Welcome Home 25 BSB!!!

We want to share the faces of some of our troops who have been part of Hero To Hero ... very happily, these are return shots!   Several of the Angels stood with me a few days ago as we watched families, friends and loved ones welcome home members of the 25th BSB.   What a wonderful thing to see, and experience!   The tension in the gym rose by the minute until the door opened, and our returned Heroes came marching back into our lives.   The tears fell, screams, laughter, and happiness ensued.   Some of these troops were meeting their babies for the first time, or seeing them for the second ... what a difference a year makes!   The 25th BSB has been a strong supporter of Hero To Hero ... standing with us as we kicked off H2H '05, sending the Rear Det for the pack out, and receiving shirts from firefighters and police from all over America!   They also made a donation to the cause for the National Tour, and we hope they will continue to stand with us for future events!   I am going to do my best to get some of them to come meet some of the local heroes who gave the shirts off their backs for these troops, and maybe get some photos of them in these shirts for the site.  It will be good to see another year come full circle!   Now we just need the rest of our adopted troops to come home ... can't wait!  And we'll see you all at the redeployment, very soon!   For now, it's time for the 25 BSB to shine!  These pix are for you ... WELCOME HOME!

The IAFF Fallen Firefighter Memorial

(17 Sept 05)  This past weekend, I experienced a wonderful honor when the Tacoma Fire Department Honor Guard allowed me to accompany them to the IAFF Fallen Firefighter Memorial in Colorado Springs, CO.  

The TFD Honor Guard & Pipers have been such a blessing for the Hero To Hero effort, and the pictures here are our way of saying thank you to some of our favorite Firefighters (& Medics).  

We left from SeaTac on Thursday, and returned last night (Sunday).  In between, we met firefighters from all over North America.  We met families of the Fallen Heroes and shared stories of people we all had in common.   I listened as past visits were relived, and watched as new friends became lifelong buddies.  There were lots of hugs, and plenty of "Hey, remember that time..."  

 I watched the first practice with over 500 Honor Guard members from the United States and Canada, as they formed into their various groups ... readers, presenters, pipers, drummers, axes and poles ... and probably a few I am forgetting.  

It was impressive to watch these representatives from so many places come together, to work as a team, and combine their talents into a ceremony that all who attended will remember for a very long time.   You cannot imagine how unforgettable it was to stand by as all the pipes and drums struck up for the first time, in a huge circle, in a field beside the memorial.  Don't know what it is about those bagpipes that give me goosebumps, but, wow!  Everyone was in their street clothes, and it made you wonder how amazing this would all be when they donned their respective uniforms.  

Between being a driver and taking all of these pictures, I spent most of my time sharing the H2H project ... getting it out to as many departments as possible.  I'm sure I made the TFD crew nuts, but the opportunity to network for Hero To Hero was invaluable. When you have so many requests from troops for these shirts, you do what you have to do to make it happen!  And TFD will deserve much of the credit this year for our success!  

It was very cool that I knew some of the guys there, as we had met on previous national tour stops!  There were reps there from Everett, WA ... Spokane, WA ... Portland, OR ... FDNY ... Orange County, CA ... Anne Arundel, MD ... Chicago, IL ... Phoenix, AZ ... Dallas, TX ... Cleveland, OH ... Fargo, ND ... Sacramento, CA ... and soooo many more, all of them great guys from very supportive houses.  I spent a lot of time visiting with these heroes of ours.  (I truly apologize that I am tired right now, and may have missed some really special folks ... it is exhaustion, and nothing more.  Let me know if I skipped you, and we will fix it!)  

There were some pretty special people I was introduced to, and I carry that as an honor for our group ...  

Jay Bishop, National Honor Guard Commander ... What a great guy!  An Air Force vet, who truly understands what the shirts for our troops mean to their morale.  Loved your heart, it showed in everything you did to make this the event it was!  We look forward to visiting you and yours in Springfield ... thanks for the invite, Jay!  

Kelly Fox, Olympia Firefighter, and President of the Washington State Council of Firefighters ... Kelly had helped Hero To Hero before, we had spoken on the phone and emailed but this was the first time we had met.  He was just exactly as I imagined ... great guy, very personable, and very supportive.  Thanks Kelly, we'll let you get back home and then get with you again.  

Ricky Walsh, a Richland Firefighter and Vice President of the Washington State Council of Firefighters ... When I saw Ricky he looked really familiar, turned out we had met before when we did our WA State "Stomp."  We visited 20 department across Washington State in 2 days, with military families and troops to get shirts and show our thanks ... turns out we stopped at his house along the way.  Richland was extremely generous in their support of Hero To Hero.  We spent about an hour along the way, as they signed their shirts and other items with supportive messages.  Their shirts were part of the H2H '05 shipment, and are on the backs of troops all over the desert.  Thank you Ricky, and Richland Fire!  You all rock!  PS: They brew a mean coffee!!!  ( ;  

IAFF General President Harold Schaitberger ~ We have wanted to meet President Schaitberger for a long time!  We wanted to shake his hand and say thank you on behalf of all the troops who have been recipients of the shirts off the backs of so many IAFF Firefighters.  Being the mother of a son who has already done a tour in the sand, and will likely rotate in again very soon ... morale of a soldier, sailor, airman or marine is imperative, and near and dear to my heart.  I finally got a chance to shake the hand of the man, and tell him Thank You.  He must have heard me, he shook my hand said it was a great thing and gave me a kiss on the cheek ... didn't expect that last bit, but he made me proud in that moment.   

