to the VA Hospital to visit with some of the guys at the VA hospital and Hunter is one of those lucky ones! : )

I’ll continue to be working on this directly with with Hunter’s foundation, Hearts for Hunter. The website is under construction right now and will be ready to go on Monday, October 27th!

All future updates about Hunter, his foundation and his progress will be over there… so head on over and check it out.

The biggest HAT TIP goes to 1SG Brian Disque! Brian made sure that one of his soldiers got the help and support that he needed by letting the blogosphere know about Hunter’s situation. Brian certainly is a shining example of what a 1SG should be!

I AM A FIRST SERGEANT
My job is people — Every One is My Business.
I dedicate my time and energy to their needs;
their health, morale, discipline, and welfare.
I grow in strength by strengthening my people.
My job is done in faith; my people build faith.
My job is people –EVERY ONE IS MY BUSINESS.

- US Army First Sergeant (1SG) Creed

Kudos to ParentsZone, Matt at BlackFive, Milblogs, Michelle Malkin, Some Soldiers Mom, Liberal Army Wife, Mark Levinfan.com, Calistalee , Jihad Gene, NiceDoggie.net, and Greyhawk and many many more! Also a big thank you to everyone who emailed others to let them know about it! You guys picked up Hunter’s story as ran with it! I’m so proud to be part of this awesome blogging community and our military family!

Also, thanks to the inspiration of Hunter’s story, I recently started a list called HASMO (Help a Service Member Out). It is an email list comprised of Rapid Response Team Members to be able to help out soldiers like Hunter and many others. It will also be available to help out service member’s immediate families as well.

HASMO already have some things in the works for other service members that you can help. We’ll be able to tell you more next week about it all. You can sign up for it on the left side of the page and its a free service!

So, thanks so much and keep up the great work for all the other soldiers, airmen, coasties, sailors and marines as well as their families! Also if anyone would like to help out with  HASMO, please email me at tammy.munson at gmail dot com

Hooah!
Tammy

I’m just overwhelmed at the amount of support that has come in for Hunter… at last count I’ve recieved over 215 emails from people wanting to help. If you haven’t heard from me yet, I’m getting there. It takes awhile to answer all those emails!  : ) 

The plan is for me to work with  one of Hunter’s longtime friends, Blake. Blake is the executor of Hunter’s foundation. They are hoping to get things he needs for when he comes back to Houston. The plan is to help them do just that! 

I’m hoping to have a list of things by the end of the week so that I can report back to all of you here on the  

In the meantime, I’ve setup a list for those that want to be notified when we hear of things like this… a rapid response team if you will. Tenetively, its called Help A Service Member Out (HASMO) You can signup here at Armyhousehold6.com on the left hand side of the page. 

As always, if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me.  : )

It’s a day for celebrations all around (besides my daughter’s birthday ) but also the 30th anniversary of Women in the “regular” Army. So, today let’s honor their service and sacrifice for our past and present Women Warriors.

“It’s important that we remember the generations of women, whose dedication, commitment and quality of service helped open the doors of opportunity for us today. There are so many talented women in our Army today … you would be impressed.”

- Lt. Gen. (P) Ann Dunwoody, in remarks given at her U.S. senate confirmation hearing, July 24, 2008 in Washington, D.C.

Beginning Oct. 20 through Nov. 14, the U.S. Army will honor the achievements of its women warriors as part of a three-week “Celebration of Women in the Army.” The commemoration coincides with the anniversary of the full integration of women into the Army for 30 years, with the disestablishment of the Women’s Army Corps by former President Jimmy Carter.

Did you know?
Women represent 14.0% of the active Army, 23.2 % of the Army Reserve and 13.3 % of the Army National Guard (Sep 2006)

As of 3 October 2006 there were 15,226 women serving in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. (statistics found at http://www.army.mil/women/ )

You can read about many significant women in the Army’s history as well as find out more information at http://www.army.mil/women/

(photo courtesy of Army.mil’s U.S. Army Signal Corps Collection)

It’s really hard to believe that Rebecca , my youngest daughter, is 7 today.  She’s getting so big so quickly. It certainly doesn’t seem like its been 7 years already!

It seems just like yesterday that they were rushing her off to NICU to make sure she was medically “ok” due to being 6 weeks early. She remained there for 2 more weeks. Luckily she didn’t have to go through much during her NICU stay. In true preemie style, she is a definite overachiever.  : )

These days she’s into listening to music, Hannah Montana, Jonas Brothers, HSM,  playing Xbox with Daddy, and hanging out with her sister and friends.

