'Do Nice Things' is Doing Great Things for Our Troops

 Here's How You Can Support Our U.S. Troops  

Source

FOR VALENTINE'S DAY

Marines are professionally trained killers, but they're still human and they need love too. So if you'd like to send one of our troops a Valentine's Day card, here you go: 

Send a valentine to Marines in Afghanistan. Mail by January 21 to:

Do One Nice Thing, 149 S. Barrington Ave., #279, Los Angeles, CA  90049-3310

We'll include it in a care package filled with goodies.

SEND YOUR COUPONS TO MILITARY FAMILIES

Times are hard for all of us, including military famalies. You can send coupons from newspapers or any other sources to military families all over the world. Yes, there are some items a little cheaper on base than in the civilian grocery stores, but in these tough economic times, every penny counts...even at the Comissarry. Oh, yes, you can also send expired coupons (up to two months). The

Overseas Coupon Program is the organization coordinating "coupons for military families." Click on this link - Laura Harding-Maditz

A CUP OF JAVA FOR A SERVICE MEMBER

Did you know that for $2 you can send a personal message along with a hot cup of coffee to a deployed service member via Green Beans Coffee - Jennie Steele Little  

SEND A BIRTHDAY CAKE TO OUR TROOPS 

 at Bake Me a Wish. A portion of the proceeds go towards another cake to be donated to a military member- Ellen Chartrand

CARDS FOR WOUNDED SERVICE MEMBERS

Send a card to wounded Army soldiers at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany. The LRMC is the first place wounded soldiers are transported to after they leave Iraq and Afghanistan. Nothing would make their day brighter than a heartfelt, cheerful message from their supports here at home:

Here’s the address:

MTD
Attn: Soldiers' Angels
CMR 402
APO AE 09180

The cost is the same as mailing domestically.

If You Just Want to Say Thanks to a service member, do it with an ecard. 

ADOPT-A-PLATOON: Did you know you can adopt a deployed military platoon or become a pen pal to a soldier? If you love to write and can make time to send one letter or card a week, I know many service members who would appreciate it. This program is, obviously, very security conscious (you do not share your soldier's name or address with anyone). Paul Krieger of Minnesota says, "I've been with this group for 6 or 7 years. They are always asking if we could take on another soldier because of so many requests!"

iSERVED Stickers: If you've seen these white stickers on vehicles that read, "IRQ" or "AFG" they are the work of a non-profit organization that makes the stickers for Veterans of the war in Iraq and Afghanistan. They ask that you donate any amount to help cover the cost of printing and postage.

If you are a veteran, a sticker/stickers will be sent to you for free.

FORE OUR SOLDIERS: Send new or gently-used sporting goods and other items to service members so they can enjoy them. - Scott Lokken

EXPIRED COUPONS CAN HELP TOO

Check out Overseas Coupon Program.  You adopt an overseas military base and send coupons there. Even coupons that are 2 months past expiration are accepted. - Rita Smith

Send a gift card to a deployed service member through GI Woodshop
GI Woodshop, Inc., PO Box 211398, Dallas, TX 75211. - Jeanne Minnich

   

ROOT BEER FOR THE TROOPS

For $25 (tax-deductible), you can send a 12-pack shipper of Sprecher Root Beer or any Sprecher gourmet soda to troops stationed in Iraq and Afghanistan. This program is being sponsored by Sprecher Brewery and the nonprofit George Washington Stein Club. - Anne Sprecher 

CHAPLAINS' CLOSET provides new clothes to wounded service members when they arrive for treatment at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany. Donations of new clothing are needed.

Please send any of the following new items:

Three Pack of men's or women's underwear, sizes Small, Medium, Large
Sweat tops or bottoms, S, M, L
Men's or women's athletic shoes, women's sizes 6-9; men's: 9-12
Black duffel bag 
PLUS a get-well card (a card alone is also great)

Mail to: 

LANDSTUHL REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER
ATTN: MCEUL-CH/Chaplains Office
CMR 402
APO AE 09180

More needed items: 

Phone calling cards, DVDs, portable DVD players and travel-size toiletries. They would also be happy to receive a financial donation for the Wounded Warriors Fund. 

