*MAF Honoring Heroes II Updates and Pictures---Syncro Report* (Updates daily)

On the road with the Honoring Heroes at the Holidays Tour going through Texas today.

Time is short, so I'm going to post some pictures and info from internal correspondence

HELP KEEP OUR PRO-TROOP BUS TOUR ON THE ROAD
Only a few days left to collect care packages for our troops

We left early this morning from our Super 8 Motel in Fort Stockton, Texas, heading to San Antonio and Austin for rallies today.

The MAF team working around the clock on the bus

The Wal Mart stores in Texas have been great to us in allowing us to conduct our rallies right in their parking lots. It represents there deep commitment to our military men and women, and we should all pay special thanks to Wal Mart for what they do. Special thanks go to Maria, manager of the San Antonio Wal Mart SuperCenter

Nancy Ayala and Melissa Doyle were two military wives who were deeply touched by our campaign to support our troops. Both women know the pain of having a loved one away for the holidays and then getting the news that their husbands were casualties of the war in Iraq.

Nancy Ayala is the wife of Pedro Ayala, who is recovering from a vicious firefight when a bullet grazed his head. He is now doing well and still recovering at Brook Army Medical Center here in San Antonio.

Melissa Doyle is the wife of Richard Doyle, who was serving in Baghdad when his vehicle was hit by an IED. It rolled, and Richard lost his leg. He is also recovering at the Center for the Intrepid, another military hospital in San Antonio.

They both told us that they appreciate everything that Americans do for both active duty, but also veterans and military families.

They even wanted to help out MAF raise money for care packages for their husband’s buddies who are still serving in Iraq!

Our Somoan Blogger is just a blur most of the time, a tireless worker.

Here is some of his reporting:

Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Posted By:
MAF Blogger Danny
Permalink Shivering cold in Austin is warmed by our spirits!
Our rally in Austin took place pretty late in the day, 5:00 actually. That doesn’t normally seem like a late time for a rally but being that it’s winter time now we run short of daylight around that time. But, lucky for us, we were holding this rally at a Wal-Mart and we were graciously allowed to park between the two entrances and have the lights shining down upon us.

We had a great turnout from Austin Republican Women and the Austin chapter of Soldier’s Angels. One thing I always love about Republican Women’s Clubs…they always love things like T-Shirts, CDs, and of course, Candy Diplomacy Tins!

Also it was really nice just to be back in Austin again. I missed it quite a bit actually, since I moved away from here in 2006 after I graduated from school, I have not really been back since. MAF has driven through Austin several times on tours, but we have never made a stop in the city that I still hold close to my heart. I forgot how cold it got though! In fact we were all freezing our butts off while Debbie Lee talked about Marc’s story and while Diana was singing her beautiful songs.

Since we are doing some Wal-Mart stops this tour, one of the factors that we don’t normally get when we do these rallies are the “passerby factor”. Interestingly, we have met SO MANY interesting supporters who have never heard of MAF but were just coming to Wal-Mart to get some groceries or an Xbox 360 and just happened to stumble upon a MAF pro-troop rally.

Sampling some Cookies Hermania Price

Hermania Price was coming to get a new ring. Her husband, Sgt. 1st Class Mark D. Price is in Iraq serving in the Army today. They married just over two years ago and Hermania has moved them into a new house so when Mark comes back home from Iraq, he will be coming home to a new house full of home projects and things to fix!

Hermania had Debbie Lee and the whole crowd huddled around her in the cold as she told us why she happened to be coming in to this Wal-Mart and why she thought it had to be God’s will. She actually got a call from Mark in Iraq who was hysterical and upset because he had been standing up on a pile of rubble in Iraq when his ring just fell off and became completely lost in the pile. He was so upset he wanted her to run out and buy a new ring and get it out in the mail and back to him immediately!

So Hermania being such a good wife rushed out to Wal-Mart and there was MAF! It is interesting how she attributed this meeting to God’s divine providence because her husband is not religious while she herself is Catholic, but since he had been deployed to Katrina last year, Mark has been reconsidering his beliefs. Well we wish the best for Mark in Iraq and of course his loving wife Hermania here in Austin. We pray for God to watch over Mark and all of our brave troops fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Shivering cold? Hay, it was only 27 fair n' height.

Thursday, December 18, 2008

Posted By:
MAF Blogger Danny
Permalink
TWO Navy SEAL moms together in Houston

Our rally in Houston, TX was also at another Wal-Mart. Our tour is structured so that we started out with some VFWs and American legion type halls, with a big chunk of Wal-Marts in the middle and finishing it off with a couple more non-Wal-Mart locations.

