Show 'em you all care!


Giving Thanks To Our Troops

In September MISA school districts worked with the Department of Defense’s America Supports You program and held “Freedom Walks” throughout the country.

American Supports You has contacted MISA to ask for support in getting the word out about a Thanksgiving initiative called “Giving Thanks.” This is an opportunity for individuals to say thank you to the men and women who serve this nation.


Giving Thanks Program:
· People can text a message of thanks to 8-9-2-7-9, beginning at 6am EST on Saturday, November 17, and ending at midnight, PDT on November 22, Thanksgiving Day. Within a matter of seconds, the sender will receive a reply on their cell phone from America Supports You. The reply message will come from a member of the Armed Forces or a family member of someone who is serving, who will express his/her appreciation for the support, both personally and on behalf of others who are serving.

· The goal is to get people to take a moment during the Thanksgiving Day holiday to think about those who are serving this nation, and take an action that signifies they appreciate their sacrifices. Giving Thanks is expected to be a unifying moment for the nation, during a time in which families traditionally come together and express gratitude for things large and small that contribute to their lives. The United States currently has troops serving in 177 countries. The troops and their families will be told how many people have texted in their thanks and will get to see many of the messages.

· All of the major mobile wireless providers—AT&T Wireless (Cingular) Verizon, Sprint (Nextel, Qwest), and T-Mobile provide access to The America Supports You Text Message program.

thanks for posting--what a great idea!

I wish we had something like for our troops! I don't even think the rest of the world knows we have boys over there as well...we just had two more from very near my hometown shipped home yesterday...
C

I was very thankful that my nephew came home, you just never know....still waiting on 2 cousins over there to make it back.

What a wonderful program. Thank you for posting this and letting us all know about it.

THANKS SO MUCH FOR POSTING THIS. I HAVE A SON IN THE RESERVES AND LUCKILY HE HAS NOT HAD TO BE DEPLOYED YET.BUT SHOULD THE TIME COME HE IS READY AND WILLING TO SERVE HIS COUNTRY AND PROTECT THE FREEDOMS THAT WE HAVE. GOD BLESS AMERICA!

DITTO!

Ditto.

Thanks for posting. This means a lot- especially to me. With having a boyfriend in the military, whose been over three times...came home in September. SUPPORT YOUR TROOPS!

Rec'd this morning - thought it was nice & should be ok to share...

Subject: Great Christmas Poem

The embers glowed softly, and in their dim light,
I gazed round the room and I cherished the sight.
My wife was asleep, her head on my chest,
My daughter beside me, angelic in rest.
Outside the snow fell, a blanket of white,
Transforming the yard to a winter delight.
The sparkling lights in the tree I believe,
Completed the magic that was Christmas Eve.
My eyelids were heavy, my breathing was deep,
Secure and surrounded by love I would sleep.
In perfect contentment, or so it would seem,
So I slumbered, perhaps I started to dream.

The sound wasn't loud, and it wasn't too near,
But I opened my eyes when it tickled my ear.
Perhaps just a cough, I didn't quite know, Then the
Sure sound of footsteps outside in the snow.
My soul gave a tremble, I struggled to hear,
And I crept to the door ju st to see who was near.
Standing out in the cold and the dark of the night,
A lone figure stood, his face weary and tight.

A soldier, I puzzled, some twenty years old,
Perhaps a Marine, huddled here in the cold.
A lone in the dark, he looked up and smiled,
Standing watch over me, and my wife and my child.
"What are you doing?" I asked without fear,
"Come inside this minute, it's freezing out here!
Put down your pack, brush the snow from your sleeve,
You should be at home on this cold Christmas Eve!"

For barely a moment I saw his eyes shift,
Away from the cold and the snow blown in drifts
To the window that danced with a warm fire's light
Then he sighed and he said "Its really all right,
I'm out here by choice. I' m here every night."

"It's my duty to stand at the front of the line,
That separates you from the darkest of times.

No one had to ask or beg or implore me,
I'm proud to stand here like my father's before me.
My Gramps died at Pearl on a day in December,"
Then he sighed, "That's a Christmas' Gram always remembers."
My dad stood his watch in the jungles of Nam',
And now it is my turn and so, here I am.
I've not seen my own son in more than a while,
But my wife sends me pictures, he's sure got her smile.
Then he bent and he carefully pulled from his bag,
The red, white, and blue... An American flag.
I can live through the cold and the being alone,
Away from my family, my house and my home.
I can stand at my post through the rain and the sleet,
I can sleep in a foxhole with little to eat.
I can carry the weight of killing another,
Or lay down my life with my sister and brother..
Who stand at the front against any and all,
To ensure for all time that this flag will not fall."

"So go back inside," he said, "harbor no fright,
Your family is waiting and I'll be all right."
"But isn't there something I can do, at the least,
"Give you money," I asked, "or prepare you a feast?
It seems all too little for all that you've done,
For being away from your wife and your son."

Then his eye welled a tear that held no regret,
"Just tell us you love us, and never forget.
To fight for our rights back at home while we're gone,
To stand your own watch, no matter how long.
For when we come home, either standing or dead,
To know you remember we fought and we bled.
Is payment enough, and with that we will trust,
That we mattered to you as you mattered to us."

Thanks for posting that. That is great to know and letting all of us know.

God Bless America!

Thank you for posting that poem.

WONDERFUL, JUST WONDERFUL ... THX FOR SHARING!

That poem gave me goose bumps!! Thanks for sharing.