Thanks to Flag Gazer and her diligence in highlighting the heroes who serve us, I found out SSG Bagge is up for an award and surely could use your vote.

SSG Christian Bagge, US Army and the Commander-in-ChiefThe award? The Energizer® Keep Going® Award.SSG Bagge is the man who, while in a hospital bed at Brooke Army Medical Center, told the President he wanted to run with him. A year later, the picture above is the evidence of a man who just kept going, and going, and going….The whole post on SSG Christian Bagge is here on Flag Gazer’s blog…Oh, have you voted yet? GET ON IT!!! (and tell your friends)

I just caught wind of this yesterday on the radio:

Operation DVD, a program of AMVETS.

Used or new, the plan is to get them to the sandbox, so there’s something for the troops to pick through during their down time. Children’s videos dropped off will be sent to families stateside.

Some background, about one person making a difference:

“Op DVD Kid” Provides Entertainment for Troops
Above is a picture of Zach Cohen, a seventh grader at Charles Boehm Middle School in Yardley, Pennsylvania.

Zach got involved with AMVETS, Operation DVD while searching the internet to find a suitable “mitzvah project” in preparation for his upcoming Bar Mitzvah. When he stumbled upon the Operation DVD website, he knew he had found his match.

As someone who loves to hang out and watch movies with his friends, this effort proved to combine the leisure activities he loved most, with something he thought was very important – supporting our Troops.

“The soldiers do so much for us and for our country, and I want them to get to enjoy whatever free time they have. I can hang out with my friends and watch a movie or listen to music whenever I want, but our soldiers aren’t so lucky. Not only are they fighting in a very dangerous place, but when they have some time off, they don’t have much to do. Hopefully, AMVETS, Operation DVD will make their free time more enjoyable and will make them realize that we really care about them and appreciate what they do”, Zach explains.

“The best part about this effort is that people don’t have to dip into their pockets to help. After you watch a movie once or twice, are you really going to keep watching it? That movie can be enjoyed over and over again by many soldiers, if you just donate it to AMVETS, Operation DVD.”

“The best places to organize collections are anywhere where there is a lot of repeat traffic – such as places of worship, office buildings, health clubs, libraries, etc. Schools have made a huge impact on this effort and more and more are getting involved everyday.”

Zach has already collected over 2,000 DVDs for our Troops (even his local Honor Society has become involved). He is now in the process of working with other school districts and his Congressman.

A big round of applause for Zach Cohen!!!!!

You can donate cash via the site, or drop them off.

COLLECTION BOXES

Specially designed “Collection Boxes” for donated new and used DVDs will be located across the nation at large chains, retail stores, churches and car dealers.

The “Collection Boxes” are 26” high and “vinyl-wrapped” on the four vertical sides with a description of AMVETS, Operation DVD and logos of major sponsors.

Each “Collection Boxes” is designed in such a way that DVDs can be inserted — but not removed. Each box will hold over 250 donated DVDs for our troops.

Pre-paid shipping labels are attached to each “Collection Boxes” for transportation to sorting centers where “Children Titles” will be separated to be sent to the families (stateside) of soldiers serving overseas.
COLLECTION POINTS

Smaller rural areas (with no large chains) will be served by local AMVET posts. Material is supplied on the AMVETS, Operation DVD website for local Press Releases and Media coverage.

I bet you have a few DVDs you know they’d like and you haven’t watched in a while…help them out…it’s lonely when you’re far from home…

Just idle thoughts and wondering now what connections will show up in the next few days.

Tony Blair, tough on fighting the War on Terror, steps down. Lord Taylor takes over.

The VERY NEXT DAY, two car bombs in London are identified and disarmed.

Lord Taylor calls the possible perps as “criminals.”

Think about it: There was an election coming in Spain, who had troops in Iraq. Massive explosions ripped through the Madrid train station. The incumbent, who had been ahead, all of a sudden loses to the opponent, who says he’ll pull the troops out.

There wasn’t an election in England for PM, but there was a change over and an opportunity to test the new PM to see what he’s made of. Implied threat: Pull out of the war and tolerate us taking over your society, or we’ll keep slaughtering your citizens with any means available. Harden the airliners as weapons, we’ll go to the Tube. Harden that, and we’ll just drive cars down your streets. See a pattern?

So, I hope Lord Taylor will “grow some” right now.

Not sure what The New PM, Gordon Brown thinks about it, but it sure isn’t an “in your face” speech right away.

Another “deja vu” moment. Some reports of a Bobbie crawling into one of the cars in London immediately getting the cell phone trigger unwired. It sounds like some bystanders at Glasgow airport helped “detain” the men from the vehicle today. Yep, Flight 93 in two dimensions, vice three. Good one those who refuse to shy away from doing the right thing at great personal risk.

More success for the terrorists: They have caused us to suffer extensive personal checks for any air travel, being patted down to attend NFL games, extra scrutiny in may venues of our daily lives. Now, even you “ride” will be looked at with more suspicion. Cars are ubiquitous, to get us to school, and as we see now, as weapons of significant destruction among us. Easy, available, and with trunks full of nuts, bolts and nails…(oh, yes: Suspicion for anyone buying not just large quantities of diesel fuel and fertilizer, but those making large buys of “fasteners”), really bad ju-ju at the Mall, or near a 4th of July Parade.

Boy, does this suck. I can only hope they are sending the most stupid and gullible as drivers, as it appears they did for two days running now.

Great. MSNBC just reported Tony Snow released a note saying there is raised threat levels at airports. I guess we can’t think outside the box….any area where many people are gathering is a potential target. I’d like to think we can get smarter than this.

Update 07/03/2007: Well, The new PM is confused: “Don’t say Terrorists are Muslims Only”. Sigh….