Operation Healing Forces – Saving Military Marriages

Posted on
By JohnPosted In: Charity Activity, Family, Military

It is well documented that military service can take a toll on family life. Special Forces soldiers, in particular, grapple with high divorce rates. Operation Healing Forces, a charity that assists injured Special Forces veterans and their spouses, is working to change that.

Brant Ireland joined the army in 2002. He spent 6 tours in Afghanistan, suffering a devastating injury in 2013. After 20 surgeries in just two-years, he made the decision to amputate his injured leg.

Understandably, this was a terrible time for Brant’s wife, Tanya, a pediatric trauma nurse, and the couple’s two daughters. The Irelands started to drift apart. Brant explained that they lived side by side, but they were living “entirely different lives.” 

Fortunately, Tanya and Brant discovered Operation Healing Forces, a nonprofit dedicated to helping America’s Special Operations Forces and their families to restore the relationships wounded by the call of duty. Founded by Gary Merkel, Operation Healing Forces offers resources and therapeutic marriage retreats to ease the effects of military service. To date they have held more than 250 retreats, serving over 1,000 couples.

Operation Healing Forces took the Irelands on a transformative retreat to the British Virgin Islands in 2016. Surrounded by other military couples who understood what they had been through, Brant and Tany were able to rebuild their marriage.

The Irelands took what they had learned from this experience and used it to reconstruct their lives. Brant regained confidence through adaptive sports, while Tanya transitioned careers, both finding new roles within their family dynamic.

Brant and Tanya are grateful to Merkel for his support and intervention during a dark time.

Kayaking to Commemorate WWII Operation

Posted on
By DouglasPosted In: Charity Activity, MilitaryTagged: , , ,

Eighty years ago, Operation Frankton was underway during World War Two. During the mission, ten British soldiers paddled their way to Bordeaux, France on kayaks. The goal was to plant mines on German ships while it was dark at night. Unfortunately, six of the soldiers were killed by the Germans and two others died of hypothermia.

In commemoration of the operation and the fallen heroes, ten Royal Marines recreated the mission. The undertaking, dubbed Cockleshell 22, is reminiscent of the limpet mines carried by the soldiers and the commemorative 1955 film, The Cockleshell Heroes. The marines set out on the French coast, continued up on the Gironde estuary, and reached Bordeaux after four days.

At Bordeaux, there was an anniversary event upon the arrival of the ten Royal Marines. Mike Heard, the grandson of Bill Sparks, one of the commandos who survived the mission, was honored to be present at the commemoration. He exclaimed: “It’s tremendous that the legacy of the original Cockleshell raid lives on. It’s a great opportunity to showcase the original mission and raise money at the same time.”

The funds raised through the event will go to Help for Heroes, an organization that supports veterans and their families. The Royal Marines have already collected over £25,000 toward causes benefiting veterans’ mental health.

Jay Leno Raises $350,000 for the Fisher House Foundation

Posted on
By JohnPosted In: MilitaryTagged: , , , , ,

Jay Leno’s passion for cars has done more than benefit the auto industry; his recent charity auction raised $600,000 for U.S. veterans and armed forces.

Leno’s obsession with his vehicles is well known- he even has a structure built to house some of his most unique cars.

On Saturday night, Leno’s unique 2012 Prima Edizione Fiat 500 was sold for ten times the asking price of $35,000. The car was the second of the model to be imported by Chrysler.

All of the auction proceeds will be donated to the Fisher House Foundation. This organization works to provide a “’home away from home’ for military families to be close to a loved one during hospitalization for an illness, disease or injury,” according to their website.

“The Fisher House program is a unique private-public partnership that supports America’s military in their time of need. The program recognizes the special sacrifices of our men and women in uniform and the hardships of military service by meeting a humanitarian need beyond that normally provided by the Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs.”

Charlie Sheen Offering Large Charitable Contribution to USO

Posted on
By JohnPosted In: Charity Activity, MilitaryTagged: , , ,

It’s nice to see that even crazy celebrities can make a difference. Charlie Sheen, who just recently made news when he turned off his Twitter account with millions of followers, is now in the headlines for a good reason. He has pledged to give at least $1 million to military charity United Services Organization program that help hurt and sick soldiers and their families.

