I ran across this idea today while reading through some new (to me) blogs.

Code Red Women for the Troops has a mission as well: To show the troops we support them and their mission. It's is our responsibility to teach our children that freedom is not free and comes with a great price. Our military men and women are to be honored and respected. It's repulsive that an organization such as Code Pink would use "peace" as a facade to degrade and disrespect our soldiers. Our troops are the only chance for peace that we have. We want them home too, but not until they finish what they started.

Drop by and let her know if you agree, visit the CodeRed Blog, and perhaps even pick up a Code Red T-Shirt.

Posted by: caltechgirl at 12:12 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
Post contains 136 words, total size 1 kb.

Trojans Win!!! 66-19

Sorry, (f)UCLA fans, but we all knew this was gonna happen today.

See you all here in Pasadena for New Year's!

Posted by: caltechgirl at 08:09 PM | Comments (6) | Add Comment
Post contains 32 words, total size 1 kb.

Take a moment today to reflect on all our veterans, and what their service means to your life.

While your at it, honor our newest vets by dropping some change in the Valour-IT hat. Clickt he button on the left or go here to donate.

Posted by: caltechgirl at 04:28 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 49 words, total size 1 kb.

...to bring you this Project Valour-IT update.

Army wins!

Although Navy is ahead right now, Team Army was the first to go over the $21,000 mark (our goal!), some time last night!

Also, Carren Z was on MSNBC yesterday, discussing the project and she did an AWESOME job. If you missed it, click here to go to the page. If you click on the Project Valour link underneath the picture of the Ziegenfuss family with President Bush, you can see the video. However, you can only see it in IE (damn Microsoft) so if you're running Firefox, get the IE viewer extension first, then right click the link to view in IE.

Finally, since the competition is almost over, and today is the Marines' big day, why don't you throw them some lovin'. To donate to Team Marines, go here.

Posted by: caltechgirl at 09:19 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 152 words, total size 1 kb.

The lede of yesterday's Dear Abby column was a letter from a Dad who is hurt when his ex throws birthday parties for their kids and doesn't invite him.

This was the second letter:

DEAR ABBY: I was a soldier serving in Iraq. Last April, I was in a vehicular accident while part of a military convoy and was MEDEVACed to the nearest medical treatment facility.

When you're a trauma patient in the United States, you're put in a cubicle in an emergency room, blocked off from the rest of the patients. That is not the case in the military during a war.

I didn't mind sharing the trauma room with the Marine who had arrived there before me. He had been shot three times in the face. While I was in the room with this brave Marine, the trauma crew fought valiantly to save his life. He flatlined seven times in just the short period after I got there. The nurses, doctors and medics worked tirelessly on him, not giving up. Finally, the doctor told them it was over, and they covered him up. I never knew his name. I lay on my litter while they started to work on my arm, which had been pinned under the truck during my accident and crushed, crying silently for the life that had been lost.

I'm writing this to you, Abby, to let that Marine's parents and friends know how hard the doctors and crew fought to save his life. Besides the medical crew, I'm the only one who knows. He wasn't just a face, or a name on a memorial to them. He was a life, and many people tried hard to keep him alive. If he had been my child, I would want to know. -- ANOTHER SOLIDER, CLARKSVILLE, TENN.

Not much from me here, I wanted to highlight this amazing testament.

If this was my son, I would be profoundly grateful for the thoughtfulness of Another Soldier who took a few moments out of his day to let the world know how hard the medics fought for the life of that Marine. But I would also be profoundly saddened that even Dear Abby chose to print this letter as an afterthought.

In honor of this soldier, this marine, and the medics who worked tirelessly on both of them, why don't you make a donation to Valour-IT and tell our troops that we support them, both well and wounded? Click the button on the left sidebar or go here.

added to Greyhawk's Open Post and OTB's Beltway Traffic Jam

Posted by: caltechgirl at 11:57 AM | Comments (5) | Add Comment
Post contains 442 words, total size 3 kb.

Here's comic man Mike Wallster's (of Ipso Facto Comics) contribution to Valour-IT:

That's what it's like for our wounded troops without the use of their hands and arms.

Every little bit you can give to Valour-IT helps! Especially now that those Squiddies got two very large donations and have pulled ahead!

Click on the button to the left to donate to our team, the First Team, Team Army!

