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Because Supporting Your Troops Means More Than Putting a Magnet On Your Car
Please join us in sending needed and requested items to our troops serving overseas. Most Americans do not know that our government DOES NOT supply our troops with sanitary, entertainment or sporting items.
That's right, no soap, toothpaste, deodorant, feminine items, floss toothbrushes, bug repellant. snacks, or other needed and wanted items! Operation: A Bit Of Home supports Freedom Rest the only Rest and Relaxation facility in Iraq for our troops. The facility rotates 150 troops per day through the experience. Although it is in the INTERNATIONAL ZONE in Baghdad, it is constantly threatened by insurgent fire, and has been hit and damaged. The troops that are chosen to visit Freedom Rest have recently been under fire and in combat, and need time away from the fighting.
In our first year of operation, we supplied needed and requested items to over 23,000 US Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, and Marines. We are in our 3rd year and sending more and more all the time. We have had a large roll in creating the largest DVD and CD lending library for our troops in the country!
Your donated goods are sent to every corner of Iraq reaching troops in tents and outlying bases via convoys that stop at Freedom Rest.
That's right, no soap, toothpaste, deodorant, feminine items, floss toothbrushes, bug repellant. snacks, or other needed and wanted items! Operation: A Bit Of Home supports Freedom Rest the only Rest and Relaxation facility in Iraq for our troops. The facility rotates 150 troops per day through the experience. Although it is in the INTERNATIONAL ZONE in Baghdad, it is constantly threatened by insurgent fire, and has been hit and damaged. The troops that are chosen to visit Freedom Rest have recently been under fire and in combat, and need time away from the fighting.
In our first year of operation, we supplied needed and requested items to over 23,000 US Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, and Marines. We are in our 3rd year and sending more and more all the time. We have had a large roll in creating the largest DVD and CD lending library for our troops in the country!
Your donated goods are sent to every corner of Iraq reaching troops in tents and outlying bases via convoys that stop at Freedom Rest.
Operation: A Bit Of Home is not making a statement on supporting the war, but showing our support for our Troops. We are not political. We do not lobby or endorse anyone. Our only goal is to provide needed items to the soldiers serving in Iraq.
Monetary donations pay for postage and expenses. We have no overhead. NO ONE gets paid. We are all volunteers.
The easiest way to help is to ask all of your friends, family, and co-workers to visit our site!
04-19-08
We threw our box on a trailer and took it to a great party at a restaurant named "Crab Daddy's" in Temple Texas. They had a big Crawdad Feast with mudbugs, imported Louisiana chefs, and great music provided by 105.7 from Waco Tx. The radio station announced that we were there and urged folks to come on down, and bring some DVD's for a Discount. No one brought movies, but we didn't mind. It did succeed in telling people who we were and what we are doing.
The radio station asked me to come down next week to discuss some Public Service Announcements and also to be interviewed during the morning show. We look forward to it.
If you want a GREAT meal of Cajun seafood, fresh fish, Boudan Balls, Dirty Rice, or Crab, try Crab Daddy's. Take a few old DVD movies with you and get a 1% discount for every movie you bring in, up to 10% off of your food bill!
04-05-08
Delivered a Slushy machine to Capt. Chaplain Miles B. for his unit yesterday. Gave him a few movies too!. For anyone interested you can get a 1 gallon Margarita/smoothie maker at Wal-Mart for under $50. It is called the Margarador. It works on regular current or 12v. vehicle current. A package arrived from the West Coast Div. of OABOH that had a few fun family movies for the Chaplain. He is a great guy. I really like him! Every time we speak he ends the conversation with a prayer. Every time he prays for me, the concern I have is addressed in some way. Amazing!
03-31-08
Well we spent the weekend shopping for the supplies that Angel had to buy for her deployment to Iraq. Nearly $500.00 of our own money to buy soaps, shampoos, sunscreen, toiletries etc. This is why OABOH exists. Imagine a young soldier with a child or 2, barely making ends meet, having to spend that kind of money, where would he/she get it?
On a lighter note, I found a Slushee type machine for Chaplain Miles B. They have one at WalMart for $40,00 that runs or AC or DC current. What a neat gift for someone that has access to ice! Now I just have to get Chaplain Miles to contact me.... we misplaced the number in the move!
3-27-08
Angel came home with her new protective gear that she will be wearing full time in Iraq when she is deployed in June. Did I mention that Angel is being deployed to Iraq in June? She opened the trunk of her car to show me and I reached in to pick it up to take it in the house. She had quite a giggle when I almost fell into the trunk of the car trying to pick it up! Now, I am no small guy and that thing was every bit of 70+ lbs. She has to wear that on her body, plus her weapon, plus her helmet, and other gear. The new gear has a string on it so that when you pull the string the gear falls away from your body, Yup, a 35 lb. plate of steel and Kevlar drops right on your toes. Angel slapped my hand the moment it got near the string. She tells me that you are supposed to lean forward to drop the gear and save your toes.
It is an interesting task trying to talk about what is going on and not blog about the Army and Angel. I will share some things with you, but many things I cannot. I will share events with you to illustrate what many soldiers are going through regarding deployment and supplies.
