My Husband/Bracelet

I am wearing a Memorial Bracelet for SSG Robert S Goodwin was and forever will be my brave husband KIA 20SEPT2004, Operation Enduring Freedom A 2/3rd SFG (A) Thank you and eternal love be to him and all of our brave troops.  God Bless all of You! Jennifer

For My Flag Soldier

On Memorial Day 2006, I was in Memphis, Tennessee with my mother. Out on Germantown Road, they had a field with rows and rows of American Flags. Each flag was on a pole with a gold ball on top. Below the flag was a yellow ribbon tied to the pole. Glued on the yellow ribbon was a business card with the name of the soldier KIA with his city, state and date of death. The flags were for sale. My mother and I each purchased a flag. I have flown that flag every day weather permitted since that weekend, with his yellow ribbon still on the pole.

Then I saw John McCain's acceptance speech as Republican Presidential Nomenee. During his speech, he mentioned the bracelet he wore, and the soldier it represented. I was thrilled to know that the POW /MIA bracelets were still being done for our soldiers. I was also suprised to see that SPC Robert Tucker's name on your list, that no one had chosen his name yet. He is my flag soldier! I immediately ordered the Memorial Bracelet, adding the flag and Army logos to link them.

I have a son that serves in the Army, he has had one tour on Iraq and is beginning his second tour in January. I can not even begin to imagine how Robert's parents dealt with their sons death, but I do know how proud the must have been of their son, because my husband and I very proud of our son. I pray for our troops and for their families every day. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to honor one of our countries fallen heros.

 

Ginny

Because I Wore a John McCain POW Bracelet

I was searching the web for POW bracelets because as an elementary student I wore likely the most famous bracelet that there is : the copper John McCain bracelet. I was lucky to have had an aunt whose husband was in the Navy and she had access to the bracelets at their base. I first had the silver colored metal bracelet which broke in half and then got the copper because I was told it had more flexibility. As I got older I recalled at various intervals in my life the memory of the bracelet, and the picture I found in the news paper of John McCain which hung on my bedroom wall till I got married. I never thought there would be bracelets again because I thought wars like that were long gone. Wrong again. I now have two children:10 and 16 year old, and want them to have the memories that I had. Perhaps one day these names will also become famous.  I don't have any pictures. Thanks for the bracelets. 

Diane

For SPC Joshua L. Plocica

I ordered two Memorial Bracelets in memory of SPC Joshua Lee Plocica who was KIA June 25 2008. Joshua was my great nephew, and tho I didn't get to see him often, his death hurt just the same. I am sending one bracelet to his father David and one to my brother Lee (Josh's grandfather) to wear in his honor. I will be ordering one for myself after I get theirs. The war affects me differently now I think. I shed tears more easily now, and the reason is I truly know how it feels to lose someone you love to war. Now I cry for everyone that loses someone they love. All we can do is pray that the war ends soon.

 

For everyone that has lost someone God Bless You. May they all be Forever In Our Hearts.

 

Jan

For My Buddy Killed by an IED

I'm getting this Memorial Bracelet for my buddy that I served with in Iraq.  He was killed by a IED.

For Capt. Speicher

I received my Memorial Bracelet today and it is - in a strange and sad way -beautiful.  Well made.  Fits perfectly.  But would want that we had no reason to wear them.  I am already proudly wearing it in support of past and present Armed Services members and their families.  I pray that someday Capt. Speicher can be brought home even after all these years. I'm curious as to whether, if he or his remains are ever found, will I know?  I will think of him and all who go into harm's way in my defense often every day.  I have not personally lost a family member to war but my Uncle is a retired Army General, my brother a former Marine, I have a very close friend who was in the Navy.  Capt. Speicher could be any of them.  But even though I do not know him, he was them to someone else.  I think of him, and his family and friends, and all our veterans every time I look at this bracelet. Thank you so much for carrying the tradition forward.

I Googled POW bracelets after seeing John McCain speaking about the one he wears.  I wanted one during the Vietnam War but was too young to know how to go about getting one.  I am proud now to be able to support our troops in this way.

Peace to everyone,

Lisa

For a Memorial Dedication for Two Men

For the last 25 years, James Edwards III, 65, has been a man on a mission. 

The Vietnam veteran has been fighting for a memorial at Norfolk State University (NSU) to honor the Spartans “who have given their lives for their country on the battlefield.”

Progress was slow until Edwards, Class of ’69, teamed up with fellow NSU graduates William “Lin” Walton Sr., Class of ’66, and Edgar Farmer, Class of ’69, to co-chair the Veterans Memorial initiative.

With the help of NSU Alumni Association and its president, Shelvee Osborne, they raised over $7,000. The memorial will stand in front of the Harrison B. Wilson Administration Building.

Edwards is the pastor of Chesapeake’s New Rose of Sharon Missionary Baptist Church.  Half a lifetime ago, he was a platoon leader in Vietnam.

