Our Group Gift Department Makes it Easy
Our Group Gift department makes it easy for any size company or group to support our troops – all you have to do is let us know your budget and we’ll do all the work. We offer you a variety of options for packages to fit your budget. We will even include a customized message from your company, group or organization in every package.
Imagine opening up your mail one day and reading this:
Of course, sometimes soldiers just aren’t in a position to send a thank you when they receive a package, but we know how much they appreciate it. We’ve even been contacted by soldiers who’ve safely returned stateside asking us to put them in touch with the person who sent them a package, so they could tell them personally what it meant to them, and how badly they felt they couldn’t send a thank you at the time. To contact group gift, email LisaBaron@MoveAmerica.org with your questions, and she’ll be glad to help out.
We are shipping Holiday Care Packages Now!
Our MAF volunteers, staff, supporters and maybe even an elf or two are all pitching in to make sure every package ordered gets in the mail by Christmas. Santa want you to know they’d really appreciate it if you don’t wait until the very last minute to order. And just a reminder to all you procrastinators: packages sent to the military must go by USPS Priority Mail, so we’re not able to offer an overnight delivery option like UPS or FEDEX. But if you do miss the deadline, don’t worry…MAF is sending Holiday Care Packages all the way until December 31st, and even if it shows up after December 25th, the troops are going to be more than willing to celebrate Christmas when it arrives. So if you haven’t had time yet, take a moment to remember our brave men and women serving far from home.
Christmas Cheer Meant to Share!
Want to bring a smile to a group of our deployed troops? We offer several packages that are meant to be shared by two, four or more soldiers. Just click on our Happy Holidays Shop to see what’s special for the holidays, and check out our gifts designed to be shared.
MAF Makes Your Christmas Shopping Easy!
MAF is making it easy to send a gift to a soldier in the name of family, friends or co-workers. It’s just like making a donation to any other charity in a friend’s honor. If you just want to send a package or two, or to send packages in the names of each of your many clients, customers or everyone on your holiday list, we’ll be happy to do all the work for you.
All you have to do is give us your budget and your list, and we’ll do the rest. We’ll even supply you with a letter you can print out or email letting your list of friends know a gift has been sent in their name by you to a deployed service member. It’s one gift that’s sure to produce smiles all around. Just contact LisaBaron@MoveAmericaForward.org and paste Gift in NAME in the subject line.
Gift of Monthly Smiles!
MAF even makes it easy to give year round. You can give someone a Membership in the Monthly Smiles Club and we’ll send a soldier a package in their name every month all year long. So long after the Christmas decorations are put away, your holiday gift will still be reminding your recipient of you – and reminding a soldier far from home that someone still cares about them.
We can work with your budget to send packages and to include a personal support message. We’ll even prepare a special letter for the person you’re giving the gift to. Then every month both you and the person who received your gift will get a notification from us letting you both know that a package went out. No need to pay up front; we’ll simply charge your credit card each month when your package ships.
What a great gift for a special client, friend or family member or group or employees If you’d like to find out more, just complete our Monthly Smiles email form and in the area for messages, tell us you want to know more about giving a membership in the Monthly Smiles Club.
CLICK HERE TO SEND CHRISTMAS CARE PACKAGES NOW!
