It’s the 11th…but not November 11th. Doesn’t much matter, the soldiers, sailors, airmen, coast guardsmen and Marines still need your support daily.

I happen to be a fan of the life returning and future society changing program of ValOUR-IT:

If you’d like a full page, printable quality picture of MEGEN in at night, in the amphibious environment, click here and save it!
It’s one of my categories, so it’s easy to see all that has been blogged about here, in case you need to catch up. Over 1000 served, more to follow!But maybe you’re rather contribute in some other way, such as sending beef jerky and powdered energy drinks to the 4th Recon Platoon (see a detailed post here).Are you good at sewing? It gets cold in those MEDEVAC planes, especially when “normal” clothing doesn’t fit anymore. Break out the machine and the knitting needles and help out with Sew Much Comfort.

Maybe you’d like the truth to prevail when a man or woman we sent into combat is accused of something? Then Defend the Defenders, started for Ilario Pantano, but has continued to serve the legal needs of other service members might just be the ticket for you.

You can help the families left behind in several ways, by providing living quarters via the Fisher House, or for their children’s future financial and education needs in several funds.

I have made up a page just for the troop support charities I have come across, so hopefully you can find a place for your passion or talents or money can be useful, not just on special occasions, but year ’round.

I know you stop by to read the blog once in a while, and I’m working up the email list for ValOUR-IT. I lost your email address in the hosting service move, so please help me update my records. Comment or email works for me.

(Oh, and put some contact info on the carrier page!)

For those of you who haven’t seen it, William has built and maintains The Carrier Page, a history of the US Navy’s aircraft carriers. He was a supporter of ValOUR-IT last year. Stop by his site and see what he has compiled.

Update 6/27/2007: First off, Bill tells me the email info is on his page. Second, so you don’t have to jump to the comments, Rusty Bill reports about “current ops” on his historical website:

Warning to prospective visitors: The Carrier Project is currently undergoing a massive refit – a total reformat and rewrite, in fact.

Many of the general information pages are up and running, but carrier history data has only been entered for CV-1 USS Langley through CV-9 USS Essex. I’m currently rebuilding the Origins of Carrier Names section, which should be posted in a couple of weeks. See the Refit Page for details.

Thanks, Bill!

Between work, and too many grand ideas, and being engrossed in the story of Preble and Decatur working over Tripoli, I haven’t gotten much up her the last two days.

MEGEN is still lurking about. A new, diabolical plot is being hatched. Some digital editing has already happened, but I need some organizational graphics to add before the roll out of the project, suggested by an astute member of Team Navy.

Fun for all, mind you, and many will be able to participate.

Last night I took time off to view the idiot box and settled in on “Creature Tech.” Vanderwall’s force. Learn it and get with the program, it will help you with attaching in the future!

MEGEN is no longer in a dark USPS box. MEGEN is far north, and has a busy schedule planned for this week, and arrangements have been made to be seen around some very memorable Navy related locations….

Plans are in the works for printable pictures of MEGEN, to be used to pose and be posed with, at the suggestion of Flag Gazer (who has a wonderful blog to memorialize those who have fallen).

Details to follow….as well as some OUTSTANDING! pictures next week – or sooner if it works out.

Stay tuned.

MEGEN spent the afternoon at the beach the other evening and will soon be the subject of a short video. If you’ve been watching a little TV in the last few months, you might fully appreciate the theft of intellectual property used as a model, but just the same, I’m willing to bet you’ll have a wry smile on your face when you’re done watching it.

I just have to get to a computer with the right software to make sure the overlay fades in correctly….

Tomorrow, MEGEN will begin a longer journey to other distinctly naval environs, and there are more volunteers lined up with places for backdrops.

Stay tuned, tonight the snark email heads out to the other service team leaders.

OPORD and SOPs will be promulgated via “eyes only” to the Navy ValOUR-IT Team and also those who have come aboard for this operation. Check your email in boxes regularly!

I’m glad you asked….especially you from the Marine, Army and Air Force ValOUR-IT Teams.

“MEGEN” (say it sort of like like a girl’s name) is the “Most Exhaulted Golden NotEbook,” the trophy for the 2006 ValOUR-IT fund drive. (H/T: SteelJaw Scribe for the name)

MEGEN is going to help set up the fund collection efforts for this coming October/November campaign. If you other teams had done better, you wouldn’t be getting snarked by Team Navy like this. So, here’s the deal: MEGEN is going on a trip to many places Navy, to pose for pictures and allow the escorts to tell the story of ValOUR-IT along the way.

