- Joined
- Dec 9, 2005
- Messages
- 7,254
- Reaction score
- 364
- Location
- Jacksonville, NC
- Gender
- Female
- Political Leaning
- Moderate
First off, no, this is not an insult towards Navy Pride's "Red Friday" thread. Though that thread did get me thinking about how many people are out there that say they support the troops....but what do they do to show it? Put little magnetic ribbons on their cars that the troops certainly can't see from thousands of miles away? Wearing a certain color on a certain day? Holding prayer meetings and candlelight vigils? These are all nice thoughts, but the troops don't directly benefit from that.
So I thought I'd compile a list of things you can do to really show your support of our brave men and women in uniform.
If you live near a military base:
* Organize an event to recognize the spouses and children left behind. They are just as important as the troops themselves, and having their soldier in a war zone is tough. They need our love and support, too.
*Contact a Family Readiness Group (or equivalent) on post and offer your services. Get a few neighbors together and offer to watch their children for free so that they can have a few hours to relax. Offer to bake some cookies for their next meeting. Get the names of some of the single soldiers in that unit and send them care packages - the FRG can provide you with those names.
* Get together with local businesses to offer specials to those spouses - perhaps a few free car washes, meals for half the price....use your imagination! Or, try and get the local businesses to either donate goods to the family as a whole, or to send some of their products to the troops for free. There are MANY businesses that are willing to do these things; all you have to do is ask.
Even if you don't live near a military base, there are many things you can do to show your support.
*Sign up with Soldiers' Angels. You will be assigned the name of a soldier that has been submitted to their network; all they ask is that you correspond with this soldier. Care packages aren't necessary, but are certainly appreciated.
*Send a message through Operation: Love Our Troops.
*Send them some coffee through Operation: Million Cup. For every bag you purchase (at a special discounted price), Boca Java will match that amount.
*Send a message at America Supports You. You can also find ways that your state is supporting the troops.
*Send a care package prepared by Support U.S. Troops.com.
* Purchase a calling card through Operation: Uplink for troops and hospitalized vets.
* Send a message through Operation Dear Abby.
* Make a donation to one of the military relief societies.
* Volunteer at a Veteran’s hospital.
* Send a donation to Fisher House, which is a “home away from home” for the families of soldiers in the hospital.
* Donate to Treat The Troops. They have 501© status, so your donation is tax deductible. Or, sign up to become a “Crumb”.
* Donate to Operation Shoe Box, or send them a letter that can be passed on to any of our troops.
There are SO many other programs out there that do things for our troops, this is merely a list to get you started. I’ll add more links from time to time; please feel free to add some of your own.
So I thought I'd compile a list of things you can do to really show your support of our brave men and women in uniform.
If you live near a military base:
* Organize an event to recognize the spouses and children left behind. They are just as important as the troops themselves, and having their soldier in a war zone is tough. They need our love and support, too.
*Contact a Family Readiness Group (or equivalent) on post and offer your services. Get a few neighbors together and offer to watch their children for free so that they can have a few hours to relax. Offer to bake some cookies for their next meeting. Get the names of some of the single soldiers in that unit and send them care packages - the FRG can provide you with those names.
* Get together with local businesses to offer specials to those spouses - perhaps a few free car washes, meals for half the price....use your imagination! Or, try and get the local businesses to either donate goods to the family as a whole, or to send some of their products to the troops for free. There are MANY businesses that are willing to do these things; all you have to do is ask.
Even if you don't live near a military base, there are many things you can do to show your support.
*Sign up with Soldiers' Angels. You will be assigned the name of a soldier that has been submitted to their network; all they ask is that you correspond with this soldier. Care packages aren't necessary, but are certainly appreciated.
*Send a message through Operation: Love Our Troops.
*Send them some coffee through Operation: Million Cup. For every bag you purchase (at a special discounted price), Boca Java will match that amount.
*Send a message at America Supports You. You can also find ways that your state is supporting the troops.
*Send a care package prepared by Support U.S. Troops.com.
* Purchase a calling card through Operation: Uplink for troops and hospitalized vets.
* Send a message through Operation Dear Abby.
* Make a donation to one of the military relief societies.
* Volunteer at a Veteran’s hospital.
* Send a donation to Fisher House, which is a “home away from home” for the families of soldiers in the hospital.
* Donate to Treat The Troops. They have 501© status, so your donation is tax deductible. Or, sign up to become a “Crumb”.
* Donate to Operation Shoe Box, or send them a letter that can be passed on to any of our troops.
There are SO many other programs out there that do things for our troops, this is merely a list to get you started. I’ll add more links from time to time; please feel free to add some of your own.
