ATLANTIC OCEAN (April 17, 2008) Capt. Norbert "Smurf" Szarleta, commanding officer of Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 17, breaks the sound barrier in an F/A-18F Super Hornet strike fighter during an air power demonstration aboard the aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73) on 17 April 2008. U.S. Navy photo by Chief Yeoman Augustine Cooper

Labels: aircraft, CVW 17, F/A-18F, photos, Super Hornet, US Navy

Bailey Reese, founder and president of Hero Hugs, meets Col. Darryl Roberson, 325th Fighter Wing commander, during the recent open house at Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla. Bailey, with the help of her family, started Hero Hugs four years ago to recognize and show appreciation for America's servicemembers. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Vesta M. Anderson)


by Airman 1st Class Veronica McMahon
325th Fighter Wing Public Affairs

4/15/2008 - TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. (AFPN) -- Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines working the Tyndall Air Force Base air show Saturday recently an unexpected surprise that caught many off guard. Hard at work on the flightline in the blazing sun, many troops were stopped by the voice of an 11-year-old girl thanking each military member for his or her service. Along with the "thank-you" came a goodie bag.

The little girl handing out the "doses of appreciation" was Bailey Reese, founder and president of Hero Hugs, an organization based on recognizing and appreciating America's troops. Hero Hugs is part of America Supports You, a Department of Defense organization connecting citizens and organizations with military members and their families serving here and abroad.

Hero Hugs was started by Bailey, with the help of her family, roughly four years ago. In those years, they have sent care packages to Iraq, Afghanistan and Korea, and they have visited military events to show their appreciation for America's troops.

More than 26,000 packages, 10,000 goodie bags and five air shows later, Bailey showed up here to share her gratitude with Tyndall Airmen.

Bailey, along with her mother, Diane Reese, and her 16-year-old brother Tim Calvert, spent the entire day passing more than 600 goodie bags comprising granola bars, candy bars, hard candy, powdered drink mix and hand wipes.

Bailey explained she began Hero Hugs after Hurricane Ivan, when she witnessed servicemembers who were providing humanitarian help being treated poorly.

"I saw people yelling at the (troops) at the checkpoint where (Soldiers and Airmen) were giving out ice and water," said Bailey. "I didn't hear anyone say thank you to them."
Bailey said she went home and made thank you cards for the servicemembers. She recalled how the cards brought tears to their eyes and how rewarding it was to know they felt appreciated.

When she started Hero Hugs, she sent about 100 packages out each month, said her mom. Now, due to extra support, the organization sends about 1,000 packages monthly.

"We raise money by fundraisers, collecting donations and selling 'Support our Troops' magnets," said Diana Reese. "We also have received some donations from corporations and businesses."

During the air show, many people heard Bailey's heart-warming story. The story, along with the goodie bags and the many thanks, brought out positive reactions from the servicemembers.

Elementary school classes, scout troops and volunteers from across the United States also have helped by decorating packages and conducting fund-raisers.

"I thought it was outstanding," said Capt. August Pfluger, 325th Fighter Wing Operations Support Squadron F-15 simulators chief, air show chairman and recipient of one of Bailey's goodie bags. "I heard nothing but good things (about her) from everyone in uniform. They were surprised and very appreciative of the support they received."

Some troops thanked her with a unit coin or patch.

"I'll do this for as long as I can," said Bailey. "It felt really good when (the troops) said thank you. I knew they all really appreciated it."

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Related Links:
America Supports You
Hero Hugs

Labels: Hero Hugs, Supporting the troops, Tyndall Air Force Base

100 YEARS - U.S. soldiers, an Army Reserve unit from Roanoke, Va., fire an 8-inch howitzer at Kajon-Ni, Korea, near the 38th Parallel. The Army Reserve will celebrate its 100th birthday on April 23, marking a full century of service in which Army Reserve soldiers have continuously answered the nation’s call. U.S. Army Reserve Historical Painting

Read the Story Associated with this Photo

Labels: Army Reserve, Korean War, photos, US Army

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Chelsea Clinton says her mother is more prepared than father
Groups unite to slam Countrywide at Fed hearing
Canada, Mexico brush aside free trade threats - Video
Bush says US should not walk away from NAFTA
Louisiana panel blocks anti-droopy pants bill
Diplomacy Intensifies After Pastor Sentenced in Russia
France, U.S., UK draft Somalia piracy resolution

Illegal Immigration / Border Control
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In the Courts / Crime and Punishment / Law and Order
Chicago Cops Search for Three Missing Kids, Dad
Chicago Mom Found Dead Had Order of Protection, 3 Kids Still Missing
Bank Teller Expecting Twins Shot During Indianapolis Robbery
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Man Indicted on Federal Ricin Charges in Las Vegas
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FTC presses on with Whole Foods, Wild Oats case
Richie Sambora pleads out DUI case in California

U.N. News
Food prices unleash "tsunami": U.N.