The battle for this memorial has been very personal.

Edwards was wounded twice in Vietnam. His license plate displays a Purple Heart with the message “2 N NAM.”  

The pastor wears other scars you can’t see.

Every day of my life I carry two names with me - Linwood Carter and Alan “Pinkie” Boffman,” said Edwards.  “We were in ROTC together at Norfolk State.”   

All three went to Vietnam, but only Edwards returned.

A Claymore anti-personnel mine took Lt. Carter’s life

Born on Sept. 18, 1947, Carter grew up on Marshall Ave. in Norfolk. 

He died in the arms of Sgt. Alvin Sanders in Vietnam on Oct. 21, 1970. 

 “He cared for his men even when many were from the Deep South and had no love for any black man let alone an officer,” remembered Sanders, now a businessman and ordained minister in Flushing, Mich.

“He saw something in me that I didn’t know was there.  He gave me a chance to grow, and he has been one of the key models of leadership for me as I have gone forward in life,” he added.

Less than a year later, Lt. Boffman died in Laos.

Edwards last saw Boffman “under the Tidewater Hall (now G. W. C. Brown Hall) clock tower” at NSU.  Edwards was headed for airborne school at Fort Bragg and Boffman was shipping out with the 101^st Airborne for Vietnam.

“We were just kidding around and he said, ‘Now, don’t you go down to North Carolina and crash and burn,’” remembered Edwards.  “I said, ‘Don’t worry about me.  Don’t you go to Vietnam and crash and burn.’ I never saw him again.”

Boffman engaged in his first mission on March 18, 1971.  It was also his last.

All day long, Capt. Keith Brandt and Lt. Boffman’s Cobra gunship provided air support for 88 South Vietnamese regulars who were pinned down in a bomb crater. 

After refueling, the two aviators volunteered to lead the evacuation helicopters to the trapped soldiers.  

Circling above while providing cover, they took intense fire and several hits from the North Vietnamese troops. 

The last words to come from their gunship were, “I’ve lost my engine and my transmission is breaking up.  Goodbye.  Send my love to my family.  I’m dead.”

Moments later their chopper burst into flames and crashed into the Laotian jungle.  The  battle summary report read: “Shot down, crashed and burned leading slicks to surrounded ARVNs in Laos.” 

Those words haunt Edwards.

For nearly 20 years, the two aviators sat  in their helicopter side by side.  Their bodies were finally recovered on July 19, 1990. 

Today, Brandt and Boffman are buried in the same grave at Arlington National Cemetery.

Their names are chiseled in stone on the Vietnam Memorial in Washington, D.C.  Carter is on Section 6W, Line 14, and Boffman is on Section 4W, Line 5. 

 “Before I leave this world, I’d like to read their names on a Veterans Memorial at the college,” Edwards said in a 2006 interview.

Before too long, he’ll be able to do just that.

Many Thanks,

Gary

For CMS James Blankenbeckler

I got the Memorial Bracelet the other day and it looks great. I learned about you guys through a friend who also learned from another friend of his. 

The one I ordered was of CSM James Blankenbeckler who was my Cheif of Basic Non Commissioned Officers Course (BNCOC) as well as a former Skystriker, (3-4 ADAR). The last time I saw him was when I left BNCOC a week early to deploy to Afghanistan and he shook my hand and wished me well when I left. I learned that he had died in OIF a little over a year later and he was the first Air Defender to give his life in OEF/OIF. I think it's a great thing ya'll are doing and I'll be sure to pass the word along!

SFC Wesley "Tommy" Neel
EW Platoon Sergeant
E Btry (Airborne) 3-4 ADAR

"Life has a certain flavor for those who have fought and risked all that the shelterd and protected can never experience"

To Honor The Friend From My Platoon

The Memorial Bracelet is very nice, I love it.

The person that I had engraved on my bracelet was a soldier whom I had served with in the same platoon back on Ft. Story, VA.  I will always remember him as a caring, professional, and a wonderful sense of humor.  I had gotten out of the service due to an injury before our nation had actually gone to war, but reentered the Army last year.  I was not in when I had found out that my friend was killed in action .  I wear this bracelet to honor him.  I reentered the Army to support and honor other friends whom I have lost and new ones that I have made since.

For My Friend and Comrade in Arms John Sinnock

I just received the two Memorial Bracelets I ordered. They're very nice and appear to be of good quality. I am wearing John Sinnock's bracelet as I type. John was a friend and comrade in arms. John's MOS was armored scout I believe, but he served as a grunt in D troop, 3rd Sqdn., 17th Air Cavalry beside me. On the day he was mortally wounded we were walking toward a small ville in Tay Ninh province. We believed the Viet Cong had occupied it during the night, so we approached with caution. Still the first volley of fire from the village took us by surprise. An RPG rocket exploded in front of us and John took a chunk of shrapnel through his chest and lung. He was alive when we put him on the dust-off Huey but didn't make it to the field hospital. He was a good friend, a great dry sense of humor, and I wanted the bracelet to remember him by. Obviously it's been over 40 years and I haven't forgotten him.

