***Vanity *** Help needed with Troop "AOL" accounts from and for Operation M.A.L.E.

http://opmalestar.tripod.com/ ^

[ATOMIC_PUNK]

AOL has stopped pat from sending BULK e mail to her lists which are subscription lists only and nobody gets on them unless they ask to be on them. They say pat has had over 10 complaints of sending spam mail one day they tell he this the next day its hundreds.. ITS NOT pat that is sending spam e mail its the AOL 8.0 and 9.0 Filter they have put on.. People dont realize they have it and when aol decides the e mail is spam and it goes in there then its automatically sent to tos.her bulk e mail has been suspended for 6 months causing a great hardship as now the newsletters can't go out, plus other stuff that goes to the military..  SHE is in the middle of a major xmas mail out right now and can't communicate. IF you want to know what to do to help get aol to realize what is really going on.. THEY will not talk to her just keep telling her she has violated the WHITE list rules and the white list is for BULK E MAIL. e mail her opmale1@aol.com or RITA @irishborn1@aol.com IF YOU want this program to continue
for the troops ITS time we fought back. The troops morale is DOWN in iraq and we have to be able to HELP THEM and AOL IS CAUSING THIS PROBLEM.. they don't care that the men/women are over there fighting and losing their lives to protect all of us irishborn1@aol.com.. www.gopetition.com/info.php?petid=3147 Sign the petition and let AOL know!!
Joy third in command
gritsla@tyler.net or gritsla@centurytel.net

[shootist]

BUMP,BUMP,BUMP

[shootist]

bump

[ATOMIC_PUNK]

BTTT

[Memother]

This from OpMaleStar - printed with permission:

Send this to your group with My permission

NOW ITS PRINCIPLE with ME no way will I QUIT.. We are fighting our own war just like the guys and gals are over there and we will FIGHT to make sure we can support them and it will be through AOL This just came from IRAQ I have to remember why I was given the name Cobra Mom..and keep fighting to keep the name opmale1@aol.com Did i have throughts of shutting the program down.. I asked for a sign that I should keep it going. WELL it came.. This e mail just came from Iraq. 11/9/03


I just graduated from the air assault school yesterday. It was chalenging and turned out well as could be expected. It was bitter sweet yesterday tho, as 3 of us from b company found out Friday evening that one of our very own blackhawks had been shot down by the enemy in Tikrit. A LANCER air craft I couldn't believe it . I personally knew these guys I have been living and working with them hand in hand since we got here berfore the war started. It was such a terrible traggedy for us all to experiance and it goes without saying the suffering of the families of the 4 crew members that have died our thoughts and prayers are with them. There were also 2 passengers (US soldiers) who died horribly. The enemy is determined to try and scare us away and make us give up thru fear but they have only strengthened our resolve. We struck back that night as our air and ground forces drove in bombed destroyed several targets and kicked in the doors of designed houses and buildings. This is
still a very active war over here and we are not going to give up it is not over. Men and women are laying thier lives on the line everyday here. It has hit very close to home now sparking the continuous alertness that we need to have and awareness that US citizens should have of what we face each day in this place. It has hit everyone very hard in our company please be in prayer that we will be able to concentrate and fly safely as we continue to fight for our families and our country, the land that we love.

[D. Miles]

Thanks for posting that Memo, if that doesn't cause Freeper's to roll up their sleeves and help nothing will!

Ok Freeper call, get out there, get busy, and in our true Freeper fashion, let's help save this OPMALE STAR program. The moral of our troops needs us!

Freedom of speech is one of the principles those brave troops are fighting for, we cannot sit on our duffs while they fight and watch as AOL tramples on that very principle of freedom! FREEPERS STAND UP NOW! OUR TROOPS NEED YOU!

[shootist]

bump

[GailA]

We FIRED AOL several years ago, they kept kicking us off line, and for the last 6 months we were with them I couldn't publish my web page due to their CRAPPY new 6.0 version. They say they block spam...except when it's their own ads.

[GailA]

This may be a virus problem AOL is ate up with them.

[Memother]

Here we go, gang - this is what OpMaleStar has been doing - anyone question their worth after reading this letter from the front? Printed with the permission of OpMaleStar.