Angel came home with a giant footlocker on wheels. This thing is twice the size of a steamer trunk and could easily hold me. She was told we need to go buy 6 months worth of Sanitary items and to use the trunk to hold it all. Soap, shampoo, toothpaste, floss, Sanitary Needs, all of it. We will have to lay out $100's of dollars to fill that box up so Angel will have the items she needs to survive in Iraq.
As a military spouse, I will dutifully do as requested, and rets assured folks, your donations for the troops at Freedom Rest will go to them. We will not use any of the funds or items for Angel unless specified as such.
3-23-08
Well, here it is almost April and I am just now checking back in. It has been a busy time, the move, trying to sell the house, and all the unpacking. Bob is going full speed for Operation: Disk Drive. He has enlisted Savannah High School, the Crystal Cathedral Academy, various groups at the Crystal Cathedral, and Villa Park Rotary clubs to help. The Gathering of Eagle's has started collecting DVD's too.
I am working on a project for Chaplain Miles B. he is a Seventh Day Adventist Chaplain at Ft. Hood that approached OABOH with a request. He is looking for "G" rated movies to show to troops that want to be entertained in a clean manner. Bob is culling out "G" movies for me to send to the Chaplain. We heard from Robin Neal of the Wake forest mothers club and they are collecting DVD'd for us too. We are in need of a Margarita (Icee, Smoothie) etc machine to send over with Chaplain Michael's unit to he can serve cold refreshments to the soldiers at his movie nights!
A New Director has joined us for the North Carolina Area, Tom Byrne, former Director of the USO facility at RDU Airport is stepping in as the Director for North Carolina. He has great skills and contacts and assures Ken that OABOH will continue on where it started, Wake County, NC.
03-04-08
We made the second drive to TX without any major problems. We towed the 1964 Studebaker behind a U-haul and we were impressed. The U-haul truck was a new Ford E-350 and had 5500 miles on it. We had no vehicle problems at all. A bit of snow on I-40 passing from Ashville, NC to Knoxville, TN was all the excitement we needed. Ken is flying back to NC this week to finish up on the house and he will drive back to TX in our Blazer. Our new address is 1216 S. 47th St., Temple, TX 76504. Our new number is 919-341-8505.
2-20-08
The movers completed their 2nd day of packing the house today. I am here supervising and throwing away LOTS of accumulated sh... ah.. STUFF. The Army sent Mather Brother Moving Company of Garner NC to do the packing and they were wonderful. Very caring and professional!
Angel has been going through hell because we have had the unfortunate luck to buy the house from one of the most miserable tight-fisted nasty rude jerks in the world. He has done his level best to make this a rotten experience, and we hope it will all be over tomorrow.
2-18-08
I am home in NC. My friend Kenyon picked me up from RDU and I went home, went for a drive in our 64 Studebaker and worked on OPERATION: Disk Drive. Dad is going great guns on it. He has decided we need to collect 10,000 DVD's and when he does that he always follows through!
The Gathering of Eagles has agreed to join us for the DVD drive and I am glad they have. The NC group is leading the pack and their plans are underway, e-mails have been sent, and the NC Eagles are already sending donations and communications. Bubba, the NC leader is a hard worker and does not hesitate. I have a lot of work to do.
2-17-08
Where do I start? Angel and I packed the car on 1-17-08 and drove to Fort Hood TX. It is in Bell County in Central Texas, 60 miles north of Austin, and 50 miles south of Waco. It is the largest military base in the world.
We arrived on MLK day and got checked into the base visitors hotel, Ware Hall, that was very nice and reasonable. The Army gives you 10 days of living reimbursed and after that, you are on your own. Single folk can stay in the barracks if they like, but married folks and families cannot. They have to find an apartment or rental. Base housing is available but there is a wait of up to 9 months for a little tiny place.
We were very very lucky to find a long term hotel in Killeen, TX called VALUE PLACE. It was clean, quiet, and only $200.00 per week. There was a large fridge, a 2 burner cook-top and a microwave in the room. The double bed was just OK, but for $200.00 a week, it was POSH! The staff was very nice, and they worked hard to keep the place clean and friendly. We grew to like all of them.
On January 30th Angel was on her way to her new unit, the 41st fires brigade. A young soldier made a left turn into her car causing over $4,000.00 in damage to the car and sending Angel to the hospital in an ambulance.
Angel suffered a side-to-side whiplash and a back sprain. The soldier received 5 tickets.
The paramedics, nurses and doctors at Darnell Medical Center were FABULOUS. They were caring, compassionate, helpful and took good care of a very worried husband. They took GREAT care of Angel. Her unit was also very nice and helpful.
Sometimes going into the Army is like being "Assimilated by the Borg" and other times they come through like family, which they really can be. Dysfunctional at times, but always there. Her sergeants checked on her, drove me to get the rental car, and checked-up on her by phone to make sure she was OK. Angel was in bed on pain killers, muscle relaxers, and anti-inflammatories for 5 days.
