V(oice) A(ctivated) L(aptops) for OUR – I(njured) T(roops) as it were.

Yes, we did a big drive last year for about 14 days. I just thought I’d make a point of reminding anyone who comes by to read that the project to get laptops placed in the major medical facilities for our permanently of temporarily disabled soldiers/sailors/airmen and Marines is a year round effort, so if you have a few spare dollars, now that the Christmas bills are paid down, maybe consider this worthwhile program to help get our troops back into life.

The latest news from FbL, the lady who co-parented the project, is here.

It seems Chuck Z, the other co-parent of VALOUR-IT, is headed back for his 34th surgery as a result of his wounds in Iraq that, in a bittersweet manner, led to this all being a project that has helped many recover their ability to communicate with friends and family.

Oh, and if you missed the link above, you can donate here!

Michael Reagan (no relation to President Reagan). Vietnam Combat Veteran, portrait artist, a man with a mission, and not from any of us.Two scriptural references came to mind as I watched the video of Michael speaking at the 7th of February Rotary International meeting in Seattle. Jeremiah 29:11: “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (NLT) and Romans 8:28-29: “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.” (NLT)Here is a story of a man, who, a few years ago, retired from his business in order that he could draw portraits of those who have fallen in the GWoT. Why? Watch the video, he explains it best. He didn’t know why at first, but the message seems to have been clarified now in the 550 (as of the morning of 2/7/2007) portraits he has completed. 2 a day and he is very good at what he does. Humble, too (watch the video).If you haven’t watched the video yet, here’s a teaser as to how he got started on this path”

“I found myself coming back from Vietnam, and I had a hard time for a few years just being able to feel. Took a lot of work by a lot of my friends, my wife, and a lot of people who loved me to allow me to reach this stage, where I could actually feel.

“Evening Magazine two years ago decided to do a little piece on all the celebrity portraits that I had done. We did a little five minute piece, it was called “Miller Time”…

“At the end of it, I said something to John Miller. I said, “You know, I’ve drawn the Pope, six presidents, and 137 Playboy playmates.” John said to me, he said, “I guess that about does it all for you.” And I said “Yep. That was it.”

“That piece made it into the Evening Magazine piece. I believe that piece is why then – the next day it was distributed around the country – I believe that that comment is why I’m standing up here today.

“Two days after that piece aired across the country I got a call from a young woman in Boise, Idaho. Her name was Cherice Johnson. She said to me, “How much would you charge me to do a portrait of my husband?”

Not so strange to me any more, that people “back into” such callings, not even realizing at the time, how their life has prepared them for such a time as this. This is but one more story, full of an invisible design for the life of Michael Reagan.

Micheal has set up the Fallen Heros Project as a non-profit organization. Donations can be made to support him in his work.Thank God for a man of such talent to bring solace to the families who have paid the price of freedom for many, our citizens and others of the world.Please pass the story along, it’s one worth reading.H/T: Mudville Gazette

So get to clicking! The VA Mortgage Center is sponsoring a contest for the best Military Blogger…$3000 to the winner, and $250 to each of the next ten runner’s up.

From Fuzzilicious Thinking:

Yup. You can donate $3,000 to Valour-IT without giving up a cent.

As part of its marketing campaign, a new website is having people vote for their favorite milblogger. Any milblogger who finishes in the “Top 10” of voting will receive $250…. but the winner will receive $3,000!

FbL is pushing Black Five’s blog. Matt has already stated he will directly pass through all prize money to Valour-IT.

So…we can pile on Matt’s blog and propel him through the finish line at the top and for nothing but a little time to go HERE and click on Black Five.

Also, Neptunus Lex has also committed to send winnings to those who have helped us, too. Maybe we can leverage the total for Valour-IT into $3250!

Get on it!

Update: Sgt Hook sez he’ll use the money he wins to get to the 2007 MilBlogger’s Conference (MARK YOUR CALENDERS NOW! 5/5/2007 – DC AREA!), so I’m torn as to who to vote for. I’d love to meet Hook in real life…Matt, well, I shook his hand last year….so…go forth and help a worthy cause of your choice.

Trackbacked at:

Cao’s Blog

FbL sent out a link to Valour-IT, Milblogs Give Hundreds of Laptops to
Wounded Soldiers at the PBS Mediashift website, highlighting Valour-IT.