I had the privilege of attending the Stars and Stripes Film Festival around Veterans Day this year. For three days I watched back-to-back movies about our Veterans and the battles that were waged for our freedoms.I have always been drawn to the movies of war that remind us of the bravery and courage displayed and the sacrifices made for you and I and the values we hold so dear. Both of my sons served in the military, my oldest Kristofer in the Marines and Marc as a Navy SEAL. I remember someone questioning them why our family was so patriotic and why they chose to serve. I remember Marc’s reply a little jokingly “It was all of the war movies Mom made us watch.”We started the film festival with Act of Valor. I had seen the movie twice before so knew what to expect. I had met with Bandito Brothers when they were beginning to write the script and had shared Marc’s heroic story. They had told me Marc would be part of the movie. I knew it wasn’t going to be based on a story in the Middle East, or be a play-by-play of what he did. There are just pieces in the movie, when one of the SEALs stands out by himself to defend his buddies, the funeral scene that is just feet from Marc’s grave. It is a little more general, character qualities that we see in so many of our troops who serve so courageous and selflessly.The end of the movie lists the names of all of our fallen SEALs and of course it is emotional to see my sons name along with so many other brave warriors listed there. As a Mother of a fallen hero, I can tell you that it is so bizarre to see your child’s name on a headstone, granite wall, in a book or movie, but when we have heroes who sacrifice greatly their stories need to be told.The next three days we watched movies about Korea, Iwo Jima, World War II and Viet Nam. You could watch the progression as the movies would depict the actual scenes with reality. After each movie we had someone from that conflict do a Q&A. To be in the presence of so many brave warriors, and be reminded of the deep cost so many families have made for the freedoms we take for granted was overwhelming to say the least.Watching Saving Private Ryan where they drive up the long road to the farm house to notify the Mother that four of her five sons had been killed in combat was almost too much for me. I knew as that car drove up that dusty road exactly what that Mother was feeling. There are no words that could describe to someone who hasn’t experienced those words, “I’m sorry to notify you your son has been killed in action.” I have only lost one son in combat; I can’t even begin to imagine the pain that Mother felt losing four?
Then to watch Black Hawk Down and the graphic reality and consequences of war was about all I could take. I was emotionally drained everyday of the festival. I’m not a big movie person and that probably was more movies in those three days than I have watched in the last three years. I do think it is so important for those movies to be made and for us to be reminded of the cost of freedom.
I remember as I watched one of the movies that it had been over 50 years since these battles and these heroes’ stories are still being told. I was washed with emotion at that point knowing that the movie American Sniper is about to be released. If you haven’t read the book American Sniper it is a must read that the movie is based on. Chris Kyle was the most lethal sniper in American history.
Chris was with Marc when he died and after Marc’s death he became like a son to me. Chris was tragically murdered in Texas almost two years ago. Marc is one of the main characters in the upcoming American Sniper movie, and this one will share Marc’s heroic actions the day he died and his funeral.
The reality that others will be watching American Sniper 50 years from now and knowing the character of Chris Kyle, my son and their teammates brought bittersweet emotions. American Sniper will be released Christmas Day in certain markets and Jan 16th across the country. Bradley Cooper plays Chris Kyle and Luke Grimes plays Marc. Just like Lone Survivor was based on the book, these are not documentary’s, but I believe that they have worked hard to show the character and tell the stories of these brave SEALs.
Marc was re-deployed to Heaven and this will be the 9th Christmas without him, yet he is still impacting lives around the world. It’s not just Marc though, so many of our brave warriors have stood out in the line of fire defending you and I and our freedoms. We must never forget the sacrifices each one of our Veterans have made.
As we celebrate the birth of a Savior who was born to sacrifice his life on a cross for you and I, don’t forget our Veterans, their families and our families of the fallen who have sacrificed greatly!
John 15:13, “Greater love has no one than this that he lay down his life for his friends.” There are only two that would lay down their lives for you. Jesus Christ and our Veterans.
I live my life honoring them both!
As 2014 draws to a close, we at MAF want to take a moment to solemnly remember all the brave members of our armed services who gave their lives in service to our great nation. To the mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, children, and best friends who bravely gave their all, your light will shine bright in our hearts today and every day.
Name
Branch
Lacey, William K.
U.S. Army
Hess, Jacob M.
U.S. Marine
McAdams, Andrew L.
U. S. Army NG
Scobie, Drew M.
U. S. Army NG
Lee, Daniel Tyler
U. S. Army
Sipple, Andrew H.
U. S. Army
Balli, Edward
U. S. Army
Landis, Chris A.
U. S. Army
Gray, Joshua A.
U. S. Army
Pelham, John A.
U. S. Army
Skelt, Roberto C.
U. S. Army
Torian, Aaron C.
U. S. Marine
Poirier, David L.
U.S. Air Force
Erickson, Caleb L.
U.S. Marine
Chaffin III, James E.
U. S. Army
Danyluk, Kerry M. G.
U. S. Army
Chandler, Christian J.
