Let's Bring Em Home

[Bambi_Bandit]

Guys,

Veteran's Day has come and gone, but our patriotism doesn't end there.

Regardless if you are Democrat / Republican / Independent, etc, or if you support the war or not, we have servicemen and women out there doing a job so that we here can enjoy or freedoms such as using our Airstreams and touring this fine country and all the sights it has to offer.

So, with each Christmas holiday, there are hundreds of servicemen and women that due to their pay grade / rank and station location cannot make it home for the holidays.

Imagine that being stationed in overseas, and wanting to get home for the holidays in the US and cant because there is "no space available" on the military plane back home, or the military transport schedule doesn't work out. Compound this by having a low pay grade and you get the idea.

So, there is a great guy at by the name of Ernie Stewart who runs a program called "Let's Bring Em Home", who's mission it is to "take donations to purchase plane tickets for junior enlisted military personnel, allowing them the opportunity to fly home and spend the holidays with their families. "

It is a tax deductible donation (501c) organization, and also gladly accepts airline mileage donations.

So, if you can, take some time please and check out his website and decide if you would like to help our servicemen and women out this holiday season. There is a very good site with all their IRS documentation, how the process works, and detailed FAQ section to address most any question you have.

Let's Bring Em Home!

Moderators, sorry if this post is inappropriate in any way. I hope this post will not offend anyone.

Thanks.

[Bambi_Bandit]

Sorry for the shameless self-bump of this thread, but yes, it is a tough economy and some folks still need a little extra help to get home for the holidays.

While I'll be off traversing the US from Texas to CA over the X-mas holiday, I need to give thanks for the men and women out there who make it possible for me to cruise around in my Airstream.

Any help (both in frequent flier miles or $$) is greatly appreciated.

Directly from their home page:


"Bringing military families together for the holidays since 2001!

OF COURSE we're doing it again this year! How could we pass up our EIGHTH opportunity to help our nation's military spend Christmas with their loved ones! That's right, each year we take donations to purchase plane tickets for junior enlisted military personnel, allowing them the opportunity to fly home and spend the holidays with their families. This program was initially started in December 2001 to show our grateful appreciation to American service members deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, and has become an annual tradition ever since.

Last year we raised over $70,000 and helped 135 soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines go home for Christmas. Our sincere thanks to everyone who donated last year! This year we understand the burden of a strained economy has us all in a pretty tough spot. People are losing their jobs, their houses, and their hope. The economic downturn has many pushed many of us towards financial hard times. But we're hoping to still pull off a few Christmas miracles for our deserving troops. Our donation page is always open, and we will begin taking international ticket requests after November 11th, and domestic ticket requests will start shortly thereafter. Stay tuned for more details!

The world is a very different place from what it was seven years ago when you and I first began this journey. As public opinion for the war in Iraq has molded the phrase, "bring them home," to imply other motives, I want to take a minute and remind everyone of the purpose behind LBEH. We are not for the war in Iraq, nor are we against it. We are not Republican, Democrat, Libertarian, Green or Independent. We are not pro-Obama or pro-McCain. Our motives serve not to change world events, or your perception of them. Our mission is as simple, as it is noble. All we want to do is unite a few military families for the Christmas holiday. That's it. No hidden agendas, no political speeches. We just buy plane tickets for troops. Period."

Moderators, sorry if this post is inappropriate in any way. I hope this post will not offend anyone.

[overlander63]

Originally Posted by Bambi_Bandit

Moderators, sorry if this post is inappropriate in any way. I hope this post will not offend anyone.

The idea is a good one, though my first thought was not what you posted when I read it. Maybe we can get the title changed so it doesn't look so much like a potential anti-war commentary.

[soldiermedic]

Originally Posted by overlander63

The idea is a good one, though my first thought was not what you posted when I read it. Maybe we can get the title changed so it doesn't look so much like a potential anti-war commentary.

I though exactly the same as Terry did when I saw the title of this thread, and was getting myself fired up to do a long post in support in my brothers and sisters in harms way overseas.

Nice program that this thread mentions. Hope everyone can get home in these hard times.

Steve

[mrmossyone]

Besides the ones who can't get home because of logistics there are those who will be on duty during the hollidays. As one who has been there during the hollidays it is sad to see other soldiers not recieve anything from home during the hollidays. I was one of the lucky ones who always had lots of mail coming and during Christmas something from home is more precious than gold or diamonds.

There are quite a few programs that you can donate to so soldiers get something from home over Christmas, so if you can, give something from your heart to our girls and boys in uniform during this giving season.