The Care Package Project helps the troops overseas! We currently ship over 1000 care packages five times a year to Marines stationed in Iraq and Afghanistan.
	Let's Bring 'Em Home helps our troops spend the holidays with their families. Your tax deductible donation can help pay for a plane ticket for military personnel that can't afford to come home to be with their family for the holidays.
	Holiday Mail for Heroes delivers greetings to U.S. Military Members and Veterans. The public can participate in the campaign by sending holiday cards with personal messages to a special post office box from Monday, Nov.r 2 through Monday, Dec. 7.
	Operation Homefront supports the troops and helps the families they leave behind. Visit their site to donate or find other ways to help this holiday season.
	Veterans of Valor. Sgt. Klay South was critically wounded November 11, 2004. After his experience he has made it his goal to help others going through the same trials. Learn about their backpack program and click the donate link to find out how you can help.
	Honor Flight of the Quad Cities flies America's veterans to Washington, D.C. to visit the memorials dedicated to honoring their sacrifices. Top priority is given to survivors of WWII and any veterans with a terminal illness who wish to visit their memorial.
	Teri Johnson's son Army Cpl. Jason Pautsch was killed April 10, 2009, while serving in Mosul, Iraq. She now turns her grief into something positive for other members of the military stationed overseas by sending custom care packages at no charge to any military person who is deployed.

Illinois WWII Veterans Classroom Project

Rock Island High School was fortunate to be one of eight schools in Illinois to receive a grant to interview veterans and post their edited stories online. We have a great many local "heroes" here in the Quad Cities. A recurring theme seems to be their modesty when interviewed. In some way they all say something to the effect that they "Are proud to have served their country in some small way". They are an amazing generation and their stories can be viewed here.

Bert is our new hero. This guy has gone to the Dallas/Ft. Worth Airport 300 times to welcome troops home from Iraq and Afganistan... 300 times in the LAST YEAR. It’s a program the airport started called Welcome Home A Hero. And he believes it’s worth it.

We had many calls today after our interview with Bert from soldiers who were part of a welcome. Some talked about how great it made them feel, some got emotional, and some commented on how contagious it was, with busy travelers stopping to applaud the returning soldiers. Bert’s story was captured on ABC News.

Person of the Week: Bert Brady

HOW CAN WE ALL SHOW OUR SUPPORT?

Good question. Bert’s group consists of fellow vets, family and friends of soldiers, and compassionate individuals who have learned of the welcome home and wanted to help. It’s not the same people every time (except Bert of course), but enough care every time. He told us, “Sometimes it 8 of us, sometimes a thousand.”

The information will come from you, so talk to your neighbors, and friends who know someone serving. They deserve a welcome home, a thank-you, and a salute. We’ve had success with the Patriot Guard events, and even welcome home motorcade salutes in limited form. We’d like to see it get bigger.

We think this is worth it.

All Era Veterans Healing Field Of The Quad Cities

All Era Veterans Healing Field Of The Quad Cities supports and is comprised of people from all of our local military organizations including all 5 branches of the U.S. Military, the Patriot Guard Riders, Marine Moms, American Legion Riders and so on.

All working in conjunction with each other to support our active duty military members, their families and in honor and remembrance of those who've paid the ultimate price for our freedom, including Welcome Homes, Send Offs, escorts, nursing home visits, Jason's Box, local parades, numerous other events as well as the Healing Field event itself held every August at Davenport Memorial Park.