 Make checks payable to: 

IMCOM-E  CTOF-WW and mail to the above address.

FIRST RESPONSE BACKPACKS FOR THE WOUNDED - Soldiers' Angels has put together a backpack which can be given to wounded soldiers as they arrive at combat support hospitals in Iraq and Afghanistan. When the wounded arrive they have only what they were wearing when they were injured, and it is often weeks before their belongings catch up to them. The pack contains hygiene items, a phone card and a blanket. Your donation will send a backpack directly to a wounded hero in urgent need. - Brenda Herman

VACATIONS FOR VETERANS: Peggy and Christopher Carr founded Vacations For Veterans, a nonprofit organization created to provide recently wounded veterans of the United States Armed Forces with a week of free lodgings donated by a vacation homeowner. If you have a home to donate for a week or are otherwise interested, contact the Carrs at info@vacationsforveterans.org.

TREAT MILITARY MOMS TO A SURPRISE: Check out the www.anysoldier.com site and pick out some female soldiers who have children. Then follow up with gifts for them at www.treatanysoldier.com. Judy Halston

Adopt Service Members: check out the Department of Defense web site, OurMilitary.mil. There's a host of organizations, many of them non-profit, grass roots types, that support the troops in many ways. Some that I have dealt with are Operation Air Conditioner, Operation Military Pride, USO, SI Yellow Ribbon and Soldiers Angels. Each organization does something just a little differently from the next, but the end result is the same -- it is a way to support our military, whether active duty, veterans, wounded solders, or military families (or families of fallen soldiers). Some of these organizations have been started by, and are run by, children and teenagers. - Pam Erickson

For other ways to help or just perform acts of kindness visit the Do Nice Things web site. If you ask me, it's kind of like a "Pay it Forward" site. 

Click HERE

Camp Lejeune Marine Killed in Afghanistan Identified

Photo / Houston Hockey Insider

By Alicia Cruz

The Black Urban Times

The Department of Defense has released the identity of a Marine killed in Afghanistan.
Garrett W. Gamble, 20, a Lance Corporal stationed at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina died Thursday in Helmand Province.

At this time, there are no specific details surrounding the Marine's death.

LCpl. Gamble is the older brother of ISHL Austin team player, Cody Gamble.

A moment of silence will be held at tonight’s ISHL championship game in honor of LCpl. Gamble. He was attached to the 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force.

LCpl. Gamble leaves his father Troy, Mother Michelle and brothers Cody and Gunner to mourn his passing.

Hero, Family Friend, Marine:
R.I.P. LCpl. Gamble

In this news and observer photo, LCpl Gamble is pictured with fellow Marine, Cpl Jeffrey De Young, of Holland, Michigan as they watch an Afghan man walk past them.

The two Marines had just began their day of patrol outside the wire at FOB Hassanabad. LCpl Gamble was killed Thursday in the Helmand Province.

Our Brother The Marine

by Omie Johnson
My brother LCpl. Leon Deraps was killed in action on May 6th 2006, in Iraq. He was 19 years old. He was a baby of 6. I would like to see if you would put the poem I wrote to him when he was home for Christmas in your Newsletter. Take care!~Omie Johnson"In loving memory of LCpl. Leon Deraps ~ beloved brother & hero"

Our Brother The Marine

Our brother the Marine

~is one of the toughest we’ve seen He is off to travel far & wide ~& we pray that God stays by his side The things he’ll see & the things he’ll do ~Is all to protect me & you He’s serving our country in a time of trouble & doubt ~

We gave him some gadgets to make sure he is not without A second generation Marine- we know he has a tough act to follow ~

So the words courage & honor will never be hollow

Our debt of gratitude for his service to our nation~Is one that will be never be taken~ lightly or with out thought or prayer for we know he is the one who is there~ on the front lines so we can stay safe & sound

for a family who loves him more could never be found So here’s to our brother the Marine ~Who is one of the toughest we’ve seen May God bless him & keep him safe from harm~Until we once again can hold him in our arms! Leon, I could not be more proud to call you my brother.

I loveYou & we will pray for you.

