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It's a shame you even have to offer the spreadsheet but I guess that's a sign of the times.

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You will shortly receive another update announcement from Tom.

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Well here it is!

Due to the generosity of Randall Knife Society members Rhett and I have agreed that this project has gotten too big to send packages to one Warrior at a time. We are sending packages to our original Special Fighter who is the reason we started this project and he will be coming home relatively soon. He will help us select a Warrior to take his place. Also we have added one more Warrior to the project. Kevin (vklough46) has volunteered to send packages to him.

If any Randall Knife Association members have sons or daughters in Iraq or Afghanistan please send me a private message. I can send packages to at least one more Warrior. If we get several request I will ask for more volunteers.

Great job guys and gals. Keep the funds coming in and let's support our Warriors until this war has been won!



God bless America and God bless our troups!

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Well done folks

Please send a hello from The Kelly Family in Oz

Rob

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Hey Tom,

Sorry its been so long since I emailed,but I have been away from the Alamo for awhile,I am also having to use this address because the system is down for updates. Thank you so much for the boxes of goodies,its really nice of you and your group,and I mean that.Here things are a little crazy but Lord willing I will survive and get to see my family again,I think I have about six months left on this tour and I am going to retire.

I ordered me a new Randall Knife in 2004 when I was in Iraq and I get it 2009 and I am excited about that. Well sir I am going and again I say thank you.[tnt]Sgt.

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He is now carrying the model one that I carried in Iraq.

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The Sarge is 54 years old and on his second tour, going on 22 years in the military.

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I got another two boxes. Thank you. I put them on our shop table and they were gone. The Marines look forward to your boxes. Thanks for the E-mergency packets. We had a guy go down for bronchitis just the other day. The vitamin c will help. If you could send athlete's foot powder that would be great. They don't sell it here. We have to be in our boots for 14 hrs a day, so our feet are getting messed up. Thank you for your support.

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Thank you for the 2 boxes. The Marines of 773 appreciate the support from you. Its getting cold out here at last. The E-mergency will come in handy. Marine's feet can definately use that powder.

Sgt Abrams

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Hey Sir,I just want to say thanks for all the boxes,I was gone for almost a month up in the mountains and when I got back I had all kind of goodies,thank you and your group,like I said before it really does make it alot better,I hope you,your family and all your group have a good and safe Holiday
Season[tnt]sgt.jennings

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I think it would be a great thing to include some Christmas cards in the boxes going to our Warriors next month.

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Hey Tom Sir,I am sorry not to emailed you back earlier but I have really been busiy,I do appreciate every thing you and your group send,and trust me anything like can ham spread and crackers,anything that you can take with you on the road to snack on is good,sometimes we are in the mountains for weeks at a time and we get tired of MRE-s,again thank you so much[tnt]sgt.jennings

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Mr. Welch,
Thank you for the boxes, we appreciate it. If you would send beef jerky and cashews the guys would love it. Here is a good picture of some of us. Thank you again for your support.
Sgt. Abrams

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Jerky and cashews on the way.

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I am proud to be associated with you!

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Hey Sir, again I want to thank you and your group for all you do for us while we are on deployment, what you do might not seen like a lot to some people but please take it from someone on deployment it really means a lot, its good to have your support.
with kindest regards [tnt]
sgt.mykel jennings

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Classification: UNCLASSIFIED

Thank you for your continued support of my Unit. Your boxes are very much appreciated. Its nice to know that we still have support in America for what we do.

Sgt Abrams

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(Marine Sgt.) Tredwell Abrams has returned safely today to the Belle Chase Naval Air Station in Belle Chase, LA.
Thank you again and to your most thoughtful group for supplying "goodie boxes" for Tredwell while he was in Iraq.

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Thank you for responding to my email. All of us appreciate the thanks and
support you have offered. My guys aren't looking for any recognition though.
We're all happy to be of service.
I'm not really sure what to ask for. We are fairly well taken care of. If you
are looking for things to send, books, and movies would be welcome, if they
don't cost much. Magazines would be of use. Some interests people have are cars,
motorcycles, flying (planes), computers, maybe even some travel type (so they
can look at something other than dust!). Microwave popcorn is welcome. Maybe the
plain or light types (orville or Newman's). I only say that because it seems
like the buttery type tends to melt in the heat and soak through the package. I
don't know if there is anything unique that any forum members like to include?
My troops would be thankful for anything sent.

