Military Officer - November 2007 - (Page 60)

ones; sends cards, letters, and holiday gifts to family members of the deployed; and sews gifts for babies born to deployed servicemembers. Jerge doesn’t want today’s troops to feel abandoned like her generation’s Vietnam veterans. “One person at a time, we say thank you, which comes in the form of a blanket when they’re hurt,” she says. “It’s a symbol from a stranger that someone cares.” Jerge likes to use Hawaiian prints for her blankets because they are bright and cheerful. About 1,000 people, from 6-year-old Brownie Girl Scouts to widows in seniorliving centers, have made everything from simple handtied ﬂeece blankets to intricate quilts for the wounded, says Jerge. “We could go to the store and buy blankets, but that’s not the point,” says Jerge. “The goal is to have the blanket come from someone’s heart.” For more information: Blankets of Hope: www.soldiersangels.org Foster homes for soldiers’ best friends Steve Albin is helping to solve a dilemma facing many servicemembers: what to do with their pets while they’re away. Albin is founder and president of netpets.org and runs the nonproﬁt, all-volunteer Military Pets Foster Project. From his home in North Myrtle Beach, S.C., he matches military personnel with foster homes that will board and care for their pets while they are deployed. Albin, a native New Yorker, got the idea for the foster project a week after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attack when he learned how some servicemembers had to abandon or euthanize their pets when they deployed to the Persian Gulf War. “What kind of morale builder is that?” says Albin, a lifelong animal lover. “To protect and serve your country you have to give up your best buddy?” Since then, Albin has helped place thousands of servicemembers’ pets in foster homes. The servicemember covers other costs, such as food and veterinary care. “They are almost weeping with relief knowing they’ll be able to be reunited with their beloved pet when they come home,” says Albin. “No one wants to give up their pet.” Initially, Albin thought he’d ﬁnd foster homes for dogs, cats, birds, and horses. But he couldn’t say no to the pet lizards, frogs, chinchillas, turtles, goats, hermit crabs, and the one pot-bellied pig who all needed homes while their owners were in Iraq and Afghanistan. “What am I supposed to say?” says Albin. “You had your ferret for six years and now you’re supposed to put it to sleep?” When Albin started the project, he knew little about the military, how large it was, or how great the need was for pet foster care. “People have opened their hearts and doors to the pets of our servicemembers,” he says. “It’s more than just pet lovers; it’s about supporting the troops.” For more information: Military Pets Foster Project: www.netpets.org Scholarships for military children About 2,000 American children have lost a parent serving in Iraq. Thousands more servicemembers have been severely disabled, leaving families in tough ﬁnancial circumstances. The Freedom Alliance Scholarship Fund is dedicated to raising money for educational scholarships for children who have either lost a parent or had a parent permanently disabled while at war. “They are very grateful for the money. In many cases, they are just as grateful for the recognition,” says Tom Kilgannon, president of Freedom Alliance, which is based in Dulles, Va. “Their mother or father is honored, and there’s recognition that the family sacriﬁced.” 60 MILITARY OFFICER NOVEMBER 2007 http://www.soldiersangels.org http://www.netpets.org http://www.netpets.org

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Military Officer - November 2007

Military Officer - November 2007 Contents From the Editor President’s Page Your Views MOAA Directory Rapid Fire Washington Scene Chapters in Action Financial Forum Ask the Doctor Cover Story: Commanding the Corps With Love, From Home Financial Guidebook Financial Tuneups Banking on Your Time Pages of History MOAA Scholarship Recipients Faces of MOAA MOAA Scholarship Donors Member Books Advertising Index MOAA Calendar Sounding Taps MOAA Member Services Encore

Military Officer - November 2007

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