Stay strong & safe!

Love, Omie

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Boots on the Ground: The 22nd MEU Arrives in Haiti

by: Jonathan Serrie

Large amounts of emergency food and water have begun flowing into the small Haitian town of Leogane.

Members of the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit secured a small pasture for helicopters to land and load relief supplies into United Nations trucks. The trucks carry the loads to a separate staging area for distribution.

All the activity has drawn a curious but peaceful crowd. Two Marine translators speak to the onlookers in a relaxed manner -- not only to explain the mission, but to glean information from locals about the situation on the ground.

Originally from Haiti themselves, the translators not only know the language, but also the culture -- which seems to have a calming effect on the residents.

















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Marines Rough it in Afghanistan

CHUCK LIDDY - cliddy@newsobserver.com

Lance Cpl. Trevor Jones, a Marine from Douglasville, Ga., douses himself with cold water at an outpost in Afghanistan. For Marines at forward operating bases like this one, conditions are primitive.

BY CHUCK LIDDY - STAFF WRITER

Helmand Province, Afghanistan -- It's not even officially winter here at FOB Hassanabad, yet temperatures routinely fall below freezing at night.

The tents that house young Marines have no heat. The only water jets from a 3-inch-wide hose. It's cold. There is no hot water.

There are sun bags that can warm water to a tolerable temperature, but they're used outside in a small wooden enclosure where the wind can wreak havoc on the bathing experience. Some of the men go for a couple of weeks without a real bath, using cloth sanitary wipes. Many just use the cold water from the hose and get clean as fast as possible without succumbing to uncontrollable shivering.

Meals come in a box. And after a few days, they all taste the same.

Mice are everywhere.

The camp is nirvana for thousands of field mice from the cornfields surrounding the camp.

The men have adopted several kittens, who crave the attention and the mice.

But the Marines of Golf Company are young. Most shrug their shoulders at the austere conditions and say they don't like spending much time in the base camp anyway - they'd rather be out on patrol chasing the bad guys.

Billy's Story: Marine Killed In Iraq Leaves Videos Behind

Parents: 'It's Like He's Talking Directly To Us'

By: Karin Johnson

Billy Spencer joined the Marines when he was 19 years old. Within a year of joining the Marines, he was killed in action. But while he was deployed in Iraq, Billy documented his life for his parents.

The Marines had a pact that if anything ever happened to one of them, the others would download what was on their computer and give it to the Marine's family before the government erased everything off the hard drive.

Members of Billy's squadron delivered the videos to his parents. The videos began with his departure to Iraq. “It’s 6 o’clock in the morning. We’ve loaded the buses. On our way to March Air Force Base," Billy said. He is then heard on the video to California. “Peace California. See you in seven months.”

The Spencers said Billy left America as a boy. Although he was at that point a Marine, they said he was still a teenager who depended on his family, as illustrated in some of his recordings.

“You’ll be seeing this soon enough Mom. Getting ready to fly to Iraq. We’ll be alright. I’ll see you there. Love you,” Billy said.

“It’s like he’s talking directly to us,” said Billy's stepmother Dawn Spencer. “He wants us to know details.”

Through his recordings, Billy gave his parents lots of details, including his tour of duty in Iraq.

“We made it into Iraq last night. Soon enough we will be completely in harm's way but uh, we’ll see you there, I’m out,” said Billy in one video.

"I'm also sitting up here with my .50 cal. I've been waiting for ages to get my hands on this. Now all I got to do is wait for somebody to shoot at me so I can employ it,” he said on another video while showing how the rounds were as long as his hand.

Billy also managed to capture a side to the war most people don’t normally see, like how he helped the Iraqi children.

“I just gave 50 dinars to some little kid because he was crying, because his house blew up. So I gave him some money," he said.

The Spencers said most of the moments make them proud of their son. Others make them laugh, like when Billy, clearly exhausted, recorded himself singing the song “I’ve seen better days.”

“I seen in his face he needed to be babied and there was nobody going to baby him over there. He was eating peanuts and Mountain Dew,” said Dawn.