Mark Glaser opens his post with this:

As I sit here and type this blog post, I pause for a moment to consider how important my fingers and hands are to me as a blogger and writer. If I should be injured or lose the use of my hands in some awful accident, what would I do?

That hypothetical situation is very real for some American soldiers serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, where body armor helps protect them from getting killed from the blasts of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) � but injuries to extremities are common. In the summer of 2005, when Army Captain Charles �Chuck� Ziegenfuss, a military blogger, was severely injured by such an IED, he asked his blog audience to help him get voice-to-text software, Dragon Naturally Speaking, for his laptop.

Take a few moments to read and consider the story, which I now know began in August, 2005, the “brain child” of two people, who connected via the Internet, several thousand miles apart physically, yet of one mind, and each had the puzzle pieces to get the Valour-IT program started.

Here we are, 15 months later, at least $350K in the books and 650+ units in place, headed towards 850 in place by Christmas this year, and funding for more as a result of this year’s fund drive. Here’s some insight from Mark’s article:

Neither FbL or Ziegenfuss make any money themselves from the project, which has zero overhead and is completely volunteer-run � just like Soldier�s Angels, which offers all sorts of services for wounded soldiers. FbL, who prefers to keep her real name out of the spotlight and off her blogs, told me how amazed she was by the power of the blogosphere to organize for a cause and come together virtually.

Throughout the year and in particular when there are big disasters, the common comment is “I want 100% of MY MONEY to go to the cause!” Well, guess what…Valour-IT is that charity.

Also: Based on info in this article, it seems the checks are still being counted and the over the top number I reported about a week ago of $204K is not it. It’s headed to $230K for the drive. That will be $50K more thatn the goal. What a testament to the compassion of the people who came in contact with this program.

FbL hasn’t settled on just laptops for our troops. The PBS article mentions her idea for Personal Digital Assistants for those suffering from traumatic brian injury (TBI):

Beyond that, FbL imagines another program that would offer personal digital assistants (PDAs) for soldiers suffering from traumatic brain injuries (TBI). TBI is a common problem for soldiers in Iraq who have suffered brain damage from IED blasts. One of the common problems is short-term memory loss, and the PDAs could help injured soldiers remember their appointments, to-do lists and other minutiae lost in the haze during recovery.

And if you ever thought one person, or two, couldn’t change things, I’d invite you to study the history of this 15 month old program, that has come from a twinkle in someone’s eye, to affecting the lives of hundreds and on it’s way to helping thousands, and, I’d suggest, a model for collaboration efforts via the power of the Internet. Not only did it bring many military associated people together, but it also saw others from all walks of life and political backgrounds join in to do something special:

Valour-IT is another result of average folks banding together online to make a difference, getting beyond petty politics and government bureacracy to get something done and do it right. It�s one of those classic holiday stories of people giving of their time, their money and even the bully-pulpit space of their blogs to help others in need.

Like the proverbial snowball in the cartoon, rolling downhill and gathering girth and speed, Valour-IT is such a project, headed towards avalanche status.

If you can pitch in, your help is welcomed.

A special plea is for any knowledge of how FbL might be able to take this program to the next level and make it an endowment supported entitiy, rather than being supported through our online drives. Does anyone know how to do that?

Meanwhile, FbL is looking for full-time work at a military non-profit in Southern California and is hoping that Valour-IT can become a fully funded endowment, so that online fundraising campaigns won�t be necessary. She says they are close to getting a large donation that could make that happen, and might make a deal with a computer hardware company that would donate refurbished computers or lower the cost below the $600 they usually pay per laptop.

Thanks for the support and please pass this info around!

Trackbacked at:
Woman, Honor Theyself

I missed the news of the steam line on the USS FRANK CABLE (AS-40) rupturing and burning 8 sailors this past weekend, but I just received an email forwarded by Soldier’s Angels from LTC (Ret) Jim Riley:

From: Riley, James D CONT BAMC-Ft Sam Houston TX < [email protected]>
Date: Dec 5, 2006 1:36 PM
Subject:
To: Soldiers Angels

Patti

I can’t get post or even read most of the BLOGS at work. I thought you might like to update BLACKFIVE on the sailors injured in the boiler explosion. Here is what I would like to say if you’d like to send it to them

Just wanted you to know Soldiers’ Angels is on the ground in San Antonio and in an protective overwatch position & I am personally looking out for the injured sailors and their families. We will support them in any way we can as their treatment progresses. The families have arrived and are being tended by the staff and chaplains.

