A few of the most recent communications to Operation Tango Mike remind us all of the importance of supporting our troops and their families.

“Operation Tango Mike, Lake County people are so friendly! Must be why I fell for my Kelseyville, CA husband. Every month we get the box of goodies and letters that you send and I just want to write and tell you how much we appreciate it. Every box is like a little bit of Christmas. We have 5 more months out here before we head back home and I can almost start counting down by the clockwork boxes you send. Thanks again for all the support you give me, my husband and other fellow soldiers for serving. With care, SSG Tristan Ambrozewski and SGT Hannah Ambrozewski.”

“Thank you for the packages and letters. Please extend my thank yous to all the others that partake in this. As you may have seen, my address has been updated. If you don’t know I went to Lower Lake High for 10th and 11th grade and lived in Clearlake Oaks and Cobb Mountain. I have been wanting to make a trip up to the area for quite some time now, but that is easier said than done. Take care and God bless. Your friend, Matthew Sampson.” (Matthew Sampson is a United States Marine.)

The following is from a local Army mom: “Hi and thanks for all you do. Jacob received his Tango Mike box and wanted me to thank you for the wonderful luxuries he received. He is paired up with an agent from Poland (Jake is in a NATO unit, not with many Americans) and the Polish soldier was awed by the support from home. Isn’t that neat? Thank you all from the bottom of this Soldier’s mom heart. Debbie Bridges.”

The following is from an Army mom anticipating a long awaited reunion: “Hi! It is with great pleasure, anticipation, tears of joy and much appreciation for all your hard work, that I can say the 149th EOD unit is coming home the first week of December. They have asked to be removed from the packing list as they will be on their way home about the time the packages would arrive. They will be forever grateful for everyone’s part in the packages to them. They were so delighted every month when the packages arrived, filled with goodies, (especially the trail mix), needed supplies and well wishes from home. It was truly something they shared with one another and looked forward to. They will be wearing their OTM shirts proudly around Fort Carson. Again, thanks to everyone who helped make this happen. Suzie Defrancisci, proud Army mom of SFC Chuck Cossette.”

“I wanted to say thanks. I received the box on Sunday. My Soldiers have already went through a few times. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!!!

Can I add one more name? The look on her face when my box came in, was like the little puppy that didn’t get picked.” CW3 Colin Bergstrom.”

“I just wanted to say thank you so much for the continued support you have shown me and my unit. We greatly enjoy your care packages, goodies, cards and letters. We’re coming up on month 10 of our yearlong deployment and with the holidays right around the corner, knowing that people back home, even complete strangers, are keeping us in their thoughts is very comforting. We truly appreciate everything. I hope all is well back home and thanks again. 1st Lt Margaret Seymour.”

“Operation Tango Mike, I would like to thank you for all your support during my deployment. I looked forward to receiving your packages every month! I returned to Oahu in the early morning on November 7th and let me tell you it was great to be back! Although it was raining, you have no idea how happy I was to be in warm weather!

The deployment was rough, but it would have been a lot harder without such caring individuals as those participating in Operation Tango Mike. Your packages gave me something to look forward to. I never knew what I would be getting in my packages which made it half the fun!

I am hoping to return to Lake County during my leave block for a visit in December. Hopefully I will be home during one of your meetings so I can make a point to stop by and express my thanks in person.

Again, thank you to all who participate in Operation Tango Mike! I think I speak for all troop[s when saying you have made a big difference in our lives and have helped give us hope during deployments.

With Sincere Thanks, Sergeant Courtney T. Dingwall, 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marines, Fox Company.”

No one expects to be thanked for the simple act of sending care packages. However, these notes from troops and their families remind us that little things really do mean a lot.

Ginny Craven is the founder of Operation Tango Mike. Visit the group online at http://home.mchsi.com/~operationtangomike/wsb/html/view.cgi-home.html-.html .

CLEARLAKE – The Clearlake Veterans of Foreign Wars Post No. 2337 will hold a fundraising barbecue on Saturday, Dec. 5.

The fundraiser will benefit Operation Tango Mike, which provides care packages and support to our troops. Come show your support!

Barbecue tri-tip and sides will be served starting at 1 p.m.

Tickets are available for $8 at the VFW.

Call 707-994-4748 for details.

Two VA employees, both serving on active duty with their Army Reserve units, were among the slain. A third VA health care worker on reserve duty was seriously wounded.