It’s hard to believe that this amount is only 1% of the profits he gets from his new show Anger Management. He reports that, should the show be a great hit, the USO may receive even more. At the moment, he’s given the charity an initial donation of $250,000.

In a statement Sheen said,

“It’s an honor for me to be able to give back to these men and women of the military who have done so much for all of us. They put their lives on the line for us every day, and I’m just happy that my work on Anger Management can bring a little bit of relief to the troops and their families.”

The spokesman for USO agrees. As he said, “the way we lift the spirits of the families and troops is through generous donations from the American public. It is heart-warming to me to see how the American people support the troops whether it’s 25 cents or $25 or $250,000.”

Budweiser to Donate to Military Charity With Every Walk-Off Home Run

Posted on
By DouglasPosted In: MilitaryTagged: , , , ,

The St. Louis Cardinals are prepping for their first home game of 2012, and this year their mission, along with that of all other MLB players, extends beyond the entertainment with which they provide their fans.

Budweiser recently broadcasted its pledge to donate money in support of military charities throughout this year’s baseball season. The beloved beer company will provide $5,000 to the Folds of Honor Foundation for every walk-off home run during the regular season.

Other Budweiser efforts include a donation of some of the sales made between May 20th and July 7th, with hopes of raising as much as $2.5 million for the charity. Last year, Budweiser provided the Folds of Honor Foundation with nearly $2 million thanks to a portion of sales and a $100 donation for every home run hit during last year’s season.

The Folds of Honor Foundation, or FHF, was established in 2007 with a goal of providing post-secondary educational scholarships to family members of U.S. servicemen and women who were lost of disabled while protecting our country.

Baseball fans, Budweiser fans and of course military charity supporters can donate $5 to FHF by texting “HERO” to the number 80888.

Blue Star Families Launches Milkidz Club

Posted on
By DouglasPosted In: MilitaryTagged: , , , ,

Military family nonprofit Blue Star Families recently launched its newest program called Milkidz Club, with help from Onsite Health. The club works to support military children by connecting them, as well as providing mentoring, resources and opportunities to help them grow within their communities.

The inception of MilKidz Club took place at an outdoor event at the Sierra Club’s Celebration of the Military Child in Virginia. The Club aims to "connect military children with the outdoors by helping them enjoy and explore the lands they and their parents sacrifice to protect." The Club's partners include the Sierra Club, Mission Outdoors; Armed Services YMCA; National Military Family Association and Outdoors Alliance for Kids.

"Onsite Health is very excited work with Blue Star Families and their upcoming MilKidz Club launch,” said Onsite Health CEO Ernest A. Blackwelder. "We recognize the difficulties military families have, especially when a parent is deployed. We believe MilKidz Club is a wonderful way to support these amazing families. We look forward to the upcoming launch and hope the families have a great time with it as well!”

“Our military children face many challenges right now,” said Mark Smith of Blue Star Families. “Between moves, school and deployments, military kids really need a chance to get outside, play, and explore. That’s why we’re excited to launch MilKidz Club at this great event, with these military-serving organizations celebrating military children outdoors.”

Military Wives Choir Tops Albums Chart

Posted on
By DouglasPosted In: MilitaryTagged: , , , , , ,

Military Wives, the all-women choir of wives and girlfriends of Afghanistan troops, have made the top spot on this week’s UK Albums Chart, surpassing Bruce Springsteen’s ‘Wrecking Ball’ which made Number 1 release last week.

Military Wives’ ‘In My Dreams’ overtook ‘Wrecking Ball’ by nearly 8,000 copies. The Official Charts Company stated that the sales burst was most likely a result of Mother’s Day Weekend in the UK.

The Military Wives’ track record has been remarkable, with their single ‘Wherever You Are’ topping the charts at Christmastime, later becoming the quickest selling charity single after ‘Candle In the Wind’ by Elton John. It raised 500,000 euro for a philanthropic organization, which was administered by SSAFA Forces Help.

Paul Mealor, the ‘Wherever You Are’ composer, said “it’s unbelievably magical to have achieved this-again! The legacy of this is the creation of Military Wives Choirs all over the country. It was brilliant to work again with the Military Wives Choir on ‘In My Dreams’, and how poignant to bring a serving soldier into the music with Jonjo Kerr. I feel proud and humble to be a part of this.”

