fodfrontpage@gmail.com
Isn’t this just THE BEST??? Credit: NSA Bahrain
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NSA Bahrain Photo-album!
Yesterday afternoon, the most wonderful photo-album turned up on Facebook which captured some great, happy pictures from the Bahrain show!
I’ll provide some thumbmails here, but you MUST doubleclick to make these bigger!
Scratch that! I included them all! Hehe!
Source
And more from Dean Kaelin! A late afternoon addition to Dean’s blog on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/dean.kaelin.18/posts/10152266421590017
And a few more we found on FB. My apologies, at the time of publishing I could not find the original source. Can you guys help me?
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A special project from Holly! “Thanks to the Troops”.
Hello everyone:
Today I read Jason Hewlett’s blog from Kuwait (http://jasonhewlett.com/us-troops-tour-kuwait/). By the end I felt I had to do something and I can’t think of any better helpers than David’s fans. I know that each of us can do things individually (I provided some links below) but together, we can accomplish so much! I am happy to co-ordinate care packages to send to US troops and Canadian Peacekeepers, on behalf of Friends of David Archuleta Worldwide. Some of the instructions to send packages off to our troops are specific and I’m offering to sort through the instructions and packaging requirements and mail gifts, letters and music to our troops, but I need your help!
Who’s in???
I have found an organization, Operation Gratitude, (www.operationgratitude.com), who does this for US troops and several people have told me that this is a worthwhile organization. How can you help?
Send items to me, which I will package up and send to Operation Gratitude, based upon their mailing requirements:
To help, there is a list of items that the troops desire. Add David Archuleta CD’s to that list! https://www.operationgratitude.com/get-involved/wishlist/ .
Another idea for donation is Beanie Babies. Soldiers carry the stuffed toys with them and give them to local children as gifts and sometimes the children give locations of IEDs when they receive these toys. I remember doing this several years ago with my own children when they outgrew their beloved Beanie Babies. Operation Gratitude also accepts Webkinz, trolls and other small plush toys 6 inches or less. Please make sure they are clean and in good shape.
They also like hand knitted scarves and hats. There are specifics as to size and material. Find that info here: http://opgrat.wordpress.com/2010/08/05/scarf-hat-cool-tie-project-details-materials-size-patterns/ .
For you crafty people Paracord “Survival” Bracelets are needed. They are known as survival bracelets, because they can be unraveled and the paracord can be used for many purposes in a pinch. They are also exchanged among the servicemen and women as friendship bracelets. Here are instructions for making them: http://opgrat.wordpress.com/2012/07/03/how-to-make-a-paracord-survival-bracelet/. I have also seen these pre-made at many stores.
You can obtain my address for shipping these to me by emailing me at thankstothetroops@gmail.com
If you prefer that someone else makes the selection or you cannot send an item, I will accept monetary donations via Paypal for use in purchasing items and for shipping costs. If Paypal is not your thing I will accept checks or cash. You can get my Paypal account info and mailing address for checks by emailing me at thankstothetroops@gmail.com
We are working on landing on a similar organization for sending care packages to Canadian Peacekeepers. More on that soon. And of course, Jason’s blog suggested other ideas to make military and peacekeepers know they are appreciated. http://jasonhewlett.com/us-troops-tour-kuwait/
So, are you with me? Can you help show the soldiers how much we care and appreciate them? Please write me and let me know if you can help!
Holly
If you prefer, you can send Direct Contributions:
Shipping Address for Item and Letter Donations:
Operation Gratitude/California Army National Guard
17330 Victory Boulevard
Van Nuys, CA 91406
Here is the address to send candy:
Operation Gratitude/California Army National Guard
17330 Victory Boulevard
Van Nuys, CA 91406
Attn: Halloween Candy
For Canadian letters and packages to be sent individually, please visit Morale Mail. If you would like Holly to help co-ordinate, please email her.
Thanks Holly for co-ordinating this!
(BTW ~ we created a menu item at the top of this page with all this info “Thanks to the Troops Project”, we’ll keep it here for a few weeks)
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Dreaming of Monopoly. Or similar.
… to which David responded:
Well, I’m curious too! I think this is the closest we got to a board game from David:
Well, it was the post-it-on-the-forehead game from Crush. A far cry from “Mousetrap” or “Clue”. Wait, there was this:
Back on January 26, 2009, we got this from David’s blog, about participating in a school dance:
For our day activity, we had breakfast and then played games. We fit in a lot of them too. We played dodge ball, basketball, musical chairs, apples to apples, and crab soccer. I got a good work out from the crab soccer too haha.