Happy Birthday Becca! I hope you have a great birthday!  : )

 When I first talked to Nicole at Febreze about this, I was super excited not just because it was helping out our deployed men and women but because it was Febreze itself! We LOVE Febreze in our house, especially with stinky Army gear, my cigarette-smoking hubby (he smokes outside AND yes I just did tell the WORLD that you do that), as well our 2 big dogs, Ranger & Jack.

Febreze even sent us our own bottle of Febreze to go  to review…  its works great and smells even better ! The best part about the To Go Size is that it is travel ready and TSA-compliant! 

In case you’re wondering, YES– our family is just like the commercials you see where the entire family is smelling the Febreze!  (I’ll try to get some video of that one of these days) 

So here are the details… as promised!

Febreze has joined forces with Family Dollar stores nationwide to send bottles of Febreze To Go to deployed troops!  The donation — a direct response to military requests — will eliminate odors on military gear and uniforms and bring the troops a refreshing piece of home.

So how can you help the effort?

For every Febreze item purchased  at Family Dollar stores from now through Veteran’s Day - November 11, 2008 - Febreze and Family Dollar will send one 2.8 ounce bottle of Febreze To Go to a deployed servicemember for every Febreze item purchased. They also partnered with Operation Gratitude to facilitate distribution to deployed military servicemembers. 

For a listing of your nearest Family Dollar stores click here 

Well I just wanted to take a minute and thank everyone who emailed me over the last 24 hours about PFC Levine. If I haven’t responded to you yet.. don’t worry I will tonight/tomorrow.

I received this email from Julie  with BlueStarMoms who visited with Hunter this afternoon .. so I wanted to pass it along..

Well, we already went today and just got back actually but we wouldn’t mind going again.  When I say we, I took my daughter-in-law and granddaughters too.  One of the staff did go in ahead and asked Hunter if he minded us coming in.  That was Hunters request to be notified ahead of time.

I figured that if he did not want visitors today that we would just leave what we had brought for him there for him to have and I understood his request. He let us come in because I told the nurse about my son serving in Iraq.  Tht seemed to make Hunter feel better.

We just stopped in for a minute and took a card, a box of See’s lollipops, some other candy and a small fimo clay frog wind chime. (FROG=Freely Rely On God) That made him sorta laugh, the wind chime. He said he didn’t know where to put it so we suggested over the a/c unit or hang it on the window that way he could know if the a/c was working or not.

I figured that he could use the practice in getting his other senses a little sharper while his eyesight was getting some work. The room was pretty warm though, and there was a soldier visiting him as well so I didn’t want to take up too much of his time.  I will call Stephanie later this week and see if he wouldn’t mind having us visit again, without the girls though. I would love to have you come with or meet me there.  I have a map now and it is pretty easy to get to.

He has a DVD player and an i-pod and told me he has all the music he needs, he is still pretty angry inside.  I know that later in life he will look back and think about us going there, it will be just a random thought but I hope it will be a good one.

Also, my granddaughters class is going to make a mobile for his room, that should help him with some eye coordination exercises without him knowing that he is actually doing them.

I did see that he had the DVD Gladiator (great movie!) so he has some vision.  He also had a watch on with a magnifier on it.  Also, the lollipops will help with the muscles in his neck which will in turn help with the face restructuring.

In fact, I am thinking that getting some crossword puzzle books and other items like that as well as some cards for other soldiers who are there would be worthwhile.  There were a couple who had no visitors and looked like they could use someone to visit with.

A HUGE amount of thanks goes out to to Trish of Email our Military (who originally posted about it) Vince Patton of Military.com as well as Caitlyn Scanlon (Military.com employee and member of Soldier’s Angels) for getting someone in touch with Hunter so quickly! This is what I love about our military family and of course for being a part of an AWESOME organization like Military.com !  : )

I received this information today (from Email Our Military) and it nearly broke my heart! (actually it brought me to tears)  I thought I HAVE to do something for this young man!

As many of us, who are living this life, know , we are one BIG military family. Well… one of our own needs our help!

