Today, Thursday, October 28th, we will begin the annual Soldiers’ Angels Valour-IT competition. As you may or may not know, for the first time, MilitaryPundits.com will be a proud member of Team Army for Valour-IT competition. So MilitaryPundits is stepping up to the challenge and hoping that you do too.

WHAT IS VALOUR-IT?

Project Valour-IT began when Captain Charles “Chuck” Ziegenfuss was wounded by an IED while serving as commander of a tank company in Iraq in June 2005.

During his deployment he kept a blog (an online personal diary, opinion forum, or news analysis site-called a milblog or military weblog when written by a servicemember or about military subjects). Captivating writing, insightful stories of his experiences, and his self-deprecating humor won him many loyal readers. After he was wounded, his wife continued his blog, keeping his readers informed of his condition.

As he began to recover, CPT Ziegenfuss wanted to return to writing his blog, but serious hand injuries hampered his typing. When a loyal and generous reader gave him a copy of the Dragon Naturally Speaking Preferred software, other readers began to realize how important such software could be to CPT Ziegenfuss’ fellow wounded soldiers and started cast about for a way to get it to them.

“At that time I had no use of either hand. I know how humbling it is, how humiliating it feels. And I know how much better I felt, how amazingly more functional I felt, after Soldiers’ Angels provided me with a laptop and a loyal reader provided me with the software. I can’t wait to do the same, to give that feeling to another soldier at Walter Reed.” -Captain Chuck Ziegenfuss at TC Override (wounded in Iraq)

Project Valour-IT, in memory of SFC William V. Ziegenfuss (Captain Chuck Ziegenfuss’ father), provides voice-controlled software and laptop computers to wounded Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines recovering from hand and arm injuries, amputations, eye or brain injuries, at major military medical centers. Operating laptops by speaking into a microphone, our wounded heroes are able to send and receive messages from friends and loved ones, surf the ‘Net, and communicate with buddies still in the field without having to press a key or move a mouse.

THE COMPETITION

In order to fund the thousands of laptops we have distributed and need to distribute, we have an annual competition.

Valour-IT’s online fundraising competition begins today! Let’s see who can raise the most money to help reconnect our wounded warriors with the world!

WHAT: Friendly fundraising competition for Valour-IT.
WHEN: October 28th through Veterans Day, November 11th .
WHERE: Based in the blogosphere, spreading everywhere else.
WHY: Because giving wounded warriors with hand and arm injuries access to a computer supports their healing and puts them back in touch with the world.
HOW: Blogger teams will be divided along military branches, with civilians “up for grabs.”

WHAT CAN YOU DO?

I need you to simply blog and email regularly about Valour-IT and the competition with links to the

Team Army donation page

Tell your friends, family and neighbors about Valour-IT. I’ll be providing media, links, and talking points for your Tweets, Facebook posts and blog posts, etc.

The competition is military branch specific and you’ve been drafted to help TEAM ARMY. So click HERE and make your contribution today.

Another option is to purchase something from the Bouhammer Gear Store from October 28th until November 11th and I will donate 100% of the proceeds to Valour-IT. You will get a great looking decal, T-shirt, hat or polo style shirt and they will get some more money to help fund the Valour-IT initiative.

One last way to give and really get something cool is to keep an eye on the You Served Blog and Radio show ebay store starting the 28th of October until the 11th of November. Many in the milblogging community have been working tirelessly to get items donated that can sell there of which 100% of the proceeds will go towards Valour-IT. If the listing does not specify it is going to a specific team (Army, Air Force, Marines, or Navy) then the winner of the item must specify it after they win the auction. There will be new items going up all the time from Oct. 28th until Nov 4th. The items will each be listed for a maximum of seven days.

You can learn more about Project Valour-IT by visiting their main website athttp://soldiersangels.org/project-valour-it.html or check them out on Facebook athttp://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=370960114785

  
‘MEET ME IN THE STAIRWELL’
You say you will never forget where you were when
you heard the news On September 11, 2001.
Neither will I..
I was on the 110th floor in a smoke filled room
with a man who called his wife to say ‘Good-Bye.’ I
held his fingers steady as he dialed. I gave him the
peace to say, ‘Honey, I am not going to make it, but it
is OK..I am ready to go.’
I was with his wife when he called as she fed
breakfast to their children. I held her up as she
tried to understand his words and as she realized
he wasn’t coming home that night.
I was in the stairwell of the 23rd floor when a
woman cried out to Me for help. ‘I have been
knocking on the door of your heart for 50 years!’ I said.
‘Of course I will show you the way home – only
believe in Me now.’
I was at the base of the building with the Priest
ministering to the injured and devastated souls.
I took him home to tend to his Flock in Heaven. He
heard my voice and answered.
I was on all four of those planes, in every seat,
with every prayer. I was with the crew as they
were overtaken. I was in the very hearts of the
believers there, comforting and assuring them that their
faith has saved them.
I was in Texas , Virginia , California , Michigan , Afghanistan .
I was standing next to you when you heard the terrible news.
Did you sense Me?
I want you to know that I saw every face. I knew
every name – though not all know Me. Some met Me
for the first time on the 86th floor.
Some sought Me with their last breath.
Some couldn’t hear Me calling to them through the
smoke and flames; ‘Come to Me… this way… take
my hand.’ Some chose, for the final time, to ignore Me.
But, I was there.
I did not place you in the Tower that day. You
may not know why, but I do.. However, if you were
there in that explosive moment in time, would you have
reached for Me?
Sept. 11, 2001, was not the end of the journey
for you . But someday your journey will end. And I
will be there for you as well. Seek Me now while I may
be found. Then, at any moment, you know you are
‘ready to go.’
I will be in the stairwell of your final moments.

God

H/T to The Thunder Run for this

This posting is not political in any way, but I feel led to say that we here at militarypundits.com have our thoughts and prayers going out to the families, co-workers and loved ones of the Oakland Police Department. First Responders, law enforcement, and the military all put their lives on the line for this country and unfortunately because of some idiot, criminal, oxygen thief (well was an oxygen thief) named Lovelle Mixon three members of the Oakland Police Department are no longer on the job to protect the honest citizens of that city. There is a fourth who is fighting for his life right now.

For those that think cops are too rough when they tazer someone or club someone to the ground, well now you know why. More cops are killed or wounded in “routine” traffic stops like the one that started the shootout in Oakland than any other task. To the person being pulled over, they may truly be innocent of all things (except maybe speeding or running a stop sign, etc.), but the police officer does not know that. As far as he or she knows, you are about to bust out with a Glock and an AK and try to kill him or her.

Police Officer John Hege is fighting for his life

Police Officer Sgt. Ervin Romans, KIA 03/21/09

Police Officer Sgt. Daniel Sakai, KIA 03/21/09

Police Officer Sgt. Mark Dunakin, KIA 03/21/09