(bonus points to anyone except my DH who gets where that phrase comes from)

in deference to those of you who might have other opinions on which group is best, try these links to donate:
To credit the Zoomies go here.
For the Squids, go here.
And if you love the Jarheads, go here.

Posted by: caltechgirl at 09:52 AM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
Post contains 130 words, total size 1 kb.

Imagine being thousands of miles from home, battling heat, wind, sand, and an enemy that is too cowardly to face you on the street, preferring to throw RPGs and IEDs at you, or blow themselves up in a car bomb.

Imagine being attacked by one of these cowards. Hearing the explosion, feeling the heat and the wind, and looking down to see blood, feeling the pain.

You're rushed to the field hospital by the medics, and suddenly everything is out of control: needles, pain meds, fluids, bandages, your whole world upside down in a matter of minutes.

Next thing you know, you wake up in a hospital, look down at your hands and see bandages. Maybe you were lucky enough to keep your hands, maybe they're gone. In either case, you can't use them.

Imagine how helpless you would feel. You can't feed yourself, dress yourself, read a book, change the channel on the television. You can't pick up the phone and dial your Mom, even just to tell her you're ok. No really, you are OK.

Imagine days on end like this. What you would give just to be able to be a little independent. To have something you can do for yourself, even just to be able to call up your family on your own.

Now imagine an Angel walks into your room one day, with a laptop and a microphone. This Angel, not a heavenly Angel, but a real Angel, a Soldier's Angel, has a Valour-IT laptop, and it's yours to use. You can get back in touch with the world on your own terms. The voice activated software lets you write letters, surf the web, send email, watch videos, even blog, all without your hands. And you can use it whenever you want, as long as you're still there.

Imagine how this marvelous gift would make you feel.

Supporting Valour-IT means that such a feeling is no longer a dream for many of our wounded soldiers. Just $685 buys a fully outfitted laptop, complete with the voice software, and ready to help a wounded service person reconnect. Any small amount of money will go a long way towards buying these computers and getting them into our military hospitals where they can be put to good use.

Even $5. It's not hard to set aside a few $$ to help out. Think you can skip that venti latte for one day to help out a wounded soldier? There's $5. Take lunch to work instead of the Cafeteria or McDonalds, another $5. Making dinner at home instead of going out gets you $20. Running errands in one trip to save gas gets you another $5 saved.

So dig deep. We're almost a quarter of the way to our goal. Help us help our soldiers.

To donate with a credit card, click the button on the left. To send a check, click here for the address.

Remember all donations to Valour-IT are tax deductible and every donor gets a Soldier's Angels coin. Every donor over $50 who uses my button (email me) gets a minimum 500 word essay on the topic of your choice (within reason) and gratuitous linkage (in lieu of a blog ad, which we don't do here)

GO ARMY!

Bloggers participating in Team Army:

Linked to the 11/4 OTB Traffic Jam

Posted by: caltechgirl at 11:00 AM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
Post contains 614 words, total size 6 kb.

In the Valour-IT competition, nearing the end of Day 1....

We've raised twice as much as the Zoomies, with almost $2700 $3000!! so far! (5pm PST)

Donate Early, Donate Often!

Clicky Clicky on the button! (on the left sidebar)

Posted by: caltechgirl at 04:57 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 43 words, total size 1 kb.

Info on how you can be a part of Project Valour-IT. Specifically by donating through Team Army!

Posted by: caltechgirl at 10:44 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 31 words, total size 1 kb.

Just a reminder that our young men and women aren't the only ones in harm's way. Many of them owe their survival to their K-9 partner, known in military speak as their MWD (military working dog).

The US War Dogs Association is dedicated to supporting these brave and loyal soldiers, and has a great slideshow of MWDs in action, both deployed and in training.

This guy is now my desktop wallpaper at work.

Click him to enter the slide show! (may need to allow pop-ups) Be sure to browse around the site for more info and other great pictures after the show.

(h/t Sgt Hook)

Posted by: caltechgirl at 11:28 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 113 words, total size 1 kb.

If you haven't seen this story, you should.

Ranger, a 4 year old Belgian Malinois, and an officer of the Long Beach Police Department was shot and killed in the performance of his duties last week. Today was his funeral, and he will be buried at the Long Beach Police Academy in their K9 cemetary.

