All Alone But Not For Long

Most Fridays, you will see out-of-towners in Beaufort, South Carolina, proudly celebrating with their recent graduates from Parris Island, the Marine Corps Recruit Depot. These families from across the country come to watch their sons and daughters graduate after 13 intense weeks of boot camp. What you do not see are the new Marines that pack their bags after graduation alone, without family or friends, and quietly board a bus for the train station or airport.

This stirred Jennifer Iddins, the wife of a Drill Instructor into taking action and creating the Stand Alone Marines Project. Jennifer organized parents of recruits through a message board. They brought donations to Beaufort the Thursday night before graduation assembling the bags at a restaurant. The bags contain a variety of treats (such as gift cards, phone cards, neck pillows) and are given along with hugs and congratulations to each new Marine that does not have anyone present at the ceremony.

Sarah and her son.

Sarah Schoen, a new volunteer and wife of a Marine reported, “The first Marine I congratulated was bursting as we talked about what he had gone through, and what lay ahead. When I asked him what made him become a Marine, he answered that his father told him he would never amount to anything. When his father passed away, he wanted to prove he could.”

These new Marines are so grateful for the small tokens that the SAM (Stand Alone Marine) Bags contain. Sharing the triumph of their success with someone who is willing to listen and offers a hug for congratulations, makes all the difference.We are so grateful for Jennifer, Sarah and the other volunteers for making sure our Marines do not stand-alone.God bless these new recruits.

Love You More Than You Know:Mother’s Stories About Sending Their Sons and Daughters to War

Here are pictures of 11 of the 45 troops and their moms from our book, Love You More Than You Know, in an Animoto video. May God bless our troops and bring them safely home.

Love You More Than You Know:Mother’s Stories About Sending Their Sons and Daughters to War.

Show Injured Marine You Care!

Imagine being severely injured while on foot patrol, losing both legs above the knees, and sustaining “excruciating damage to the rest of your body.” That’s what happened to Marine Lance Corporal Artem Lazukins in Afghanistan, when he was just 22 years of age. According to Juel Sitner blogging for Soldiers’ Angels, Artem has 20 more months of rehabilitation. “Because of the medical circumstances Artem didn’t get to come home with his Marine unit; and didn’t get the hero’s welcome in Oregon.”  

The long road to recovery can be a lonely journey. Start your New Year by sending a card to this Marine. Let Artem know we are thinking of him and his Mom. Put the motto of Soldier’s Angels into action–May No Soldier Go Unloved.

Send your cards, letters and support to:

Artem Lazukins
c/o S. Crenshaw,
PO Box 242
Canby OR 97013

Permission has been given by S. Crenshaw, a member of Soldiers’ Angels and PRG, to publish the above mailing address.

Yes Maddie,There is a Santa!

My grandchildren Sunny and Oscar

When my two year old granddaughter was asked by Santa what she wanted for Christmas, she answered, “Presents.” Little Maddie Hall was much more specific with her wish from Santa. She said she wanted her dad to come home. Maddie’s dad, Seth just finished his second tour in Iraq. The last time he was home was seven months ago when his daughter Juliet was born. This beautiful story is told by the Fox News Insider.

Seth missed his family so much while he was gone serving our country. He said, “…Time (away) can never be made back up.” This devoted dad plans on spending all his time with his children. The presence of our families at holiday celebrations is a gift that is priceless. Remember to pray for all our troops and their families. Merry Christmas and many blessings for a Happy New Year.

A Promise: No Veteran Dies Alone

This summer my mother passed away.  My siblings and I divide our time when my Mom was in the hospital, so that someone was always there. Nights are the loneliest to me and I stayed with my Mom at night singing hymns to her, praying with her, and sometimes just holding her hand. It was a sacred time and I am so happy that my Mom was not alone when she passed away.

Bill Whitaker in an article  quotes President Lincoln. The Department of Veterans Affairs says its mission is “to fulfill President Lincoln’s promise … ‘To care for him who shall have borne the battle.’ “At 14 VA hospitals around the country, that includes the special care veterans need when their final battle is coming to an end.”

At the VA hospital in Fresno, Dr. Wessel Meyer, chief of the medical staff oversees the end-of-life program. This program is run entirely by volunteers. Barbara Stadler, a secretary at the VA during the day, donates much of her spare time — and all of her compassion — to make sure the veterans here have a human hand to hold till the end.

Think about volunteering at a VA hospital. You might find the opportunity to offer your hand so a veteran doesn’t die alone.It is another way for us to say thank you to our veterans for their service.

Derek + Kait = Michael

I know the deep joy of holding a baby. I know the deep sorrow of losing a loved one. I cry at the news of another fallen Marine, Sgt. Derek Wyatt, of Akron. Derek was only twenty-five years old. He was killed while on duty by a sniper in Afghanistan. The next evening his wife, Kait, gave birth to their son, Michael.

The day before Wyatt was deployed to Afghanistan last October, he spent time on a California beach with his pregnant wife, who is a Marine veteran. They picked a name for their child and on the beach they wrote, “Derek + Kait = Michael.”

Derek’s ROTC Marine instructor from high school, Master Sgt. John MacLean, said in an article by the NewsChannel5 Staff, “He didn’t die. He changed jobs. He went from being a Marine here on earth to guarding the gates of Heaven. That’s what Marines do.”

Please hold Kait, baby Michael and their family and friends in prayer.

Janie with grand babies

The Gift of Being Alive

We celebrate this season by giving gifts. My daughter asked my eight year old grandson, Jack, “What to you want for Christmas?” His answer was simply, “I don’t need anything.”

How often we confuse our needs and wants instead of simply celebrating the gift of each day, the gift of being alive. My Father always said, “Live each day as if it were your last.” He did just that his whole life with grace and a sense of humor even for the eighteen years he struggled with Parkinson’s.