One moment that really stands out is when Billy is sick with the flu and talking about coming home. "I get to come home in like four and a half months, which is something to look forward to, always yes,” he said.

About 48 hours later, Billy was hit by enemy fire while trying to save his squad leader.

Back home in Middletown, the Spencers received that dreaded knock on the door on Dec. 28, 2006.

"The first thing I asked him, 'Was he hurt or is he dead?' He told me he was KIA," said Billy's father, David Spencer. “I couldn’t be there when he needed me. So that was the most hopeless moment of my life … It’s been almost three years in calendar time, but in Dad time, it’s been 24 hours.”

Although the videos won’t bring their son home, and this father won’t get that fishing trip with his son, the Spencers said the video has allowed them to see the war through Billy’s eyes. And see how their baby grew into a man and an American hero.

"I could look at those videos, every one of them, and say 'That's my kid' and be very proud," said David.

This past year, Lance Cpl. Billy Spencer was posthumously awarded the Silver Star for his actions -- the U.S. military’s third highest honor.

The Spencers are now working with the family of fallen soldier, Matt Maupin, trying to get a heroes museum built in the Tri-State. They hope it will become a place to honor veterans, display military memorabilia and remember those who’ve made the ultimate sacrifice, like their son.

If you'd like to contribute to the fund to build a memorial to Tri-State military heroes, visitwww.letusneverforget.org.

Excerpts From Billy's Video Diary:

Billy's Diary: Leaving For Iraq

Billy's Diary: Not What We Expected

Billy's Story: 'I've Seen Better Days'

Billy's Story: At His Post, With His Guns

Billy's Story: The Kids Of Fallujah

Billy's Story: Camped Out In An Iraqi House

Billy's Story: A Case Of The Flu

Operation Shark Attack Nets More Arrests in North Carolina

By Lindell Kay

More than a dozen active-duty military members have been charged with selling drugs on and around Camp Lejeune since September, according to local and federal authorities.
Eight more arrests March 31 - the most recent wave of Operation Shark Attack - came after authorities raided three houses in Pender County, according to information released over the weekend.
Charges in the eight arrests ranged from trafficking cocaine to possession of marijuana, said Surf City Police Chief Mike Halstead.
So far, 182 felony charges have been made against 43 people - 28 civilians and 15 members of the active-duty military. Six arrests for military personnel are still pending. Authorities refused to release the names of the most recent arrestees, citing an ongoing investigation.
Operation Shark Attack was "created to disrupt narcotics distribution in the communities which have a direct affect on Camp Lejeune and Marine Corps Air Station New River," Halstead said.
Shark Attack began in September with the Surf City Police Department, the Holly Ridge Police Department and the Naval Criminal Investigative Service combining forces to conduct controlled drug buys and gather intelligence, said Kevin Marks, a NCIS supervisory special agent.
As the operation progressed, the assistance of several other agencies was required, Halstead said.
The operation grew to include participation from the Jacksonville Police Department, the Pender County Sheriff's Department, the National Guard Counter Drug Task Force, the North Topsail Beach Police Department, the Wilmington Police Department and the 15th Judicial Circuit Drug Enforcement Unit.
So far authorities have seized:
852.71 grams of marijuana,
265 dosage units of Ecstasy,
121 dosage units of prescription medications,
39 grams of crack cocaine,
and 461.7 grams of powdered cocaine.
Law enforcement estimates the combined street value of the drugs to be $81,516.20.
"This operation is a tremendous example of interagency cooperation," Halstead said. "I cannot brag enough on the teamwork displayed by every agency involved. From the military to federal and local law enforcement, every agency had one singular goal: rid our streets of illicit illegal narcotics that affect military, citizens and children alike. We accomplished much, and we plan to keep it that way."

North Carolina News Briefs

By Alicia Cruz
Senior writer
theblackurbantimes.com
CAMP LEJEUNE
The death of a Camp Lejeune Marine in Iraq is under investigation.
Lance Cpl. Nelson M. Lantigua, 20, of Miami, died Tuesday as a result of a non-hostile incident in Anbar province, according to a Department of Defense press release.
Lantigua was a field artillery cannoneer with 2nd Battalion, 10th Marine Regiment. He joined the Marine Corps on Oct. 29, 2007 and deployed to Iraq in October. His awards include the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal and the National Defense Service Medal.