I am currently deployed to Iraq
with the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault). Myself and thousands of
other troops have been here about eight months now and expect to be here
another three or four. A friend of mine asked that my name be put on the
Opmale Star mailing list and once I found out about it, I never had a
complaint against them.
In fact, I'm very fortunate to have made their mailing list, as their
support has helped me and many of my troops get through this war. The
Opmale Star program has sent thousands of letters and care packages and
motivational emails to the soldiers here, and thats only counting the ones
in my unit. I can only imagine how much support they've been giving to the
tens of thousands of troops we have in the region, or even around the world.
At no time was this program forced upon me or any of the other members on
the mailing list. I'm very grateful my name found its way onto their list,
because they have been an incredible source of strength and hope to myself
and many others. I was very upset when I found out that this program was
being restricted due to "spam" laws. I understand the applicability of this
rule to porno sites and telemarket type institutions, but this? This
program has never solicited me for anything and has never harrassed me in
any way. If they have any complaints about their emailings, I'm sure they
were from vindictive personnel that were doing some type of wrong themselves
(ie sending dirty emails to the members of Opmale Star, etc). Opmale Star
has always said that if members wanted to be off the list, all they had to
do was ask.
If this program's accessibility to troops over aol is restricted or
suspended, you will be doing an incredible disservice to the men and women
that have been serving their country and putting their lives on the line
every day. I was a platoon leader only a few short months ago and had 34 of
America's finest soldiers under my care. Opmale Star would send me care
packages all the time with basic necessities (ie soap, toothpaste, snacks)
that I could pass out to my troops (I'm talking twenty or thirty packages in
only a few weeks) and I did. Let me tell you, the morale boost to the
soldiers was huge. One of the soldiers that I gave packages to never really
got much mail in the duration of the war, so he was extremely excited to get
their mail. Well, when an Iraqi vehicle cut him off during one of our
convoys on May 14th, his truck flipped onto him and he died. His name was
Specialist David Nutt, and he was one of the best soldiers you could ask
for. I know it may not seem related to what I'm telling you, but I got to
see the eyes of my soldiers light up when they got the support Opmale Star
provided. My lost soldier was one of them. We never know if we're going to
make it to the next day here, and hostilities are only increasing. I
applaud any efforts by such caring groups in the states to support our
troops in any way they can. If Opmale Star's means to support us is
restricted or suspended, again, you will be doing a terrible disservice to
our soldiers and our nation. We don't ask for much except for a little
appreciation, and lifting your restrictions on this program would allow that
little bit of appreciation we get from back home. I thank you for your time
and your consideration. Please do not forget us when you are making your
decisions.

[Memother]

//from pat opmale star//NEED urgent card for iraq//
Mass email blind copies
RESPOND back to me at opmale1@aol.com if any questions


Tom is our main contact with part of 101st out of Ft Campbell Ky. His wife is an opmale star Member. The Helicopter that crashed had soldiers on it from Ft Campbell. ALL of the guys/gals are taking it real hard and their morale has hit rock bottom but they are still out there fighting for us and losing their lives every day. .

I need everybody to please take a minute to say a prayer for all of them and also send a card to tom for the 101st to let them know, that we know how they feel and we are here supporting them. Be sure to put your words of encouragement in the card too. Let them Know we care and we are out here thinking of them.

MY bulk e mail is still cut off, and I am still fighting to get it back, letting everybody i can think of we do not send spam and everybody on my lists has asked to be there. If you receive this e mail from somebody other than me they are part of the opmale team trying to help me get the word out. You need more answers E mail me at opmale1@aol.com

Here is the address where the card needs to go and this time FEEL free to put the address out to anybody that you feel will send a card and boost the morale of the 101st. Let them know in a special note we do CARE and are here for them. PLEASE PLEASE remember to put the Logo on the Envelope. Ask me for it if you don't have it.

