Greenlights
Recently, you’ve probably seen the Greenlight A Vet commercial while you’re watching TV. With Veteran’s Day upon us, I want to share a little more information about Greenlight A Vet.
Because veteran’s are often camouflaged in their day to day life, the Greenlight A Vet campaign wants to show visible support to the brave men and women who serve our country. Changing one light to green will be a visible sign of support for our vets. Be sure to check out the Greenlight A Vet website.
Kait
USMC Birthday Ball Invitation
The United States Marine Corps 240th birthday is upon us. That means the birthday ball is right around the corner for many Marines.
Here’s a great story about a Marine who’s wife is unable to attend the ball with him, so they decided that he should invite a Gold Star Mother, Gold Star Wife, or Gold Star Daughter to the ball. A Gold Star family is the family of a service member who was killed in combat. This Marine is encouraging others without a date to do the same.
Here’s his video:
Kait
Noah’s First Pitch
Army veteran, amputee, motivational speaker, model, and former Dancing with the Stars finalist, Noah Galloway, threw out the first pitch at the Yankees vs. Red Sox game a few days ago. Here’s a link to the clip of his pitch!
Kait
All About Noah
If you haven’t already seen it, here’s a link to the Men’s Health article when Noah Galloway was the Ultimate Men’s Health Guy Winner. There’s a great video along with the article. Make sure to check it out!
Noah Galloway is the Ultimate Men’s Health Guy
Noah chatted with Men’s Health weekly while he was on ABC’s Dancing with the Stars. Here’s his interview after being in the finale! Check it out!
Noah Galloway on How You Could Become the Next MH Ultimate Guy
Noah’s a great inspiration! We loved watching him every week on Dancing with the Stars! If you’re having Noah withdrawal, follow him on Facebook to see what he’s up to: Noah’s Facebook
Kait
Memorial Day
Today, we remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice in service to our country. We are forever grateful.
– The Marshall Plan Team
Watch Noah & Sharna’s Freestyle!
Last night was the 1st of 2 Dancing with the Stars Finale shows. The final 3 contestants performed their favorite dance from the season that they wanted to improve on and a freestyle dance. The freestyle dance is one of the most anticipated dances of the season. All three contestants had excellent freestyles!
ICYMI, I wanted to share Noah and Sharna’s freestyle with you! It is beautiful, emotional, and powerful. What a fantastic dance. Check it out and be sure to tune in tonight to see who goes home with the mirror ball trophy!
Kait
Noah’s in the Finals!
ICYMI, Noah Galloway made it to the Dancing with the Stars Finals! It airs tonight and tomorrow. Noah is one of three competitors left dancing for the mirror ball trophy! Be sure to watch. It’s on tonight, Monday, May 18 on ABC at 8pm est, and it will continue tomorrow night, Tuesday, May 19 on ABC at 9pm est. Be sure to watch and vote!
Kait
Inspiration!
I’ve seen this floating around the internet and on the news over the last week. It’s an inspirational video and a great story.
Army Captain Sarah Cudd was in a 12-mile march to get her Expert Field Medical Badge. She was exhausted and collapsed with the finish line in sight and minutes to spare, but with the encouragement of her fellow soldiers she pulled herself up and finished! It is very difficult to earn this badge, roughly only 20% pass.
Congratulations, Captain Cudd!!
Here’s the article with a video. Check it out.
Inspiring Video Shows Army Captain Stumbling to End 12-Mile March
Kait
Noah’s DWTS Semifinals!
I hope you all are following Noah Galloway‘s journey on ABC’s Dancing with the Stars! He just performed in the semifinals last night! Amazing! Tonight we’ll find out if he will be dancing in the finals next week! If you didn’t watch last night, you missed out on a fantastic and emotional show. Noah did two awesome dances! The first is a beautiful waltz. The second was judges choice. Noah and his dance partner, Sharna Burgess, teamed up with DWTS judge, Carrie Ann Inaba. Carrie Ann chose the dance and the concept, and it was BRILLIANT! Check out both dances!
Oh, and ICYMI, Noah proposed to his girlfriend, Jamie, right after his first dance! She said YES! Loved it! Congratulations Jamie and Noah!! (Watch the end of the first video to see the proposal!)
Here’s the waltz:
Here’s the judge’s choice:
Such a great show! Not only were Noah’s dances fantastic, the 3 other semifinalists were great too! It’s worth the watch!
Also, here’s a link to an Access Hollywood interview with Noah, Jamie, and Sharna after last night’s show: http://www.accesshollywood.com/noah-galloway-reveals-dwts-proposal-planning-details_video_2785137
Kait
Happy Mother’s Day!
Happy Mother’s Day to all the mom’s out there! We wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for you!
Kait
Noah Made It to the Semifinals!
I don’t know if you all have been watching Dancing with the Stars, but if you haven’t you should check it out on Monday!
Army Veteran, Noah Galloway, has made it to the semifinals! How cool is that?! He’s done a great job so far. He is challenging the way we all view dance.
Here’s one of Noah’s most recent dances. He received a 10 for this dance!
You can find more on Youtube.
Kait
Military Spouse Appreciation Day
Life has been crazy the last few weeks! Things are slowly calming down though. I can’t believe it’s May already and that means it is Military Appreciation Month! Make sure to show your appreciation to any of the military members in your life. They work hard and sacrifice so much. They deserve a little appreciation every now and then.
Today happens to be Military Spouse Appreciation Day. Along with our hard-working military members, we can’t forget their spouses. They endure a lot as well. Sometimes a little appreciation goes a long way.
