With many active-duty military fathers and mothers not home while fighting for our country, Sears is again calling on America to step up and say “thanks” to the families of our troops this holiday season. As part of its long-standing commitment to the military, and their families, Sears is kicking off the second year of its Sears Heroes at Home Wish Registry. Adding to that, the retailer is also introducing its new Jobs for Vets program, which will provide job mentoring and placement to returning military veterans and their families.
Last year, the Heroes at Home Wish Registry helped thousands of military families. For many, the wishes were simple and practical including everything from warm clothes to new toys for their children to a Christmas tree and other holiday decorations for their homes. In fact, many veteran families that were helped by last year’s efforts have shared their stories to encourage customers to donate to the program this year.
The following video features Frantz from Virginia Beach, VA thanks Sears’ Heroes at Home for selecting his family to participate in the Heroes at Home Wish Registry program. He describes how memorable his holiday was last year!
Another video features a Sears executive sharing his experience about how it felt to meet the military families that the Wish Registry helped.
This fall more than 20,000 active members of the military registered to participate in the Heroes at Home Wish Registry. Now through Dec. 31, customers can visit www.Sears.com/heroesathome and read stories as well as donate to the Heroes at Home Wish Registry. Upon making a donation, customers can include a note to the families and wish them happy holidays. Donations made to the Wish Registry are not tax deductible and will be used to purchase Sears gift cards that will be equally distributed to all registered families.
Ps. My thoughts go out to my military spouse sisters & brothers who are spending this holiday season without their hero’s.
Col. Henry J. Cook Past National Commander, Military Order of the Purple Heart, after serving over fifteen years with MOPH, gaining invaluable experience while in the positions of National Aide-de-Camp, Chapter Commander, Region Commander, National Junior Vice Commander and National Senior Vice Commander. He was a career Special Forces (Green Beret) officer for thirty-three of the total forty-two years that he was on combined active and reserve duty. His combat tours began in 1967-68 when he operated behind enemy lines in for extended periods of time conducting operations with native guerrilla troops as the Executive Officer of the 4th Mobile Guerrilla. He saw additional combat in 1969-70 when he led a U.S. Special Forces Mobile Strike Force Battalion (MIKE FORCE), consisting of Green Beret officers and sergeants leading Cambodian mercenaries, again working behind enemy lines as well as reacting to attacks on friendly bases, often requiring that his unit be parachuted into hostile drop zones.
Later, he participated in Desert Shield (Saudi Arabia), Desert Storm (Kuwait) and Iraq, and Operation Provide Comfort (Support to Kurdish refugees in Northern Iraq. For his valor and military skills, Colonel Cook was awarded the Bronze Star Medal with “V” device for Valor and two Oak Leaf Clusters, Army Commendation Medal with “V” Device and one Oak Leaf Cluster, Purple Heart with One Oak Leaf Cluster, Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry with Gold and Silver Stars, Joint Services Commendation Medal, Combat Infantry Badge, Master Parachutist Badge, Special Forces Combat Diver Badge, Special Forces Tab, and numerous other U.S. and foreign decorations. Henry Cook is now twice retired, as a soldier and as a lawyer and resides in Diamondhead, Mississippi. He is a member of the Pro Bono Consortium representing veterans who appeal denial of claims and is a member of the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans’ Claims. He’s been a member of the Mississippi Bar Association since 1978 and also serves as a Municipal Judge Pro Tem in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi. Other significant contributions to veterans by Henry Cook include: a major role in the creation of the Mississippi Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial in Ocean Springs and helping raise over $500,000 to help MOPH members in Louisiana and Mississippi who lost everything during Hurricane Katrina. In addition to MOPH, he also belongs to Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), Disabled American Veterans (DAV), Special Forces Association (SFA), Special Operations Association (SOA), Military Order of the World Wars (MOWW). You can read more about Col. Henry in this PDF file on pages 31 & 32.
These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero. We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.
Just a little reminder on what should be news. A friend of mine recently posted an ‘email forward’ on her blog. There are some mistakes in the article – but please keep in mind that this is a civillian posting this and she is showing her SUPPORT for our guys
“Home Again,” a song about military homecomings, showcases vocals by Queensryche lead singer Geoff Tate’s daughter Miranda. The video features actual photographs submitted by the Military.com audience and is dedicated to “all the men and women of the armed forces and those who gave us a glimpse into their lives through their photos.”
The Wounded Warriors Disabled Sports Project joined forces Friday with Billabong and the Navy exchange at NAS Oceana to hold a surf camp for soldiers wounded in Iraq. My hubby went out there to the beach this morning to help set-up for the camp and volunteer. He had a great time helping out and watching the guys (and girl) surf!
The Wounded Warrior Disabled Sports Project is a partnership between the Wounded Warrior Project and Disabled Sports USA to provide year-round sports programs for severely wounded service members from the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts and the global war on terrorism.