CW2 PHILLIPS JR., GEORGE THOMAS
opmale-star FOR 101st
B/5 -101 AHB
96135
APO AE 09325-6135


Luvs ya
Cobra Mom
Pat
Fighting AOL to get our Bulk status back
317 882 2155

[D. Miles]

Thanks for posting the soldiers letter, as you know the 101st is my nextdoor neighbor! I had decided I had done all I could do for OPMALE and the AOL problem. I have new resolve this morning! I'm rolling up my sleeves and diving in. I've decided e mail to Ft. Campbell has yeilded no responce, so it's time to carry this FR page to them by hand if neccessary!

I'll also send another e mail to General Editor of Stars and Stripes with a link, I think they'd like to read this soldiers letter.

Keep pushing folks, we're at the top of the hill and the rest of the trip should be downhill.

[Memother]

Well hang on D,cause here comes another with permission to post.

Permission given to post
pat Opmale star Originator

How many more of these letters do I need to get from Iraq before AOL realizes mine is a vital program and I must have my white bulk status back. WE are LETTING these kids down. We are not going to make the quota for xmas at this rate as the stockings, cards etc must go the day after Thanksgiving


pat 317 882 2155


to whom it may concern:
we are worried about being forgotten. that is what i always fear being forgotten by the people that i care about. i also fear that me and my buddies over there are forgotten. people come out of the woodwork to thank us when we get home. but when we are there some of us think the country doesn't care.
i am afraid that people see dead american boys on the news and blow it off. i try to tell people that we are there friends, there sons and daughters, and there next door neighbors. people need to see our faces and that we aren't just some numbers in a death tolls. i don't know if that makes sense. but we are the people there. i don't know if this is just some random ranting that i need to get out, but our story needs to be told. i have been within inches of the finishing bullet on more than one occasion. we aren't just some random faces on the news, but real people who love the united states and really don't want to be there but we are there because we have to be. our friends and countrymen and women need to be aware that we have families and we are within death more than once.
life isn't easy, but then it never is. we need our countrymens support and we want people to know we are the boys next door and some feel we have been forgotten. i personally don't feel like that. but many of the guys do and we need to make it clear that bombs being dropped by the planes isn't the extent of the war. kids you have known since high school are being killed every day and some just turn out to be nameless faces on the news.
these boys need to be mourned for each day. they are me and i am them.
because i am the next guy in line to take the bullet. remember everyone you have ever met because those are the people over there. we want to be with our family and friends but we are in hell and cannot be with them.
that is our choice and our calling but don't forget us and don't forsake us because we are your brothers, sisters, son's, daughters, and the neighbors next door. we are your best friends and your countrymen. if you aren't in support of the war, be in support of the troops. don't cheer when we loose a battle ( which hasn't happened yet) because any battle we loose, any helicopter shot down is another american boy dead.
sincerly, pfc united states army p.s. send this on to your friends and family so they don't forget my friends sacrifice

OK FREEPERS - HOW MUCH MORE DO WE NEED TO TAKE SOME ACTION - LET'S ROLL

[Memother]

Another letter from the front with permission to post from OpMaleStar.com


See what our guys are DOING that is why we are fighting here at home to support them. 21st support Hospital IS ONE of the ones opmale star SUPPORTS


