As you may know, Netroots For The Troops, a collaborative effort by members of the Daily Kos, IGTNT and Mojo Friday communities, will be holding a Special Event/Seminar at Netroots Nation on Saturday, July 19th from 2 PM to 4 PM.
We are pleased to announce some special guests with an important and unique perspective on the topic of Troop Care Packages who will be joining us to talk about both the past and the future.
UPDATE: I have been reminded that if you haven't done it already, you need to go and register for Netroots Nation! -- and hit that recommend button to the right, too! ;-)
Crossposted at Docudharma and ePluribus Media
Netroots For The Troops is pleased to announce two very special guests:
When he made his appearance on Daily Kos as The Angry Rakkasan on Sept. 3, 2006, BRANDON FRIEDMAN established himself as a strong, passionate voice on veterans issues and the plight of the active military. A veteran of both Iraq and Afghanistan, Brandon has emerged as a eloquent voice defending progressive principles, appearing on countless cable news programs and blog entries. Now the Vice Chairman of VoteVets.org, and the author of The War I Always Wanted: The Illusion of Glory and the Reality of War, Brandon is working hard to help shape policy and improve the lives of his fellow veterans.
ERIC MASSA is no stranger to the needs of our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. According to his bio at MassaForCongress.com,
I was commissioned as a Naval Officer and spent a total of 24 years on active duty serving in every operational area that the Navy sailed in.... One deployment saw us for many months off the coast of Beirut in direct support of our Marines ashore. During another cruise to the Middle East we were on station during the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait and throughout the opening of Desert Storm. My capstone military assignment was Special Assistant to General Wes Clark, both in Panama and then when he became Supreme Allied Commander of NATO forces. I served with Wes in Washington DC, Panama, and in the European Theater of Operations.
An avid blogger and gate-crashing candidate for Congress in New York's 29th district, Eric brings an amazing breadth of knowledge and insight to Austin.
Brandon and Eric will talk about the needs that our troops face, why they're facing those needs, and how the nation might better help our service members in the field in the future, while illustrating the importance of Troop Care Packages and their effect on our troops morale and well-being.
___________________
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
___________________
Netroots For The Troops is also seeking volunteers for the four days we'll be at Netroots Nation, in three separate areas:
TABLING: Help us set-up and staff our display in the exhibition hall on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, take in and process donations of money and items brought by convention-goers from home, help sell the limited edition NFTT T-Shirt, and distribute information that shows how people can make care packages at home.
PACKING: Help us write letters, fill out custom forms and organize and pack 101 troop care packages before, during, and after our seminar on Saturday from 2 PM - 4:30 PM,
SINGING: NFTT is going to be helping PastorDan with his annual Sunday Service on July 20th, and we need some voices to fill out the choir. SATB all needed, and while music-reading ability is welcome, it isn't required.
If you have any desire to perform any of these tasks, please drop me an email at tim at Timroff dot com.
___________________
NAMES NEEDED
___________________
We're building 101 troop care packages, and currently have only 50-or-so names. And while we plan to visit anysoldier.com to fill out our list, we'd prefer the packages to go to troops serving overseas with a connection to the netroots. If you know anyone currently serving in Iraq or Afghanistan, please email their full name, rank, unit and APO/FPO address to katroshp at bellsouth dot net no later than THURSDAY EVENING.
___________________
DONATIONS
___________________
While our current fundraising total is at a whopping $12,559, we're still happy to take donations to the effort, as they'll help put more and better items in the packages. You can...
• Click on this linkto donate funds, or...
• Bring items from the list found in this diary to the Netroots Nation Conference in two weeks, or...
• Ship bulk items to us in Austin -- If you wish to ship items, email me at tim at timroff dot com.
___________________
THANK YOUS
___________________
We've all been working hard on the NFTT effort, but we couldn't have gotten this far without the help of some very important people:
• all of our amazing volunteers and advisers who gave their time and shared their experiences and ideas
• all the generous folks who have given money and donated items, and companies that have donated or discounted their wares, especially Jakprints, the Cleveland-based company who gave us really terrific rates on the shirts we'll be selling at NN'08
• The Netroots Nation and convention center staffs, who have gracefully put up with our questions and requests.