Shirts have begun arriving in the desert!!!

Shirts have made it to their new owners ... not all of them yet ... Some groups are away from their home units and will get them upon their return.  Some units have received partial deliveries and are waiting for them all to get there, and one unit came home early and their boxes have begun returning to us.  Not great for us, but wonderful that they are home!  And we are very happy for them and their loved ones.

We're beginning to receive pictures and messages as they arrive, and look forward to more of the same ... Which we will post here for all to read and enjoy.

The first units responding were two of our all time favorites, the very responsive 555th MEB, and right after was the 44th CSB.  Both assure us more photos and messages are coming.  And we're really excited for them to arrive!

So here are the first of the messages and photos.  Please enjoy and share.  And to all of the recipients of these wonderful gifts, even if you responded to the person donating the shirts, etc., we would love to hear from you!

One of the first messages we received was from the wife of the 555 Cmdr who told us how their softball team had come across enough La Crosse, Wisconsin PD shirts that they were able to "outfit" the team and were really enjoying having new "uniforms" ... You gotta love the creativity out there!

~**~**~

On behalf of the men and women of the Triple Nickel, I want to thank you so much for all of the hardwork and dedication to bring together the Hero to Hero project!  What an undertaking!  My soldiers will be absolutely thrilled with the t-shirts and we will work hard to get our thank yous and photos back to the fire and police stations that donated so much to us.
We are doing well here.  Morale is high- but it is very important for the soldiers to know that they continue to have the support of the American people.  This Hero to Hero project is an absolutely superb way of doing that and the t-shirts will make a noticeable difference.

Thank you again for all you do for our soldiers.

Sincerely,
COL Bill Rapp
Commander, 555th Combat Support Brigade (Maneuver Enhancement)
~**~**~

Dear HeroToHero.us,

The members of Alpha Company,"FIDO," 14th Combat Engineer Battalion, "RUGGED," would like to thank your organization for your kind words and support.  The tee shirts are great!  We have attached pictures of our Soldiers sporting a new look.

Thanks again,

FIDO!

Joe Whipple
A/14 CBT EN BN 

~**~**~

Our shirts have arrived and we are distributing them.  They are wonderful.  Thank you for thinking of us.  I will be out of the loop for several days, but when I return, we will try to get some pictures made to send back.

Thanks again for thinking of our CSH and for your prayers and support for all the soldiers.

CH (CPT) Rick Stevenson

~**~**~

We received the t-shirts a couple of days ago and are sorting them by size and hometown.  Pictures will follow in a bit as it is hard to get many of us together at anyone time.  Thanks to you and all those who have put time and effort into a great program!! 

CPT Moore-Brown
508th MP BN (I/R)

~**~**~

We received your package with the T-Shirts (HHD, 44th CSB) and I just wanted to write a quick note of thanks.  We’re compiling the photos we took and will put it on a CD and send it to you.  In the mean time I attached a couple of pictures.  Once again, that you so much for your program!  It was a tremendous boost in our morale and really made our day.

LTC Herting

Commander

44th Corps Support Battalion

~**~**~

I just wanted to say a big "THANK YOU" for the t-shirts. I've never seen anything like this before and it was quite welcomed.  There are many soldiers who don't have a strong support system but, knowing that there are people back home who support what we do, makes it all worth it. 

 

Thank you, Chief (Hillsboro, TX) and thanks to all the others who made this campaign possible.  Thanks for your time and thanks for caring.

 

SSG Clery

~**~**~

 

Sir / Ma'am,

I am CPT Aubrey Semien and I am the commander of the unit that you recently sent some shirts.  I would like to take a minute to thank you on behalf of my company for your efforts.  It feels really good to know that there are people out there that really support what we are doing out here.  Currently, I haven't handed out any of the shirts.  I have received 4 of the 7 boxes.  However, once I receive all the shirts, I will distribute them out.  I will be sure to provide you pictures of the soldiers and their shirts.  Once again, I would like to thank you for everything that you have done and continue to do. 

 

V/R
CPT Aubrey Semien
HSC, 84th ECB(H)

~**~**~

 

The soldiers of Bravo Company 505th En Bn wanted to extend their thanks for the shirts we received. We truly appreciate your efforts in supporting us. Please extend our gratitude to all who contributed. Here is a group picture we took.

 

Thanks,

SGT Kimberly Walker
Admin Specialist
Co B 505th En Cbt Bn (H)

~**~**~

 

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE SHIRTS.

