Posts from December 2009 by Douglas Karr, U.S. Navy Veteran

Popular horror author Stephen King and his wife made a phenomenal donation to the Maine Army National Guard this holiday season. The King’s generously gave $12,999 to an organization called Operation Community Support to cover the cost of bus fare and rental for 150 soldiers. They were initially asked for $13,000, but King believed the number 13 to be unlucky – so he and his wife, Tabitha, donated the $12,999. His personal assistant, Julie Eugley, donated the extra dollar to round the amount out to an even $13,000.

The members of the 172^nd Infantry Unit, 3^rd Battalion, traveled on two separate buses from Camp Atterbury in Indiana to their homes in Maine. They left earlier this month, and will be able to visit with their family and friends prior to their deployment to Afghanistan sometime in January.

Around this time seven years ago, Rueben Stringfellow stumbled across a litter of puppies born to a junkyard dog. Then 17, Rueben rescued the only puppy that survived its mother’s neglect.

What sets this puppy apart from others? It was born with just two legs. Stringfellow, now army E-4 specialist, asked his mother, “Can we fix her?” “No, but maybe we can help her,” his mother responded.

A group known as QUILTS - Quilters United in Learning Together Schenectady – is giving back to our troops this holiday season. QUILTS is participating in the Quilts for Injured Soldiers project this year, a initiative that provides quilts to troops returning from a deployment.

This year, more than 70 handmade blankets and quilts will be shipped to Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland. Pat Baker of Hughesville, Maryland is the Quilts for Injured Soldiers chairwoman, and says “it’s like Christmas every day when a box comes in.”

This year, as a part of the Coming Home Project, the Service Providers Retreat will take place in Burlingame, California, at the Mercy Center. Taking place February 18^th-21^st, this four day seminar will focus on the importance of recognizing secondary trauma. Here, stories will be shared in a safe environment and skill sets will be provided in order to be most effective as a service provider and care taker.

In working closely with veterans on a daily basis, service providers may already have an understanding of what this form trauma entails, though only on a surface level. This retreat will take a deeper look into the suffering and restlessness that inhibits countless war veterans today.

As a military man, I am very interested in what’s happening with our troops overseas. I am especially mindful of our soldiers during the holiday season, as I know that thousands of men and women will be celebrating the season away from their families.

An article in the New York Times on December 14^th regarding the deployment of additional troops to Afghanistan caught my eye, and I wanted to share the information with you.

Since 1941, the USO, or United Services Organizations, has been entertaining our troops overseas. Those who are old enough may recall how Bob Hope kicked off the USO’s tradition of providing music, dancing, and comedic relief to American soldiers.

The fact of the matter is – our men and women overseas need more than just the “obvious” to survive a deployment. In addition to safety equipment, our troops require morale boosters in the form of letters from family and friends, care packages, free time, and last but not least, entertainment.

On Sunday, December 7, 1941 the Japanese attacked the United States. It was, at the time, the most well-executed surprise attack in history. The Pearl Harbor incident left the American naval forces weak, yet our country had no choice but to enter World War II.

Only 18 months prior had naval forces been relocated to Pearl Harbor per President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The President believed that this would be a deterrent to the Japanese, who were attempting to move south in an effort to obtain much-needed oil and supplies [the Japanese had been engaged in war with China since 1937]. By summer of 1941, the Japanese were no longer able to trade with the West, so their only option was to seize oil-rich land in Southeast Asia and the East Indies.

Nearly forty years after the end of the Vietnam War, the VA has announced that it will fund a four-year initiative that will examine the overall health of female Vietnam veterans. The study will cost an estimated $5.6 million dollars.

The VA wants to conduct research related to the mental and physical health of female Vietnam vets in an effort to better understand the long-term consequences of war. Because the experience of female veterans is so different from their male counterparts, this study will provide important information to the VA and the military. Over 10,000 female vets served during the Vietnam conflict in Vietnam, Southeast Asia and here at home in the United States.