U. S. Army
Farrell II, Shawn M.
U. S. Army
Rasmussen, Deric M.
U. S. Army
Barreras, Martin R
U. S. Army
Perkins, Adrian M.
U. S. Army
Wykstra, Jacob H.
U. S. Army
Jones, Jason B.
U. S. Army
Walker, Matthew H.
U. S. Army
Hurne, Terry J.
U. S. Army
Clouse, Justin R.
U. S. Army
McDonald, Jason A.
U. S. Marine
Studenmund, Scott R.
U. S. Army
Toppen, Aaron S.
U. S. Army
Helton, Justin R.
U. S. Army
Wolff, Adam F.
U. S. Marine
Stewart, David H.
U. S. Marine
Garabrant, Brandon J.
ISAF
Spitzer, Thomas Z.
U. S. Marine
Hamilton, Jr., Don A.
U. S. Army
Williams, Keith M.
U. S. Army
Prange, Benjamin G.
U. S. Army
Gass Jr., Girard D.
U. S. Army
Greene, Harold J.
U. S. Army
Hairston, Samuel C.
U. S. Army
Leggett, Matthew I.
U. S. Army
Mulalley, Chris W.
U. S. Army
Arsenault, Brian K.
U. S. Army
Strong, Charles C.
U. S. Marine
Donahue, Mchael J.
U. S. Army
Weathers, Andrew T.
U. S. Army
Walker, Jonathan D.
U. S. Army
Kalafut, Christopher E.
U.S. Navy
Cathcart, Michael A.
U. S. Army
Riley, Joseph W.
U. S. Army
Turner, Wardell B.
U. S. Army
*as reported through 11/24/2014
Tweets for the Troops
Merry Christmas, My Friend
‘Twas the night before Christmas, he lived all alone,In a one-bedroom house made of plaster and stone.
I had come down the chimney, with presents to give
and to see just who in this home did live.
As I looked all about, a strange sight I did see,
no tinsel, no presents, not even a tree.
No stocking by the fire, just boots filled with sand.
On the wall hung pictures of a far distant land.
With medals and badges, awards of all kind,
a sobering thought soon came to my mind.
For this house was different, unlike any I’d seen.
This was the home of a U.S. Marine.
I’d heard stories about them, I had to see more,
so I walked down the hall and pushed open the door.
And there he lay sleeping, silent, alone,
Curled up on the floor in his one-bedroom home.
He seemed so gentle, his face so serene,
Not how I pictured a U.S. Marine.
Was this the hero, of whom I’d just read?
Curled up in his poncho, a floor for his bed?
His head was clean-shaven, his weathered face tan.
I soon understood, this was more than a man.
For I realized the families that I saw that night,
owed their lives to these men, who were willing to fight.
Soon around the Nation, the children would play,
And grown-ups would celebrate on a bright Christmas day.
They all enjoyed freedom, each month and all year,
because of Marines like this one lying here.
I couldn’t help wonder how many lay alone,
on a cold Christmas Eve, in a land far from home.
Just the very thought brought a tear to my eye.
I dropped to my knees and I started to cry.
He must have awoken, for I heard a rough voice,
“Santa, don’t cry, this life is my choice
I fight for freedom, I don’t ask for more.
My life is my God, my country, my Corps.”
With that he rolled over, drifted off into sleep,
I couldn’t control it, I continued to weep.
I watched him for hours, so silent and still.
I noticed he shivered from the cold night’s chill.
So I took off my jacket, the one made of red,
and covered this Marine from his toes to his head.
Then I put on his T-shirt of scarlet and gold,
with an eagle, globe and anchor emblazoned so bold.
And although it barely fit me, I began to swell with pride,
and for one shining moment, I was Marine Corps deep inside.
I didn’t want to leave him so quiet in the night,
this guardian of honor so willing to fight.
But half asleep he rolled over,
and in a voice clean and pure,
said “Carry on, Santa,
it’s Christmas Day, all secure.”
One look at my watch and I knew he was right,
Merry Christmas my friend, Semper Fi and goodnight
Written by Corporal James M. Schmidt
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