SAVING SPECIALIST GRAY
By MAJ Kevin J. Cuccinelli
Battalion Surgeon, 1-8 Infantry
While the daily headlines report that we need more soldiers in Iraq, I know one soldier that would disagree. For 22-year old Specialist Roy Alan Gray, there were more than enough soldiers here when the task at hand was to save his life.
Specialist (SPC) Gray is a member of the 1-8 Infantry Battalion, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 4th ID, otherwise known as the “Fighting Eagles.” On September 8, 2003, he was part of a convoy delivering the coveted “hot dinner” to his battalion’s headquarters (HQ) area. SPC Gray had just returned to his truck when a mortar round exploded only 30 feet away. Shrapnel from the mortar pierced the truck’s metal door and cut up through his left thigh. Smaller shrapnel bits lodged in his shoulder and ear. The leg wound, however, proved to be life threatening.
At his location was the forward deployed aid station for his unit. The medics acted quickly, called for an Air MEDEVAC immediately, and attended to his injuries while the helicopter was en route. The medics initiated this care as more mortars continued to impact around them. They started 2 IVs and began pouring fluid into him. His thigh wound still bled profusely even after their initial treatments so the medics quickly opted for a tourniquet, a common last resort measure. The tourniquet stopped most of the bleeding by blocking all blood flow to his injured leg. While this greatly increased the chances that he would lose his leg, it stopped the more immediate threat of massive blood loss, thereby saving his life. The surgeons would later report that if not for the medic’s immediate response, SPC Gray would have been dead on arrival (DOA) by the time he made it to the hospital.
Meanwhile, the MEDEVAC team from the 54th Medical Company, Air Ambulance (UH60, Blackhawk helicopter crew) was already in route to SPC Gray’s location. From the time they received the call to landing at the site, they clocked 25 minutes. This includes the mandatory 18 minutes to prep the helicopter, chart their location, and load up. It was only a 5-minute flight, which means the crew was ready to go, from a dead stop, in less than 2 minutes. They did a quick assessment of the tight surroundings and set it down in the only open area, immediately in front of the HQ building. The medics quickly loaded SPC Gray onto the helicopter for the short trip to the 21st Combat Support Hospital (CSH).
The CSH (referred to as the “CASH”) is no ordinary hospital. Designed for field environments and quick mobility, it is comprised of numerous long insulated tents attached to one another to form a series of wings. Resources are minimal and cleanliness is a constant battle in the sand covered country of Iraq. Less than 15 minutes after hitting the door, the ER staff completed a rapid assessment and SPC Gray was on the operating room table being treated and stabilized.
The medical staff knew all too well that death was imminent. They started the emergency medical board process, done to ensure that his family back in Iowa received maximum benefits. They didn't think he would live the 3 hours required to complete the board. He had lost almost all of his blood. Hemoglobin and Hematocrit, lab tests that measure blood levels, were at critical levels of 1.6 and 6.2, respectively. Normal levels are approximately 15 and 45. His blood pressure to perfuse his vital organs was unstable but being maintained with the initial IV fluid push.
Now the doctors and nurses began blood transfusions with red blood cells, the cells that transport oxygen. The orthopedic surgeon placeed an "external fixater,” similar to a large brace, that locks onto the separate pieces of SPC Gray’s shattered femur, the largest thigh bone. This is a temporary fix to stabilize the injury. They also cleaned out his wound and began antibiotics to help ward off infections. In the OR, an arteriogram, which is an x-ray where they shoot dye into the blood vessels to search for bleeding, was done. Discovered sources were controlled. SPC Gray is now breathing through a tube hooked to a ventilator. He is receiving medicine for sedation and pain. He is then transferred to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) wing of tents where he received round the clock attention from the staff, who managed all his medications, ventilator, fluid balance, blood transfusions, IV fluid replacement, wound care and labs.
Thus begins the intense monitoring of his status. Immediate lab results continue to reflect significant bleeding. The source of the bleeding is still unclear. Was it more open blood vessels or his body's reaction to the donated blood? At times his bleeding was faster than the replacement. The decision was made to again take him back to the OR for exploration as to the source of bleeding. While the wound left a hole in his thigh large enough for surgeons to fit their hands through, the largest artery, vein, and nerve were amazingly undamaged. His condition was tenuous. There was some bleeding, which was controlled; however, not to the extent that would explain the blood loss. The wound is cleaned and packed with special gauze impregnated with substances to help clotting. SPC Gray returns to the ICU. The transfusions had to continue until they could find the cause of blood loss.
SPC Gray’s continued blood loss soon led to the problem of replacement. The hospital staff became concerned that they would not have enough. To make matters worse, the red blood cells and plasma he was receiving only represent a portion of all the substances in our "whole" blood. Platelets, another portion, which are necessary to clot blood, were not available in the blood bank. These levels had also dropped to critical levels of 14,000 (normal is 250-450,000).
