I love a good cup of coffee in the morning and so do many of our deployed troops! Now, with the help of Green Beans Coffee, you can buy a cup of coffee for a deployed soldier and have it delivered with your personal note!
You can also buy a Green Beans coffee card for your deployed soldier and have them pick it up right at their deployment base.
Who is Green Beans Coffee? The Green Beans Coffee Company serves military personnel in Afghanistan, Iraq, Kyrgyzstan, Kuwait, Qatar, Djibouti, Africa and domestically at military bases across North America. The company is on a mission to support our men and women in uniform.
You can check the Green Beans Coffee location map to find out if they have a coffee cafe at your soldier’s location. I chatted with my son today and Green Beans Coffee just opened a cafe at his deployment location. Guess what he’s getting from me?
Here’s how it works:
- Buy a cup of coffee for any soldier. You provide a different Soldier a Cup of Joe gift with each $2 you spend.
- Buy many cups of coffee for YOUR soldier. You can purchase a prepaid coffee card for a specific soldier. For each Coffee Card purchase, Green Beans will contribute an ADDITIONAL 10% IN DOLLAR VALUE to your Coffee Card’s face value. Cards are available in any denomination starting at $20. You will also select the location where your soldier will pick up the prepaid coffee card.
- Tell your Soldier to sign up so they can be the recipient of a cup of coffee! Soldiers can participate in “Cup Of Joe For A Joe” by signing up at the Green Beans Coffee website. Participation is restricted to active duty Armed Services Personnel deployed in support of OEF or OIF.
This is a great idea that can brighten a soldier’s day! Go buy a cup of Joe for Soldier!
Visit: GreenBeansCoffee.com
Thanks to modern technology, some deployed soldiers shared in their family’s holiday fun using Skype. My son was one of those Afghanistan deployed soldiers that got to enjoy the fun of his kids opening Christmas presents. All it took was 2 computers, 2 webcams, an Internet connection, and Skype.
My son and his wife planned a day and time for the kids to open their Christmas gifts from Daddy. He got to watch the kids excitement and share in their fun! The kids are always thrilled to “see” Daddy on the webcam!
Pictured left, is my granddaughter, who can’t take her eyes off her Daddy.
Many soldiers that are deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq have Internet access in their tents, B-huts, and CHUs. Internet access is an ideal solution, especially for soldiers with families and young children. It is also very expensive but well worth it. High speed communications service is available via satellite and shared amongst many soldiers. Their computer or wireless / wired network can receive internet signal, through a special satellite VSAT modem.
Internet access and webcam capabilities are also usually available as part of Morale, Welfare, and Recreation (MWR).
There are also a number of Internet cafes available to soldiers in Afghanistan and Iraq, like the one pictured at Bagram, Agfghanistan.
Phone calls are a great way to keep in touch, but for kids, “seeing” Daddy is a priceless gift!
My dear friends, I wish you all a Merry Christmas. Thank you for sharing your support, strength, your joy, your sadness, and tears. I am so honored and proud to know all of you – Army Strong Moms, dads, wives, husbands, and friends.
My thoughts are with our brave men and women that are deployed to war zones and missing out on this special time with their families. As we go about our Christmas day – holiday meals and family gatherings, let’s remember all our Military service men and women that are sacrificing for you and me.
I thank all our Military troops for the priceless gift they give to us – the gifts of patriotism, service, and deep dedication to our nation. I am grateful beyond words for their service and I thank every family whose soldier cannot be with them this Christmas day.
For those of you whose soldiers are home from deployment, I wish you much joy in sharing this day with your loved ones. For those with soldiers in combat zones, may the Lord protect them.
We all share this special Christmas, from here to Afghanistan, Iraq and beyond, with a common bond. We are all in this together.
Merry Christmas my friends.
Enjoy this quartet of CJTF-82 members as they lift US and Afghan spirits on a singing tour of Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan.
CHU means Containerized Housing Unit (pronounced “choo”) and is the usual housing for many of our Iraq deployed soldiers. Some soldiers in Afghanistan also live in CHUs but they are not the usual housing there.
