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thedrifter
03-18-03, 06:39 AM
To our men and women in uniform.....past, present, and future.
God bless you and thank you


Students join support of Operation Military Pride
By SCOTT POWELL
Ledger Staff Writer
Mary Bramlett Elementary students in teacher Cindy Byars' class are supporting U.S. troops one letter at a time through Operation Military Pride.
The students wrote letters and mailed packages Friday to nine men and women in the military who are currently overseas protecting the United States. The students' effort is part of Operation Military Pride, a grass roots nonprofit organization that encourages volunteers to write letters and send packages to military personnel who do not receive regular mail from home.
The organization maintains a working list of names of servicemen that it provides volunteers interested in writing letters.
Byars got her class interested in the Operation Military Pride project after finding the organization's web site on the Internet.
"As a learning lesson and a service project, my class has decided to write to service personnel and send packages. Each child was eager to complete their project and is eagerly awaiting a note back," Byars said. "They surprised me with the writings and the goodies they brought in for each of the men and women in the service."
Students brought in toothbrushes, magazines, playing cards and various other goodies Friday to go in the packages for the military personnel. The students then packaged the items and wrapped them for mailing.
"I thought this would be a good way for my class to show their appreciation to the military for the great job they are doing," Byars said.

Internet bridge with homefront a blessing -- but potentially worrisome -- for military



By Anick Jesdanun / AP Internet Writer

The Internet has become a crucial bridge for deployed troops and their loved ones, but the frequent contact also creates new worries about compromising military security. "Mike can't even say whether he's busy today," Gordon Warren said of his son, who fixes radar on the USS Nimitz, an aircraft carrier bound for the Mideast. "That could be construed as having a lot of problems with the radar." Warren doesn't mind the restrictions. He appreciates a line or two saying his son is OK. He writes him daily and occasionally e-mails pictures. A colleague forwards jokes. Soon after the ship left San Diego two weeks ago, Mike Warren's former physics teacher in Bloomington, Ill., Debbie Voorhees, posted on a Nimitz bulletin board, "Keep that Radar running!" "Chit chat and small talk can relieve a lot of tension," Voorhees said. E-mail and bulletin boards can't replace phone calls or care packages, but they can help fill the gap. "That one e-mail, you can save and read over and over until the next one comes," said Marina Kubacki, whose husband recently left Fort Campbell, Ky., for Kuwait with the Army's 101st Airborne Division. "It's nice to know your family cares about you," Sgt. 1st Class Renee Jackson, 40, of Harvey, Ill., said after getting e-mail in Kuwait. Still, reminders of the dangers are everywhere. On the USS Kitty Hawk, a closed-circuit television spot warns sailors not to talk about the carrier's location, direction and speed. Other "no-no's" include crew issues such as morale and weariness. "The hardest thing about e-mail is being careful about what you say," Mike Warren said by cell phone as the Nimitz stopped in Hawaii. "Sometimes it's kind of hard to find stuff to talk about." Navy submarines monitor their sailors' Internet use because of greater requirements for stealth. Elsewhere, restrictions and surveillance are left to individual commanders, who generally trust their rank-and-file. "They know they can't talk about anything specific, specific numbers, specific locations," said Command Sgt. Maj. Iuniasolua Savusa of the 101st's 3rd Brigade. First Lt. Joshua Rushing, a spokesman for the U.S. Central Command in Qatar, said few people have sensitive information to begin with. And Army Lt. Gen. Peter Cuviello points out that if there is combat, key soldiers "won't be doing e-mail anyway. They'll be in tanks, Bradleys and artillery pieces." Unit commanders do occasionally cut off outbound access completely -- and will again shortly before any attack. To keep foes guessing, Navy vessels try to limit their electronic "leakage" from time to time, meaning sailors can get e-mail but not reply right away. Steven Aftergood, senior research analyst at the Federation of American Scientists, said Internet breaches are low among security worries. The primary fear, he said, is not from hacking or interception but from recipients spreading messages further. Internet access and speeds vary from ship to ship, camp to camp. Sailors generally get online through satellite links using computers in ship libraries or other public areas. On land, "morale tents" are lined with rows of Internet-enabled computers. Some personnel use computers at their work stations. A few have laptops, but not all are allowed on military networks. Specific applications like instant messaging are also sometimes barred for security reasons, though time zones are a greater problem. When access is available to the troops, usage can be limited -- 20 minutes here, an hour there -- and lines can stretch for hours. On the Kitty Hawk, for instance, only 10 of the 1,400 computers are available for e-mail. The carrier shares satellite bandwidth with other ships. The USS Constellation at one point had to ban video clips because they were using so much capacity. Phones are available, but can get expensive -- an AT&T prepaid calling card costs $20 for 20 minutes on the Nimitz. Many find e-mail quicker and cheaper. "If you can type fast, you can get a long letter written in 20 minutes," said Pfc. James Bowers, 20, of Indianapolis, with the 101st Airborne in Kuwait. "When you call and get the answering machine, that sucks bad." He's been e-mailing an Internet-savvy teenage niece, figuring she could pass notes to others. Back home, Internet support groups help families cope. Some Web sites have organized campaigns to write letters and send care packages or music CDs to the troops. Many families are setting up online photo albums or journals known as blogs. Some units in the field have created Web pages. The Army even gives soldiers accounts to set up password-protected sites. "Families worry a lot less," said Brandon Rice, who kept a blog as an Army reservist in Afghanistan and Uzbekistan. "They can see our faces, what we were doing." But that, too, can create problems. Rice once mistakenly posted a photo of an airplane on his unit's blog. Later, as its audience grew beyond friends and family, a network administrator suggested that he get the site approved, which he then did. David Sherman, an Air Force health care administrator in Montana who regularly read Rice's blog and writes his own, said security concerns leave soldiers talking about the mundane: "It's dry. It's dusty. They are serving prime rib." As dependency on the Net increases -- the Pentagon suspended letter-writing campaigns because of anthrax fears -- expectations grow, too. Spouses going through first deployments get upset if they haven't heard back within a few days, even though veteran military spouses know what it's like to wait weeks or months, said Kim Modlin, who runs e-mail support groups from Germany and has a husband in the Mideast. "It can be depressing," she said, "when everyone around you said they've heard from their spouses."
AP correspondents Kimberly Hefling with the 101st Airborne Division and Rohan Sullivan on the USS Kitty Hawk contributed to this story.