"Speaking for the entire VA family, I offer heart-felt condolences to the families of these dedicated VA employees," said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki. "They devoted their working lives to care for our veterans, and they died in uniform, preparing to safeguard our Nation's freedom."

Russell G. Seager, Ph.D., a 51-year old nurse practitioner at the Clement J. Zablocki VA Medical Center in Milwaukee was killed in the deadly attack. He was a captain in the reserves. In his VA duties, he led a mental health team treating a wide variety of Veteran patients, from the youngest combat Veterans just back from deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan, to World War II Veterans dealing with depression.

Seager signed up for the Army Reserve four years ago. This would have been his first overseas deployment. Seager was motivated to prevent the mental health problems of young combat soldiers from occurring in the first place. He was to be assigned to a Combat Stress Control unit to watch for warning signs, such as anger and insubordination, among front-line soldiers.

Seager, who was also a well-respected teacher at Bryant and Stratton College in Milwaukee, leaves behind a wife and son.

VA's other fatality was Juanita L. Warman, 55, a nurse practitioner at VA's medical center in Perry Point, Md. She was a lieutenant colonel in the Maryland National Guard, with two daughters and six grandchildren. Herself the daughter of a career Air Force member, she held a master's degree from the University of Pittsburgh.

Warman volunteered for "Beyond the Yellow Ribbon," a program to help members of the Maryland National Guard readjust after returning from overseas deployments. She provided mental health counseling and helped develop a program about the myths and realities of post-traumatic stress

disorder. She was preparing for deployment to Iraq at the time of her death.

Dorothy Carskadon, 47, a captain in the reserves and a social worker and team leader at the VA Vet Center in Madison, Wis., was wounded in the gunfire that brought Ft. Hood activities to a halt. She is currently in stable condition in the intensive care unit at the Darnall Army Medical Center at Ft. Hood.

As a VA team leader, Carskadon oversees other social workers in providing individual and group counseling for combat Veterans experiencing difficulty readjusting to the civilian community following military service. A new Army officer, Carskadon was preparing for her first deployment.

On an average day, more than 850 VA employees don uniforms to serve military commitments in Reserve and National Guard units across the country and overseas.

VA has been responding to the Ft. Hood tragedy since shortly after the sound of gunfire was replaced by the sirens of emergency responders.

Through official agreements and the shared sense of mission to care for military members and veterans in the central Texas region, VA has provided clinical supplies, including pharmaceuticals, and sent mental health teams from nearby facilities as well as four fully staffed, portable Vet Centers to aid in counseling military members and families.

Teams of physicians, nurses and other clinical and support personnel were placed on stand-by for possible deployment to Ft. Hood or to receive additional patients following the shooting.

VA operates several clinical and benefits processing locations on Ft. Hood and routinely has about 18 employees working on the post. Initial actions included confirming the safety and security of those employees.

VA continues to coordinate with the Department of Defense on providing care and support to all those affected by the tragedy.

Swords to Plowshares, a San Francisco-based veteran service agency, helps veterans access health care by providing free legal services to many veterans.

Swords to Plowshares delivers a variety of services to 1,500 veterans every year, 35 percent of whom are ineligible for VA health care.

Lawyers at Swords are able to intervene in many instances where a veteran is denied care. The legal team petitions to change a veteran’s military discharge status or files for a service-connected disability in order to help them access VA services.

“Despite our best efforts there still remains a category of veterans who cannot access VA health care,” said Elinor Robert, director of Legal Services at Swords to Plowshares.

A recent Harvard Medical School study highlights the population of veterans who are not entitled to VA health care due to a little known gap in the law.

Researchers found that 1.46 million veterans did not have any form of health coverage last year. Additionally, they found that 2,266 veterans died in 2008 due to lack of health insurance.

“Swords to Plowshares has a widespread impact on a number of individual veterans by helping them access VA benefits and health care, but none of that helps the systematic problem that denies an entire segment of the veteran population their VA health care,” said Roberts.

Founded in 1974, Swords to Plowshares is a community-based not-for-profit organization that provides counseling and case management, employment and training, housing and legal assistance to homeless and low-income veterans in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Swords promotes and protects the rights of veterans through advocacy, public education, and partnerships with local, state and national entities.

Learn more about the work of Swords to Plowshares, and ways in which you can help, by visiting our Web site at www.stp-sf.org .