Thanks again for your support and please pass along my thanks to the members of
the Randall Knife Society who have donated so generously. I may have to join
your forum myself. I saw the special fighter knife which was
donated previously. Very nice.

All the best,

SFC Manuel Salazar

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Some of our latest crew of Special Fighters!

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Hi Tom,

I'm sure you're wondering who this is, my name is [deleted] also known as SPC [deleted] and I'm a Soldier in the U.S. ARMY. I am currently on month 8 of a 15 month tour out here in Iraq. I am currently assigned to C1-17 FAR out of Fort Sill, OK. I am active army and work with a field artillery unit, specifically working with the M109 155mm Howitzers also known as the Paladins. Since field artillery isn't really used anymore due to urban combat being the type of combat seen these days, our mission out here is convoy security. We are currently working out of Camp [deleted], Iraq AKA [deleted] and we run convoys from the south all the way up to the central part of Iraq just north of baghdad.

The south isn't too dangerous but the farther north you get around the baghdad area, the more dangerous it gets. Haven't really seen any combat action myself except for a small arms attack on our convoy thankfully. I somehow manage to avoid the IED's and EFP (explosively formed penetrator, the real killer out here) which I like to think is God looking out for me.

Anyways, I'm catching myself going off on a tangent lol, so much to talk about concerning Iraq but I better make sure I have some stuff to talk about in future emails hehe. Well, I just got back from a mission yesterday morning and didn't have the chance to thank you for the packages via email before I left on the mission. I wrote a thank you letter and dropped in in the mail box which I hope you received, and also my rooomates sent you one as well. I received the 3 packages of jerky/sunflower seeds/tuna/crackers and magazines and want to say thank you for the awesome stuff inside of it. My 2 roomates who I share a trailer with don't really get any care packages from people, so since there was quite a bit of goods in there, I shared with them some of the jerky, tuna, crackers, and seeds. We all really loved it and still have a bit more of it to go through until it's been expended hehehe. I just wanted to make sure that you know how much it means to know people back in the states are thinking about us out here and don't forget about us. I really appreciate you taking the time and funds to put together 3 packages like you did, and want to let you know that it is appreciated.

I just recently started using my camera on missions so hopefully I can send you some pictures shortly. My father, the one who you heard about me from, showed me a knife collectors forum which has a special fighter's section in it for troops deployed. I think that's really cool and hopefully later on tonight I can register an account and maybe post up some pictures from out here in Iraq of our missions and some of the sights out here to see. Unfortunately on my thumbdrive I only have six pictures but I'll send you a few of them for now. I need to load up the pics I took the other day of us doing a vehicle search on a suspected weapons smuggler from this last mission. Iraqis out here have been using caskets to transport rockets/rpgs/small arms weapons to and from locations.

Well I had better get to work, here at the office right now, going to attach those pictures and send them your way. Just want to say thanks again though for all you did with those packages and it is appreciated! Can't say it enough how much it means to have people like you supporting us soldiers out here iraq. Well look forward to hearing back from you Tom, and expect more emails soon.

Sincerely,

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I wonder who will carry the first Randall into Iran?

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AMERICAN VETERAN'S CHARITIES - A SHAM!!

Americans gave millions of dollars in the past year to veterans charities
designed to help troops wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan, but several of the
groups spent relatively little money on the wounded, according to a leading
watchdog organization and federal tax filings.

Eight veterans charities, including some of the nation's largest, gave less than
a third of the money raised to the causes they champion, far below the
recommended standard, the American Institute of Philanthropy says in a report.
One group passed along 1 cent for every dollar raised, the report says. Another
paid its founder and his wife a combined $540,000 in compensation and benefits
last year, a Washington Post analysis of tax filings showed.