CHUs are aluminum boxes measuring 22 x 8 feet, a little bigger than a commercial shipping container. They can be easily transported on trucks. CHUs have linoleum floors and cots or beds inside. Each CHU has a door, window, top vent, power cabling, and air conditioner for summer heat. Depending on how these insulated CONEX railroad shipping containers are configured, a CHU may house four people or just split into a two person unit. Some have a shower and toilet between the room.
Each living space in a CHU has a bed, end table, and wall locker. Sometimes soldiers get refrigerators and TVs.
Many of the FOBs (Forward Operating Bases) consist of many CHUs – thus the term CHUville. A Living Area (LA) is where dozens of CHUs are surrounded by 12-foot-high blast walls with latrine CHUs and Shower CHUs in the middle.
Sometimes, CHU are stacked two high, lined up in neatly organized rows. The CHUs often are surrounded by bags of dirt and concrete T-walls (like a retaining wall). These items are put in place for protection.
I found some random pictures of CHUs posted by soldiers on the Internet to give you a better idea of what it’s like to live in a shipping container.
Lord bless our soldiers.
From December 14, 2009 to December 23, 2009, you can get a Free 2′ x 5′ banner for your returning Veteran. (while supplies last)
KDF Reprographics, Inc. will provide the families of returning troops serving abroad with a FREE – 2′ x 5′ Full Color, 13 oz. “Welcome Home” banner. This is just their way of saying Thank You to our troops and their families for all the sacrifices they have made to protect this country.
All This – ABSOLUTELY FREE OF CHARGE
KDF designed a banner for each branch of the military and are ready to add your loved one’s name. Fill out the form on their Web site and their professional graphic design team will create your banner, send you an e-proof and once approved by you, your banner will be hemmed, finished with grommets and shipped for free directly to you.
READ: This is a “while supplies last” promotion. Click here to visit KDF and get yours!
The Stunners, the breakout girl group of the year, have recorded their 2009 holiday song “Santa Bring My Soldier Home.”
The song is a tribute to US members of the Armed Forces, especially those who will be away during the holiday season, and is available as a FREE download at www.santabringmysoldierhome.com.
Now for the fun part! The Stunners are inviting everyone to make your own “Santa Bring My Soldier Home” video telling YOUR story with photos and video clips of YOUR soldier and post it to YouTube as a video response to THEIR video.
For every submission, a donation will be made to the USO and one video will be chosen to air on EXTRA TV!
- Grab the FREE download of Santa Bring My Soldier Home HERE
- Create a video using the song with photos and videos of your soldier
- Post your video as a “Video Response” on The Stunners page HERE
If you post a video, let us know here at Army Mom Strong so we can also post your video! Just leave a comment with a link to YOUR YouTube video.
Barbara Farrior’s been busy spreading comfort to the troops by providing a comfy place to lay their head! She started Pillows for Patriots to help provide a better night’s sleep for deployed troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The idea for these travel size pillows was born when Barbara Farrior’s son was ready to deploy to Iraq. She realized the Army did not issue pillows to soldiers. Instead, the troops usually use rolled up clothing or backpacks as pillows. What originally began as a personal project to provide pillows for her son and his unit, expanded into providing pillows for many more troops getting ready to or already deployed.
In Iraq and Afghanistan, all the troops have is what they can carry in their backpacks which gives them little no space for comfort items.
Barbara enlisted the help of John and Patrick Harris of Harris Pillow Supply in Beaufort, SC. They generously donated quality, durable pillows to the initial project, and agreed to manufacture future pillows at their cost.
The pillows are 12” X 16”, have blue ticking for covers, can be folded or rolled for packing, and are washable with a soft polyester stuffing. They are very nice–packable, cozy and washable.
Pillows for Patriots can distribute pillows to our combat troops already in Afghanistan and Iraq, or to units just being deployed. The most cost-effective method is to ship them to the military bases in the US, JUST PRIOR TO DEPLOYMENT. Pillows are shipped in units of 25 per box.