Thanks to Blackfive and the other MIL Bloggers, Soldiers’ Angels will be providing a new laptop for each of these six heroes as soon as they get out of the ICUs and we hope they will be blogging their story themselves very soon. Our prayers are with them and
their families.

Jim (LTC, Med Svc Corps, ret), Director, Medical Spt Ops Soldier’s Angels

Bubblehead is on the story.

For all who chipped either effort or money or both at the fund drive for Valour-IT, this is the result of your dedication to supporting our troops and, in this case, the sailors in particular.

For anyone else late to the game, Valour-IT donations are accepted year round…. (hint, hint!)

Mission Exceeded, I’d say!

Art work by John of Castle Argggh!
Bravo Zulu!

It’s been an exciting 13 days. Lots of interesting blogs discovered, many interesting comments read, but…most importantly the overwhelming support fo the people to show that character trait of comapssion, just because it’s for someone they don’t even know, that stood up for them, not even knowing all of us.

All I’d say if take it to the International Date Line! Beth didn’t say which time zone’s 2359 would determine the final bell…

Thank each and every one, whether your name/blog showed up on a Valour-IT team list, or if yu just took up for the cause and pointed people to the donate buttons…

A commenter on VC’s “get out the fund rasing effort” post (heh! she figured out the “viral” tactic) had this to say:

Cass, it isn’t the fundraiser that bugs me. It is the reason, the necessity for it. We should be at peace with these kids home and making lives for themselves and their families. But the call came and they answered. We can do no less than embrace them and help them to have a life. It is a small thing we do, but having been a bedridden grouch myself, and having needed a laptop with Dragon Naturally Speaking, I know how much this means to them.

It wasn’t until two years ago that I was able to get more function in my left arm, and begin to type again, and that was a year after I was injured.

The first thing the Engineer [husband] did was get me a laptop with the software. I didn’t feel so isolated, hurt or angry. And you will never know how much it meant to me to be able to travel beyond my four walls and the terrible pain.

I have since given the laptop back to DELL, and they sent me a replacement, but they did tell me that they would rehab it for resell. I hope it went to one of ours and it gives him or her the
ability and hope to carry on and know that life is good and sweet.

Cricket knows the value. That’s a testimony to the capablity of technology to lend normalcy to a broken body, and more importantly, an almost broken spirit.

In the future, if you meet/learn of someone who has suffered such injuries in life off any battle field, you know are aware of a method to restore some hope, so, spread the word around!

Maybe I should have known better. The Navy Team puts up Marine donation buttons all over the place and tells people to send money their way, and then the marines act like they just boarded USS GATOR and take over the place. They stand in the passagewas, clogging up traffic, eat all the steak and ice cream and then sit around playing cards all day, when they aren’t doing PT, and all the while thinking the sailors owe them something more.

Seriously: Congrats Marines for getting a second wind and stroking past the Army in fine fashion! I’m sure the Powerline Blog listing yesterday (just which pictures did VC email to them?) didn’t hurt at all…..

Hmmmm…maybe it’s time for a “No Zoomie Left Behind” push thru tomorrow…..

If you haven’t hit the auctions, don’t let that stuff get away. After all, it may be Team Navy’s only hope of coming out on top when all the money is counted!

Great job, to the team and to the many, US and other citizens who have helped out!

Now, let’s shift the focus to getting the other teams over the top!

Best donating link for all services here.

New orders: QUIT GIVING TO THE NAVY!

News Flash: I “dislike” minimums….I like straining to the last moment available. Let’s keep going for only the trrops at the other end of this program win. Word to the wise (meaning the non-Sea Services): The throttle is at Flank III at sea and full military in the high flying go fasts. Next you will fall to the MARINES!

I sure wish I could have lined up the Tampa Bay Lightening Team radio announcer for this moment….

“They shoot , THEY SCORE!”

Oh, yeah the new Army motto for recruiting “Army Strong” went public last night. Does this mean we can roll out the new Navy ad “Navy Stronger” campaign?

Just saying….:)