Hello, friends. I know it has been quite some time since I’ve checked in with all of you. I’m back from my post deployment leave and starting to get accustomed with the daily grind once again. I would like to take a moment to share a few emails that I’ve gotten over the last few weeks.

Combined Joint Task Force 82
Here is a unit fighting the good fight in Afghanistan and their public website. Give them a visit from time to time and read the good news.

Sir,

I currently work in the Current Operations Section of CJTF 82 in Bagram Afghanistan. One of my responsibilities is to maintain the “Recent Events” portion of the Command Information webpage. The information we post there is widely varied, but we try to highlight successes of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, negative actions of the anti Coalition Milita, as well as the usual “feel good” stories of school openings, sporting events etc. The more exposure we can garner, the better we can spread the news, the better we can represent what the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines of the Combined Joint task Force 82 are doing in the fight against terror. Here’s a link to the page, http://www.cjtf82.com/, if you like anything there, please feel free to use it.

Thanks.

All The Way!!

MSG N

Veterans’ Low Mileage Rate Is Left in Limbo
This is an article that was emailed to me by the author. I had a subscription to US News and World report in high school for a history class and I still enjoy the magazine when I have a chance to read it. Something must be done for your vets. Contact your elected officials and let them know the will of the people.

Hello,
Thought you or your blog readers might be interested in a new item on our energy blog at U.S. News looking at the lack of progress in increasing the veterans medical travel reimbursement benefit, which has not been updated in 29 years.

link

Many thanks for taking a look, and feel free to send any feedback or suggestions for future coverage of this issue.

Marianne Lavelle

Circle of Friends for American Veterans
The last email is another that deals with your vets, this time those that are not as fortunate.

Dear Corporal M,

I am contacting you on behalf of Circle of Friends for American Veterans. We are a national non-profit organization located outside of DC that does grassroots advocacy to get homeless veterans the help they deserve.

We have been in existence since 1993 and work with both veterans’ and homeless groups. One of our main efforts is a series of rallies held throughout the United States to attract media attention to the problem of homelessness among veterans. This coming year we will be in ten cities including Cedar Rapids, Iowa; Des Moines, Iowa; Las Vegas, Nevada; Manchester, New Hampshire; Columbia, South Carolina; Charleston, South Carolina; Detroit, Michigan; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Baltimore, Maryland; and Arlington, Virginia. The first rally will be in late December, and the last rally sometime in early to mid February. Using the media attention generated from these rallies as support, we hope spur government action to provide greater assistance to combat the problem of homelessness among veterans. We are a strictly non-partisan organization that only seeks to help veterans.

In preparation for our upcoming series of rallies we are making a strong effort to let as many people know about our rallies as possible. The more people in attendance at our rallies the greater the show of support for homeless veterans. The internet is one area that we are devoting a lot of time and energy.

I read a few of your posts and noticed think that you have a very good blog. It is not a surprise to me that you received various awards for your military blog. As our organization focuses on the issue of homeless veterans, I am wondering if there is some way you could help us get the message out about our upcoming rallies. Perhaps you could provide a link to our website. As the dates of our rallies draw closer perhaps you could post an announcement about our rallies. Maybe you could just note the issue of homeless veterans on your website. I, as well as the rest of our organization, would appreciate any help you can provide. If you have any questions for me please feel free to ask, and take care.

Sincerely,

Andy Koelz

Please take a few minutes to visit a few of the linked sites. There are lots of things that need a lot more attention than I can bring, so pick up the ball and run with it in your local areas. Thanks to everyone!