Long Beach police were attempting to capture a gang member who was suspected of parole violations on October 4th, when he fired at officers and crawled under a porch. Despite several warnings, the criminal did not come out and so Officer Mike Parcells sent in his partner, Ranger.

Ranger brought out the bad guy, but he was mortally wounded in the process.

The bad guy didn't make it either.

Everytime I see this story on the news, it makes me cry to see the officer cradling his partner in his arms as he rushed him to the emergency Vet clinic where he died after 3 1/2 hours of surgery.

Ranger leaves behind his partner, Officer Parcells, and his family, Mrs. Parcells and the two Parcells kids who were his best friends and who used to sneak him hot dogs behind their daddy's back.

Ranger is the third K9 officer to be memorialized by the Long Beach PD.

Posted by: caltechgirl at 07:17 PM | Comments (5) | Add Comment
Post contains 218 words, total size 2 kb.

Long time readers will remember Roy Hallums, the American hostage held in Iraq for nearly a year. Well. word came today that Roy has been freed!

Rusty Shackelford, who has done so much to get Roy's story out there, has the details.

Posted by: caltechgirl at 10:16 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 46 words, total size 1 kb.

IMAO of all places posts a letter "from" Casey Sheehan to his mom.

This hits the nail on the head:

"...But here's the thing,[Mom,] I chose to go to Iraq. I re-enlisted in 2004, when all the arguments against the war there are now were already out there. I also volunteered for that mission in which I got killed. I was a grown man, and I made my choices. Maybe they were stupid choices and I got duped into this whole thing - I certainly didn't mean to die - but they were my decisions and I thought what I was doing was right.
...
You know how back when I was a kid you used to spit on napkin and wipe my face in front of my friends and I'd get all embarrassed? Well, this whole "Camp Casey" thing is like that times a million. I know you don't mean it that way, but you make it sound like I was some dumb kid led by the pied piper to Iraq. I knew exactly what I was doing, though, and I wasnÂ’t a kid. Now, through your camp, my name is associated with all this people I wouldn't want anything to do with - people I don't think are your real friends either. Then the media has all these statements from you and everyone is trying to make it sound like you're some nut when I know youÂ’re just trying your best to do right by me."

Well said, even for a ghost.

Posted by: caltechgirl at 09:20 AM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
Post contains 262 words, total size 1 kb.

Someone famous that is, but this guy is SO not a hollywood type....

WKIT-FM 100.3 here in Bangor, Maine is a radio station owned by Stephen and Tabitha King. They're holding a pay for play day on the station - call with a request and a pledge, and they'll play any song you desire. All donations are going to the American Red Cross, with the Kings matching all donations dollar for dollar.

He may be a liberal nut job, but at least Steve King is a real person with a real heart. The radio station's website is here, although they don't have any links to the pay-for-play day. However, the phone # is there if you'd like to participate....

(h/t Kristian who found it on MM)

UPDATE: BET is also on the ball. The BET network is hosting a telethon to aid Katrina's victims on Friday, September 9th, one week from Friday. Their webpage also lists many links for place to donate, get help, find relatives, etc.
Way to go BET!

Posted by: caltechgirl at 11:29 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 179 words, total size 1 kb.

Almost 2 years after landing on the Martian surface and unfurling its solar panels, the rover Spirit is now poised atop the highest point on the nearby Martian plain.

"When we started the mission, if anyone had told us that we would not only drive all the way over to the Columbia Hills, but also drive to the highest point there, I think we would not have really believed it," [team scientist William]Farrand told Space.com.

Farrand said that a lot of credit goes to the rover planners — the engineers who plot out the drives and movements of the instrument-tipped mechanical arm carried by each of the Mars rovers.

"They’ve done a fabulous job with both rovers and getting Spirit to the ‘top of the hill’ is an amazing accomplishment," Farrand added.

Amazing. Read the whole article.

(h/t Jack of Random Fate)

Posted by: caltechgirl at 03:45 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 144 words, total size 1 kb.

Chris Muir's Day by Day honors Project Valour-IT today:

Drop by the URL above, and make a donation, or just hit the Project Valour-IT button on the left!

Posted by: caltechgirl at 01:18 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 34 words, total size 1 kb.