While at Value Place we looked in many areas of Killeen, and did not find any that we wanted to rent. We contacted a company called Propertiesmart in Temple TX. They are realtors and have rental properties. A wonderful lady named Bernetta helped us. We soon found out that anyplace that was worth renting would cost more per month than buying.
Having 1 car was a trip. Angel would get up at 5:00 AM, get dressed in her PT uniform and drive-in for PT (Physical Training), which she was not allowed to do, but she still had to show. They had her walk which on some days hurt a bit, but in hindsight, it didn't hurt and I think helped loosen her muscles up. They would let the soldiers go home at 8:00AM and shower and change and go back at 9:00 AM for formation. I would drive her back at 9:00 so I could have the car for the rest of the day, and then pick her up at 5:00. That is a long day, but you don't see too many out of shape soldiers either.
We made an offer on a house in Temple TX. A cute little place about 30 minutes from the base.
1-03-08
Angel made it, she met her goal measurements and weight and "She's in the Army NOW". A new chapter opens in the book of life for us. Stay tuned...... I will post details as we know them.....Angels Duty station will be Ft. Hood TX. She will report on Jan 17th, wow that is soon... I will stay home to get the packing ready and sell the house... stay tuned......
1-02-08
I have added a page to the website about the Lemonade Diet or Master Cleanse Diet. It has helped Angel to loose many of the 90 lbs. she had to loose to get into the Army. She went for a measuring today and is at the required 33% BMI She goes to MEPS, the enlistment station on 1-03 to officially measure, choose her MOS (Job) and Duty Station, and wear in. I am so proud of her, she set her sites on joining the Army, and it took 3 years, and lots of hard work and exercise. The lemonade diet got her through the last 30 pounds in record time and we are ready to start the new chapter in our lives!
12-31-07
The Last day of 2007!
I volunteered at the RDU USO today and I met with the President and CEO of the North Carolina USO, Judy Pritchard. she was wonderful!
The Raleigh RDU USO has a new director. John is now the boss and he is a very dedicated man.
We are now an approved partner with the State USO Organization and we have permission to use their LOGO. We are so excited.
12-7-07 (A Day that will live in Infamy)
A letter came from Craig Miller at Freedom Rest. It has a great story in it about how some of your donations are used.
Hello,
Congratulations on your Mail Train drive, that's outstanding. Whenever I tell the troops where all the boxes come from and tell your story - they are consistently impressed and very grateful that someone like you and your family exists, cares and never forgets about them and their military family.
We had some unexpected guests here two days ago, a MIT Team had been returning from mission and one of their trucks was hit and badly damaged, they were rerouted into the Green Zone and stayed here at Freedom Rest. These troops had been on mission for awhile, and it showed. We took them into our storage and set them up with new T-shirts, socks and shorts. Fresh soaps, deodorants, toothbrushes, toothpaste (you would be amazed at how excited they were to use real Qtips!) and best of all we opened two new boxes of candy and snacks for them. They were extremely grateful, with full bellies and new clothes to relax in. Thank you for making that possible.
I think it's great that the USO has adopted you into their family, it shows your continued commitment to the troops here, and to their families - as the more we can do for them here, the better they can communicate with loved ones at home.
Good luck on your journey to 2000 boxes, I'm sure you will have to increase it again once you blow that goal out of the water!
Best wishes, and thanks.
Craig Miller
Freedom Rest
12-02-07
The annual Rolesville Christmas Parade was today and we set up a table to give away flags, hot coffee, donuts, chips, and juice in exchange for donations. Tom Byrne from the USO joined us and we had a blast. Tom is a lot of fun and the people of Rolesville were generous. A special thanks to Daylight Donuts of Wake Forest for their generous discount on the coffee and donuts
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We received a generous donation from Rosallini's Pizza in Rolesville. We thank them very much and urge you to try their FANTASTIC Taco Pizza and Cheeseburger Pizza!
11-30-97
A wonderful article in our local Wake Weekly by journalist David Leone reports on our intern, Jeremy's Eagle Scout Court of Honor. You can read the article here.
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Bob Meyer, West Coast Director of Operation a bit of Home, reports they may have to set a new goal for their project to send 1000 Holiday boxes to the troops in Iraq. His first preliminary report of 436 boxes, was reported by the Rotary Club of Orange, California. This does not include the number of individual boxes sent by club members! To make it even better, Bob is waiting for reports from the 50 Rotary Clubs in District 5320 and the following participants: McPherson's Magnet School, Holy Family Catholic School and the Lutheran High School of Orange. It was suggested that we change the goal to 2000 boxes for the "Holiday Mail Train" - gifts for the troops at Christmas.
11-29-07
Sharon of Rosallini's Pizza in Rolesviile, NC called and asked how they could help support the troops. We will be picking up a check and placing a donation box in their restaurant.
Thanks Sharon!!
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I received a nice phone call from Shirley Weatherbee from Cary, NC. The USO told her to contact us regarding MAILING ADDRESSES to send Christmas Boxes and Cards. She has a big box of Goodies ready to go! She wants to make sure the troops know exactly how she feels, so here it is!