Apples to Apples still is one of the best.
Anyone wanna bet what it is sitting on a Williams/Yetton coffee table for Nashville in anticipation of a visitor one day?
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Happy Double Birthday!
Happy Birthday Josh Bradley! Happy Birthday MyDearWriter!
– source Nandito Ako TV5
Double Birthday wishes go out to Josh Bradley and My Dear Writer – who coincidentally share the same birthday – imagine that! Hope it’s an awesome day, to both Josh and MDW!
- almost as good as a birth certificate!
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Let Me Go: The Danceable Song!
“Why does some music make you want to move?” According to a recent survey, songs that make people want to dance have just the right balance of syncopation and predictability. ~ found this at The Science of Rock and Roll exhibit at the Ontario Science Centre last week, an outing with my visitor Joanie!
Perhaps this is why we got the response we did about the Make-U-Want-to-Move Let Me Go:
Written by Thomas Meredith and Sheppard Solomon, we never heard this song live, and I cannot recall David discussing this song very much, which likely means it was not high on his favourite list. But most of you like it!
It is one of my favourites on the CD; I think David’s voice sounds extremely mature with some great intonation. Still love it.
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Jason’s Epic July 14 Blog. Worth a Repeat!
We are repeating it here so we have all these great blogs archived. Enjoy!
Wow, the days are just zipping by.
We left Bahrain on Saturday morning and finally got to drive around the city to check out what we hadn’t seen. It was beautiful: Great buildings lit up in the sun, with reflective glass on the Gulf water. It is a sandy landscape but I’ve always found every terrain has it’s beauty and they have made due with what they have, really incredible to see these cities built up out of the sand and desert into thriving locations.
When you’re a performer you mostly only have time to groggily stumble from the plane, hope you bags arrived, confused and lost walk to the taxi or pick-up, drive to the hotel, change clothes and race to the venue, walk through the kitchen and back halls to the staging area, do the gig, take pictures with a few people if you’re lucky to stay long enough, and then return to the hotel too late to get much sleep, and fly out the next morning before the city is awake. It’s not like I’m complaining about it, because it’s a wonderful thing to make a living doing something so great as performing, but it’s what most performers experience. Thus we travel the world and miss most of where we are. Friends and family often find out after the fact we came to town and had no time or chance to let them know, and we rarely realize where we are going next….and so it was awesome to check out beautiful Bahrain from the water side, as it sits in the Persian Gulf, through the windows of the van on our way to the Airport.
Traveling with Dan Clark is like jet-setting the world with the “Catch Me If You Can” guy, remember that movie? Not in a dishonest way, just in a “How the heck did you pull that off?” kind of way. Even if we don’t know what we’re doing or where we’re going, Dan has the itinerary and is so skilled in this travel game that we end up in First Class due to his Diamond Status and world travels, or in the SkyClub Rooms prior to flights. I’ve spent my entire career mostly doing private corporate conventions and shows between SLC, UT and Las Vegas, driving the 6 hours to have time to think, write (I didn’t say text and drive, but that doesn’t mean I don’t journal while driving the interstate steering with my knees on occasion and snarfing a Subway sandwich along the way), and not have to bother flying. And so when I fly I am lucky to be upgraded, have never seen the inside of a SkyClub, and am finding it to be quite the ELITE experience. It has been so funny to Dean, David, and I, we continually wonder if we’re allowed in, or if we just waddled behind Dan like 3 ducklings leaving the swamp for the golden pond beyond the fence line. David and I just sit there looking at each other nervously giggling at the feeling of disobedience, like two kids who just snuck into Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory and found the Kit Kat pre-wrapping station unattended, and wondering if we legitimately and honestly got in and can eat the buffet spreads, as Dan announces it’s all legal, it’s legit, Go Eat Boys! And then we are safe to grab a plate.