As supplies ran low, the doctors began an impromptu blood drive. They simply walked from room to room in the hospital asking for personnel with 0 positive blood. Every available person with O+ blood capable of donating did not hesitate to do so. Additionally, SPC Gray's company commander, CPT Kevin Ryan rapidly mobilized the soldiers of his company, known as “Team Hammer.” He and I returned from the hospital to brief the worried soldiers that were his co-workers and friends. They were notified that SPC Gray was likely going to die, but that the people taking care of him were doing everything possible to give him a fighting chance. This included the need for blood, which the hospital did not have enough of. Everyone with O+ blood was asked to go to the hospital and donate. We stay to answer some questions and return to the hospital less than 5 minutes later. To our surprise, we find 30 soldiers already lined up outside the lab ready to donate. This group also included members of
the North Dakota National Guard whom CPT Ryan had called for help. None of them knew SPC Gray personally. They simply knew what uniform they shared.
Now that a large source of blood donors was available and 12 more hours passed without improvement in his stability, he was taken to the OR for a 3rd time. It was only after a third trip to the OR that doctors were able to determine the source of the continued bleeding. They were less delicate this time, opening the wound wider to enlarge the exposed area. Tissue was sacrificed in deference to the ultimate goal. They finally located the source – a ‘pumper’ coursing backwards, hidden behind the bone and buried beneath most of the tissue in his thigh. Doctors quickly tied it off. Other slow seeping bleed sources were cauterized (burned). And, as a final effort to stop the blood loss, doctors applied a new substance, called “Quick Clot” in a non-conventional fashion. They spread it over the surface to concentrate the blood seepage, thereby assisting with the wound’s overall ability to clot. It is not typically used in this manner, but the surgeons wanted to take all
precautions.
2 hours later, for the 1st time in 36 hours, SPC Gray’s blood levels were stable without getting any additional blood products. The nurses continued to check frequently. The next lab results were even higher. His blood pressure was no longer falling and he did not need medication to maintain it. Other indicators of organ perfusion and function were also good. His clotting indicators improved and stabilized. His kidneys were working. A pink hue returned to his face. He required lower doses of medications. His blood pressure and pulse normalized.
In the early morning hours of September 11, the Air Force transported SPC Gray to Baghdad and shortly afterwards to Landshtul, Germany. Still unconscious and reliant on a respirator, his condition remained critical. His parents were flown in to be by his side. The medical staff at Landshtul continued his care and treatment, cleaning his wounds, treating infection and monitoring his condition until September 24th when he was flown to Walter Reed Army Medical Hospital in Washington, D.C. On September 27th, he regained consciousness to discover all the fuss he caused . His broken leg will require further care. He still has much ahead of him.
A total of 47 units of blood products were given. Our bodies have about 6 liters of blood; therefore, this represents approximately 2 complete replacements of his blood supply. This does not include the 24 liters of IV fluid he received, representing another 4 total volume replacements. 61 people were on the blood drive, including members of his unit, soldiers he didn't know from other units, medical staff taking care of him and others who just heard about the situation.
By all accounts, SPC Roy Gray should not have survived. Had he not been injured right next to his aid station, or his fellow soldiers and medics not raced out to his aid, or the helicopter not arrived in time, or the doctors not been able to find the source of his bleeding, or the blood drive not succeeded, then you would have heard that we lost another soldier on the evening news back home. Instead, by last count, 113 people took direct part in the care of SPC Gray from point of injury to his evacuation from Iraq. It took that many "cogs in the wheel" to accomplish this improbable save. There were many individual cogs, that if any failed, SPC Gray would have died.
Keep in mind that this count does not include the second Blackhawk crew that flew him to Baghdad, the C-130 aircraft crew that flew him to Germany, and his hospital staff there, or his final flight crew that returned him to Washington D.C. so that yet another medical staff can nurse him back to health. This number does not include those who indirectly supported his care, such as hospital personnel who keep the hospital running, flight coordinators, supply personnel, etc. What about keeping all these people fed, sheltered and paid? Who made sure all the equipment in the ER/OR/ICU was stocked and available for use? Who kept all the vehicles involved in working order? Who is helping the families back home?
SPC Gray's case is representative of the esprit de corps of those in uniform out here in Iraq. There are many people involved in keeping us alive and working for freedom in Iraq that are never seen. The Army’s doctors, nurses, medics, pilots, crews, lab techs, National Guard soldiers, and Airmen are, more often than not, in a combat support role, much like SPC Gray . They too risk their lives, left their families and friends and sacrifice. They are not likely to be the ones that find Saddam. They do not man the checkpoints or conduct the raids, but they do see the casualties. They understand truly that “Freedom isn’t free” and witness its price. They can only stare at the daily horrors of the war and negotiate for a lower price. They spend all day, everyday, attempting to get all the "SPC Gray’s" home to their families, alive and well.
Interestingly enough, on September 8th, the national news back home reported “there was little action in Iraq today...”