"A HUGE THANK YOU TO ALL OF OUR TROOPS. NOT ONLY FOR TODAY, BUT FOR MANY YEARS TO COME. OUR GRANDCHILDREN WILL BE BETTER OFF IN THE FUTURE BECAUSE OF EACH ONE OF YOU."
11-28-07
Tom Byrne, Director of the Raleigh USO dropped in to say hello, shake hands, check us out, and invite us to be a partner with the Raleigh Durham (RDU) office of the USO. This is a MAJOR accomplishment for OABOH and we are very proud to be a partner of the revered and honorable American Institution! Check out their website by clicking on their logo.
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Not long after Tom left a reporter for the Gastonia NC Gazette called and said the Raleigh USO had sent her to me for addresses for the troops! Tom is one fast worker!
11-27-07
The Fountain Valley Rotary Club reports 40 boxes on their way to Iraq. Looks like Bob will have to revise his numbers higher for this years Mail train will exceed 1,000 Boxes!!!!!
11-10-07
The folks at the Glen Eden Resort came through with a whopping 42 boxes of donations for their troops. They also collected $1,500.00 for shipping costs, As always, Glen Eden was good to their word, they LOVE to support their troops!
11-09-07
We received an E-mail from Chelsea Nelson of Founders Title Company of Salt Lake City Utah that her company is gathering items to send to the troops! Great job! We can't wait to see pictures of what they collect and send! We will post them on the community support page when we get them.
11-08-07
The full time employees of the Orange Unified School District in Orange CA are up to 171 boxes. The Holiday mail train conducted by Bob Meyer reports over 300 boxes on the way so far...... Stay tuned for updates.....
11-05-07
Ken and Angel gave a talk at the Wake Forest Mom's Club. We had a great time and the group gave us many items for the troops! I think giving a talk in a room full of 2-3 year olds was the toughest audience we ever had, but they were quiet during our slide presentation. Special thanks to Robin Neal for inviting us to speak.
11-02-07
The great folks out at Glen Eden Resort have been some of our most consistent supporters. They are hosting a major drive on 11-10-07. All of the visitors and residents that take part in the drive will receive a special gift from the park. Carol Hook is spearheading the drive and is an enthusiastic leader, We will post pictures and information as it is available.
11-01-07
Be sure and visit your local Drug Stores and Grocery Stores! Lots of markdowns and GREAT SAVINGS on candies such as tootsie pops, skittles, bubble gum, and others that can survive the trip!
10-25-07
The Full-Time employees of the Orange Unified School District in Orange County collected 165 boxes, See the pictures!
10-23-07
OABOH in Southern California led by Bob Meyer has made the decision that they will be going through the donations to see what can be used by persons displaced by the fire storms that are plaguing the area. East and New York will continue to send to the Troops. Any items donated that cannot be used or sent overseas will go to California.
10-18-07
Mike LoCascio in New York announced today that a Christmas drive for the troops will be held at St. Stanislaus Rectory. The drive will take place on November 30. Stay tuned for more details!
10-17-07
Freedom Rest has 2 special requests, they need pool cues and karaoke song files.(Not Disks). If anyone has those files to send, drop us a note through the contact form and we will get right back to you. You can send the pool cues to us, or send them directly to Freedom Rest.
10-17-07
I had a GREAT conversation with Craig Miller at Freedom Rest in Baghdad today. One of our larger shipments arrived today and over- filled his big Chevy Suburban. More pool toys arrived as well as a dozen cases of Mary-Kay skin lotion and sunscreen!
Craig told me that the DVD library is getting well known in the theater, and troops stationed in the area are dropping in to borrow movies.
Craig thanks everyone for their generosity.
10-16-07
Well, I finally got the new web page up and running. The old page had a "mail to" function that made it possible for spammers to harvest our e-mail address and send 100-300 Spams a DAY....and people asked why we sometimes took awhile to answer. We hope you enjoy the new site. This Log is a fun addition to let you know what is happening. The contact us page has a contact form on it now. Just fill it out and we will get your mail right away. We never have and never will give away or sell your contact info. We do not bombard you with newsletters or requests for money. EVER
10-12-07
The Rolesville BUZZ paper came out today! We have a great article. Jeremy has an article about his Eagle Scout Project.
10-11-07
New York Director Mike LoCascio called to let us know that they are having a Christmas drive in New Your... Stay tuned for more details!
10-09-07
West Coast Dir. Bob Meyer reports that 4 schools in the City of Orange, Holy Family, McPherson Magnet Middle School, and Orange Lutheran High school are running programs to collect items and donations for Freedom Rest. The leadership of the Orange Unified School District is also behind a project and is encouraging the district leadership and the administration of all schools in the district to share in a drive for the troops.
10-07-07
Jason Daniels of Troop 261 who helped OABOH sort and pack donations for the troops was formally promoted to the rank of EAGLE SCOUT. This rank is reached by less than 1% of scouts and shows discipline, drive, and accomplishment. CONGRATULATIONS JASON.
10-04-07
Our Eagle Scout candidate Jeremy Woodby passed his Board of Review, he has been approved to become an Eagle Scout, Congratulations Jeremy!