Other top albums included Emeli Sande’s ‘Our Version of Events,’ and Adele’s ‘21’. Gotye’s ‘Somebody That I Used to Know’ held the number 1 Single spot, followed by ‘Starships’ by Nicki Minaj and ‘Elephant’ by Alexandra Burke.

 

Famous Dave’s Rib Tasting Benefits Veteran Museum and Heritage Center

Posted on
By DouglasPosted In: MilitaryTagged: , , , , ,

Famous Dave’s BBQ has teamed up with the Northern California Veterans Museum and Heritage Center (NCVM) to launch a charity rib-tasting affair in Redding, California. The barbecue restaurant and caterer’s Rib Team has won awards in over 500 competitions throughout the United States.

The event, which was held in the Trader Joe’s shopping center, featured the barbecue’s famous hickory smoked St. Louis spare ribs, Texas beef brisket, Georgia Chopped Pork and numerous signature sauces and flavors from Famous Dave’s. There were also barbecue and country roasted chicken dishes, BBQ sandwiches, burgers, salads and side dishes.

The event began mid-afternoon and ended when the ribs ran out, which a five-bone limit per guest. Famous Dave’s requested a $1.00 donation for each rib, or a ‘Buck-a-Bone’, and all the proceeds were donated to the NCVM.

“We always look forward to hosting these events where we are able to talk to our guests face to face while they enjoy our slow-smoked and flame-kissed ribs,” Famous Dave’s Chris Hazeleur said before the event. “This is a great opportunity not only for us to get to know our guests better, but for our guests to have the chance to taste our signature barbecue. We invite everyone to get sauced!”

Ex-Service Amputees Climb Kilimanjaro to Support ‘Pilgrim Bandits’

Posted on
By DouglasPosted In: MilitaryTagged: , , , , ,

John Sandford-Hart and Corporal Ricky Hatten at Kilimanjaro's Peak

On February 23rd, twenty seven men volunteered to climb Mount Kilimanjaro- the highest peak in Africa. And these were no ordinary men- four of them were ex-military and single leg amputees from Pilgrim Bandits.

The volunteers, including Lance Corp. Johno Lee, Corporal Ricky Hatton, Rifleman Chris Parks and former REME John Sandford Hart, not only sponsored their own trip, but raised additional funds for the charity as well. The Pilgrim Bandits Kilimanjaro challenge may have raised up to $15,830, with another similar event planned for later this year.

A charity of the New Forest, Pilgrim Bandits is an organization that aims to finance a number of challenges for amputee service men and women. The challenges encourage the amputees to push both their physical and mental abilities while raising money for additional ex-forces amputees to do the same. The events also promote awareness of the daily struggle amputees must cope with despite their impressive training and remarkable self-discipline.

Rhys Jones, an organizer who followed the expedition, said “Killi is the highest walkable mountain in the world, but it is a tough climb, a real challenge for anyone let alone someone with a prosthetic leg. It’s been a tough week for all involved and a real inspiration.”

Midwest Sports Fans Donating to Military Charity

Posted on
By M. MarksPosted In: MilitaryTagged: , ,

Operation Homefront

Operation Homefront

Sometimes people get it right – and the sports blog Midwest Sports Fans has certainly just done so.  On their site, they explain that they recognize that their job, blogging about sports, is not the most important activity in the world.  To bring more depth to their site, and to do something good with their passion for sports, they are creating a way to donate a portion of the MSF revenue to worthy causes.

Starting today, March 1, they will be donating a portion of their revenue to Operation Homefront, a charity that provides emergency financial and other help to families of those who serve. MSF will continue donating a portion of the revenue they generate from each pageview to Operation Homefront until September 15th, when they will turn their sights to another charity.

As MSF explains on their site,

“In fact, March is annually our highest-traffic month by a long shot. As soon as we decided to launch this program, we knew we wanted to fast track it to leverage our March traffic spike into a sizable donation for a good cause. Enter the wonderful folks at Operation Homefront.”

MSF will specifically be working with Operation Homefront’s Team Operation Homefront. This is an endurance event program that raises money for the larger charity.  Participants run to raise money for Operation Homefront, while honoring a specific veteran in the process.

Way to go MSF. And here’s hoping that they generate a lot of sports traffic in the coming months!