At last!

Happy to announce that the infantry division that had been deployed to Afghanistan since June 2009 is home. I still have several friends who are deployed to Iraq & Afghanistan and have many more letter prompts and package ideas to come, so stay tuned!

Please show your support... 2010 Run to Home Base

The 2010 Run to Home Base at Fenway Park

Please support my team!

http://www.runtohomebase.org/

Benefiting soldiers returning from Afghanistan & Iraq
who are suffering from PTSD & other brain-related injuries

Sponsored by 
The Red Sox Foundation

Boys Night/Game-Themed Care Package

Sometimes the simplest things in life, like playing cards, can be easily forgotten when you're away from home. I put together a Games Package of things I picked up at Target for about $20.

POKER NIGHT PACKAGE:
*Two decks of Playing Cards (Jack Daniels brand decks.. a reminder of his favorite!) 
*A Pack of Dice 
*Pretend Money (from the kid's goody bag/birthday aisle, also at party-supply stores) 
*List of Games (written on index cards w/ adhesive laminating sheets from CVS)
Ranging from one-player games to some you can play with 10+ guys
A few easy to play/explain in case the soldiers teach ANA guys or local children how to play
Rules to different Poker games which I found online
... also found confusing, since I'm happy with a magic trick as far as cards go :) 
*Last but not least... COOKIES (of course!)

Boston Marathon

Not quite mail related, but wanted to post the below photo (courtesy of Michael Blanchard Photography) of soldiers crossing the finish line of the Boston Marathon yesterday, April 19, 2010. The soldiers ran all 26 miles in full gear. Just an inspiring picture, one of those that is really worth 1,000 words.

Reading List: Children (Part II)

More books for children... Click Here to see the previous list

My Mommy Wears Combat Boots

by Sharon McBride

Deployment Journal for Kids

by Rachel Robertson

A Paper Hug

by Stephanie Skolmoski

God's Going Too! His Promises for Kids During Deployments 

by Cursha-Pierce Lunderman

Reading List: Redeployment

Books I'm reading (and/or have stacked next to my bed because, despite how hard I wish for 30 hour days, I don't have as much time as I'd like to dedicate to reading things other than text books on Human Factors Engineering and Interface Design). Still, what I've gotten through so far has been a tremendous help in preparation for redeployment. Happy to share once I've finished, just email me if you want to borrow one  (or more) of the following:

The Long Road Home: A Story of War and Family 
by Martha Raddatz

After the War Zone: A Practical Guide for Returning Troops & Their Families
by Laurie B. Slone, PhD & Matthew J. Friedman, MD, PhD

The Road Home: Smoothing the Transition Back from Deployment
by Elaine Gray Dumler
 

Songs for the soldiers [OneRepublic "Marchin' On"]

Excerpt from the lyrics...
"For those nights when I couldnt be there, I've made it harder to know that you know
That somehow, we'll keep moving on.
Theres so many wars we fought, theres so many things were not,
But with what we have, I promise you that, we're marching on.

For those doubts that swirl all around us, for those lives that tear at the seams,
We know, we're not what weve seen, for this dance we'll move with each other.
There aint no other step than one foot, right in front of the other.
Right, right, right, right left right... we're marching on.

We'll have the days we break, and well have the scars to prove it....
We put one foot in front of the other, we move like we aint got no other,
We go where we go... we're marching on..."