President Schaitberger, thank you!  You will never know what it meant to this Mom.  Hope we get the chance to meet again ... in the meantime, I will visit your firefighters, (and our Heroes) for our troops.  We make a great team!   I was able to make personal contact with folks we will likely visit this next time around on the tour ... like Springfield, KC and Colorado Springs, and Sarnia, to name just a few.  After all of the pictures are posted, I will post the proposed route for our next tour, as promised.  

Speaking of pictures, boy did I take a lot of them!  LOL  I am going to have to post the photos in increments.  I will post the actual ceremony shots first, then let you see all the hard work these folks went through to make this such an amazing moment.   As you go through them, you will see just a slice of what happened.  If you are ever able to make it to the event, I can assure you, you will want to go back!  The firefighters and their families are amazing! 

With rare exception, I have never met a firefighter who did not impress me with their heart, integrity and professionalism.  It is no wonder that the troops look to these people as their heroes, and want to wear their shirts.   So enjoy the photos, feel free to use them for honorable purposes, but please give credit for the shots you use, to HeroToHero.us  

To the Tacoma Honor Guard ... thank you so very much for allowing me to come along.  I hope I was a help to you along the way, and you will have to forgive me for my passion ... it is as important to me as is yours.  

Karen Leming "MS July" ... you know, I think I will just leave you all with that teaser until we get through all the pictures.  But, thank you Karen, we would not be this far without your support.  God bless you, and God watch over your son, Aaron, as he deploys.  We'll be there for him along his journeys ... he too, is one of our Heroes!  

Photos are in no specific order, and you will find some that are similar group shots - cuz there's little worse than a group shot where you are the only person who doesn't look their best.   

Would love to see some of your comments ... and remember, we need your shirts by Valentine's Day.  

Anyway, here goes...  

lj  

Today was a picnic!

(Sept 14, 2005)  We had a blast today!  Kathy, Aris, Ron and I accepted the invitation extended by JTF6.5 for a bbq ... and these folks know how to put on the feed!  Kudos to the cooks!

We asked that those who received shirts at the kick off, wear them, and they did.  And even more shirts came out from their barracks to be given, in turn, to fire and police departments from Heroes ... to Heroes.  You gotta love these guys!  (We do.)

We spent most of the afternoon with them, laughing and talking about hometowns .. many of which we have visited on our national tours.  There are folks there from New Orleans, who assured us that their families are okay ... from Puerto Rico ~ with a huge smile ... from Missoula, Coeur D'Alene, Pennsylvania, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Brooklyn, Boston ... and many more.  We had several requests asking if  we had their hometown shirts, some we do, and we will try make sure that they get as many of their hometowns as possible.  As for the rest, remember, contact your hometown fire & police so we can get enough shirts to take care of you all!

As the Navy was enjoying life before they leave American soil, "next door" was an Army unit practicing maneuvers.  It was nice, knowing how often the esprit de corps can separate the branches, that they were friendly and allowed a former Marine (now Navy) to hold a "saw" once more.  There was some good-natured banter among them and handshakes before we left them to their tasks at hand.  Another great group of guys ... and possible adoptees for this year!

Before we could leave, SHertz got in there and had his photo op ... that bear has some of the coolest pictures!  He had the ladies buzzing around him all afternoon, and didn't mind a bit!  The guys were checking out all his "bling" from the various departments, and offers of more pins for SHertz were made.

The gratitude for the Hero To Hero effort was evident here, they made us feel very special to be their guests.  Good food, good people, good times ... and lots of hugs ... we can't ask for much more.

I want to share something we encounter on a fairly frequent basis .. the selflessness of some of these groups.  Before we left, one of the sailors came up to us, and made this statement, "Don't make us a priority ... take care of the others first.  We have access to some things they don't".  They will be shipping out in a few days, they will not go to the desert, but they will be away from their families for a year.  They too will be without the comforts of home and family, but they still think about the others in the desert.  We love and respect their heart.  And just for the record ... To us, a troop, all troops are priorities!

Thank you all for sharing your day with us, we were honored to attend!  You all take care (even you, Cheeseball!) and hopefully we will see you in a year!  (And until then, in pictures.)

Stay safe, you will be in our thoughts and prayers!

lj & the Angels

Welcome to Hero To Hero '06

Hero To Hero '06 has officially begun!

(Sept 11,2005) We stood side by side with some of our local Heroes from the Tacoma Fire Department for their "9-11 Remembrance" ... and some from outlying departments.  Tacoma Police Department was missing in action due to a conflict in scheduling ... there was a big race downtown, and they were needed there.  But they came by beforehand, and they were with us in spirit, as always!

