Third annual Pancakes for Soldiers a big success

Last weekend was the third annual "Pancakes For Soldiers" event my friends Tina and Dave hold at their house every year.

For the past three years, they've organized this event and invited their friends and neighbors to bring donations of supplies, have an outdoor breakfast, and
then pack up the boxes to ship to medical units.


This year their goal was 100 boxes, and we ended up with more than 130! They ran out of empty boxes and had to make a run to the post office for more.

We were able to send boxes to 17 of our medical contacts this year.

The boxes marked with a "C" are coffee supplies, creamer, sugar, etc, and the rest are of snacks and goodies to give our medics and their patients a little
taste of home.


It is only through the generosity and dedication of folks like these back home that make it possible for us to support our medics and the work they are doing to keep us safe and care for our troops so far from home.


Thanks!
-Rog

On this 10th Anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, we need to help our troops more than ever

Our troops who are serving in Afghanistan are keeping us safe. They found Bin Laden, and their presence and dogged persistence in rooting out the bad guys has undoubtedly prevented many further attacks on America.

But it comes with a price:


The following requests came from new medical units in Afghanistan who contacted me for assistance IN THE LAST 4 DAYS!! And I've got 70 units on our list already. It's never been this bad in the six years I've been doing this. The requests are coming at me left and right and I can't begin to line up enough support for all for all of them.

"one Combat Out Post we cover has no running water, which means no shower no laundry and barely even a few hot meals."

"the care packages have stopped and I have 9 outposts that we visit to comfort soldiers and give them small items to let them know they are cared for"

"We go around FOB (Forward Operating Base) to FOB meeting with them and putting information out to them by doing some prevention classes such as stress, anxiety, sleep, nightmare, PTSD, anger, communication, and other home front issues"

"This will be my 7th deployment and my second time to request the support from Soldiers' Angels for my junior corpsman. For many this will be their first deployment, and I would like to let them know how much support they will have from home during our tour. "

"Our jobs are to provide first response surgical care to our men and women who are injured while serving on the front lines... We have the only job, where you don't want business, because when we are busy that means one of our brothers or sisters have been injured. This is a time when hearts sink, but training kicks in to ensure we get your family members back home and into your arms once again"

"I've seen many soldiers unable to focus on their mission because of home front issues: spouse, children, elderly parents, and finance; and work related stress."

"I'm writing to request items that will surely lift the Soldiers' spirits and give them some comfort of home when they come into my office. As you know, the rate of suicide among soldiers is at its highest."

Forty years ago I was stationed at Walter Reed Hospital, during the carnage of the Vietnam War. And I never thought I'd see this kind of suffering again.

If you can help with a donation of funds, if you'd like to adopt a medical unit, if you'd like to send a single care package to let these men and women know you care; there many ways to help:

-donate funds

-sponsor a First Response Backpack for a wounded soldier

To adopt a medical unit or donate supplies:
contact me at Rgodskesen@soldiersangels.org

Tell us in your subject line what you want to do:
-donate supplies for the wounded
-send a one-time care package to a medical unit
-adopt a medical unit and send monthly packages

They need your help.
-Rog

From one of the chaplains at an Air Force hospital in Afghanistan. Our Soldiers' Angels medical support team was privileged to be able to assist her and her team in their mission.

-Rog