So, I’d like to extend a warm THANK YOU today to all the military spouses! As a military spouse myself, I understand the pride, the love, the sacrifices, the hardships that a military spouse faces. It’s not easy feat, but it’s worth it for love. Thank you for all you do!
Kait
The Oscars
The Oscars are one of the biggest nights in Hollywood recognizing the talent you see on the screens and the talent behind the scenes. It’s always nice to see movies, documentaries, etc., relating to the US military nominated for an Oscar.
American Sniper, the film based n Navy SEAL, Chris Kyle, was nominated for Best Picture, Sound Editing, Sound Mixing, Writing (Adapted Screen Play), Film Editing, and Bradley Cooper was nominated for Best Actor for his portrayal of Chris Kyle. American Sniper took home the Oscar for Sound Editing! I have yet to see American Sniper, although, it’s on my list. My husband is currently reading the book and we plan to see the movie when he’s finished.
Here’s the trailer for American Sniper:
Another military related piece was nominated as well. The documentary Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press 1 was nominated for Documentary Short Subject and it won! Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press 1 brings to light the trauma and hardships our veterans go through. I have not seen this one either, but it’s on my list as well.
Here’s the trailer for Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press 1:
Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press 1 is an HBO documentary. Check out the link for more info.
Here’s the link for more info on the movie American Sniper.
For more info on Chris Kyle and his book, American Sniper, check out this link.
Congratulations to all of the Oscar winners and nominees!
Kait
Myths about PTSD
There are a lot of misconceptions surrounding PTSD. Here’s an article that talks about 5 of the biggest PTSD misconceptions. Check it out. It’s great info.
CrossFit and PTSD
I’m sure you’ve heard of CrossFit by now. If you haven’t, it’s one of the latest workout crazes. Really, it’s more than just a workout, it’s a workout philosophy. It’s intense. It’s a competitive sport. It’s made up of all sorts of exercise elements, like weightlifting, gymnastics, calisthenics, high intensity interval training, and much more.
CrossFit is popular among servicemen and women. My husband loves it. Recently, he was surfing the web for some CrossFit stuff when he came across this video of a veteran with PTSD who says CrossFit saved his life. It’s a moving video and definitely worth the 20 minutes. Learn a little about CrossFit and PTSD. There’s always hope.
Kait
Dogs for Vets
Have you watched A&E‘s Dogs of War?
If you don’t know what it is, it’s about Paws and Stripes, a non-profit organization that helps provide vets suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) with service dogs.
As a military spouse and a dog lover, this show hits home. Fortunately, my husband does not suffer from PTSD, however, we have both seen the effects of it and we both know how the unconditional love of a dog effects your life. It’s a very good show and worth the watch. Jim and Lindsey Stanek, the husband and wife co-founders of Paws and Stripes, work hard to match veterans with the right dog to help them get on the right path.
Dogs of War airs Sundays 11pm/10c on A&E. Check it out.
Kait
Carrie Underwood Touched by a Military Family
I’ve been a Carrie Underwood fan since her American Idol days. So, as a military spouse, I was happy to see this article written by Carrie about how a military family changed the way she sings one of her songs. This article was published back around Veteran’s Day and I never got around to posting it… so, here it is!
The Military Family That Changed How I Sing “See You Again”
There are also some other great articles about vets that are tagged with hashtag #TIMEVets. Check them out!
Kait
Pets for PTSD
Pets for Vets is another great organization that helps out veterans with PTSD. Here’s a moving video about a dog from Pets for Vets that rescued a Corpsman suffering from PTSD.
Dog are such special creatures. To learn more about Pets for Vets and how you can help click here.
Kait
Happy Birthday US Navy!
Happy 239th Birthday, Navy!
Last year, we were at Walter Reed Military Medical Center when they were having a small Navy birthday celebration. It was pretty cool to witness… and the cake was yummy too! They were nice enough to share some of their birthday cake with us, while we handed out Tastykakes, gift cards and t-shirts! Thank you, Navy for sharing that with us last year. We hope you have a great birthday celebration this year!
Kait
Update!
I know it’s been a little while, but I have an update for you.
Due to unforeseen circumstances some of our team members are dealing with, we will, unfortunately, not be making a delivery to Walter Reed this year. Our team members are a vital part of our mission and we just don’t feel right doing it without them. However, that doesn’t mean we will be sitting out completely this year. Stay tuned for more info on how you can help our wounded warriors and their families.
Thank you for your continued support.
Kait
Gearing Up: The Marshall Plan 4.0
Wow! It’s been a while! It’s been a crazy summer and I can’t believe it’s starting to come to an end. But… you know what that means! It’s time to start planning The Marshall Plan drive and delivery round 4!
We are gearing up and starting to make our plans. We will let you know when the date is set in stone, and of course, we’ll fill you in on all the details of how you can help!
We hope you’ve had a fantastic summer! We’ll talk soon!
Kait
Another Local Reunion Story
Another great local reunion story!
A father surprised his son at Freedom High School’s graduation this week.
These are always emotional to watch, but so worth it.
Here’s the link: VIDEO: SOLDIER SURPRISES SON AT PA. GRADUATION
Kait
70 Years Later…
Today is the 70th anniversary of D Day.
A D Day vet, Jim Martin was in the 101st Airborne Division. He parachuted into Normandy 70 years ago. Now, 70 years later, he parachutes into Normandy again. He is 93 years old. Check out the article and video about Jim Martin and his jump 70 years later.
70 years later, D-Day vet Jim ‘Pee Wee’ Martin jumps again
Local Homecoming Surprise
Love watching those homecoming surprises where a service member surprises their loved ones? Well here’s a local one! Check it out!
Welcome home, soldier: Father surprises family in Bethlehem
Kait
Sweet Thanks for Troops: The Marshall Plan 