Ryan Kules, a veteran, celebrates the anniversary of his Alive Day. Ryan survived an attack with life changing injuries in Iraq in 2005 that killed two of his friends. In an article by David Martin ,Wounded vets celebrate their “Alive Day”, Ryan told how he first heard of this term from Jim Mayer, who had both of his legs blown off 42 years ago in Vietnam. “If I live,” Mayer said, “I’m going to have a party every year on April 25th and I’m going to call it my alive day.”

Mayer is known as “the milkshake man.” “He’s been delivering milkshakes to the hospital rooms of the wounded ever since the first war in Iraq, in 1991.”Mayer said, “to a certain extent, the more severe your injuries, the more thankful that you’re alive.”

Kules said Mayer brought him a milkshake (“I always requested vanilla”). Describing what the ice cream treat meant to him, Kules said, “You’re at Walter Reed. You’ve gone through a tremendous injury and a tremendous transition period. It’s a sense of just being normal again.”

November 29th was the anniversary of Ryan Kules “Alive Day”. He celebrates the gift of this day with his wife and three children, who were all conceived after his injuries. Ryan we celebrate with you and thank you for the gift of your service to us.  Thank you too for showing us how to live each day to the fullest.

Time To Start a New Tradition

Amidst the baking of pumpkin muffins, the mashing of potatoes, and the basting of the turkey, remember not only to count your blessings but remember those that are serving and protecting us.

As we welcome family from near and far, start a new tradition for Thanksgiving.  Set an extra plate at your table as a reminder of our troops unable to be home with their families and friends during the holidays. Thank God for these brave men and women and all the freedoms we have. May God bless our servicemen and woman, our veterans, and our families and friends.  Happy Thanksgiving!

Ohio Blogging Association’s Cleveland November Blog Swap

Today, I am participating in the Ohio Blogging Association‘s Cleveland November Blog Swap. Bloggers from around the Northeast Ohio area are guest posting on each other’s blogs. My swap guest is Kali Price, from http://finishingfirsts.com. For a full listing of blog swap participants, please visit www.poiseinparma.com

Hi LYMTYK readers! As Janie said, my name is Kali and I blog over at http://finishingfirsts.com. I work as a certified personal trainer and I spend the rest of my time doing crazy things like running ultra marathons. I blog mostly about running, training and fun fitness things that happen in lovely Cleveland, OH.

I’ve been told the OBA blog swap pairings were random, but I think God definitely had a hand in pairing Janie and me. My boyfriend, Patrick, is a 1st lieutenant in the Army and is currently stationed in Korea until the end of October 2012. He and I met in college and have been together for four years, on and off, but mostly off, until we got back together a year ago when he had returned to the U.S. after serving a year in Afghanistan.

During the “off” time, I started running in April 2009 (a few months before he deployed). I began running primarily for weight loss. After losing a total of 90 lbs. in about 16 months, I kept running because I loved it and loved running races. I ran my first half marathon (13.1 miles) in May 2010 and my first marathon (26.2 miles) in October of the same year.

The more I ran, the more it became about me and reaching my goals, rather than continuing to lose weight. It started to become my time to think, and though we didn’t speak during his deployment, I thought about Patrick often, especially while I was running. I wondered how he was, if he was safe, what he was doing, if he thought about me too, etc. And apparently he did, since shortly after he was stateside again, we started talking and I was plus one marathon cheerleader.

We’ve spent the most recent portion of our relationship apart — he was stationed at Fort Bragg until the end of September this year and I’ve stayed here in Cleveland. We got to spend much of October together, as he was on leave before heading to Korea. We had the opportunity to take a vacation (where I ran my second marathon. The photo below is after I finished) and spent a lot of time together before he left for another year.

A few days before Patrick left, a soldier, Ashley White- Stumpf, who he knew from the ROTC program in college, was killed by an IED in Afghanistan. I only met her once that I actually remember.

The night before Patrick left, I decided I wanted to start a run streak — running at least a mile every single day — for the year he will be gone. I decided I would set aside a dollar each day and dedicate one mile of my run to send to a scholarship fund that was set up for Ashley (there’s more to it, which will be detailed on my blog soon, so keep checking for updates if you’re interested).

Since that day at the end of October, running has become about more than training for races, beating my best times and reaching a goal. It’s become a release, a form of therapy and a way to deal with the things I can’t control — death, deployments, not knowing what will happen in Patrick’s and my future, etc.

I’ve run nearly 200 miles already, including my first 50K ultra marathon (31 miles) and my seventh half marathon. And during every run, I think of Ashley and other service members who gave the ultimate sacrifice for us. I think of others who are serving our country and away from home, keeping us safe and doing such an awesome job. And, of course, I think of Patrick, his service to our country and how I’m proud to say that I’m dating my hero.

Thank you Kali. We are proud of you for supporting your hero! May God bless Patrick,our troops, and their families and bring our soldiers home safely  to those who love them.

Proud of Those Who Serve

Veterans Day gives us the chance to honor all of our sons and daughters for serving and protecting our nation. My dear friend, Mary Ryan, (children’s author) is the proud mother of CMDR James Barry Ryan. Mary told this story.

After the retirement ceremony for our son CMDR James Barry Ryan, USN Ret., the captain who had emceed the program made it a point to tell me how much he admired our son. He especially mentioned how patient and helpful Barry was to the entire staff. “He doesn’t show people how he loves God,” the captain said. “He shows God how he loves people.” There have been many times we’ve been proud of Barry, but that has to rank right up there near the top.

I am proud to say that my son, Sgt. Joe Reinart is a veteran. Thank you to all who have served and for your many sacrifices. We are so proud of your commitment to us. We love you more than you know.

Photo by Mary Ryan