continued......

thedrifter
03-18-03, 06:42 AM
Operation carepackage update

We sent out another 200 care packages this week.
We thank everyone who has sponsored a care package.
We need more help! We want to send over 8000 by May 17th!
You can sponsor a carepackage with

A care package usually includes things that are most needed or requested
Food Items *Instant coffee. There are many flavored coffees. Tea Bags *Powdered Gatorade/Crystal Light. *Powdered hot chocolate *Kool-Aid (presweetened of course) *Slim Jim's, Beef Jerky *Crackers and Easy Cheese. Single servings of bagged chips. (The small bags stay fresh longer.) *Candy, of course. (M & M's are great, hard candy-anything that won't melt.) *Snack cakes, marshmallows *Bubble gum, Lollipops, Gum *Rice Krispie Treats *Dry cereal. (The small, individual serving boxes stay very fresh.) *Oatmeal *Kraft Easy Mac, Ragu Express *Microwave popcorn *Ramen Noodles *Granola bars, Power Bars *Spices (Onion powder, garlic powder, *Dried fruit * Canned soup, Instant soup * Tuna, Canned chicken * Salad dressing * Salsa * Fast food condiments (Hot sauce, ketchup, mustard, salt and pepper packets, relish, Mayo)

If you would like to sponsor a care package please donate at
https://www.paypal.com/xclick/business=admin%40operationmilitarypride.org&item_name=Operation+Care+package&no_note=1&tax=0&currency_code=USD

If you can donate 5.00 please do if you can donate 5000.00 then please do! More we get donated more that get packages!
They need to know we support them and care about them!!!

PetitionPetition.com: United We Support Our US Military
http://www.petitionpetition.com/cgi/petition.cgi?id=5344

This is a petition to show your support for our US Military, who are currently over fighting for this country. This petition will be downloaded on May 17th, Armed Forces Day, and shared at Operation Yellow Ribbon rally in DC, then sent off to our deployed military to show them that we have people standing behind them supporting them. Please sign this petition and show your support! For more information on Operation Yellow Ribbon, please view
Operation Military Pride presents Operation Yellow Ribbon
http://operationmilitarypride.org/oyr.html


Operation Yellow Ribbon
*****************************
Will you be coming to DC for Operation Yellow ribbon?
Operation Military Pride presents Operation Yellow Ribbon
http://operationmilitarypride.org/oyr.html

Cannot make it to DC for rally then have one in your home town.
This will tell you how
http://operationmilitarypride.org/oyrlocal.html

Want to donate to help Operation Yellow ribbon?
You can do so here
https://www.paypal.com/xclick/business=admin%40operationmilitarypride.org&item_name=Operation+Yellow+ribbon&no_note=1&tax=0&currency_code=USD

United We Stand
God Bless America
*****

Remember our POW/MIA's
I'll never forget!


Sempers,

Roger