USO Canteen FReeper Style....A Man Named Pavel.......July 2,2002

FRiends of the USO Canteen FReeper Style and Snow Bunny

[Snow Bunny]

The same day, Russian Prosecutor-General Vladimir Ustinov said in an interview published in "Rossiiskaya gazeta" that terrorist leader bin Laden is funding the Chechen militants.

"Every day, bandits bring pain to Russians on bin Laden's money." ("RFE/RL Newsline," 24 September)

Russia is an ally with our invasion of Afghanistan. Following the terrorist attacks on the US on 11th September, Putin announced Russia's full support for the US's war against terrorism, allowing US forces to use Russian intelligence, airspace and bases in Tajikistan and Uzbekistan for Operation Enduring Freedom.

Russia and the US have had a common enemy to fight. Russia accused Osama bin Laden and Al-Qaeda of being behind problems in Chechnya.

Russia has been instrumental in providing additional intelligence to assist the US's efforts to find targets within Afghanistan. As the remnants of the forces that opposed the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan, the Taliban was long ago identified as a threat to Moscow.

Since coming to power in the mid-1990s, the Taliban recognized the Islamic separatist Chechnya, offered to assist the Chechen guerrillas fighting the Russian Army and threatened to de-stabilize the whole of the Caucasus region.

Russia had even threatened airstrikes against the Taliban in March 2001. Russia's vital contribution to Operation Enduring Freedom cannot be underestimated. It knows Afghanistan far better than the US.

Russian veterans of the 1979-89 Afghanistan war have also been warning the US of the dangers of a possible new phase in the war, of a defeated Taliban re-grouping and launching guerilla attacks on any international force in the country.

"President Putin has been a stalwart in the fight against terror," Bush said as the two leaders stood shoulder to shoulder in Canada. "He understands the threat of terror, because he has lived through terror."

Chechnya

One of our FReepers, a wonderful Veteran and a regular poster at FR ,and the USO Canteen FReeper Style sent me an email about a Russian Airborne Veteran who served his country well. This Airborne veteran lives in Russia.

I would like to add this first before you read further.......Thank you.

This story is not unusual, it happens to our own Veterans right here in America. Mistreatment, lives thrown away , the Forgotten Soldier . Promises made to our military when they enlist and then broken. BUT we are FReepers, and we at the USO Canteen FReeper Style know better then most of the bravery and single mindedness of those serving our country.

We here know the heartache of many Veterans that came back and were never Welcomed Home.

We know what it means to thank a Veteran because we know we are ONLY free because of them.

Not because of a Congressman or Senator, or movie star or anyone else. But because of the Grunt, the Soldier, the Sailor and the Airmen. The sweat , the blood, the tears, the loneliness of missing home, the injuries not only physical and but many times emotional as well.

When you read this email and meet these two friends within it. It is up to you how you feel. Perhaps you will have a door open to more understanding of our own Veterans. Maybe you will want to write one of these men or both and say thank you. To what degree you choose after reading this is truly up to each of you privately.When I read this email and saw the pictures my heart knew I had to share his story with each of you.

Pray for our troops, and pray for the troops of other Nations that have joined us to fight terrorisim…… our friendly neighbor Canada, and many countires such as Russia, and all the others. These men and women fighting for all of us need our prayers and our thanks.

~A Man Named Pavel~

This is an email from a man living in Russia about his best friend, one that has fought the terrorists. I want to share it with you, few in America get a glimpse of what it is like in other counties in fighting a war. How it is when they go home or are injured in battle.