For those not in the military…if you have ever wondered “what can I do for our wounded warriors”, well THIS IS IT!!!! You can read his story below …

If you would like to send cards, letters and/or care packages… please let me know. You can email me at tammy . munson @ gmail . com (don’t include spaces)

_____________________________________________

From 1SG Brian M. Disque

I know a young man who is in desperate need of help. His name is PFC Hunter Levine. He is 20 years old and hails from Houston, TX.

He was in my company and was wounded on 9 May, 2008 while conducting combat operations in East Baghdad. He received a very serious injury to his face, resulting in the loss of his entire bone structure, mouth, nose, and vision.

He was evacuated to Walter Reed Hospital where the doctors performed numerous surgeries to repair his

face. I was fortunate enough to attend a Purple Heart Ceremony at Walter Reed while I was home on leave in June. I was also able to meet with Hunter’s father Beau.

Hunter was then transferred to a VA hospital in Palo Alto, where the best care for his vision would be available. He is a true fighter with a heart of gold.

Bad News

Unfortunately, I received some bad news from the hospital doctors. Lately, he has been resisting treatment and being somewhat combative with the hospital staff. He has had a few outbursts and the staff is real worried about him. It seems like a serious case of depression is setting in.

Although his wounds on the outside may look bad, they may never compare with the wounds he has on the inside.

I spoke with him on the phone this evening, and he seemed real down. The reality is that he still has a long road to recover and may never see again. This young man has everything to live for and is a true inspiration. He is exactly the kind of person we would all want in a brother, son, or friend. I feel obligated to try and rally some support for him. I know we have a lot of caring people out there who would love to do something special for an outstanding American who gave his all for his country.

Call to Action

If you know of any church groups, school room classes, or other benevolent organizations that would be interested in assisting this brave young man, please forward this message on to them.

He is a pretty typical young man, so he likes sports and other typical young men stuff. A small care package with some goodies and such would mean the world.

Again, please forward this message to as many people as you know. It would be so great if we can all give way together and show Hunter that his country will never forget his sacrifices or service. He is down and needs our help.

Thank you for your support, it means everything.

V/R,
1SG Brian M. Disque
C CO 2-30 IN

“Our Country, Not Ourselves!”

Sorry for the delay …

Most of the 2nd day of AUSA i spent with LAW of Parent Zone. We started off the day attending another Family Forum that mainly focused on the Army’s National Guard and Reserve component.

It was really interesting to see all the National Guard/Reserve families that were there. Since this forum mainly focused on them, there was a multude of information and resources available for them. General and Mrs Stultz talked a great deal about the how the citizen soldier see that their community if partnering with the Army and that gives them some comfort.

They also discussed how some soldiers and families were falling thru the cracks. It was also acknowledge how they don’t follow “family readiness” and the Army realizes that they need too.

The forum talked about “Beyond the Yellow Ribbon Program which was started by Minnesota National Guard after they realized things were lacking for the Reserve and National Guard soldiers after they came home as compared to the Active component.

Secretary Geren signed an order earlier this year that states spouses, children and parents of single soldiers allowed to attend re-integration programs at the Army’s expense to better prepare families to support  their soldiers when they do come home. They can anticipate additional training for the individual with a multitude of resources at their disposal.

During this family forum, they also talked a great deal about the Community Covenant. Basically, its the engagement of our communities with the Army .. to provide support for our soldiers within their communities.You can find out more information about it at Communitycovenant.army.mil It has lots of information about ways for community to support the military  and  best practices at state and local level.

After this, LAW and I headed down to the Expo floor to check out all of the vendors in the Family section of the expo. There were all kinds of awesome resources for families. One in particular, was Operation Life Transformed which is an organization that provides education and resources to our war wounded caregivers and military spouses through private and corporate entities.

After lunch with LAW, I headed back to Blogger’s Row to hang out for a bit. I eventually ran into my new media friend, Jim Long and got to chat with him for a brief minute before Gen Petraeus’ speech.

Gen Petraeus was quite funny! He was even cracking Chuck Norris jokes!  : ) Gen Petraeus talked all about the great work that soldiers are doing in Iraq , what it takes to sustain what they currently have, etc. It was truly inspring to hear that we are doing good and making a difference in the lives of the Iraqi people.

I ended up not attending Day 3 as I had some client things that needed to be taken care. Believe me I’d rather have been at AUSA!

I’m definitely looking forward to attending next year’s event! I highly recommend it if you can make the trip. Thanks Andi for give me the opportunity to attend!