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.
	Christmas Card Campaign Send Christmas cards to soldiers who are serving overseas. Simply write letters or cards to soldiers and drop them off at the address below and they will do the rest! The event will run from November 16 - December 9 Drop your cards off weekdays between 8am-4pm at: United Healthcare 3800 Avenue of the Cities Moline, IL
	CD's For Soldiers. The guys from the Sugar Nipples are looking for CD's from local unsigned bands. Bazooka Jon's nephew is over in Afghanistan and asked for a single CD but they want to do better than that and send as many CD's as they can.
	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.
	Christmas Stockings for Soldiers Nancy's grandson CPL. Jonathan N. Kelley will be stationed in Iraq for the next year. He and his fellow soldiers have already seen much death so CPL. Kelley's family and friends have undertaken the project of sending over 150 stockings to his troop for Christmas to help keep their spirits high and show our love and support. It's quite the project and they need your help to ship the stockings overseas! Any monetary donations should be sent to: Walcott Trust & Savings Bank 101 W Bryant St. PO Box 100 Walcott, IA 52773 Please make out to: "Operation Stuffed Christmas Stockings For Army Unit C Co. 2-14 INF" Stocking stuffer items may be dropped off at: Nancy Kelley-Roehlk 4017 N Linwood Davenport, IA 52806 Please call before dropping off: 563-445-0421

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.”

In Eastern Iowa, we’re lucky to have QC F.I.S.T. to collect data and let people know what the troops need, but they’re one group in one area. We’d like to help, and possibly expand the network of people like us and Bert (and you, too?) who know families of soldiers, when and where they’ll be arriving home.

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.