When my daughter's high school class was studying the Viet nam war the teacher asked if any of the dad's were vets, and if so would they come and speak to the class. I talked about John. Our friendship, the laughs we had. I told them that John and I were only a couple of years older than they when this happened and that there were more than 56,000 other John R. Sinnock stories.

A good friend of mine, Tommy, was a Vietnam Marine. I remembered him telling me about a good friend of his who he served with in Nam. Name of Sylvester Land, another Jersey guy like Tommy and I, so I got the other bracelet for him. Whether he chooses to wear it or not, I know he'll appreciate it.  

Best regards,
Tim

To Honor My Father

IN MEMORY OF MARK C, PALMATEER, MY FATHER.

I recently ordered a Memory Bracelet to honor my Father, who was recently killed in action, in Afghanistan. Being a 19 year old girl who recieved the news just days before my 20th birthday, really hit me hard, and made me so aware of what is truly going on over there. Our troops are making a huge impact for the way of life over there, and I want to thank every soldier who is giving up their lives with their families, so make life better for others. My father was an amazing person who loved children, and would do anything to make others happy. This bracelet will help to keep his spirit alive, and also hopefully make an impact on others who see myself, and also my grandfather and uncle, who i purchased one for as well.

For My First Love Ricky Lynn Herndon

I ordered my Memorial Bracelet remembering Ricky Lynn Herndon because he was my first love. They say you never forget your first love and its the truth. I met Ricky when we were both 15, in 1957. He was one of the smartest, nicest, decent and loving person I had ever met, and I have yet to meet anyone that comes close to being the man he was. He is the last thing I think of at night, and his picture is the first thing I see in the morning. It has been over forty years now, but my love is as strong if not stronger than ever.

I happened onto your website by accident, and was so glad I could do something like this. I think being able to order a bracelet honoring your special person is a wonderful thing. I wear my bracelet with love and pride all the time.

I will be forever grateful.
Jan

To Honor the Memory of PFC Abad

I just ordered my first Memorial Bracelet. I ordered my bracelet for PFC (now Specialist) Sergio Abad. I am a Sergeant in the United States Army, and while I was assigned to the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, based in Vicenza, Italy, PFC Abad arrived to his first duty station. He was a mortar-man assigned to Headquarters Company, 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment (Airborne), The Rock. I was Abads first squad leader. Basic training teaches the "basics" (hence the name", and the rest of what he learned about his chosen profession came from me and a few other NCO's. As with many new Privates assigned overseas, Abad was young. I believe he was 18 or 19 when he arrived in my squad. Overseas the drinking age is 18, so, like most young men that get stationed here, he had "a bit of fun" after he first arrived. Soon, his "wild streak" calmed down, but he was not merely one of my Soldiers. He stood out. His personality was unique. He would fight very hard for what he wanted, and would fight just as hard to help another. He deployed to Afghanistan with the 173rd in April of 2007. Due to an injury and upcoming surgery, I could not deploy. Abad was in his 15th month of a 15 month deployment. About two weeks before he was set to Re-Deploy, he and 8 other Soldiers were KIA. I will wear this bracelet to both honor the memory of PFC Sergio Abad, one of the greatest Americans, one of the greatest People, one of the greatest Heroes, one of the greatest Soldiers, and most importantly, one of the greatest FRIENDS that I have had the privilege of leading in my 9 years in the United States Army. I will also wear it as a reminder to never become complacent in a combat zone. I made it through my first two deployments, and PFC Abad had just about made it through his first. Things were being prepped to leave, bags had been sent back, but the war is not over until you are no longer in the war zone. To PFC Abad: Farewell Specialist. Stand Down, Soldier. I will take it from here. I will see you on the Great Drop-Zone in the Sky! Airborne, All The Way, High-Angle-Hell, The Rock!

To Show Our Respect and Pride For Those Who Served

I am not Robert, as he is at work. He was in Vietnam from 72-75. He always had a heart for the ones who were left behind, as no man was supposed to be left behind. He went to get a mask for his CPAP machine and the fellow working there was also in Vietnam. They had a lot in common, and were at some of the same places. He was telling us of his bracelet and how and why he got it (his 2nd). He was very proud of it and we wanted to get one. So we got on the computer to see what we could do. He is so proud to get his and we have been waiting for his, he will be so happy his is coming. It is  of a local boy, where we live now and where we grew up. That made it all the more special. It is a subject that causes some strife some times as he served and some of us think it should have never happened, especially the way the Gov. did to those who did serve. We are all proud for Robert and we will all be getting one in the future to show our respect and pride for those who did serve. God bless all those who serve for our country.

Thank you,

Sylvia