10-01-07
West Coast Director Bob Meyer has launched his 3rd annual Thanksgiving and Christmas mail train for the troops. All the Rotary Clubs in Orange County CA have climbed aboard the train and expect to send over 1,000 boxes of Holiday Goodies to the troops!
9-30-07
The editor from The newspaper "ROLESVILLE BUZZ" came over to take pictures of our New Box and our soon to be Eagle Scout Jeremy Woodby.
9-29-07
Lewis Turner, one of the scouts fathers and Theresa Woodby, Jeremy's mom came over to help with the final assembly of the box. We installed the signs from Wake Forest Signs and got the box ready for pictures tomorrow...
9-28-07
Jeremy and I went to Wake Forest Signs and picked up the beautiful new signs for the new box.
A reporter from the "ROLESVILLE BUZZ" came over and spent 2 hours interviewing me for an article in the paper.
9-22-07
Jeremy and Ken completed the final painting and touch up on the box and we are ready for the signs when they are done.
We threw our box on a trailer and took it to a great party at a restaurant named "Crab Daddy's" in Temple Texas. They had a big Crawdad Feast with mudbugs, imported Louisiana chefs, and great music provided by 105.7 from Waco Tx. The radio station announced that we were there and urged folks to come on down, and bring some DVD's for a Discount. No one brought movies, but we didn't mind. It did succeed in telling people who we were and what we are doing.
The radio station asked me to come down next week to discuss some Public Service Announcements and also to be interviewed during the morning show. We look forward to it.
If you want a GREAT meal of Cajun seafood, fresh fish, Boudan Balls, Dirty Rice, or Crab, try Crab Daddy's. Take a few old DVD movies with you and get a 1% discount for every movie you bring in, up to 10% off of your food bill!
04-05-08
Delivered a Slushy machine to Capt. Chaplain Miles B. for his unit yesterday. Gave him a few movies too!. For anyone interested you can get a 1 gallon Margarita/smoothie maker at Wal-Mart for under $50. It is called the Margarador. It works on regular current or 12v. vehicle current. A package arrived from the West Coast Div. of OABOH that had a few fun family movies for the Chaplain. He is a great guy. I really like him! Every time we speak he ends the conversation with a prayer. Every time he prays for me, the concern I have is addressed in some way. Amazing!
03-31-08
Well we spent the weekend shopping for the supplies that Angel had to buy for her deployment to Iraq. Nearly $500.00 of our own money to buy soaps, shampoos, sunscreen, toiletries etc. This is why OABOH exists. Imagine a young soldier with a child or 2, barely making ends meet, having to spend that kind of money, where would he/she get it?
On a lighter note, I found a Slushee type machine for Chaplain Miles B. They have one at WalMart for $40,00 that runs or AC or DC current. What a neat gift for someone that has access to ice! Now I just have to get Chaplain Miles to contact me.... we misplaced the number in the move!
3-27-08
Angel came home with her new protective gear that she will be wearing full time in Iraq when she is deployed in June. Did I mention that Angel is being deployed to Iraq in June? She opened the trunk of her car to show me and I reached in to pick it up to take it in the house. She had quite a giggle when I almost fell into the trunk of the car trying to pick it up! Now, I am no small guy and that thing was every bit of 70+ lbs. She has to wear that on her body, plus her weapon, plus her helmet, and other gear. The new gear has a string on it so that when you pull the string the gear falls away from your body, Yup, a 35 lb. plate of steel and Kevlar drops right on your toes. Angel slapped my hand the moment it got near the string. She tells me that you are supposed to lean forward to drop the gear and save your toes.
It is an interesting task trying to talk about what is going on and not blog about the Army and Angel. I will share some things with you, but many things I cannot. I will share events with you to illustrate what many soldiers are going through regarding deployment and supplies.
Angel came home with a giant footlocker on wheels. This thing is twice the size of a steamer trunk and could easily hold me. She was told we need to go buy 6 months worth of Sanitary items and to use the trunk to hold it all. Soap, shampoo, toothpaste, floss, Sanitary Needs, all of it. We will have to lay out $100's of dollars to fill that box up so Angel will have the items she needs to survive in Iraq.
As a military spouse, I will dutifully do as requested, and rets assured folks, your donations for the troops at Freedom Rest will go to them. We will not use any of the funds or items for Angel unless specified as such.
3-23-08
Well, here it is almost April and I am just now checking back in. It has been a busy time, the move, trying to sell the house, and all the unpacking. Bob is going full speed for Operation: Disk Drive. He has enlisted Savannah High School, the Crystal Cathedral Academy, various groups at the Crystal Cathedral, and Villa Park Rotary clubs to help. The Gathering of Eagle's has started collecting DVD's too.
I am working on a project for Chaplain Miles B. he is a Seventh Day Adventist Chaplain at Ft. Hood that approached OABOH with a request. He is looking for "G" rated movies to show to troops that want to be entertained in a clean manner. Bob is culling out "G" movies for me to send to the Chaplain. We heard from Robin Neal of the Wake forest mothers club and they are collecting DVD'd for us too. We are in need of a Margarita (Icee, Smoothie) etc machine to send over with Chaplain Michael's unit to he can serve cold refreshments to the soldiers at his movie nights!