We flew on GulfAir. Everyone is very kind, but it’s reminiscent of my mission in Brazil as I am one of the only white people in the room and everyone staring at you as you walk by. As per custom in this part of the world, you are not supposed to talk to women, shake hands, anything. I naturally practice the art of being nice, pleasant, and happy with the thought that I can make it a better day for everyone I pass if they see me smiling, rather than offering a frown, and I’ve done this my whole life. I figure if I have 2 seconds passing someone, a stranger, I’ll never see again, at least I can look them in the eye, appear happy, because I genuinely am, and perhaps can spread some light into their lives as we pass. Maybe it’s too Quixotic of a way of thinking but I’m sticking to it. However, I accidentally said hi and waved to a lady who looked at me as I passed in the airport and she turned her face downward,as she hurried away with her kids. I later found out by asking one of our “handlers” in Kuwait about it and he said that’s a no no, never talk to the women, especially don’t be nice. OK. That’s tough for me, but that’s OK. Funny enough you can have any social interaction you want with the men, and so as we arrived to get our bags (which made it, YAY!) I saw David filming me doing the nose wiggle for the 13 or so baggage collectors scrambling to win our tip money all of a sudden gawking in shock in the airport and acting like we were all best friends after I made them smile. I think I also held us up at the VISA desk when I did the Raptor for the lady and guy issuing our entrance into the country and they started taking pictures like I was an animal escaped from the zoo and they were allowing me into their country. “Sir, you must do that for everyone you see while you are in our Country.”
“I’m on it, bro. Raptor attacks for everyone – on the HOUSE!”
I’m embarrassed to say this but it’s important to reveal that I’ve never understood anything about the region of the world we are in right now. I mean, I know there’s oil here, people that don’t like Westerners here, and lots of people seem to be getting killed here for as long as I can remember over disagreements. And people blow themselves up for reasons I can’t comprehend. I know the Bible was written all around us, and this was sacred ground for years, at least Israel and Jerusalem and have always been places I’ve wanted to visit. But Kuwait? Afghanistan? Never knew anything about it other than: Not on my Top 17,967 places I want to visit in my lifetime.
I hesitate to sound so ignorant, but I’m just being completely honest. I have in the past 20 years turned a blind eye to what’s happening over here. I knew there was a war here called Desert Storm/Gulf War, but didn’t understand why, and so I just turned the news off. I made a conscious choice years ago to turn off the TV and the News as I figured if there was something important I needed to know someone would tell me, otherwise I wanted to fill my life with positive thoughts, great books, music, time spent writing, creating, performing, speaking, helping, serving in my Church, working out, climbing mountains, raising my family, making out with my wife in between writing her love poems… I didn’t have time to get updates on CNN and fill my life with downer stuff. Prayers were said for the military over in the Middle East, and that was about the extent of my understanding and support. And I fly the flag on my front porch every day.
I can’t believe I’m writing this.
But I feel it’s important for those that are potentially similar in thinking. Ignorance is a choice, most often, but especially now, in this day in age, when the internet gives us insights into the world as a whole and as detailed as we want it with the search of Google.
Yet with my fast paced life, as an entrepreneur and a couple of employees, serving on boards around my State for organizations I care for, donating my time to speak at schools to kids about discovering what makes them great, mentoring other speakers and artists hoping to make their dreams come true, and then add on the time for performing, I mean I just think about where I’m headed next and can barely grasp the concept of a trip itinerary. I literally show up in Canada last week and have to call my office in order to find out which hotel I’m headed to, I’m just that crazy busy.
So landing in Kuwait kind of freaked me out. Holy Burning Oil Fields Batman (not now, but pics I’ve seen in the past), I’m in Kuwait.
And yet I had no idea about this place. If you know everything about it then just stop reading right now, or send me your edits if I mess this up, but I am amazed that in the Middle East the United States Military is considered a welcome presence in a country bordering Saudi Arabia and Iraq. I thought we were just kind of here, holding down the fort, and hated all around. Apparently the Kuwaitis LOVE Americans for our help in setting them FREE, and I have had the chance to ask them about this while I have been here, as they are currently listed by the Freedom House as the only “Partly Free Country in the Gulf Region” (this according to Wikipedia, my main source for learning ever since Jeeves bailed on me, search: Kuwait).
Do you realize Iraq and Kuwait are two different countries? I didn’t even know this until I was here. I thought Kuwait was a city of Iraq. I know, call me crazy, but I am just like Hall of Fame NBA Star, Karl Malone, upon being drafted to the Utah Jazz he famously said, “I’m thrilled to play in the city of Utah”. So that makes two of us. If Karl can say my home state of Utah is a city in his mind, I’m ok saying Kuwait is a city of Iraq, at least it’s halfway around the world and not just between Arkansas and the Rocky Mountains.
