Over the past few years, I’ve probably written more diaries about Iraq and Afghanistan than most people around here – certainly more than those who were not in the military. And usually, there was a major focus on the toll military actions were taking on our troops, as well as my questioning of the Bush/Rumsfeld military strategy.
However, what I want to solely focus on here is our troops.
There has been a lot of focus on the drawdown of combat troops in Iraq, and there was talk a few months ago in the corporate media of the potential ramping up of operations in Afghanistan. My views on this will no doubt be the subject of subsequent diaries – but as the US military begins adding thousands of troops in Afghanistan to take on the Taliban, al Qaeda and also to conduct additional operations – whether it is humanitarian, rebuilding or anything else – one thing is clear: our troops need to know that we know they are there, even if the corporate media continues to ignore or ‘forget" to report the stories.
There has been an increase of 17,000 troops approved by Obama, and while it looks like this level may not increase substantially, the fact remains that there has been way too little reporting on the shifting of troops from Iraq to Afghanistan.
As rbutters wrote a few weeks ago:
The Giving USA Foundation has studied trends within American charitable giving since 1956. According to its latest report, charitable giving in the United States declined by 6.3 billion dollars in 2008, and this decline has continued into 2009. This reduction has been seen across the board, though some causes have been done more harm than others.
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We have soldiers serving in Iraq today that have not received a non family care package during their entire tour. This would have been unthinkable three or four years ago. During my Iraq deployment with the 172nd Stryker Brigade in 05-06 I probably averaged a charity funded care package every two to three months. I would have noticed their absence. I know they are missed today.
It was just reported yesterday that six more US troops were killed in 2 separate blasts in Afghanistan. US military deaths are up substantially this year, and it is imperative that, if our troops are going to be in Afghanistan – even (or especially) as they are leaving Iraq – that we make sure that they are still on our minds.
But enough out of me. Here is the important action item stuff:
Our goal for Netroots For The Troops 2009 is $50,000.00 (cash or in-kind donations).
PLEASE DONATE HERE
We realize that you would like to donate something tangible to go inside the packages that will be mailed to the troops. Unfortunately, accepting in-kind donations from individuals is not practical in terms of storage and handling of the items. The Pittsburgh Convention Center is a union shop so we have more stringent rules that need to be followed. Instead, we will only be accepting corporate donations or cash from YOU to purchase items for the care packages this year.
Here’s how YOU can help:
- Please contact TexDem or VeloVixen if you know someone who might be helpful in securing the corporate in-kind donations. To help you think of companies who could donate products, see below* for a list of potential items. Put your thinking caps on and let us hear from you. It takes time to get through the corporate processes so we need to hear from you ASAP!
- We are accepting cash from individuals and
beg ask that you DONATE HERE to contribute to this worthy cause. Your donation will enable us to purchase the things that we are unable to obtain through corporate donations, and will help to pay the costs of shipping them to our troops. This year your donations will be tax deductible, thanks to Netroots Nation and their partner Netroots Arts and Education Initiative, a California 501(c)3 corporation.
- Sign up for a diary! Our goal is to post two diaries per day until NN09. That’s a lot of diaries! Don’t worry---we’ve made it easy for you. We’ve got a template set up, and all you need to do is add a small introduction telling us why you are donating, sharing a story of someone you know who has served or is serving, or any other thing you want to share that might help motivate others to donate. Please contact Donnamarie if you are interested in posting a diary.
- Do you know a service member who would like to receive a care package? Email a request to: NFTT.request@gmail.com before July 31, 2009.
Please include all of the following information. Unfortunately we will not be able to process any incomplete requests:
Rank:
Last name:
First name:
APO Address Line 1:
APO Address Line 2:
APO Address Zip:
- Write letters to be included in the packages! Our own jlms qkw is collecting the letters and will print them out and bring them to Pittsburgh. Just email your letter to her jlms_qkw@yahoo.com. Look for more information from jlms qkw soon. If you need some ideas, rbutters wrote an excellent diary with tips on how to write letters to troops and why it’s so important to them.
- Help us assemble the packages in Pittsburgh. It's fun! More information will be forthcoming for those of you who are going to be in Pittsburgh and would like to help there.
- Please consider joining the NFTT FaceBook Group. Invite your FaceBook and non-FaceBook friends.
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*The following list contains some of the things we would like to include in the packages. Please let us know if you know someone who might be helpful in securing these corporate in-kind donations. (Please DO NOT send these items yourself! We have no way to accept them. Instead, your cash donation is the very best way to help make this happen on the ground in Pittsburgh.)
- Baby wipes
- Mechanix gloves
- Language translation books or CDs (Rosetta Stone as an example)
- LED flashlights
- Gel shoe insoles
- Goop Cleaning Gel
- Powdered energy drinks
- Gel energy food packets
- DVDs and CDs
- Letters to the soldiers
- More suggestions coming soon
Books for Soldiers
Soldiers love to receive books, but due once again to the logistics of collecting and storing them prior to NN09, books will not be included in the packages that NFTT will put together this year. Other organizations are more specialized in the collection and distribution of books to Iraq and Afghanistan. If you are interested in sending books, please consider checking out the Books for Soldiers Website. It is run by DKos's very own StormBearand is a great resource for giving.
Important Note about Successful Online Donations
PLEASE DONATE HERE
When you make your online donation, the screen indicates that you are donating to Netroots Nation. This is the right screen! Rest assured all donations WILL go to NFTT. If you wish, feel free to use the comment area provided to note that your donation is intended for Netroots For The Troops. It isn’t necessary to do this however, as this is the only fundraising activity being conducted for Netroots Nation at this time. For further information about online donations, please read TexDem's diary on the subject.
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Thanks much – every little bit is important.