Thousands of pillows have been sent to troops either already in combat zones or on their way to combat zones due to the generous support of enthusiastic and generous fellow Americans.
If you have family members or friends who are deployed overseas, you can let Pillows for Patriots know the names and addresses, and according to the donations they receive, they will send a pillow to each of them.
If you would like to donate money or help as a volunteer, please visit Pillows for Patriots for more information.
http://www.pillowsforpatriots.org
It’s been four weeks since my son was deployed to Afghanistan. We are fortunate to chat with him frequently at random times of the day and night with Skype. His Internet connection is poor but better than none at all.
He was excited to receive the Christmas tree I sent via Operation Christmas Tree, a nice way to bring a little bit of “home” to Afghanistan.
He received just one of my 4 packages, the others are MIA for now. It’s not the money that bothers me but I wanted my son to have a few things to make life a little more comfortable in his B-Hut.
I stay busy as much as possible, with busy thoughts racing through my mind like thousands of trains. When they stop, a sadness engulfs my soul and I take a moment to embrace it. Then I pick myself up and find strength in the fact that this career is my son’s choice. He is being true to himself and following his passion in life. He is doing exactly what he always wanted to do – helicopter pilot! How many people can say that? Not many that I know!
It’s not gotten any easier for me but I have learned a few things (not in any particular order).
- There is an amazing, inspiring, and supportive community of Military families that I have come to know. I thank you and salute you all.
- Life for those of us here at home must go on.
- My son is a well-trained and confident man.
- Taking care of myself by eating right and exercising contributes to staying physically and mentally healthy.
- Accept the fact that my son is trained to shoot big guns.
- Helping others is the best medicine.
- Strength takes work.
- Staying strong and confident for my son helps him more then any package I can send.
- Being an Army Mom is a tough job and I am honored to take it on.
My friend Juanita shared this prayer with me. Her husband serves side-by-side with my son in Afghanistan – both are pilots. We were all together at the Army Airfield to say goodbye on the day they left for Afghanistan.
“Lord, as he makes his way through his days and through his nights, please let his guardian angel protect his flight.”
I’ve taken to saying this heartfelt prayer daily as my son takes flight daily and sometimes into the night in Afghanistan.
My child, you glow in uniform
In pride I live, my heart so warm
I have such precious thoughts cascade
Some old, some new, not one will fade
How hard that day we said good-bye
The joy, the pain, etched in my eye
You left to serve our country well
My perfect one, my tears did swell
No better soldier could there be
For in my love, that’s all I see
Oh how I pray for you each day
Be safe, be well, God guide your way
I keep your home in wait with me
Your Mom will guard it faithfully
How great the day when you’ll return
We’ll talk and talk, night-lights to burn
My Soldier’s Mom, is who I am
While you do proud, for Uncle Sam
by Roger J. Robicheau
Veteran, US Army
For more poems about “Our Wonderful Military Mothers”, click here to visit Roger’s Poem page.
When Tracy’s son was deployed to Iraq with his U.S. Army unit, she went through a difficult time. Tracy looked for a local support group but found very little. She took matters into her own hands and Military Moms of Texas was born!
Tracy started the Military Moms of Texas group for military families, friends, and locals to connect, volunteer, and support our troops and their families from right in Texas.
Military Moms of Texas also helps to welcome home or send off our troops, assist the wounded warriors, assist in deployment, and tend to the needs of our soldiers.
With the holidays approaching, Tracy wanted to make sure that deployed troops got many things they need. She also wanted to help make this time a little easier for the loved ones left behind. Military Moms of Texas sent out packages for the troops with presents and even sent Christmas trees. Her organization has adopted 20 soldiers to support, encourage, and continue to send things they need.
Help Tracy get the word out about Military Moms of Texas. Click here to visit their Facebook page and join in this rewarding experience. There you will also find information about upcoming events including support groups and other activities. Join local families and their troops that share the toughest and proudest bond of all.
Stay tuned for information about the Military Moms of Texas Web site, launching early next year as a donation to the group.
Military Moms of Texas Facebook page