A New Director has joined us for the North Carolina Area, Tom Byrne, former Director of the USO facility at RDU Airport is stepping in as the Director for North Carolina. He has great skills and contacts and assures Ken that OABOH will continue on where it started, Wake County, NC.
03-04-08
We made the second drive to TX without any major problems. We towed the 1964 Studebaker behind a U-haul and we were impressed. The U-haul truck was a new Ford E-350 and had 5500 miles on it. We had no vehicle problems at all. A bit of snow on I-40 passing from Ashville, NC to Knoxville, TN was all the excitement we needed. Ken is flying back to NC this week to finish up on the house and he will drive back to TX in our Blazer. Our new address is 1216 S. 47th St., Temple, TX 76504. Our new number is 919-341-8505.
2-20-08
The movers completed their 2nd day of packing the house today. I am here supervising and throwing away LOTS of accumulated sh... ah.. STUFF. The Army sent Mather Brother Moving Company of Garner NC to do the packing and they were wonderful. Very caring and professional!
Angel has been going through hell because we have had the unfortunate luck to buy the house from one of the most miserable tight-fisted nasty rude jerks in the world. He has done his level best to make this a rotten experience, and we hope it will all be over tomorrow.
2-18-08
I am home in NC. My friend Kenyon picked me up from RDU and I went home, went for a drive in our 64 Studebaker and worked on OPERATION: Disk Drive. Dad is going great guns on it. He has decided we need to collect 10,000 DVD's and when he does that he always follows through!
The Gathering of Eagles has agreed to join us for the DVD drive and I am glad they have. The NC group is leading the pack and their plans are underway, e-mails have been sent, and the NC Eagles are already sending donations and communications. Bubba, the NC leader is a hard worker and does not hesitate. I have a lot of work to do.
2-17-08
Where do I start? Angel and I packed the car on 1-17-08 and drove to Fort Hood TX. It is in Bell County in Central Texas, 60 miles north of Austin, and 50 miles south of Waco. It is the largest military base in the world.
We arrived on MLK day and got checked into the base visitors hotel, Ware Hall, that was very nice and reasonable. The Army gives you 10 days of living reimbursed and after that, you are on your own. Single folk can stay in the barracks if they like, but married folks and families cannot. They have to find an apartment or rental. Base housing is available but there is a wait of up to 9 months for a little tiny place.
We were very very lucky to find a long term hotel in Killeen, TX called VALUE PLACE. It was clean, quiet, and only $200.00 per week. There was a large fridge, a 2 burner cook-top and a microwave in the room. The double bed was just OK, but for $200.00 a week, it was POSH! The staff was very nice, and they worked hard to keep the place clean and friendly. We grew to like all of them.
On January 30th Angel was on her way to her new unit, the 41st fires brigade. A young soldier made a left turn into her car causing over $4,000.00 in damage to the car and sending Angel to the hospital in an ambulance.
Angel suffered a side-to-side whiplash and a back sprain. The soldier received 5 tickets.
The paramedics, nurses and doctors at Darnell Medical Center were FABULOUS. They were caring, compassionate, helpful and took good care of a very worried husband. They took GREAT care of Angel. Her unit was also very nice and helpful.
Sometimes going into the Army is like being "Assimilated by the Borg" and other times they come through like family, which they really can be. Dysfunctional at times, but always there. Her sergeants checked on her, drove me to get the rental car, and checked-up on her by phone to make sure she was OK. Angel was in bed on pain killers, muscle relaxers, and anti-inflammatories for 5 days.
While at Value Place we looked in many areas of Killeen, and did not find any that we wanted to rent. We contacted a company called Propertiesmart in Temple TX. They are realtors and have rental properties. A wonderful lady named Bernetta helped us. We soon found out that anyplace that was worth renting would cost more per month than buying.
Having 1 car was a trip. Angel would get up at 5:00 AM, get dressed in her PT uniform and drive-in for PT (Physical Training), which she was not allowed to do, but she still had to show. They had her walk which on some days hurt a bit, but in hindsight, it didn't hurt and I think helped loosen her muscles up. They would let the soldiers go home at 8:00AM and shower and change and go back at 9:00 AM for formation. I would drive her back at 9:00 so I could have the car for the rest of the day, and then pick her up at 5:00. That is a long day, but you don't see too many out of shape soldiers either.
We made an offer on a house in Temple TX. A cute little place about 30 minutes from the base.
1-03-08
Angel made it, she met her goal measurements and weight and "She's in the Army NOW". A new chapter opens in the book of life for us. Stay tuned...... I will post details as we know them.....Angels Duty station will be Ft. Hood TX. She will report on Jan 17th, wow that is soon... I will stay home to get the packing ready and sell the house... stay tuned......