The event began quietly, with TFD Honor Guard Cmdr, Karen Leming, welcoming us and the pipers piping in the background.  We may have been there to kick off '06, but first we needed to pause and reflect.  September 11th was honored with the dignity it requires, as was evident by looking out in to the audience, Tacoma FD was everywhere, and it was very touching to see their salutes, and bowed heads throughout the ceremony.  We are proud to have again been part of this remembrance.

We were also joined by Tacoma Mayor Bill Baarsma, and TFD Interim Fire Chief Ron Stephens, both of whom spoke eloquently.  TFD Chaplain Wilby Casey said the invocation, and lent his wonderful presence to make the day even more special.

The Tacoma Fire Department Honor Guard and Pipers were awesome, as always!  Don't think there was a dry eye when the pipers played "Amazing Grace," and the Honor Guard brought the moment home when the flag (already lowered from Hurricane Katrina) was raised, then slowly lowered once more.

Many of the units we adopted for H2H '05 are still deployed, and happily nearing their return date.  As such they were unable to attend, but their loved ones were with us.  Family members of the 42nd MP BDE, 25th BSB, 73rd Engineers (if I missed any, please advise) were spotted throughout the event.  We look forward to welcoming these Heroes home, and having them standing with us next year!

Troops were represented by the Navy's JTF 6.5, who will be deploying very soon.  This was the first time we had Naval personnel with us, and we are honored.

Also representing, from Fort Lewis ... the 555th, & 44th CSB ... all of these units are on our adoption list for H2H '06.

There were some moments that will stay with us for some time ...

We were caught off guard by a lone soldier from Fort Lewis, a "Patriot" with the 2/3 Inf Stryker BDE who was part of the initial shipment of shirts.  After I had spoken and was leaving the podium, he approached bearing a Stryker t-shirt, and a photo of his unit in the desert flying a Tacoma FD t-shirt from their vehicle. (This is one of my favorite photos!)  He wanted to present the shirt to a member of TFD, so we called Chf Ron Stephens forward.  This is what it's about, touching a troops' heart, so far from home.  The 2/3 paid their respects earlier this year, after their return when they accompanied us to Auburn FD and presented unit coins to the firefighters there.  We love our Strykers!

There were a number of very touching moments ... Larry Kaibetoney, of the 25th BSB, who is still recovering from injuries incurred in the Mosul Dining Hall suicide bombing, gave the shirt off his back to TFD Chaplain Casey.  Larry continues to amaze us with his recovery and incredible positive outlook.  He currently works at the Fort Lewis Museum, stop by and shake his hand!

The moment that got me most was when we surprised Karen Leming.  She is always so in control, a firefighter, TFD HG Commander, Mom to 4 sons, and driving force for H2H ... who'd think she would get another title?  Recently Karen called to tell me that her son Aaron was deploying, so it was only right to give her a Blue Star flag to honor him.  She held it together for the bouquet of flowers we gave her, but the flag touched that spot in her heart reserved for her boys.  When she cried, I saw Aaron in her eyes ... and he radiated the pride and love he has for her.  We love you Karen.  Aaron's unit is the first to be adopted for H2H '06!

And it just got better ... Fife Destination Harley senta small contingent of riders to help us kick off this year's program, and show their support of our troops.  Gene made sure that we had shirts from Destination again this year ... and the troops loved them! 

Not only did they send riders, and more shirts ... they sent a wonderful photographer who captured some great moments.  These are their photos (and this guy can take pix at our events any time he wants!)  Enjoy the pix ... their photos begin at #112.

Thank you again to Gene, Kevin, and all of our friends from Fife Destination Harley!  You all rock!

Global Bikers Films had planned on filming our event, but due to a fatality accident on I-5, they were unable to get to us til very near the end.  Packages sent this year will include DVD's generously donated to us by GBF of the "Run for the Wall" ... a wonderful job!  We look forward to working with them at the pack out!

KrispyKreme's (Tacoma & South Hill) made sure we had a yummy start to our day, and Mountain Mist quenched our thirsts ... we really appreciate their continued support, and look forward to more shared experiences in the future.

Speaking of adoptions, they opened at midnight on September 11th ... within 12 hours we had requests for over 2,000 shirts.  By midnight the number had risen to over 3,000!!!

This year will be busy, we need everyone's help!  Please contact your local fire and police (all first responders)! and let them know that they can show their support for our deployed troops in a real way by actually giving them the shirts off their backs.

As always, we follow our three basic tenets ... no politics, no pro/antiwar stances ... strictly morale for our troops.

And so it begins!  The shirt drive has begun, you have all the way to Valentine's Day to get those shirts to us.  The shirts ship at the end of February.

Remember, we make it possible, you make it happen!  PLEASE, look in your closets, and drawers for shirts you can share ... this is a great way to recycle shirts you are not wearing.

Our troops are waiting, don't let them down!

**The photos were taken at today's ceremony ... they were in order, until I transferred them into the journal, and I am just waaaaay too tired to rearrange them.  Enjoy!

lj

PS... If you attended the event and have photos, we would love to have copies of them.  You can send them to H2HHeroes@aol.com

Photos are coming in ... they are added to the end of the collection and you can reverse your way in to see them.  Keep 'em coming!