Not sure how many people were able to see this over the holiday weekend, so I'm reposting (this post stays at the top for a while):

As you all know by now, I'm a member of Soldiers' Angels - have been for a couple of years now. It's what led me to meet Patti, and eventually to this blog.

I also head up the "Operation Outreach" team, which helps to offer support to military families here at home.

My favorite posts to do here have always been the "My Hero" posts - pictures submitted by families of their Heroes, or by Soldiers' Angels to honor their adoptees.

Never have I had a response to one of these like the one I got for Maxwell, submitted by his wife, Natalia.

Maxwell is a Soldiers' Angels adoptee. But so many of you requested information on how you could adopt or support Maxwell and his family that I formed an idea, and contacted Patti over at SA.

The result?
Iraq War Today now has an "Official Hero" - Maxwell. And by extension, we have an "Official Military Family" as well, which includes Natalia and little Shawn!

What it Means:
Any of you who would like to send items, cards, letters of support, etc. to Maxwell may do so! And any of you who would like to send cards / letters / etc. to Natalia or Shawn may do so too.

How it Works:
Depending on whether you're a Soldiers' Angel or not, it will work one of two ways:

1. If you are a Soldiers' Angel, and I can confirm that, I will give you Maxwell's info so that you can send things to him directly. I also have Natalia's information, and can give that to you, too.

2. If you are not a Soldiers' Angel, you can send things to the address posted below, and I will see that those things are sent to Maxwell or Natalia.

I will be adding a permalink on the blog for our Hero, and will post updates, etc. as I get them. (More about that farther down)

You can send it to:
Maxwell (or Natalia)
c/o Iraq War Today
P.O. Box 832
Torrington, CT 06790

If you're sending to this address, make sure you include the "Maxwell" or "Natalia" indication - it's also the address I use for my Airman's program for kids in Afghanistan. I'll have some news about that program too, shortly, but that's for another post.

If you want suggestions on items to send, etc., I can certainly give those to you.

An important note on donations:
If you would like to donate funds to help purchase items, please email me so I can get you details on how to do that.

Other Notes:
* I've asked Natalia about the possibility of blogging here, to share her experiences as a military spouse, and to give us updates on how Maxwell is doing.

* Maxwell's status as the blog's "adopted" Hero in no way should be construed as his endorsement of any opinion I post on this blog, or representative of any policy or position of the U.S. Army or any other government entity. This is merely a way to allow readers to support a deployed hero and his family.

* Until I receive specific authorization to do so, I will not be posting Maxwell's last name, APO, specific unit, or location on the blog here. I can tell you he is deployed in Iraq, but will not post any other specific details here due to security concerns. If you are a Soldiers' Angel, or other "SA-known" party (ex. blogger known to SA), email me for further info.

With that info in mind, here are some thoughts from Natalia:

Pam,
yes i have been reading all the beautiful comments and blessing, my eyes teared when i read them. I did not know there was so much support available, I don't know where to look for help, such other heroes families, etc. If you have that information i would truly appreciate it. I told Maxwell over the phone about all the comments of support from people we don't even know, he was very excited and touched...

* Side note here - if you are a military spouse who would like to get in touch with Natalia to offer support, please let me know.

Here's what Natalia had to say to the idea of our blog adoption:
Hi Pam,
Maxwell and I are truly honored about your proposition, he is very excited about been the "official IWT hero". I am so happy he has been assigned to an angel, hopefully he gets a letter soon. I wold like to take this opportunity to thank you! I don't feel alone anymore knowing someone is listening, what you have done for us already is amazing, you have given me hope...

She went on to tell me that they have been married for only 14 months, and were expecting when his deployment orders came through.

Maxwell and Natalia don't have a lot of family support. But despite the difficulties and challenges Maxwell's deployment presents (given the fact that their family includes four kids), Natalia says:

But i know everything happens for a reason and he serves and fight for our country with honor.

And she sent along a few more wonderful pictures.

So, you asked for it - you got it!



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Know a Hero in need of support? To submit them for adoption by Soldiers' Angels, click here.

To adopt "your own" Hero, go here.

Want to know what's involved if you adopt your own Hero, or what to expect if you submit a name? Details here, here and here.

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UPDATE:

To donate funds through PayPal to help send care packages to Maxwell, click here:

To donate to help support Maxwell's family, click here:

If you would like to donate funds, but are sending a check, please DO NOT USE THE MAILING ADDRESS ABOVE - please email me for information on where to send your check.

REPOST UPDATE:
Natalia's agreed to do some blogging - look for posts from Natalia coming soon!