1-02-08
I have added a page to the website about the Lemonade Diet or Master Cleanse Diet. It has helped Angel to loose many of the 90 lbs. she had to loose to get into the Army. She went for a measuring today and is at the required 33% BMI She goes to MEPS, the enlistment station on 1-03 to officially measure, choose her MOS (Job) and Duty Station, and wear in. I am so proud of her, she set her sites on joining the Army, and it took 3 years, and lots of hard work and exercise. The lemonade diet got her through the last 30 pounds in record time and we are ready to start the new chapter in our lives!
12-31-07
The Last day of 2007!
I volunteered at the RDU USO today and I met with the President and CEO of the North Carolina USO, Judy Pritchard. she was wonderful!
The Raleigh RDU USO has a new director. John is now the boss and he is a very dedicated man.
We are now an approved partner with the State USO Organization and we have permission to use their LOGO. We are so excited.
12-7-07 (A Day that will live in Infamy)
A letter came from Craig Miller at Freedom Rest. It has a great story in it about how some of your donations are used.
Hello,
Congratulations on your Mail Train drive, that's outstanding. Whenever I tell the troops where all the boxes come from and tell your story - they are consistently impressed and very grateful that someone like you and your family exists, cares and never forgets about them and their military family.
We had some unexpected guests here two days ago, a MIT Team had been returning from mission and one of their trucks was hit and badly damaged, they were rerouted into the Green Zone and stayed here at Freedom Rest. These troops had been on mission for awhile, and it showed. We took them into our storage and set them up with new T-shirts, socks and shorts. Fresh soaps, deodorants, toothbrushes, toothpaste (you would be amazed at how excited they were to use real Qtips!) and best of all we opened two new boxes of candy and snacks for them. They were extremely grateful, with full bellies and new clothes to relax in. Thank you for making that possible.
I think it's great that the USO has adopted you into their family, it shows your continued commitment to the troops here, and to their families - as the more we can do for them here, the better they can communicate with loved ones at home.
Good luck on your journey to 2000 boxes, I'm sure you will have to increase it again once you blow that goal out of the water!
Best wishes, and thanks.
Craig Miller
Freedom Rest
12-02-07
The annual Rolesville Christmas Parade was today and we set up a table to give away flags, hot coffee, donuts, chips, and juice in exchange for donations. Tom Byrne from the USO joined us and we had a blast. Tom is a lot of fun and the people of Rolesville were generous. A special thanks to Daylight Donuts of Wake Forest for their generous discount on the coffee and donuts
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We received a generous donation from Rosallini's Pizza in Rolesville. We thank them very much and urge you to try their FANTASTIC Taco Pizza and Cheeseburger Pizza!
11-30-97
A wonderful article in our local Wake Weekly by journalist David Leone reports on our intern, Jeremy's Eagle Scout Court of Honor. You can read the article here.
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Bob Meyer, West Coast Director of Operation a bit of Home, reports they may have to set a new goal for their project to send 1000 Holiday boxes to the troops in Iraq. His first preliminary report of 436 boxes, was reported by the Rotary Club of Orange, California. This does not include the number of individual boxes sent by club members! To make it even better, Bob is waiting for reports from the 50 Rotary Clubs in District 5320 and the following participants: McPherson's Magnet School, Holy Family Catholic School and the Lutheran High School of Orange. It was suggested that we change the goal to 2000 boxes for the "Holiday Mail Train" - gifts for the troops at Christmas.
11-29-07
Sharon of Rosallini's Pizza in Rolesviile, NC called and asked how they could help support the troops. We will be picking up a check and placing a donation box in their restaurant.
Thanks Sharon!!
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I received a nice phone call from Shirley Weatherbee from Cary, NC. The USO told her to contact us regarding MAILING ADDRESSES to send Christmas Boxes and Cards. She has a big box of Goodies ready to go! She wants to make sure the troops know exactly how she feels, so here it is!
"A HUGE THANK YOU TO ALL OF OUR TROOPS. NOT ONLY FOR TODAY, BUT FOR MANY YEARS TO COME. OUR GRANDCHILDREN WILL BE BETTER OFF IN THE FUTURE BECAUSE OF EACH ONE OF YOU."
11-28-07
Tom Byrne, Director of the Raleigh USO dropped in to say hello, shake hands, check us out, and invite us to be a partner with the Raleigh Durham (RDU) office of the USO. This is a MAJOR accomplishment for OABOH and we are very proud to be a partner of the revered and honorable American Institution! Check out their website by clicking on their logo.
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Not long after Tom left a reporter for the Gastonia NC Gazette called and said the Raleigh USO had sent her to me for addresses for the troops! Tom is one fast worker!
11-27-07
The Fountain Valley Rotary Club reports 40 boxes on their way to Iraq. Looks like Bob will have to revise his numbers higher for this years Mail train will exceed 1,000 Boxes!!!!!
11-10-07
The folks at the Glen Eden Resort came through with a whopping 42 boxes of donations for their troops. They also collected $1,500.00 for shipping costs, As always, Glen Eden was good to their word, they LOVE to support their troops!
11-09-07
We received an E-mail from Chelsea Nelson of Founders Title Company of Salt Lake City Utah that her company is gathering items to send to the troops! Great job! We can't wait to see pictures of what they collect and send! We will post them on the community support page when we get them.
