My Dad always enjoyed Father’s Day. He loved the silly cards and presents my brother and I got or made for him; he truly enjoyed being a father.
As many of you know, my Dad was a graduate of the United States Naval Academy. As the two of us are so similar in personality (non-athletic nightowls, Monty Python enthusiasts, introverts and dreamers), I have absolutely no idea how he managed the physical challenges of an Academy education. It was, I think, sheer force of will and a lifelong desire to be a part of our nation’s space program.
He absolutely loved to fly.
This was one of his favorite poems; I can only imagine how much he would have enjoyed this video version of it sent to me by Greg in TN some weeks ago:
That poem was written by a young American named John Gillespie Magee, Jr., who illegally slipped into Canada in 1941 in order to volunteer for the RCAF when the United States was still officially "neutral." McGee flew during the Battle of Britain and was killed in action on December 11, 1941, at the age of 19.
December 11, 1941 ~ four days after Pearl Harbor ~ was my mother’s 12th birthday. That’s how old she was when she attended the funeral of a young man she had known her whole short life, Donald Bidwell, who also had crossed into Canada to volunteer for the RCAF and who also was killed during the Battle of Britain. He was 18.
Donald Bidwell’s funeral took place at the Congregational Church in the small (population 270) verdant Vermont village in which he and my mother grew up. He was buried in the cemetery that is located on the farm my grandparents would later own.
Fifty-nine years later, on the Fourth of July weekend in 2000, my father was interned in that same cemetery, just twenty yards or so from Donald Bidwell.
In honor of my Dad, in honor of the selfless service of John Magee and Donald Bidwell, and in special honor of the many Dads currently serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, I will match the first $500 in donations to our Netroots for the Troops drive tonight. Please take my money!
In honor of this beautiful comment from b4uknowit, I am adding $100 to my match ~ for the fatherless:
One thing I haven't seen today is a diary for the Fatherless--whether they've been rendered fatherless by death, by poverty, by incarceration, just plain circumstance--and in the worst case scenario--the circumstance of this war in particular--: there are a lot of them/us.
I've been fatherless all my life (don't know my father, just his name), and work with a lot of fatherless children (in fact, for most of the kids I work with, fatherlessness is the norm, not the exception).
When people ask me and hubs how many kids we've got, I say "300!"
Long story, which I'll make short: We've literally "shot our wad" on the fatherless children in our midst, so we have nothing (really, nothing) left to spare....but if someone who does wants to contribute in the name of the fatherless....Please, step up to the plate.
Nothing more senseless in my mind than a child left fatherless by war, especially this one. Seriously.
I miss you so much, Dad.
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Our goal for Netroots For The Troops 2009 is $50,000.00 (cash or in-kind donations).
PLEASE DONATE HERE
We realize that you would like to donate something tangible to go inside the packages that will be mailed to the troops. Unfortunately, accepting in-kind donations from individuals is not practical in terms of storage and handling of the items. The Pittsburgh Convention Center is a union shop so we have more stringent rules that need to be followed. Instead, we will only be accepting corporate donations or cash from YOU to purchase items for the care packages this year.
Here’s how YOU can help:
- Please contact TexDem or VeloVixen if you know someone who might be helpful in securing the corporate in-kind donations. To help you think of companies who could donate products, see below* for a list of potential items. Put your thinking caps on and let us hear from you. It takes time to get through the corporate processes so we need to hear from you ASAP!
- We are accepting cash from individuals and
beg ask that you DONATE HERE to contribute to this worthy cause. Your donation will enable us to purchase the things that we are unable to obtain through corporate donations, and will help to pay the costs of shipping them to our troops. This year your donations will be tax deductible, thanks to Netroots Nation and their partner Netroots Arts and Education Initiative, a California 501(c)3 corporation.
- Sign up for a diary! Our goal is to post two diaries per day until NN09. That’s a lot of diaries! Don’t worry---we’ve made it easy for you. We’ve got a template set up, and all you need to do is add a small introduction telling us why you are donating, sharing a story of someone you know who has served or is serving, or any other thing you want to share that might help motivate others to donate. Please contact politik if you are interested in posting a diary.
- Do you know a service member who would like to receive a care package? Email a request to: NFTT.request@gmail.com before July 31, 2009.
Please include all of the following information. Unfortunately we will not be able to process any incomplete requests:
Rank:
Last name:
First name:
APO Address Line 1:
APO Address Line 2:
APO Address Zip:
- Write letters to be included in the packages! Our own jlms qkw is collecting the letters and will print them out and bring them to Pittsburgh. Just email your letter to her jlms_qkw@yahoo.com. Look for more information from jlms qkw soon.
- Help us assemble the packages in Pittsburgh. It's fun! More information will be forthcoming for those of you who are going to be in Pittsburgh and would like to help there.
- Please consider joining the NFTT FaceBook Group. Invite your FaceBook and non-FaceBook friends.
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*The following list contains some of the things we would like to include in the packages. Please let us know if you know someone who might be helpful in securing these corporate in-kind donations. (Please DO NOT send these items yourself! We have no way to accept them. Instead, your cash donation is the very best way to help make this happen on the ground in Pittsburgh.)
- Baby wipes
- Mechanix gloves
- Language translation books or CDs (Rosetta Stone as an example)
- LED flashlights
- Gel shoe insoles
- Goop Cleaning Gel
- Powdered energy drinks
- Gel energy food packets
- DVDs and CDs
- Letters to the soldiers
- More suggestions coming soon
Books for Soldiers
Soldiers love to receive books, but due once again to the logistics of collecting and storing them prior to NN09, books will not be included in the packages that NFTT will put together this year. Other organizations are more specialized in the collection and distribution of books to Iraq and Afghanistan. If you are interested in sending books, please consider checking out the Books for Soldiers Website. It is run by DKos's very own StormBearand is a great resource for giving.
Important Note about Successful Online Donations
PLEASE DONATE HERE
When you make your online donation, the screen indicates that you are donating to Netroots Nation. This is the right screen! Rest assured all donations WILL go to NFTT. If you wish, feel free to use the comment area provided to note that your donation is intended for Netroots For The Troops. It isn’t necessary to do this however, as this is the only fundraising activity being conducted for Netroots Nation at this time. For further information about online donations, please read TexDem's diary on the subject.