Hello this SSG Barnes, A CO 5TH ENG BN.  You have adopted my platoon to take part in this years HeroToHero and we just recieved our box of shirts.  You brought many smiles and excitement to our faces.  The shirts were wonderful and we appreciate it very much.  They meant a lot to us and we enjoyed them.  Most of the soldiers now have them hanging on their walls.  We want to thank all of people who support us and who took the time to donate their shirts, we hope they know how much it means to us over here.  We appreciate all the hard work and effort that you do everyday and we consider all of you our angels.  Once again thank you so much!  If anyone cares to email you can email me anytime. 

(*emails will be fwd'd if sent to our address for SSG Barnes ... lj)

~**~**~

 

Hey Good Morning!
I don’t know who specifically to thank, but we received your shirts and they are a great gift.  They were initially requested by SSG Grandchamp for our unit, 335th TSC FWD here in Kuwait.

 

We are planning to get everyone together with the shirts and get a picture for you.

 

We all again thank you for your kindness and appreciation!

CW3 Debbie Potter

335th TSC FWD - Kuwait

~**~**~

 

Hero to Hero,

I received a t-shirt from you today.  Thanks so much.  It made my day.  I am stationed in Kuwait on a 12 month tour supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.  It's great to know that the folks back home support us. 

 

Thanks again, you're all great Americans!

 

Proud to serve,

Roger E. Wright
Lieutenant Colonel, US Army

~**~**~

 

Dear HeroToHero.us,
    My name is Second Lieutenant Michael Bennon.  I am the platoon leader for the EM platoon, Bravo Company, 84th Engineer Combat Battalion.  We are a horizontal construction unit that conducts missions such as road building and heavy construction, and we are currently stationed in Iraq.

    I would like to personally thank you for the shirts and well wishes we received from your organization just a few days ago.  Your unique form of morale support gave my soldiers something comforting and different, and was a wonderful respite from the day to day missions of wartime reconstruction. 

    There is no shortage of work for construction units here in Iraq.  My soldiers have been quite busy over the past few months, with any rest time slowly being squeezed out of our schedule as missions continue to come down.  That being said, it is always wonderful to stop, take a breath, and realize that someone is thinking of us and our well being. 

    Most of the soldiers began bartering and trading Tshirts for one close to home or another with a better logo.  The messages on the shirts were inspiring.  I took this picture of the platoon after we passed them out.  Thank you again for all of your love and support.  I cannot express to you how much it is appreciated.

Second Lieutenant Michael Bennon
EM Plt, B Co., 84th ECB(H)
Platoon Leader
Dig Deep!

~**~**~

 

Thank you for the T-Shirts. I hope you enjoy these pictures as much as we
enjoyed your gesture.

Thanks, from all of us here at HHC 14th Engineer Bn. stationed in Iraq.

-SPC Johnson
HHC 14th EN BN

~**~**~

 

I would like to send thanks from my section S4 47th Combat Support Hospital Iraq to all the Policemen, Firemen (persons) and others that sent us the signed shirts and heartfelt messages. I’m a man of few words but that act speaks volumes and renews the faith that we are doing the right thing. Once again thank you.

 

David Cameron 

~**~**~

 

Howdy y'all im Staff Sergeant Chris Sandoval I'm a Medic with C company 505th Engineer Battalion. Im writing to say thanks for the fantastic support. I've been here in Iraq and Afghanistan for the last 27 of 36 months, and have seen a lot of stuff come from great Americans like y'all, but this is by far the coolest display of support for us ive seen. Y'all didn't just send shirts, y'all sent a big piece of home and there's really no way for me to express with words how much it means to me. I've always believed that Firefighters, Cops, and EMS were all cut from the same bolt of cloth, and it's nice to see that y'all think the same way.Yall have helped raise the morale of the company and I just wanted to thank you for your support. God Bless You and God Bless America

~**~**~

I love Vacaville, California, their fire department, and my T-shirt!  Thanks!

LTC Matt Russo
Commander, 505th Engineer Combat Battalion - Iraq

~**~**~

I received the pkg a few weeks ago but because of time constraints and missions coming up daily I have been unable to get a group of my guys together for a photo. Today I was able to get 5 of us for a photo. The others are spread out at various locations so it will be months until we could get a larger group photo with the shirts you sent. I will email the photo we took today ASAP. I just want you to know we all really appreciate what you do for us. God bless you

Sgt John Smith
694th Maint Co.

~**~**~

(MORE MESSAGES ON NEXT POSTING)

Thanks for the responses so far, please keep them coming.  A simple message and pictures from you all, can really help "up" the support from departments across the country!  They are all very interested to see where their shirts ended up this time around. 

You can send your messages and photos to HeroShirts@aol.com

Wear them with pride ... they were sent with pride and respect! 

Be safe ...

( ; 

Liz & the Angels of H2H