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SUPPORT OUR AMERICAN TROOPS
Yes, you can support our U.S. service members, regardless of how you
feel about the Bush administration's policies in Iraq.
To date, more than
1,800 soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines have been killed in Iraq.
Countless more have been wounded, including thousands who have been
maimed for life.
The organizations
listed below offer opportunities for all Americans to provide
substantive support to service members who are deployed in harm's way,
to those who have been medically evacuated to military hospitals, and
to the family members who bear much of the strain of supporting their
injured loved ones.
We will periodically add to or change this list, so please check again.
Fisher House
Fisher House,
http://www.fisherhouse.org/,
is one of the greatest military-oriented charitable
organizations I've ever heard of. Because members of the military and
their families are stationed worldwide and must often travel great
distances for specialized medical care, Fisher House™ Foundation
donates and maintains "comfort homes," built on the grounds of major
military and VA medical centers. These homes enable family members to
be close to a loved one who is hospitalized. There is at least one
Fisher House™ at every major military medical center. With so many
wounded service members being returned for hospitalization, the houses
are proving insufficient for the need-so Fisher House™ is also
helping families meet the cost of commercial lodging. You can make a
tax-deductible donation online at www.fisherhouse.org or by writing a
check payable to: Fisher House Foundation and mailing it to:
Fisher House Foundation, Inc.
1401 Rockville Pike, Suite 600
Rockville, MD 20852
Donate Frequent Flyer Miles
Fisher House Foundation, Inc.
is also managing a program that allows you to donate your frequent-flyer miles to military (or DoD civilian employees) hospitalized as a result of their service in Iraq, Afghanistan, or surrounding areas, and their families. These tickets can not be used for R&R travel, ordinary leave, emergency leave, or other travel not related to a medical condition.
The web page http://www.fisherhouse.org/programs/heroMiles.shtml
includes links that will take you directly to the appropriate donation page for the airlines that participate in this program.
The United Services Organization (USO)
Do you know the USO,
http://www.uso.org/,
receives no money from the U.S. Government? Do you know the USO does
much more than provide entertainment to U.S. service members around the world
(and do you know that USO entertainment does provide a huge emotional boost
to troops who are deployed far from home, often under deplorable conditions)?
You can make a general contribution, or you can contribute to one of the USO's special programs, such as:
Send a USO Care Package: With a donation of $25 you can sponsor a care package and include a personal message of support and encouragement. At minimum, the package will include items such as pre-paid worldwide phone cards, sunscreen, travel size toiletries, disposable camera and a message from the donor thanking them for their service and sacrifice.
Help a deployed service member phone home: This program provides pre-paid worldwide phone cards so deployed service members can phone their loved ones back home.
You can make a tax-deductible contribution by visiting
http://www.uso.org/,
by phoning the USO's 24-hour number at (800) 876-7469, or by writing a check to "USO" and mailing it to:
USO World Headquarters
Department WS
P.O. Box 96860
Washington, DC 20090-6860
America Supports You
Please do not be put off by America Supports You's dot-mil domain,
http://www.americasupportsyou.mil/,
or by you-know-whose photo on the home page.
If you click on the block labeled "Click Here to See How You Can Help," you will find links to dozens of organizations that support America's men and women in uniform. This site also provides a way you can post a message to our deployed service members.
Exchanges and Commissaries
"Exchange": What the military calls its retail stores.
These range from department stores to convenience stores and are found wherever service members are stationed or deployed.
They are also found in military hospitals.
If you ever served in uniform, you may remember this as the PX or BX:
http://www.aafes.com/docs/homefront.htm/.
"Commissary":
What the military calls its grocery stores:
http://www.commissaries.com/certificheck.
Your can donate a gift certificate for the Exchange or the Commissary to help meet the basic needs of a deployed service member. These certificates may also be provided to qualified family members who are visiting their hospitalized service member.
The downside: This is not tax deductible, and you will be charged a $4.95 fee in addition to the amount you choose to donate.
The upside that may compensate for the downside: Family finances can be very hard hit when a service member is wounded and sent out of the war zone for treatment.
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