Remembering the Fallen.......

Team,

I hope that this note finds you well. We’ve been busy this week and as a result, we’ve got a lot of great things to report!

Thanks to everyone who donated this week. Through your generosity, we’ve been able to put another 3K pairs of socks in the plus column for the men and women forward.

We’re grateful for your help.

We’ve pretty much cleared out the storeroom this week sending our last boxes to Army and Marine units in Iraq and Afghanistan. While we are only a week or so out from our next shipment arriving, I don’t like not having socks available should someone need them.

After our experience last year where we were unable to ship in bulk for over 6 months, we’ve worked diligently to make sure that we’ve expanded the number of partners that we work with. We are thrilled that we now have three partners who’ve come to the table, with a couple more in the wings. We’ve got socks sourced through June now so we are optimistic that when someone needs socks, they will be there to ship.

And we’re thrilled by the continuing responses we are receiving from the men and women forward. This week we got several notes and pictures which I would like to share with you:

“Thank you for the great support! The socks were gone as soon as we open the boxes. I have already worn a pair of the ones that I received, and they are very comfortable. Attached is a picture of a few of the people in the Resolute Support Headquarters getting theirs. Thank you again.”

“We just got them last night and the guys are loving how light the socks feel! The guys have only said good things about the sock so far. We were able to hand them out just before we head out.”

We also got a couple of pictures from a Medical Unit that is stationed in Afghanistan. The “docs” are really on the cutting edge as they not only take care of US troops but are also responsible for the care of the Afghan National Army personnel injured in the fighting against the Taliban. While the number of active combat units has gone down, the violence has not. With the political situation in America in transition, the Taliban has continued to violate the terms of the peace agreement. This results in these folks staying busy.

We were introduced to this unit by one of our friends. They have appreciated having the socks. They responded in a special way. We get a lot of photos, but one we received this week was especially touching.

At initial glance, it’s the team sitting on their gurneys, their right boots off showing off their new socks. Each of them is holding a sign. When you look closely, the signs say, “Always Remember LCPL Donald Hogan KIA.”

The thought that this group, who is on the leading edge of the carnage that remains in that country would take the time to show us that kindness brought a tear to our eyes.

We are deeply in their debt for honoring our son.

While everyone watches the gyrations going on in the capital, Americans are still in harm’s way. It is not big news, but we won’t forget.

As they honor him for his sacrifice, we honor them for theirs.

We are gearing up for our next “America Shoots For Her Troops” fundraiser for Saturday March 20th at Raahauge’s in Corona, CA. If you are in the greater Southern California Area, we hope that you will come and join us, of if not, consider taking a sponsorship. You can register online at http://socks4heroes.com/events

If you haven’t made a donation recently please take a moment to go to http://socsks4heroes.com

Thanks for joining us in our position in this fight!

Jim Hogan

In memory of our son, LCPL Donald Hogan

Posthumously awarded the Navy Cross.

KIA 8/26/09 Nawa, Afghanistan

We honor his memory by caring for Americans serving in harm’s way.