Soldiers' Angels

Answer The Call!

A Soldier
I was with that which others did not want to be,
I went to where others feared to go, and did what others failed to do.
I asked nothing of those who gave nothing,
and reluctantly accepted the thought of eternal loneliness that I feel.
I have seen the face of terror, felt the stinging cold of fear,
And enjoyed the sweet taste of a moments love.
I have cried pain and hope,
But most of all I have lived times others would say were best forgotten.
At least some day I'll be able to say,
That I was proud what I was,
A Soldier.
      -Anonymous

From Patti Patton-Bader, Founder of Soldiers' Angels:

 It is with great pride I present to you Soldiers' Angels, and our mission that began when my oldest son Brandon went to war, a mission that has developed into over twenty teams and projects helping literally hundreds of thousands of heroes in a myriad of ways.

It all started when I called my father after I heard Brandon was deploying to Iraq. I expressed my fears to him, since he is a retired lieutenant colonel who served two tours in Viet Nam and so had some experience in war. To my horror, he replied, "Do not worry honey. He is short, he can run under the bullets."  Dad!!!  Well, he was trying to get my head right, and so he proceeded to tell me--in great detail--how to make care packages. My husband ran out, bought up the store, and came home with enough for 40 packages. When Brandon hit Kuwait, we stared sending, one a day.  Hopes and prayers flowed from our home along with every package.

After four weeks of not hearing from my beloved son, I started calling everybody I knew for information. I called the Ft. Sill chaplain, the Red Cross, the general's office... finally they got me to the FRG (Family Readiness Group) and my son's first sergeant's wife, Rosanna, who said she would talk to her husband that night about my son.  She called the next day and reported that her husband called Brandon "the luckiest man in Iraq," and that my son would call that night. When Brandon called he told me that many heroes were not getting packages or mail like he was--which was why his first sergeant said he was so lucky--and Soldiers' Angels was born. I realized we needed to alert America: "Our heroes need us and here is how to help!" I never thought that our country would spring to action in such a strong, determined way! People from all walks of life stood up to become Soldiers' Angels and reach out to support our heroes in whatever way they needed us..

Five years have passed since the mission began, and the number of Angels and heroes connected by love, support and gratitude has grown into the hundreds of thousands. I am so proud of my sons, my country and the heroes that defend us. I  look forward to the next five years of Soldiers' Angels, knowing it' mission is strong, its volunteers passionate, and its trustees committed to ensuring the focus remains on our mission:

May no soldier go unloved.
May no soldier walk alone.
May no soldier be forgotten,
Until they all come home

With love and respect,
Patti Patton-Bader
August 12, 2008

Patti on SpouseBUZZ radio
Patti on CBS 2007

Founder's Notes

How can you get involved?

Adopt a Soldier

Adopting a soldier through Soldiers' Angels is a great way to get personally involved in supporting our troops. Each day soldiers are submitted to Soldiers' Angels, hoping for an adoption. Click here to learn more about the adoption process and what you need to do to get started today!

Join a Team

Soldiers' Angels has quite a few teams that specialize in fulfilling a specific need for our troops. By joining one or more of our teams you too can get involved in sending handmade blankets to the wounded, supporting our military chaplains, helping our soldiers distribute toys and clothing to children in Iraq and Afghanistan, sending special cards to soldiers and much more! Click here to learn more about our teams and how you can join one today!

Donate

You can help Soldiers' Angels fulfill the goals of our many projects and operations with your donations. Each donation, no matter how large or small, will help provide comfort and aid to our troops. Along with financial donations you can also donate stock, your cellphone, airmiles, carepackage items and much more. Visit the Donations page for more information!

 Read More...