The following persons saved SPC Roy Allen Gray’s life:

1-8 Infantry, Forward Aid Station:
MAJ Wayne Slicton, 1LT Kyle Chowchuvech, SGT Steven Welch, SGT Sean Burns, SGT Curtis Driver, SGT John Gazzola (64th FSB), SPC Cory Sheldon, PFC Michael O’Shaughnessy, PV2 Earl Bennett

54th Medical Company, Air Ambulance, Blackhawk crew:
CPT Price, WO1 Walters, SGT McGovern, SPC Rafiq

21st Combat Support Hospital:
ER staff: CPT David Coffin, CPT Emma, CPT Johnson, CPT Winn , 1LT Bishop, SGT Aquino, SGT Fisher, SPC Burrell, SPC Doetzer

OR staff (3 shifts): MAJ King, MAJ White, CPT Rathjen, CPT Ritter, 1LT Kosterbader, SGT Emerick, SGT Longfoot, SPC Ontivarios

21 CSH Doctors: COL Kilburn, LTC Endrizzi, LTC Kim Kessling, MAJ Olsen, MAJ Doug Boyer, MAJ Matt Brown,

ICU: MAJ Gorren-Good (GG), CPT Kate Carr, CPT Jen Florent, CPT Pulliam, 1LT Brandt, 1LT Krans, SGT Norman, SGT Troy Smith

LAB: SGT Stanley Taylor, SGT Larry Harrod, LT Reynaldo Torres, SPC Christian Chavez. SSG
Antoine Smith. SPC Jordan Uzzo, SPC Mario Flores-Bautista, SPC Jason Williams, PFC Andrew Craig

1-8 IN CHAPLAINCY: CPT Leif Espeland, CPT Dallas M. Walker (21 CSH), CPL Jesse Whitaker

BLOOD DONOR VOLUNTEERS: CPT Janice Follwell, 1LT Reynaldo Torres, SPC Jordan Uzzo, SGT Erick Cedeno, MAJ Douglas Boyer, COL Robert Lyons, PFC Thomas Watson, CPT Dallas Walker, SSG Raeby Malone, SGT Albert Juarez, Bryan Goff, 1LT Gregory Hotaling, CPT Kevin Ryan, CPL Simon Benkovic, SPC Matthew Harmon, SPC Shane Bartrum, PFC Kenneth Griffin, SGT Andrew Casebolt, Robert Henderson, CPL Chad Pecha, SPC Michael Marin, CPL Christopher OHearn, SPC Steven Haston, Brian Finney, PFC Ezra Davis, Jaime Martinez, SPC David Marron, SSG Ryan Miller, PFC Aaron Taylor, SPC Adam Gajewski, CW2 Wayne Fylling, Kevin Kerner, Charles Monson, Chad Vinchattle, Kevin Slagg, Cory Cavett, David Aldrich, Michael Gross, SPC Nicole Jochim, Vanessa Imdieke, David Drehn, SPC Curtis Petrick, SPC Derek Lennick, SGT Bracston Mettler, PFC Carmichael Gilespie, SSG Dwayne Hickman, CPL Jessica Larriba, CPL James Geah, SPC Jerry Nowell, SGT Tyler Berry, PFC Blondene Leys, SPC Lenroy Millet, SPC Dwayne Cooper, SPC Brandon
Curran, PFC Adam Taylor, Carson Stringham, SPC Bullard, SSG Z Tumamad, PFC Jeremy Waldie, SPC Aenoi Phommachanh, SPC Richard Kern

Guys this is a story that should be posted. How are medics struggle to save lives and this is about the 21st Support Hospital where Dan is, he is one of my kids. Being a ex nurse I thought it was fascinating I hope you do too.

Bear