Laura from Maeva Design sent us an email today to let us know about a new program honoring and supporting those who serve. Maeva is taking cloth from military uniforms and fatigues and turning it into handbags for women. 10% of all profits from the sales will be donated to military organizations. We have to admit -they are some cool bags! Check out the different styles offered on their website at Maeva Design.

The idea was inspired by an Army Major named Dan Carroll who originally conceived the idea to create gifts for his mother and sister. If you’re looking for a nice gift for the lady in your life, why not help a good cause?

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This post is getting a lot of discussion on Hooah Wife and my husband says it is his all time favorite post. So I had to share.

What if the people who originally thought the war was was the right plan of action, continued to support it?
What if the American people demanded we stay the course until the mission was complete?
What if the terrorists knew that the will of the American people was united and would not rest until their heads were served on a platter?
What if the lives of soldiers was jeopardized because they were being used as political pawns?
What if politicians who actually voted to send soldiers off to war, stuck by their decision - for better or worse?
What if the media supported the war efforts?
What if angry anti-war people used their energy to actually help soldiers and their families?
What if we get attacked again on our own soil?
What if you realized today that your personal attitude and efforts can make the job of a soldier much easier?
What if we lose?
What if we win?
What if you were putting your life on the line for a group of people that thought you weren’t doing a job worth doing?
What if someone was standing behind you second-guessing your every move, every second of the day?
What if you were in a soldier’s shoes?

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This e-mail hit my in-box today:

Ms. Perry

Just received the latest Inside Northshore and read the article you wrote. Let me ask you a question! Are you simply supporting the soldiers or are you supporting both the soldier and the this Iraq/Aghanistan situation? If you are supporting simple the troops - Go Girl!

If you are supporting this unfounded, unconsciousable, idiopathic, un-winable war, then girl,history will be your judge and reality needs to set in as it has sent in to most of the countrymen in this United States of America.

My answer: Soldiers’ Angels is a non-partisan organization but if you want my opinion on the war read here.Care to discuss.

My thoughts: This high school kid can’t spell, type or use spell-check. This person is media brainwashed!

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Highlights From Milblogs Around the Net

• “Maybe it’s a parasite… Or maybe she is pregnant.” Awww.  Looks like kittens.  [SGT Dock’s Holiday]
• More reasons to stay and fix the situation in Baqouba. [The Cool Blue Blog]
• A direct link — via Lebanese Hezbollah special ops — of Iranian involvement in combat against U.S. forces in Iraq.  [Choatic Synaptic Activity]
• All about TBIs (Traumatic Brain Injuries).  How they differ from PTSD, the treatments given, outlook, screening process, etc. [A Soldier’s Mind]
• A heart-warming thank you letter to every soldier from the “proud wife of a USMC 100% Total & Permanent disabled combat Vietnam Veteran.” [Gazing at the Flag]

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Victoria Parnham talks about Victoria Parham’s Military Spouse Blog

Question: What are 3 things your readers probably do not know about you?

1. I’m interested in learning to ride a motorcycle, preferably a Harley
2. I’m an Humanitarian
3. I’m an introvert

Question: How long have you been blogging and why did you get into blogging?

I’ve been blogging online since 2003. As an active duty military spouse, I found sharing my relocation experiences with other spouses therapeutic. I’m also self-employed and maintained an online blog to keep my clients up-to-date with my military travels and their projects.

Question: What is your military experience?

I’m an Army veteran. After 20 years, my husband retired in October 2004.

Question: What are some of your other favorite Milblogs?

ArmyWifeToddlerMom
Hooah Wife

Question: Do you have anything else you would like us to mention about you, your blog, or your readers?

In lieu of maintaining my blog, I also host a talk radio podcast created exclusively for military spouses called Military Spouse Talk Radio, I’m always looking for military spouses to come on the show to share their stories, experiences and lessons learned, they can learn more by visiting: www.militaryspousetalkradio.com.

I’m also involved in a new video sharing website called Military Spouse Channel, created exclusively for military spouses, soldiers and families. The site allows you to share videos, photos, and audio (for free) with the public or privately, to learn more visit: www.militaryspousechannel.com.

I also train military spouses (through Department of Defense Contract) on how to start, grow, and manage an online business in cyberspace. I invite any spouse who has always dreamed of starting his/her own business to apply at no cost: www.vsscyberoffice.com/vbo.