Today, MEGAN was fortunate enough to pose for a picture with a person from Navy history, a crewman of the USS MASON (DE-529), a destroyer escort in WWII crewed by African-Americans. Ben Garrison was a Radioman 3/C and plankowner on that ship and therefore is one of the Navy’s icons.We, Team Navy, are going to make a point of getting in contact with many people with strong affiliation to the Navy in order to be ready to flood the coffers of ValOUR-IT right out of the starting gate. Names and emails will be amassed to make sure we smoke you all and then we can plan on a second tour for MEGEN in 2008.Now, just to see how we’ll will douse this wonderful trophy in naval settings, you’ll have to come back here and see what our evil plans are to rub it in for the next several months. We’re not telling in advance, but know the locations will be well picked for maximum PR and donation effect.For any readers, if you’d like to kick in a few bucks to a great project to help the wounded troops, click here! Money is needed all year around, not just near Veteran’s Day. Thanks for your support!And Matt and Jimbo, Cassandra and John, time to get your game on!

CPT Chuck Z is trying to raise the funds to go to the biggest conference there is: Blog Expo.

He, accompanied by Matt and Jimbo from Black Five, will be able to stand up for us MilBloggers, but more importantly, Chuck, as the ValOUR-IT “patient 0,” will get the opportunity to tell his story to a bigger audience and thereby get more funds moving in that direction.Got a few non-tax deductible bucks to chip in? Do it here.

It sure couldn’t hurt, dropping three manly men in the middle of the Kos Kids to get more “support the troops” fever going on….

ValOUR-IT. We just love those acronyms, and this one is a standout for me.

V(oice) A(ctivated) L(aptops) for OUR – I(njured) T(roops). Born of a disaster, raised up as a success. As of 5/5/2007, in 20 months, 1000 laptops have been handed to our wounded soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines.

The “quality” of the product has gone from a used, purchased on eBay unit, with money from Soldier’s Angels, with a blog reader chipping in the funds for a copy of Dragon Naturally Speaking, to brand new Dell laptops, complete with wireless capability and a copy of Naturally Speaking funded by DoD funds from a program to aid disbaled service members. Along the way, it’s been the leanest and meanest charity I have know. 100% of the donations are “put to work.” Alongside that path of progress are some incredible people, with big hearts and small and large checking accounts.

While the main fund drives for this program happen in the two weeks leading up to November 11th, there is a need to keep the fund flowing year round. If you have a few spare $$$, there is someone who could use it to change the outlook and real opportunities of their future. Donations easily accepted here.

Open trackbacks…how could you possibly resist?

Anyhow…today is just a visual “report:”

This is the ValOUR-IT Trophy for the November 2006 fund raising drive:

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Here’s the team blogroll that made it happen:

Project VALOUR-IT Navy Team

A Gangers Home
A Lady’s Ruminations
American Geek
Bobo Blogger
Boudicca’s Voice
Bow Ramp
Captain’s Quarters
CDR Salamander
Chapomatic
Christ matters
Crossing the Rubicon
Deus Et Patria
Diggers Realm
Eaglespeak
Enrevanche
Fewl Net
Gazing at the Flag
Geezerville
Grouchy Old Cripple in Atlanta
Hillary Needs A Vacation
IMAO
Last Refuge of a Scoundrel
Lord of Kobol
Memory Leak
Morning Coffee
Mountain Philosopher
Mr Completely
Mudville Gazette
Navy Wife
Neptunus Lex
Power Line
Random Thoughts of Another Military Member
Rants and Raves
Rhymes With Right
RRock Beast
Search Light Crusade
Seawitch
Slightly Rough
Smandanek
SMASH
Solomonia
Steele Jaw Scribe
Stix Blog
Super Hero Historians
The Stupid Shall Be Punished
TPMuckraker
World of Marvin

Sorry about the lack of posting, but spent time with family and driving back from the DC area.

I was presented with the newly designated trophy for the annual ValOUR-IT Fund Drive, in recognition of the Navy’s sprint to the “finish line.” Not enough words can be said to express my thanks to all who made it happen, for it was certainly not done by me.

I will take a few photos tomorrow (CPT Chuck Ziegenfuss signed it) and post them here, along with the list of bloggers we had take part in the effort. Look for it n the next day or two.

To keep amused, here’s what I found out people do for fun with duct tape from listening to the radio all day today:

And the winners (competition is still on going) get a $6000 cash scholarship….