Marines and Valour IT

Next weekend, on the 10th, is the Birthday of the Marine Corps. We will be 232 years young. Born on the corner of Water Street and Tun Alley, in Philadelphia, the Corps has been more places than Johnny Cash: Tripoli, Mexico, West Africa, the Falkland Islands, Sumatra, Panama, China, Formosa, Japan, Nicaragua, Uruguay, Korea, Hawaii, Egypt, Haiti, Samoa, Argentina, Chile, Colombia, the Philippines, Puerto Rico, Cuba, Belleau Wood, Guadalcanal, Tarawa, Saipan, Cape Gloucester, Peleliu, Iwo Jima, Okinawa, Tachen Islands, Taiwan, Laos, Thailand, Korea, Vietnam, Diego Garcia, Grenada, Kuwait, Iraq, Somalia, the Horn of Africa, Uzbekistan, and Afghanistan, to name a few. I know there's plenty more...

Being a Marine is a special thing, and we take a great pride in that fact. I like what I read a while back; "The Air Force Chief of Staff would never be called 'airman'. The Chief of Naval Operations would never be called 'Sailor'. The Commanding General of the Army would never be called 'Soldier'. BUT, the Commandant of the Marine Corps is Damn Proud to be called MARINE!!!"

Being a Marine vet, I have joined up with the Marine Team in the VALOUR-IT fund raiser. That's what the dealie is up on the top of the right side bar.

What is Project Valour-IT?

Project Valour-IT began when Charles "Chuck" Ziegenfuss was wounded by an IED while serving as commander of a tank company in Iraq in June 2005.

During his deployment he kept a blog (an online personal diary, opinion forum, or news analysis site-called a milblog or military weblog when written by a servicemember or about military subjects). Captivating writing, insightful stories of his experiences, and his self-deprecating humor won him many loyal readers. After he was wounded, his wife continued his blog, keeping his readers informed of his condition.

As he began to recover, CPT Ziegenfuss wanted to return to writing his blog, but serious hand injuries hampered his typing. When a loyal and generous reader gave him a copy of the Dragon Naturally Speaking Preferred software, other readers began to realize how important such software could be to CPT Ziegenfuss' fellow wounded soldiers and started cast about for a way to get it to them.

A fellow blogger (blog author) who writes under the pseudonym FbL contacted Captain Ziegenfuss and the two realized they shared a vision of providing laptops with voice-controlled software to wounded soldiers whose injuries prevented them from operating a standard computer. FbL contacted Soldiers Angels, who offered to help develop the project, and Project Valour-IT was born.

In sharing their thoughts, CPT Ziegenfuss and FbL found that memories of their respective fathers were a motivating factor in their work with the project. Both continue their association with this project in memory of the great men in their lives whose fine examples taught them lasting lessons of courage and generosity.
quote from here

We've got four teams, each branch of the service (with the Coasties teaming with the Squids... poor guys), with a goal of raising 60k each. Currently, the Doggies are ahead, but I'm confident that our Marine team will catch up very soon. And that's where you come in.

Looky below:

Go ahead... click that button, and donate.

Want to give on behalf of a different team? No... you don't. Really. You'd like to be one of us. You know it, I know it, and everyone else does, too. And that's cool. Hell... that's normal. Seriously. Even the other teams are pimping out items for auction by using my likeness. Handsome devil, ain't I? Well... in a cartoonish sort of way.

Anyway, since it is the birthday of the Corps, you should gift them by giving to this cause, on behalf of the Marine Team. Again, be sure to check out the items for auction, and to visit Soldier's Angels, the hosts of this fundraiser.

GO MARINES!

Posted by That 1 Guy at November 4, 2007 08:26 PM | TrackBack