Even though my husband retired back in 2004, I’ve remained actively involved in the military community even till today: providing mentorship and resources.

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Senior citizens, today is a day for you to once again shove it in all our young, unblemished faces just how much better you are than us. Then again, Tom Brokaw pretty much already does enough of that for you.  Still though, when lesser men cowered, you looked danger right in the eye… and then asked if he would speak up a little more because you’re having trouble hearing. I kid, I kid.

What really happened was Bob Hayden, a retired police commander age 65, and a retired Marine Corps captain, subdued an unrulely passenger aboard a Minneapolis-to-Boston flight.

“I had looked around the plane for help, and all the younger guys had averted their eyes. When I asked the guy next to me if he was up to it, all he said was, ‘Retired captain. USMC.’ I said, ‘You’ll do,’ ” Hayden recalled. “So, basically, a couple of grandfathers took care of the situation.”

The best part of this story comes from Hayden’s wife, who, after 40 years of marriage, is not easily impressed.

Even as her husband struggled with the agitated passenger, she barely looked up from “The Richest Man in Babylon,” the book she was reading.

“The woman sitting in front of us was very upset and asked me how I could just sit there reading,” Katie Hayden said. “Bob’s been shot at. He’s been stabbed. He’s taken knives away. He knows how to handle those situations. I figured he would go up there and step on somebody’s neck, and that would be the end of it. I knew how that situation would end. I didn’t know how the book would end.”

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Highlights From Milblogs Around the Net

• Help the Fisher House “run for military families” by sponsoring Steven Kane in the Chicago Marathon. [Half a World Away]
• The military concept: Adapt and Overcome [A Soldier’s Mind]
• Uncle Jimbo is now a regular on Allman in the Morning, 97.1 TALK St. Louis at 8:30 AM Central Time. [Black Five]
• Humorous “unofficial” submarine patches. [The Stupid Shall Be Punished]
• The show Army Wives on LifetimeTV “a pretty decent effort.” [Badgers Forward]

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(WASHINGTON, D.C.) - The American Red Cross is warning military spouses about a new identity-theft scam that targets family members of deployed troops.

The Red Cross was alerted of the scam earlier this month, said Devorah Goldburg of the Red Cross.

The scam involves a person with an American accent calling a military spouse, identifying herself as a representative of the Red Cross, and telling the spouse that her husband was hurt in Iraq and was medically evacuated to Germany.

Read more at Salem-News.com

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Earlier this month, news broke that soldiers in Afghanistan and Iraq must notify their immediate supervisor before publishing a blog. Soldiers are then allowed to blog, as long as they don’t give away any information that wouldn’t be available to the general public. The U.S. Army said that the purpose is intended to protect soldiers on the battlefield.

So what kinds of information is restricted to bloggers?

Information not available to the general public includes comments on daily military activities and operations, unit morale, results of operations, status of equipment and other security sensitive information, Major Ryder said.

What effect this will have on the military blogging community remains to be seen. Does this mean a decrease in first-hand military blog accounts of the Iraqi experience, or is it simply a safeguard for protecting our soldiers, and nation, from those who intend harm upon them? A limitation of first amendement rights or a necessary security precaution? Feel free to weigh in with your thoughts.

Life In The Blogshpere

• Spouse Buzz previews the upcoming television series Army Wives that premires on Lifetime June 3 at 10 pm EST. Worth watching? Check out the promo on that page. Their take: part sensationalism, part reality.
• In his May 30 post, Bouhammer provides links to all his YouTube videos he has taken since being stationed in Afghanistan. Pretty amazing stuff. You see up close what daily life is like overseas, protecting our country. You see how something as simple as just driving through the city can be dangerous, even when no gunfire is involved.
• USA Today pens a very pessimistic report that says new military vehicles that are supposed to better protect troops from roadside explosions in Iraq aren’t strong enough to withstand the latest type of bombs used by insurgents. Badgers Forward counters, saying that things aren’t as bad as USA Today would have you believe.

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It includes unit roster lists, draft registration cards, news reels, POW lists 

Ancestry.com, a Web site designed to allow users to trace their family history, announced today that it has posted what it describes as the largest collection of U.S. military records available and searchable online.

The U.S. Military Collection, which includes 90 million names, spans more than four centuries of American history, from the 1600s through the Vietnam War, Ancestry.com said.

Read more at ComputerWorld.com

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