IN THE NEWS
Thank you KUTV2 for featuring Letters to Soldiers this Christmas on your "Pay it Forward" watch it at: Dec. 28, 2011 http://connect2utah.com/news/pay-it-forward
Thank you KSL family and The Utah Commission on Volunteers Shar and Susan
"I am a producer with KSL's Studio 5, a morning lifestyle show that airs daily on channel 5. Watch the show that highlighted Letters to Soldiers at :
http://studio5.ksl.com/index.php?nid=71&sid=18505520 (Come watch Utah Governor's Office on Volunteers featured Letters to Soldiers and our pictures from Operation Ensuring Christmas V in Cedar City for 500 Utah soldiers serving in Iraq in October and special party for their families)
Holiday Volunteer OpportunitiesDecember 15th, 2011 @ 7:30am
We know many families make volunteering a holiday tradition. Here are five unique, ways your family can help out this holiday season.
Write a letter to our Soldiers
Letters to Soldiers
Send letters and packages to currently deployed service members and veterans! Learn more about this opportunity by visiting www.letterstosoldiers.org.
Letters to Soldiers, info@letterstosoldiers.org
Executive Director of the Utah Commission on Volunteers, is appearing on our show next week to discuss holiday volunteer opportunities.
She plans to highlight the Letters to Soldiers campaign on our show. I see that you have pictures of soldiers and letters on your website. Would it be possible to have you send me several (8-10) pictures in jpg form to use during the live discussion?
Let me know,
Thanks, Jane Thomas
Studio 5 Producer
CEDAR CITY, Utah -- Christmas came early Thursday for hundreds of soldiers and their families in Southern Utah.
Members of the Utah National Guard's 222nd And 213th are home from Iraq six months ahead of schedule. The 475 soldiers of the 222nd -- or Triple Deuce -- and 213th left in June and were supposed to be in Baghdad for an entire year. But in late October President Obama ordered all troops out of Iraq by year's end. They'd been gone just 6 months, but it already felt too long. "Every day lasted 10 to 12 hours. Every day is different...it seems like every day you were fighting a different battle," said Capt. Marc Henrie, 222nd Field Artillery.
Captain Marc Henrie's two children don't need much more for Christmas because the main present walked off a plane Thursday. "I think we've got our Christmas right here," said Hollie Henrie, wife of soldier. The early homecoming was a surprise for sure, but Captain Henrie, on his second deployment, said Baghdad is doing better. "We...fell like we were a lot safer this time around than our first time. Things have really developed a lot in Iraq," said Capt. Marc Henrie, 222nd Field Artillery.
This is the third deployment to Iraq since 2001 for the soldiers of the Triple Deuce. They supported "Operation New Dawn" by performing security operations in and around Baghdad.
The early arrival came just in time for 2nd Lt. Josh Winder. For the first time Thursday he met his brand new baby girl. "I can't explain it, it's just too good," said 2nd Lt. Josh Winder, 213th Forward Support Unit. Amelia Michelle Winder was born just seven weeks ago. Her middle name, Michelle, has special meaning to Lt. Winder. "I lost a brother in '07 over in Iraq and my sister-in-law's name is Michelle," said Winder. "He gets wrapped up in his girls. His girls love him a lot," said Jeneca Winder, Wife and new mom. For mom and older sister, the holiday season will now be complete. "Relief and excitement...and a sense of wholeness that our family is all together," said Jeneca Winder.
(Copyright 2011 - Four Points Media)
December 8, 2011
222/213 half of soldiers are home!!! Other half coming home by end of December. We have 30 beautiful Christmas banners from Kennedy JHS for them. Anyone going down to Cedar?
Write a letter to our Soldiers
Letters to Soldiers
Send letters and packages to currently deployed service members and veterans! Learn more about this opportunity by visiting www.letterstosoldiers.org.
Letters to Soldiers, info@letterstosoldiers.org
Executive Director of the Utah Commission on Volunteers, is appearing on our show next week to discuss holiday volunteer opportunities.
She plans to highlight the Letters to Soldiers campaign on our show. I see that you have pictures of soldiers and letters on your website. Would it be possible to have you send me several (8-10) pictures in jpg form to use during the live discussion?
Let me know,
Thanks, Jane Thomas
Studio 5 Producer
CEDAR CITY, Utah -- Christmas came early Thursday for hundreds of soldiers and their families in Southern Utah.
Members of the Utah National Guard's 222nd And 213th are home from Iraq six months ahead of schedule. The 475 soldiers of the 222nd -- or Triple Deuce -- and 213th left in June and were supposed to be in Baghdad for an entire year. But in late October President Obama ordered all troops out of Iraq by year's end. They'd been gone just 6 months, but it already felt too long. "Every day lasted 10 to 12 hours. Every day is different...it seems like every day you were fighting a different battle," said Capt. Marc Henrie, 222nd Field Artillery.
Captain Marc Henrie's two children don't need much more for Christmas because the main present walked off a plane Thursday. "I think we've got our Christmas right here," said Hollie Henrie, wife of soldier. The early homecoming was a surprise for sure, but Captain Henrie, on his second deployment, said Baghdad is doing better. "We...fell like we were a lot safer this time around than our first time. Things have really developed a lot in Iraq," said Capt. Marc Henrie, 222nd Field Artillery.
This is the third deployment to Iraq since 2001 for the soldiers of the Triple Deuce. They supported "Operation New Dawn" by performing security operations in and around Baghdad.
The early arrival came just in time for 2nd Lt. Josh Winder. For the first time Thursday he met his brand new baby girl. "I can't explain it, it's just too good," said 2nd Lt. Josh Winder, 213th Forward Support Unit. Amelia Michelle Winder was born just seven weeks ago. Her middle name, Michelle, has special meaning to Lt. Winder. "I lost a brother in '07 over in Iraq and my sister-in-law's name is Michelle," said Winder. "He gets wrapped up in his girls. His girls love him a lot," said Jeneca Winder, Wife and new mom. For mom and older sister, the holiday season will now be complete. "Relief and excitement...and a sense of wholeness that our family is all together," said Jeneca Winder.
(Copyright 2011 - Four Points Media)
December 8, 2011
222/213 half of soldiers are home!!! Other half coming home by end of December. We have 30 beautiful Christmas banners from Kennedy JHS for them. Anyone going down to Cedar?
CEDAR CITY, UT PACKAGING/CONCERT/FAMILY DAY OCT. 8, 2011
Thank you Sally and hubby, Todd Hoggard and Lin's Jan and Kaitlin for riasing the $6,000 for the postage for the 222/213th's care packages, and picking up 1,000 school binders for their kids, and all the 500 each of all Letters to Soldiers collected for the care packages and driving it dwn in this great Patriotic Truck. How beautiful to see this.
