Celebrities Involved With The USO

USO stands for the United Service Organization. The USO is a non-profit organization that provides recreational activites to the U.S. Military. This organization is so important because it give the men and women in the armed forces a chance to sit back and relax, even if it only is for a short time. Hollywood is greatly involved in the USO program."USO entertainers are essential to fulfilling our mission of boosting the morale of service members and their families. The USO's long-standing traditionof sending entertainers around the globe will carry on as long as military men and women are stationed far from home." -USO  I really admire the celebrities that chose to get involved with this amazing experience. It is impressive to me that the celebrities that are involved in this tour acknowledge the hard work these men and women endure everyday. As I was visiting the USO website, I looked up the celebrites who were currently on the USO tour and I was shocked.  I would have never thought that some of the celebrities that appeared on the list would get involved in something like this. Paul Wall, Big Boi and DJ E-Man just finished a tour in Kuwait and Iraq. In their songs these rappers are always talking about being tough and making money. It's commendable that they traveled to the Middle East simply to support our hard working troops. However, one celebrity's involvement with the USO is the most impressive of all. Toby Keith is a country singer who has preformed 145 USO shows overseas.

"I've been traveling with the USO since 2002, and every year I look forward to spending time with the men and women who serve this great country," Toby Keith tells CMT. "When I get onstage and look out into a crowd of uniforms, it gives me a sense of pride to know that I am giving back to them."

Toby Keith is an asset to the USO and the U.S. troops. If you listen to his songs, patriotism is a predominant theme in every song and live show that he performs. Toby Keith wants to set an example to all of the other artists that do not get involved with the troops or USO. He continually talks about how he respects these men and women and he wants to show them his full support.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZd9ER8hINs

Letter to Providence WaterFire

This is an idea that I came up with when I found out that Providence WaterFire was supporting my sorority's philanthropy. WaterFire is a big supporter of breast cancer awareness, every October they have a WaterFire ceremony called Flames of Hope. They proceeds go to breast cancer awareness and the ceremony is very special for breast cancer survivors and their families. I was thinking that Providence WaterFire has the means to have an annual WaterFire for fallen soldiers. This is a letter that I intend to send to the Providence WaterFire website.

To whom this may concern,

I am writing this letter to ask if it is a possiblilty that you may consider having a WaterFire dedicated to the soldiers. I think it is very important that the fallen soldiers and their families know that they are supported. Since WaterFire attracts many people, I think this event would be a good way to spread awareness.

Since the Flames of Hope WaterFire proudly reveals the color pink throughout the ceremony, I know that it is possible to show the colors red, white and blue throughout the ceremony for the fallen soldiers. I think this would be a great idea because it will represent the love we have for our country, as well as the love we have for our soldiers. Since Rhode Island is not a big state with millions of people living in it, it would be easy to give some kind of recognition for every native Rhode Island fallen and active soldier who is fighting for our country. Not only will be showing support to our soldiers, but we will be making their families feel welcomed and supported.

WaterFire is a great cause. It brings people together, raises awareness and let everyone enjoy themselves. This is a great environment to show our soldiers that we care! Different activities and performances can be held to show the people of Rhode Island and the surrounding states how important our soldiers are to us! Not only is this a good cause, but I will also draw more people to your ceremony. This is a new idea that has not been done before, so it will attract others to this special event. This is an important cause and I feel WaterFire is the best way to represent our soldiers in Rhode Island. Please consider my proposition. Thank you.

Sincerely,

Alexa O'Rourke

Quiz

Since most citizens of America don't know the facts of the Iraq War, I think everyone should be more aware of  today's conflicts. This short quiz asks some important questions regarding the problems in the Middle East. Some answers to the questions may be shocking.

1) About how many soldiers have been wounded in the Iraq?
a. about 40,000
b. about 32,000
c. about 20,000
d. about 6,000

2) About how many soldiers have been wounded in Afghanistan?
a. about 2,000
b.about 8,000
c.about 10,000
d. about 25,000

3) How many American soldiers are currently reported missing-captured?
a. 0
b. 1
c. 2
d. 10 

4) How many American helicopters have been gunned down by enemy fire, as of today?
a. 10
b.15
c. 50
d. 75

5)  What percent of U.S. causalities were under 25 years old?
a. 20%
b. 54%
c. 70%
d. 80%


Answers:

1. At least 31,964 have been wounded in action, according to The Pentagon. This is a big number! When I researched the number of wounded soldiers I was shocked when I found this statistic. Furthermore, 20% of these wounds are serious. These serious wounds are spinal or brain injuries.

2. About 8,394 U.S. soldiers have been wounded in Afghanistan, according to The Pentagon.

3. Currently, there are 2 soldiers that are currently missing or captured. PFC. Bowe R. Bergdahl has been missing since July 1, 2009. He was captured in the Pakika province, Afghanistan. The other soldier who is missing is SPC. Ahmed K. Altaie. He has been missing since October 23, 2006. He was allegedly kidnapped while visiting his family in Baghdad, Iraq.

4. There have been 75 helicopters gunned down in total in the Middle East.

5.  54% of U.S. casualities have been under the age of 25.

Hopefully, this information opens the eye's of the public. Even if American citizens are against the war, it does not mean that they should not support our troops. Whether one supports the war or not, young men and women are risking their lives everyday for this country.

A Few Sentences of Recognition

When I type into Google "Lindsay Lohan" multitudes of news articles and other sources are listed in a mtter of seconds. It's unfortunate that right after I searched Lindsay Lohan, I typed in a man by the name of  Hospitalman William F. Ortega and it took me minutes to find a small article that recognized him for his service.

Hospitalman William F. Ortega was a 23 year old from Miami, Florida. He was killed Garmsir district of Helmand province, Afghanistan, on June 18, 2010. He died of wounds sustained from a roadside bomb detonated during combat operations against enemy forces. He was a navy corpsman assigned to the third Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, First Marine Division, 1 Marine Expeditionary Force.


Although, I could not tell you who Hospitalman William F. Ortega was, I can tell you that he deserves proper recognition.


While searching the web for more information about young soldiers killed in Iraq and Afghanistan, I found a website that I highly encourage everyone to visit. CNN provides a map on their website that documents all of the fallen soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan. Pictures of these young men and women are posted, along with information about their death.This is the website that provided my with information about Hospitalman William F. Ortega and numerous other young men and women. I respect CNN for providing this information because there is not enough information about fallen soldiers on the web today.

http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/war.casualties/index.html