CHERRY POINT
Bound for Brig, Marine Gives Handlers The Slip
Military and civilian authorities are searching for a Cherry Point Marine who escaped from custody Thursday morning, according to officials. Andre Angus James, who is described as a 20-year-old black male, escaped and may be with Whitney James driving a 2002 Dodge Stratus with Georgia license plates, according to police. James escaped as he was about to be put in pretrial confinement, according to Mike Barton, spokesman at Cherry Point. He would not name the crime for which James is charged. He said the escape happened as the Marine was being prepared to be sent to the Camp Lejeune brig. Barton cited an ongoing investigation in not releasing details on how the escape happened. Authorities have not released any pictures of James nor any further description.

ONSLOW COUNTY
Severe weather expected this morning
Severe weather forecast for the overnight in Onslow and Carteret counties could still be in the area this morning, forecasters say.
Casey Dail, duty forecaster for the National Weather Service in Newport, said the peak window for the weather was between midnight and 6 or 7 a.m.
Dail warned that there could be "damaging winds and isolated tornados." "You could get some small hail as well, but wind and tornados are the main threats," she said

MAGISTRATE'S WOUNDS SELF INFLICTED, REPORT PHONY
Police learn truth after second call to Magistrates home
On Monday night a local Magistrate was found stabbed in her bedroom by Beulaville police after they went to check on her welfare. Today police now know that the magistrate filed a phony police report and her injuries, on both occasions, were self-inflicted and there was no home invasion or robbery. The magistrate, Catherine Rhodes, of Stanford Street in Beulaville, told police that her home had been broken into on Monday evening and that she was stabbed. Investigators with the Beulaville Police Department and the N.C. State Bureau of Investigation were suspicious of Rhodes’ initial claims on Monday, but had no proof that she was not being truthful.
Rhodes was hospitalized Monday night with non-life threatening injuries and released on Wednesday. Just hours after her release from Duplin General Hospital on Wednesday, a neighbor of Rhodes' called 911 and told dispatchers that he observed Rhodes breaking out one of the front windows, a report says.
According to a statement by the district attorney for the 4th Prosecutorial District, which includes Onslow and Duplin counties, Dewey Hudson, "When police arrived, Rhodes told them that her home had been broken into and she had been stabbed again, but eventually broke down and admitted the truth," Hudson said. Hudson said that his office does not plan to press charges against Rhodes. Rhodes is still a magistrate, but Hudson expects she will resign. "She has not performed her duties as magistrate since Monday," Hudson said. “Finally, I would like to express that the public should not be angry with Ms. Rhodes,” Hudson said. “She is the loving mother of two children and needs your thoughts and prayers. Some personal, family issues led Rhodes to have an “apparent breakdown,” Hudson said, adding that she is “suffering from severe emotional and mental strain. This apparent breakdown could happen to you or members of your family.”“I want to ensure the people of Beulaville and Duplin County that there is no threat or danger to their safety,” Hudson said.Rhodes, a former Onslow County prosecutor, used to work for Hudson.“The Catherine Rhodes I personally observed April 1, 2009, is not the same Catherine Rhodes I know and worked with,” he said. Rhodes is currently hospitalized and under doctor’s care, he said. My sincerest prayers are with Ms. Rhodes and her family.
Alicia CruzSenior writertheblackurbantimes.com

NOTE: A magistrate is often used as a generic term for any independent judge who is capable of issuing warrants, reviewing arrests, etc. When used in this way it does not denote a judge with a particular office. Instead, it denotes a judge or judicial officer who is capable of hearing and deciding a particular matter.“It appears from all the evidence that the alleged break-ins into the residence of and the alleged assaults upon Ms. Rhodes did not occur as reported by Ms. Rhodes,” said Dewey Hudson, the district attorney for the 4th Prosecutorial District, which includes Onslow and Duplin counties.