Soldier's Angels has managed to raise over $7500 already! That's thanks to all of you who've contributed. But our goal is $600,000 to fully implement Project Valour-IT in ALL military hospitals, so we have a long way to go.

Here's a Project Valour-IT update at Cool Blue Blog....

Posted by: caltechgirl at 01:49 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 52 words, total size 1 kb.

If you don't you should.

This is a story I'm sure you won't read anywhere else. And every man in it is a hero, except the terrorist scumbags.
(h/t Van der Leun, crossposted to A&C)

Posted by: caltechgirl at 12:16 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
Post contains 45 words, total size 1 kb.

Dean tells the story of William Ziegenfuss, father of CPT Chuck Ziegenfuss, and an all-around American hero, from his days serving his country in Vietnam to his decades-long battle against non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, almost certainly caused by exposure to Agent Orange.

Bill Ziegenfuss was the inspiration for Project Valour-IT and it is carried out in his memory.

Go read what Dean has to say, then go here to donate to this worthy cause!

Posted by: caltechgirl at 04:42 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 84 words, total size 1 kb.

I was inspired to write this by the words of a commenter calling himself File Closer on this post at protein wisdom, in response to a previous comment by someone calling himself "patton". File Closer was there in Iraq, in an artillery unit attached to Casey Sheehan's battery. He has some choice words for the left. Go read his words. I'll wait

As some of you may have noticed, the moonbats have got it under their tin hats that the BEST argument in favor of Cindy Sheehan and her position is this: you have no right to talk if you haven't been there. Put up or shut up.

Basically, these maroons are throwing the word "chickenhawk" around a lot and claiming that supporting a war that you have not fought in is morally bankrupt.

Ahh, the irony there.....

Anyway this is sooo wrong on so MANY fronts, so I apologize if what follows isn't a smooth piece of writing.

First, serving this country in wartime means a HELL of a lot more than calling 1-800-GO-ARMY (as was suggested by commenter patton at protein wisdom). For every young man or woman who raises their hand and swears to defend this country against all enemies, even at the cost of their life, there are dozens of family members, friends, and coworkers who sacrifice their lives and plans because someone they care about is miles away, doing a very important job. Beyond this there are the thousands of folks who volunteer their time to run a USO room at the local airport, make sure soldiers get care packages, or just take a moment to say "Thank you" to a vet of ANY war. All of these people are serving in their own ways, some at more personal risk than others.

I've been there, you know. I know what it's like. Luckily, my own DH was never deployed overseas, but that was sheer luck and timing. DH was a mechanic in a sister unit to Casey Sheehan's. If he hadn't been discharged, he would have been there too. My BIL was in the SAME unit as Casey Sheehan. He was there. As a family, we serve this country together by supporting our loved troops and putting our lives with them on hold until they get back. It's about unselfishness, putting your nation's needs ahead of your own.

Next, it's a logical fallacy to say that someone CAN NOT have a valid opinion on something they haven't experienced. By that same token, moonies, you need to give up your opinions on Gay Rights (unless you are homosexual) or Abortion rights (unless you have had one). Oh wait, that's not fair, huh? I call BS. It's the same argument. Put up or shut up, right? Except that there's no cute phone number to become gay or have an abortion (or tp get a uterus for the guys, for that matter).

I want to close by reminding people about what happened the day Casey Sheehan died. C 1-82 1CD (C battery of the 1st batallion 82nd Field Artillery, 1st Cavalry Division) was on a rescue mission in Sadr City, just 1 week into their time in Iraq. They were new in country, new to real battle, and definitely not trained for this. This platoon from C 1-82 are MECHANICS for God's sake. They spend every day fixing diesel engines on tanks and artillery. Yet these very brave young men went in to do their duty and resuce their comrades, and they were pinned down by RPGs in an ambush attack by insurgents. Seven men died that day, not just Casey Sheehan. It would have been 8, except that my BIL was shot in his Kevlar vest and went home with a nasty bruise instead of a coffin.

When we talk about SPC Casey Sheehan, we need to remember SGT Eddie Chen, SPC Israel Garza, CPL Forest Jostes, SPC Stephen Hiller, SPC Robert Arsiaga, and SPC Ahmed Cason as well.

Posted by: caltechgirl at 12:24 PM | Comments (4) | Add Comment
Post contains 686 words, total size 4 kb.