And did you know Kuwait supported Iraq for years, until Iraq started thinking Kuwait was slant drilling for oil across the border and stealing their resources? And then Kuwait refused to forgive Iraq’s $65 Billion debt as requested. So in the 90′s Saddam Hussein and Iraq invaded this country of Kuwait, killing innocent civilians, dumping them in mass graves. Many decades ago the French apparently built bunkers, hangars, for the Kuwait army to be safe and protected. The Iraqis in the 90′s came in, took over Kuwait by force, killing, bombing, and occupied everything the Kuwaitis had.
And so the United States was ready to help these innocent people from a Tyrannical monster in Hussein. We sent a few missiles over and it barely made a dent. That’s when the Iraqis got cocky, storing tons of their weapons and military forces in Kuwait, and once they did that – BOOM! The US sends over some serious missiles to take care of business, the Gulf War begins, Troops deployed, politicians go crazy over it, the media jumps on it and takes their slants, and eventually, after the bravery of our US soldiers and military, FREE the Kuwaiti people from the invasion of Iraq. On their way out, like a sullen parent leaving their child’s soccer game and knocking all the finely sliced oranges off the table, the Iraqis kindly lit Kuwait oil fields on fire – bunch of dweebs. Thus the image of Kuwait and Oil Fires. I catch on very slowly.
Do you understand The United States Military protects as many countries and people as we possibly can? We don’t know these people, we just know we have a sense of humanity, of love for others, of helpfulness, of care. Sometimes countries ask for help, sometimes they act like they don’t want our help in the media, but it is a known fact that The US Military protects everyone in the world that needs protection, which in turn protects us the world over from the mentality of bizarre tyrants trying to ruin humanity itself.
I thought I appreciated our efforts at making the world a better, safer place. I had no idea what we were doing over here, though. I supported the Troops, and have always loved and honored them, but I had no idea what they are doing to keep us safe and mindlessly walking the malls back home, able to worship the God we choose, the religion we want, to say absurd things and not get killed over it, to publish and print our hearts desires, to create art, expression, wear the clothes we want, live the lives we desire, impersonate Elvis…. I’m serious, this whole trip isn’t just about putting a smile on the faces of those we get to come in contact with, although that’s the main reason we’re here, I feel the purpose of this trip for me so far is to open my eyes to what our Country, The United States of America, the greatest Country ever created on earth, does to ensure the rights and safety of our Country and of others. What a blessing to know we have the intelligence, the capability, the moral desire, and sense of duty, to protect the innocent, to care for the hungry, to keep our Country safe from the crazies of the world.
And so, if you lasted through that little history lesson and potentially my first Glenn Beck impression, then I want you to understand for whom we perform on this trip. The Shows have gone incredibly well. On top of that, we have had another chance to do a Fireside for a non-denominational group on base, about 40 showed up and learned that we Mormons consider ourselves Christians, as we testified of our devotion and love of our Savior, Jesus Christ. That was Saturday night. Sunday we attended a small Church service and then had the opportunity of performing for a very full house according to the standards of these types of shows (even though nearly every other seat was not filled). It’s interesting that Dean, David, Dan, and I have all become accustomed to performing for thousands of people, packed houses, and yet here we are in front of 15 one afternoon, and maybe 100 in the evenings, and yet we all go all out with every story, song, routine. Because we are honored to be here and we are professionals doing this without pay for a higher cause: To Spread Joy and Love to our Troops.
We perform for those who are willing to lay down their lives for strangers.
We attempt to inspire, through song, dance, comedy and motivation, young men and women from every corner of our great Country America The Beautiful in a way that is unprecedented. In the few shows we have done we have been told by entertainment weary event planners, who constantly beg artists and managers to come over here, to send ANYBODY decent, that this is the Greatest Show for the Troops they have ever witnessed. They have said it on camera, they say it with a hug and tears.
And then the line-up begins. Air Force, Marines, Army, Navy….either in fatigues or simply their relaxation clothes….and in perfect form line up to shake our hands, take a selfie, have a moment to express their thanks to us. To us? Are you kidding me? We are in awe at their humility and gratitude. As they say “thank you for taking the time away from your families to come over and let us forget what we are going through and possibly having to face in the near future” it about rips your heart out.
We are in Kuwait. This is a holding camp. Different branches of the military come and go, ready for whatever is needed the world over. They aren’t marching into battle right now, but there’s a crazy group of terrorists in Iraq right now taking over the government, the people, the military – yes, the same Iraq military our Troops have just spent the last 2 decades training to be tough and stand up for themselves and their Country, and once confronted with a formidable enemy they laid down their guns and ran for their lives – and all of Iraq is being taken hostage by killers. And across the border stand brave men and women, ready to enter when needed, ready to face monsters the likes of which the world may have never seen before, and they are The United States Military!