George Carson

George Carson from Families United was there and taking pictures. He was telling Debbie Lee that they are working on another event for Texas coming up soon and that he is also looking forward to going BACK to Iraq to work again as a contractor.

Tonie, Diana and Sharon

We also had Sharon Burns, another Navy SEAL mom and her friend Tonie Ruddick who both live in Victoria, TX so they drove a little ways to get to our rally. Debbie Lee met Sharon Burn’s son Jared at a SEAL function, a funeral actually, I believe, and has kept in touch ever since. Debbie was extremely excited to finally meet Mrs. Burns finally and talk about what it’s like to have a Navy SEAL in the family, where you often don’t know where they are deployed or how dangerous the mission is.

We also met William Myers who lives in there in Houston and was just coming up to buy some fish for he and his wife to have dinner when he saw our rally. Myers told me that he is a Gulf War vet who served in Kuwait and Iraq during the first Gulf War. He recalled that he spent almost 6 months in Iraq both during the ground war and in the months after where he managed supply lines and humanitarian aid in the northern regions of Iraq controlled by the Kurds. I talked to him about some of the work we had done with the Kurdistan Regional Government and he was very well versed in the situation In in Kurdish Iraq.

Debbie Lee with Scott Kimrey a Blue-Star Dad

It was a very rewarding trip.

More Updates:

MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT
MOVE AMERICA FORWARD HEADS TO CUBA

TRIP TO SUPPORT OUR TROOPS GUARDING AMERICA’S ENEMIES

Hello, it's Melanie Morgan, Chairman of Move America Forward (the nation's largest pro-troop organization) and I have some really big news to announce.

I am leading a delegation from Move America Forward to our Navy base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to support our troops with Christmas and Hanukkah cards and an assortment of gifts.

We want to add to our gifts by getting the latest movies on DVD. We have special permission to bring extra suitcases full of goodies for the troops.

We are flying out of Florida on Sunday and directly into the military base in Cuba. So we only have one day left to go shopping for the troops.

Our military men and women have done a fabulous job in protecting us from the threat of Islamic terrorism. I have personally gone over to Iraq to meet with our troops and hear from them directly about what is going on – the true story that you never will get from the mainstream media.

We are winning the war in Iraq and defeating terrorism. And, the worst of the terrorists we have captured are right there in Guantanamo Bay. Yet, we hear so many politicians more concerned about the rights of the terrorists than the well-being of our military. Well, there is no doubt where we stand. We are totally behind our troops, including those standing guard at Guantanamo Bay.

We are delighted and excited to be able to personally tell the United States military personnel at Guantanamo Bay how much we appreciate their service to America. We especially appreciate those who have had the difficult duty of containing the worst terrorists, who are imprisoned at the Navy Facility.

Move America Forward has been conducting a nationwide tour to support sending care packages to the troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. The tour began in Sacramento Country with a parade to commemorate the 25th Anniversary of the California Vietnam Memorial and will now end at the U.S. military facility in Cuba.

The Honoring Heroes at the Holidays II Tour ends in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba!

With Americans focused on the economic problems facing our country, we have to ensure that our troops in harm’s way are not forgotten during the Christmas and Hanukkah holiday season. Our care packages are heading to Iraq and Afghanistan, but it is also important to remember our troops who are keeping the terrorists at bay just 90 miles from our shores.

Going with me will be Gold Star Mom Debbie Lee, whose son Marc Alan Lee was the first Navy SEAL killed in Iraq. We went to the Middle East together last Christmas to personally distribute Christmas and Hanukkah cards to our troops.

With so many politicians irresponsibly criticizing the job being done by American troops at Guantanamo Bay, we thought it was important for us to go there and personally tell them that the American people are 100% behind them – despite what a few self-serving politicians have to say.

Honoring Heroes at the Holidays

Posted: 12:25 PM Dec 19, 2008
Last Updated: 12:25 PM Dec 19, 2008
Reporter: Christina Kremer
Email Address: christina.kremer@wctv.tv

American soldiers are in the line of fire, even during the holiday season.

The organization "Move America Forward" is on a mission to give troops care packages to show support.

An event called "Honoring Heroes at the Holidays" was held Friday morning at Governor's Square Mall encouraging people to give what they can to those who make the biggest sacrifices for our freedom.

"My son Marc Alan Lee was the first Navy Seal that was killed in Iraq in August 2nd 2006 and he stood in the direct line of fire 3 times that day,on purpose, to save his buddies. But he didn't just do that for his buddies but he did that for you and for me." says Debbie Lee, Marc Alan's mother

"Move America Forward" is heading to Jacksonville, FL Friday afternoon and will then travel to Guantanamo Bay to deliver the care packages to U.S. troops.

To find out more on how to give a care package visit moveamericaforward.org

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