Richard H. Esau Jr., executive director of the Military Order of the Purple
Heart Service Foundation, based in Annandale, said the cost of fundraising
limits how much his group can spend on charitable causes. 'Do you have any idea
how much money it costs to advertise? It's unbelievable the amount of money it
takes to advertise in the print and electronic media,' he said. 'I'm very proud
of what we do, and we certainly do look after everybody. The point is we do the
right thing by veterans.'

Borochoff said many Veterans charities are 'woefully inefficient, ' spending
large sums on costly direct-mail advertising. 'They over-solicit. They love to
send out a lot of trinkets and stickers and greeting cards and flags and things
that waste a lot of money that they get little return on,' said Borochoff, who
plans to testify before Congress today.

The philanthropy institute gave F's to 12 of the 29 military charities reviewed
and D's to eight. Five were awarded A-pluses, including the Fisher House
Foundation in Rockville, which the institute says directs more than 90 percent
of its income to charitable causes.

One group received an A, and one received an A-minus. Jim Weiskopf, spokesman
for Fisher House, said the charity does not use direct-mail advertising. 'As
soon as you do direct mail, your fund-raising expenses go up astronomically, '
he said.

One egregious example, Borochoff said, is Help Hospitalized Veterans, which was
founded in 1971 by Roger Chapin, a veteran of the Army Finance Corps and a San
Diego real estate developer. The charity, which provides therapeutic arts and
crafts kits to hospitalized veterans, reported income of $71.3 million last year
and spent about one-third of that money on charitable work, the philanthropy
institute said.

In its tax filings, Help Hospitalized Veterans reported paying more than $4
million to direct-mail fundraising consultants. The group also has run
television advertisements featuring actor Sam Waterston, game show host Pat
Sajak and other celebrities.

Bennett Weiner, chief operating officer of the Better Business Bureau, said the
agency has 20 standards for reviewing charities, including that a charity's
fundraising and overhead costs not exceed 35 percent of total contributions.

The American Institute of Philanthropy, a leading charity watchdog, issued a
report card this month for 29 veterans and military charities. Letter grades
were based largely on the charities' fundraising costs and the percentage of
money raised that was spent on charitable activities. The charities that
received failing grades are in bold type.

Air Force Aid Society (A+)

American Ex-Prisoners of War Service Foundation (F)

American Veterans Coalition (F)

American Veterans Relief Foundation (F)

AMVETS National Service Foundation (F)

Armed Services YMCA of the USA (A-)

Army Emergency Relief (A+)

Blinded Veterans Association (D)

Disabled American Veterans (D)

Disabled Veterans Association (F)

Fisher House Foundation (A+)

Freedom Alliance (F)

Help Hospitalized Veterans/Coalition to Salute America's Heroes (F)

Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund (A+)

Military Order of the Purple Heart Service Foundation (F)

National Military Family Association (A)

National Veterans Services Fund (F)

National Vietnam Veterans Committee (D)

Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society (A+)

NCOA National Defense Foundation (F)

Paralyzed Veterans of America (F)

Soldiers' Angels (D)

United Spinal Association' s Wounded Warrior Project (D)

USO (United Service Organization) (C+)

Veterans of Foreign Wars and Foundation (C-)

Veterans of the Vietnam War & the Veterans Coalition (D)

Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund (D)

VietNow National Headquarters (F)

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GOD BLESS Sgt.Doug!!!

GOD BLESS OUR TROOPS!!!

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I would be more than happy to accept care packages on behalf of soldiers here. I have always and will continue to be tremendously appreciative of anyone who wants to support my troops. I do have access to over 400 soldiers in my battalion alone. I have recently been moved to the Operations Sergeants Major position, so that gives me a pretty good picture of who can use what.

We do have an AAFES PX store here (kind of like a small Wal-Mart), so toiletry and every day items are easy to get. The things that seem to gain the appreciation of soldiers the most are snacks, candies, music cds, video games, board games, and movies. Magazines are good too. Not news magazines, but things like Guns and Ammo, or any type of motorcycle and car magazine. As strange as it may sound, newspapers like the Globe and Enquirer are good. With the holidays coming up, Christmas decorations would be good also.

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