11-08-07
The full time employees of the Orange Unified School District in Orange CA are up to 171 boxes. The Holiday mail train conducted by Bob Meyer reports over 300 boxes on the way so far...... Stay tuned for updates.....
11-05-07
Ken and Angel gave a talk at the Wake Forest Mom's Club. We had a great time and the group gave us many items for the troops! I think giving a talk in a room full of 2-3 year olds was the toughest audience we ever had, but they were quiet during our slide presentation. Special thanks to Robin Neal for inviting us to speak.
11-02-07
The great folks out at Glen Eden Resort have been some of our most consistent supporters. They are hosting a major drive on 11-10-07. All of the visitors and residents that take part in the drive will receive a special gift from the park. Carol Hook is spearheading the drive and is an enthusiastic leader, We will post pictures and information as it is available.
11-01-07
Be sure and visit your local Drug Stores and Grocery Stores! Lots of markdowns and GREAT SAVINGS on candies such as tootsie pops, skittles, bubble gum, and others that can survive the trip!
10-25-07
The Full-Time employees of the Orange Unified School District in Orange County collected 165 boxes, See the pictures!
10-23-07
OABOH in Southern California led by Bob Meyer has made the decision that they will be going through the donations to see what can be used by persons displaced by the fire storms that are plaguing the area. East and New York will continue to send to the Troops. Any items donated that cannot be used or sent overseas will go to California.
10-18-07
Mike LoCascio in New York announced today that a Christmas drive for the troops will be held at St. Stanislaus Rectory. The drive will take place on November 30. Stay tuned for more details!
10-17-07
Freedom Rest has 2 special requests, they need pool cues and karaoke song files.(Not Disks). If anyone has those files to send, drop us a note through the contact form and we will get right back to you. You can send the pool cues to us, or send them directly to Freedom Rest.
10-17-07
I had a GREAT conversation with Craig Miller at Freedom Rest in Baghdad today. One of our larger shipments arrived today and over- filled his big Chevy Suburban. More pool toys arrived as well as a dozen cases of Mary-Kay skin lotion and sunscreen!
Craig told me that the DVD library is getting well known in the theater, and troops stationed in the area are dropping in to borrow movies.
Craig thanks everyone for their generosity.
10-16-07
Well, I finally got the new web page up and running. The old page had a "mail to" function that made it possible for spammers to harvest our e-mail address and send 100-300 Spams a DAY....and people asked why we sometimes took awhile to answer. We hope you enjoy the new site. This Log is a fun addition to let you know what is happening. The contact us page has a contact form on it now. Just fill it out and we will get your mail right away. We never have and never will give away or sell your contact info. We do not bombard you with newsletters or requests for money. EVER
10-12-07
The Rolesville BUZZ paper came out today! We have a great article. Jeremy has an article about his Eagle Scout Project.
10-11-07
New York Director Mike LoCascio called to let us know that they are having a Christmas drive in New Your... Stay tuned for more details!
10-09-07
West Coast Dir. Bob Meyer reports that 4 schools in the City of Orange, Holy Family, McPherson Magnet Middle School, and Orange Lutheran High school are running programs to collect items and donations for Freedom Rest. The leadership of the Orange Unified School District is also behind a project and is encouraging the district leadership and the administration of all schools in the district to share in a drive for the troops.
10-07-07
Jason Daniels of Troop 261 who helped OABOH sort and pack donations for the troops was formally promoted to the rank of EAGLE SCOUT. This rank is reached by less than 1% of scouts and shows discipline, drive, and accomplishment. CONGRATULATIONS JASON.
10-04-07
Our Eagle Scout candidate Jeremy Woodby passed his Board of Review, he has been approved to become an Eagle Scout, Congratulations Jeremy!
10-01-07
West Coast Director Bob Meyer has launched his 3rd annual Thanksgiving and Christmas mail train for the troops. All the Rotary Clubs in Orange County CA have climbed aboard the train and expect to send over 1,000 boxes of Holiday Goodies to the troops!
9-30-07
The editor from The newspaper "ROLESVILLE BUZZ" came over to take pictures of our New Box and our soon to be Eagle Scout Jeremy Woodby.
9-29-07
Lewis Turner, one of the scouts fathers and Theresa Woodby, Jeremy's mom came over to help with the final assembly of the box. We installed the signs from Wake Forest Signs and got the box ready for pictures tomorrow...
9-28-07
Jeremy and I went to Wake Forest Signs and picked up the beautiful new signs for the new box.
A reporter from the "ROLESVILLE BUZZ" came over and spent 2 hours interviewing me for an article in the paper.
9-22-07
Jeremy and Ken completed the final painting and touch up on the box and we are ready for the signs when they are done.
What's
Happening?
Happening?
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Active Member
Hello! We are Ken & Angel Meyer. Ken founded "Operation:A Bit of Home" while Angel was serving in Iraq in 2004. As a group, we have sent thousands of boxes to Iraq. The purpose of this page is to inform you of the needs of our troops. We tell you:
WHAT they need
WHERE to send the packages
WHAT they need
WHERE to send the packages