Thanks for the heads up, Tonkin! SUPPORT OUR TROOPS BUMP! And to all troop lurkers.....THANKYOU AND GOD BLESS YOU!
Hi all! I can't get over here very much because my computer kicks me off loading the graphic threads - here and The Guild.
So proud to see the salt of the earth Americans here doing what they can to support our troops.
Here is something that might have been posted before but in case it wasn't I'll put here now. Takes a while to load but be sure and wait for John Wayne's reading.
Be sure to check out the other links on the site - inspirational songs, boogie, funny, etc.
SPECIAL - America Why I Love Her
Remembrance Pages-9-11-01
Last night after I signed off, you posted the following:
"you know you are getting old when you remember there was no cable TV.." LOL!! That makes me positively ancient since there was no tv when I was little!!
We relied on radio and publications - newspapers, magazines - and Foxtone newsreels at the movie theater for information.
Television sets were not generally in homes until the 1950's.
In 1947, I was a contestant representing Florida in the National Spelling Bee - the very first time it was televised - but no one in my family could watch it! Few Americans had sets yet.
When I won the state contest in Jacksonville, however, my grandparents in South Carolina had listened to the contest on the radio.
Oct 25, 2001
Virginian encourages letter-writing campaign to troops
MICHELLE BRUMMITT
The News & Advance
^An AP Member Extra
LYNCHBURG, Va. _ Tom Sparhawk still smiles when he remembers a package he received during the Vietnam War. He was in the Air Force and stationed in England as a weather observer for four years.
``I got a newspaper, a gift and cards,'' said Sparhawk, who is now a sociology professor at Central Virginia Community College. ``It was neat. I was in a particularly homesick time, and I really appreciated it.''
Now Sparhawk is encouraging others to write letters to members of the military _ particularly those serving in the Persian Gulf region. He is coordinating booths in the school's student center where people can write holiday cards to send to American troops serving around the world.
Sparhawk is adviser for Phi Theta Kappa, an honors fraternity at the college, which sent letters to the military each of the last 10 years. Last year, they sent 501 cards through ``Friends of Our Troops,'' a North Carolina organization that distributes thousands of cards collected from around the country.
Some people write a paragraph, some write a poem. Some correspondents send their message anonymously, while others include photos and a return address.
``The response from the people at our school was amazing,'' said Suzanne Brown, a math education major who helped write cards last year. ``We got more cards than we could get people to sign. I think there will be even more response this year because people are patriotic-minded.''
``There's no way for American citizens to understand the importance of getting mail from home. It's indescribable,'' said Brown, whose husband and son served in the military.
``It's nice to feel appreciated, because military people make a lot of sacrifices. They spend a lot of time away from their families.''
She wrote more than 25 letters last year during the group's card drive.
``I try to keep it nonpersonal. I say thank you for a job well done, thanks for continuing to maintain our freedom,'' she said. ``These are the people out there protecting us every day, even when they're not in the news.''
The group has collected more than 125 letters so far this year.
``I tell them that we are with you in prayer, and that I think about them every day of the week,'' said Phi Theta Kappa president Dee Lucy. ``I say 'Keep your spirits high and your faith strong.'''
The group is seeking donations of new cards for students to sign as well as signed cards from members of the community.
``It's such a nice program we'd love it if people in the community would participate with us,'' Sparhawk said.
Organizations that send letters to ``Friends of Our Troops'' help pay for postage of the letters overseas. Since the cards are sent en masse through Priority Mail, groups send a check to help cover costs rather than stamping each piece.
Once cards are sent to ``Friends of Our Troops,'' they separate them so cards from one locality will be sent to numerous military installments.
^____=
The News & Advance is published in Lynchburg.
Source