The email is untouched and includes all the proper and improper phrasing and English grammar mistakes.

~~~~~~~

Pavel was in a fight with Moslem terrorists and they nailed the vehicle he was driving.

“My best friend Pavel, he lives in Ivanovo.
Its a little town not far from Moscow.
My "dacha"(summer house) is there. Me and him
were best friends since i was 6. He just came back from
Chechnya, and his wife delivered a baby girl. Pavel is
only 19 and he needs some serious financial help.

He was in called to fight muslim terrorists in Chechnya
last year, and his unit got ambushed in Naurskaya village.
I spoke to him on the phone last week.
It happend in October of 2001 when his unit was sent to
patrol a road between 2 villages. His convoy stoped, and
the captain ordered Pavel and another BMP driver to inspect
a road. Pavel was sitting on top of the BMP. He only had one
magazine for his AK-74 with him. The chechens were waiting.
They hit the BMP with 2 RPGs, and Pavel flew off the armor like
a fly. His left arm flew off even farther. He saw his bleeding arm
while he was in shock. Nobody came to rescue for 20 minutes.
Everyone was affraid to be ambushed too.
So Pavel laid there next to a burning BMP bleeding to death.
The driver died instantly. Finally help came, and got him out of there.

He was in a hospital for half a year. Now he came back home,
and got a great medal for bravery + 417 roobles a month ( $13 ).
Thats enough to buy bread, some meat and potatoes.
Not enough to live. His wife just delivered a baby, so she can't
work for a while.

I am asking for your help. Even if its just a dollar, please help him!!!!!!
Any money will do. I was crying when I talked to him on the phone. I'm
going to send him $100 this week, and hoping to add any money that
you brothers and sisters can give me for him.

First he thanks everyone here for reading this. And I thank you all evern
more for helping me !!!!

Please write me at
Romans@rainbowstudios.com

THANK YOU AGAIN !!!!!!!

Pavel's address in Cyrilics, as a label for mailing:

Spasibo= Thank you

[Snow Bunny]

Tribute To HEROES

Tribute to Vietnam Veterans....Please click on picture

The great intangible of America's wars beyond logistics, beyond strategy, beyond wonder weapons and Generals, is the spiritual force of its fighting men and women - and that is the force that the USO so serves.

Free Republic....Click for Donations

Thank you from all those that frequent the FReeper Canteen to Jim Robinson, Founder of FRee Republic and Navy Veteran.

[Snow Bunny]

.

Thank you DoughtyOne for making this and the other wonderful things for the FReeper USO Canteen.

((( hug )))

[Snow Bunny]

[Snow Bunny]

[Snow Bunny]

Welcome to the USO Canteen FReeper Style. Thank you for your support of our troops.

Thank you Veterans for serving our country!!!

[Snow Bunny]

On behalf of TF Rakkasan and myself let me thank you for your letter, your kind thoughts and most important you support. Your desire to send care packages to the soldiers of TF Rakkasan is wonderful in itself. We are lucky here because we have had the support of you great Americans every since we got here. As for the packages we will be deploying home soon after 7 months and I am afraid your packages would get lost in the system somewhere, but please know your letter and thoughts are more important to us than a package and for that we can't thank you enough!
Sincerely,
R. Herman
TASK FORCE RAKKASAN

SGM R A Herman
TF Rakkasan
HHC 3Bde
APO AE 09355

The receptionist at SAMWolf’s office has a Marine friend of hers that could use some morale building.
He's at Camp LeJeune right now waiting for a training deployment to a ship.
He's 29 has 2 daughters under age 3 and is missing his family.
SAMWolf told her he would pass the Marines’ name and address onto the Canteen.

His current snail mail address is:
Cpl Berger, Charles W.
II MEF MARFOR UNITAS
RECON DET
Bldg 10, Wing 3
PSC 20164
Camp LeJeune, NC 28542-0164
His email is:
charlesberger@hotmail.com

The USS George Washington carrier battle group left NAS Norfolk today for their 6 month .The USS George Washington has about 7,500 sailors and Marines with the carrier and its battle group left to head overseas and likely into combat. The Navy will not disclose the ships's destination.
Prayers for ALL our Troops

The USS McCampbell will be commissioned in August.
USS McCampbell (DDG 85)
FPO AP 96672-1275

[Aeronaut]

Good morning Bunny.

[Snow Bunny]

oh wow Hi Aeronaut, Welcome Home!!!! I have missed you but I knew you said you would be gone for several days.