And I just shook the hand of a handsome, strapping, Captain America doppelganger, whom I hope to look like in the resurrection, a young man who will run toward the crazy people at the sound of an alarm, bullets whizzing by, no turning back….
I took a selfie with a young mother of 3, reddish hair, dimples, beautiful, from Riverside, California, who is a medic, trained and ready to go into the scene of injury, battle, war, and care for those she doesn’t know while putting herself in harms way…..
I met the Colonel of the base, a jawline of a leading Hollywood actor, flattop haircut, a man with children the same age as my own, who served in the Gulf War and knows the scene of death, bravery, and all in the name of freedom for us AND for those he will never know…..
And they are lining up to take their pictures with us?
To walk into a room full of military soldiers, in wartime, ready to go where needed in the blink of an eye, is something to take your breath away. To eat alongside them, to see their determination, feel their humility and yet confident manner, to hear them answer, “Yes sir, No sir”, to admire them as they pass.
The question is: What can we do back home for these great people?
I’ll tell you what you can do, if you’re willing to take the challenge:
You can give up your seat in First Class for a soldier when you see them come aboard, just as my friend Dan Clark has done for over a decade every time he sees a uniformed solder enter the plane.
You can offer to buy his or her meal at the airport, which we did in Amsterdam on the way here, only to realize they never travel alone. Dan Clark tells the funny story of offering to buy their food and the next thing he knows they are calling each other in the men’s room to come on out, a nice man is buying our meal, and 9 soldiers show up… hahaha!
You can put your hand over your heart, or shake the hands, of those you see, offering thanks for their service.
You can send an email to Canadian peacekeepers:
http://www.forces.gc.ca/en/write-to-the-troops/index.page?
To send letters and messages to U.S. Troops:
http://www.ourmilitary.mil/letter-and-messages
(Thank you to Blog reader, Deb, for your help with those email addresses!)
You can send a care package with chocolate, that’s all they talk about, having a KitKat that isn’t melted yet.
But what of those that are still home? What of the parents left to watch their son go off to war? What of the wife and mother of the children thinking they may never see Daddy again? What of the babies that SKYPE and have no idea how amazing their Mother is who serves halfway across the world to protect her little cubs?
We ALL live in neighborhoods where there are families of Military. A sticker on your car with a ribbon supporting the Troops is a kind gesture, but let’s DO something. Do something for the families missing their loved ones. Perhaps bake some cookies and let them KNOW you support our Troops. Take them dinner. Offer to give the exhausted Mother a night off, take her kids for her, send her to get a pedicure or a meal.
What can YOU do for your neighbors who are family of the Troops? Ask yourself. I know upon my return this will become my great effort, to let those that are home know we actually support them, not just SAY we do and go on with our daily lives. How can we support this effort?
We can show love.
We can SHOW care.
We can be friends with those we’ve never met before and all you need to say is, “I just found out your loved one is deployed, I’m bringing you dinner, do your kids have any allergies I need to be aware of?” Don’t just say, “Anything you need just let me know….” because that person usually won’t take you up on it out of shyness. I don’t even ask my friends to help me move couches up the stairs, I just pull my back muscles instead. We have to TELL them we are doing something for them and DO IT.
If you want to share with them a gift because you read this Blog then go buy a few copies of David Archuleta’s albums and give them to those families to lift their spirits with his incredible gift. Go toDan Clark’s web site and buy some of his motivational, inspirational stories, books, CD’s that change the lives of millions. I also have DVD’s available, that would bring a smile to anyone watching, whole families together, because it’s clean comedy.
What is the one way YOU can serve YOUR Country? Because I know you want to, I’ve provided a few ideas. And once you do, you will feel that warmth in your heart, that love from God, that says, Thank You for giving of your time, your resources, in honor of those serving to protect you daily from harm.
Last night’s show was incredible. We did the same set as prior and may change a few things up in the next act, but our time in Kuwait has been eye-opening, the heat searing, the wind and sand blowing non-stop, the tears flowing as we see these great soldiers committed to our safety the world over, and it has already changed my life and I haven’t been on this trip even one week.
I’m in awe of our Military and hope you are, too.
God be with you.