CAMP LEJEUNE
MARINE PLEADS GUILTY IN ENTICEMENT CASE
A Camp LeJeune Marine plead guilty in a general court martial to charges of online enticement of a minor and received five and a half years in the brig, according to information released Thursday.
Sgt. Donald Ira Mundell, 27, of 2nd Intelligence Battalion, II Marine Expeditionary Force, also received a reduction in rank to E-1, forfeiture of all pay and allowances while confined, a bad conduct discharge, sex offender registration and DNA processing.
Mundell met and chatted with what he thought was a middle school-aged girl on the Internet for the purpose of arranging sex. The “girl” was actually an undercover detective with the Pender County Sheriff’s Department in North Carolina.
Mundell was one of several men arrested during an eight-month undercover sting operation conducted by federal, state and local law enforcement. Mundell previously pleaded guilty in September to similar charges brought against him by NCIS in a separate case.

HUBERT/CAMP LEJEUNE
MARINE CHARGED WITH TRAFFICKING COCAINE
Winston Doctrine, 38, of Charlton Road in Hubert, was charged Wednesday by the Onslow County Sheriff’s Department with two counts of trafficking, maintaining a residence for a controlled substance, and possession with intent to sell and deliver cocaine. Doctrine is a Staff Sergeant in the U.S. Marines.
He was taken into custody at his Hubert home during the execution of a search warrant by local and federal authorities and taken to the Onslow County jail. More than four ounces of powdered cocaine was seized during that search. The cocaine has an estimated street value of $12,000.
“Sheriff’s Office investigators developed information (about SSgt. Doctrine) in a joint effort with federal authorities over the last several days,” Sutherland said. SSgt. Doctrine joined the Marine Corps in February of 1999. He is a food service specialist. He is a mobilized reservist, currently serving with the Wounded Warrior Battalion East, said Capt. Leticia Reyes, a spokeswoman for the Wounded Warrior Regiment. The Marine made his first appearance Thursday morning in district court. His bond was set at $350,000.

Newport Pig Cookin’ Schedule
The 31st annual Newport Pig Cookin’ Contest kicks off tonight with opening ceremonies and entertainment at Newport Town Park. Activities continue all day Saturday, with judging in the country’s largest whole-hog pig cooking contest, entertainment and the serving of barbecue plates.

Mother of Slain Marine Calling For Death Penalty

Mom of slain Marine Sgt. Jan Pawel Pietrzak wants death penalty for his killers

BY NANCY DILLON and CORKY SIEMASZKO DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITERS
The mother of murdered Brooklyn Marine Sgt. Jan Pawel Pietrzak has made up her mind - she wants the four Marines accused of killing her son and daughter-in-law put to death. "They will get as much sympathy from me as they gave my son and my beautiful Quiana, which is none," an angry Henryka Pietrzak-Varga said Monday. "I will ask for the highest punishment possible, and that's the death penalty," she said. "For what they did, for what they took from us, let them pay with their lives."Pietrzak-Varga said she and Quiana's mom, Glenda Faye Williams-Jenkins, reached the same decision after wrestling with their consciences for weeks.
Henryka Piterzak-Varga {Picture above} shows a
picture of her slain son, and his wife.
"I had problems with this as a Catholic," said Pietrzak-Varga, who lives in Bensonhurst. "But death is death, murder is murder, and for this they deserve punishment."
Breaking down in tears, Pietrzak-Varga added, "They didn't give them a chance to say goodbye, to say a final 'I love you.'"
"They covered their mouths with tape, they silenced them forever," she said. "At first I thought that having to spend a lifetime in jail, having to think about what they did, would be punishment enough. But now I am convinced it isn't, and it can never be."
Pietrzak-Varga said Quiana Jenkins-Pietrzak's mom also wants the death penalty, but reached by telephone, the grieving woman declined to say which way she was leaning.
"I don't want to answer that right now," she said, choking back a sob.
Quiana's uncle Kevin Williams made it clear in an e-mail where he stands.
"I want the death penalty for all four," he wrote.

Four Marines (above) are accused of killing Marine Sgt. Jan Pawel Piertzak and his wife, Quiana Jenkins-Pietrzak (clockwise from top left): Kesuan Sykes, Tyrone Miller, Kevin Cox and Emrys John