It is sooo good to see you my friend.

[Aeronaut]

It is sooo good to see you my friend.

Thanks, it's good to be back. I have sure had my fill of 13 year-olds for a while.

[Tennessee_Bob]

While Pavel's story is rough, I wonder if Freepers are aware of the statistics regarding homeless vets in the United States? Approximately 40% of homeless men are veterans, although veterans comprise only 34% of the general adult male population. The National Coalition for Homeless Veterans estimates that on any given night, 271,000 veterans are homeless (National Coalition for Homeless Veterans, 1994). While it's all well and good to post something about a foreign soldier - we need to help our own first.

What can an individual do to help homeless veterans?

Donations of money, services, or goods are always appreciated. Each community based organization needs different types of donations so check with them for their "wish list".

Volunteer your time to provide hands on services directly to veterans. Or perhaps you have accounting, office management, carpentry or other skills that could assist.

Advocacy Contact elected officials about public policy issues effecting homeless veterans. Elected officials and their staff confront numerous issues every day and receive a tremendous amount of information. They tend to act on those issues that they perceive are important to their constituents. Your contact will assist in raising the homeless veteran issue "above the noise" and make the legislator realize this is a matter important to the people who vote in his/her district or state.

Leadership Boards of community-based organizations often are looking for directors that can assist with leading and providing oversight of their organizations.

What can our community do to help homeless veterans?

Advocacy Host town hall type meetings with elected officials to discuss homeless veteran issues and what your community would like to happen.

Fight criminalization of homelessness. Many jurisdictions are enacting laws that effectively criminalize homelessness by prohibiting activities such as sleeping or camping in public, even when no shelter beds are available.

Fight "not in my back yard" (NIMBY) issues in your community by advocating for homeless veterans.

Insure that Federal dollars dedicated to homelessness spent in your community includes services for veterans.

Education Hold public workshops/forums about the issue of homelessness among veterans and what that means to your community. What services are available and what services are missing in your community to assist veterans out of transition from homelessness?

Fundraising Raise funds to support services to homeless veterans.

National Coalition for Homeless Veterans
1 800 VET-HELP/202 546-1969
website: http://www.nchv.org

[tomkow6]

Good morning, Snow! Good morning EVERYBODY!

HAPPY TWOSDAY!!

Another 90+ day, with heat index in the 100's, here in Chicago.

Look out Clara, it's headed YOUR way!

Unless our local radio station (WGN) has the wrong information,

ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY: 1926 THE U.S. ARMY AIR CORPS WAS ESTABLISHED.

[tomkow6]

Today's feeble attempt at humor:
In dire need of a beauty make-over, Nancy went to her salon
with a fashion magazine photo of a gorgeous, young, lustrous
haired model.

She showed the stylist the trendy new cut she wanted and
settled into the chair as he began humming a catchy tune
and got to work on her thin, graying hair.

Nancy was delighted by his cheerful attitude until she
recognized the melody.

It was the theme from "Mission Impossible."

[Snow Bunny]

Hi Linda, this is wonderful!! Thank you so much,I love these!

[Snow Bunny]

Hi T Bob,thank you sooo much. I did a thread on Disabled Veterans of America and I want to do another one. Also the information you posted is so important. I want to do a thread about the homeless Veterans too. Thank you so much my friend.

[Snow Bunny]

I saw on the late news tonight how it was so hot in Chicago. It was 110 here in Vegas. UGH....SNOW Bunny's are not meant for Vegas living. hahhahaa

Stay nice and cool my friend if you can. And lots of water. Maybe wear the Burka wet or something. Like in a swimming pool. giggle

[Snow Bunny]

LOL..... hahahhahahaa.. I like it !

hahahahahah

[Snow Bunny]

hahaha....Now you get to just fly with Otto in the peaceful sky's above.

[tomkow6]

Actually, I LOVE the hot weather!

[tomkow6]

Maybe wear the Burka wet or something.

Do you realize how "aromatic" my burka would be then?