Media in the Media / Bloggers in the News / Watching the Web
Man Posts YouTube Videos Claiming to Have Infected Thousands With AIDS
Mom Recognizes Daughter on ABC Prostitution Special
Yahoo results better, not seen moving Microsoft
WSJ editor quits as Murdoch puts stamp on paper
Tribune near plan to sell Newsday to News Corp
Yahoo deal overshadows Microsoft earnings, forecast
Yahoo CEO open to "any and all" deal alternatives
Yahoo profit fails to fend off Microsoft
EBay sues Craigslist over alleged stake dilution
FCC chief again critiques Comcast net tactics
Global bloggers weigh in on food crisis
Former Bush press secretary Tony Snow joins CNN as pundit
Senators debate future of Web

Science / Medicine and Health / Technology
Senior drug benefit gets "mixed picture" review
Skipping breakfast may mean your baby is a girl
Jane Goodall passes activist torch to world's youth
Soyuz spacecraft safe despite botched landing: NASA
EU wary on artificial food colors, no ban seen yet
Life expectancy falls in poorer U.S. counties: study
EU tells videogame industry to protect minors better
Court upholds Netflix "throttling" settlement
It's no LOL: Few US doctors answer e-mails from patients
Panel says link between smog and premature death is clear

Mother Nature
WSI raises 2008 Atlantic hurricane forecast
Woman finds 8-foot alligator in her Florida kitchen
Security risk from climate said underestimated
Report confirms ozone pollution can kill
Ontario to ban sale, use of garden pesticides
Eco-friendly channel set to launch

News from My Neck of the Woods
New York Mail Carrier Catches Baby Who Fell Out of Second-Story Window
Yale Holds Firm: No 'Abortion Art'
NYC building official resigns after accidents: mayor
NY pair cleared of using dead friend to cash check

Oddities
Disney Workers Recover Wedding Rings Mistakenly Thrown Away
UFOs Spotted? Red Light Sightings Over Phoenix
Dogs "rescue" girl abandoned by mother
Elvis' secret visit revealed, 50 years on
Controversial Hitler ad ordered off TV
Woman claims Victoria's Secret stole her bra
Laser pointers banned after attacks
German opera goes underground

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No. 1 NFL Draft Pick Long Signs With Miami Dolphins
Pop Tarts: Heidi Klum's 'Naughty' First Date With Seal
Report: Lindsay Lohan Warns Ashley Olsen to Stay Away From 'Girlfriend'

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Africa gets impatient with Mugabe - Video
Olympic torch arrives in Australia ahead of protests
Worst is over for stocks: S&P's Stoval
Losses may turn into relief for builders
Full Coverage: The housing market
Demand for rice, flour surges at Costco
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Surging oil, disappointing outlooks hit Wall St. - Video
Beware pricing predators
Dark pools may obscure market prices
Factbox: Dark pools lexicon
Ali Lohan follows in big sister's movie footsteps
Yoko Ono in legal feud over rare Lennon footage
Ang Lee making gay Woodstock movie
Beyonce and Jay-Z marriage is official
Watching a geisha dress: more exercise than elegance
Average-looking men are most trusted: survey
Orthodox Jews protest over "evil" Passover ruling
Seahawks release running back Alexander
Trevor Immelman has first test as Masters champion
Demolition contract awarded for old Tiger Stadium
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John Smoltz becomes 16th pitcher to reach 3,000 strikeouts
K.G. wins defensive player award, praises team communication
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ISAF breaks ground on Panjwayi road project
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Today in History
687 BC - Chinese record a meteor shower in Lyra
0296 - St. Gaius ends his reign as Catholic Pope
0536 - St. Agapitus I ends his reign as Catholic Pope
1056 - Supernova Crab nebula last seen by the naked eye
1073 - Pope Alexander II buried/Ildebrando chosen as Pope Gregory VII
1145 - 19th recorded perihelion passage of Halley's Comet
1164 - Raynald of Dassel names Guido di Crema as anti-pope Paschalis III
1370 - Bastille begins being built in Paris, France
1500 - Pedro Alvarez Cabral discovers Brazil & claims it for Portugal
1509 - Henry VIII ascends to throne to become King of England
1521 - French king François I declares war on Spain
1526 - 1st slave revolt occurs in South Carolina
1529 - Treaty of Saragosa Spain & Portugal divide eastern hemisphere
1648 - English army claims king Charles I responsible for bloodshed
1659 - Lord protector Cromwell disbands English parliament
1671 - King Charles II sits in on English parliament
1674 - Netherlands & Münster sign peace treaty
1676 - Battle of Etna - Netherlands/Spain vs France, M de Ruyter fatally wounded
1677 - Battle at Catania between French & Dutch fleet
1692 - Edward Bishop is jailed for proposing flogging as cure for witchcraft
1722 - 19 VOC "komplotteurs" in Batavia executed
1769 - Madame du Barry becomes King Louis XV's "official" mistress
1793 - President George Washington attends opening of Rickett's, 1st circus in US
1796 - Napoleon defeats Piedmontese at Battle of Mondovi
1809 - Battle at Eckmühl - Napoleon beats Austria arch duke Karl
1817 - Curaçao prohibits use of white paint due to fierce sunlight
1823 - R.J. Tyers patents roller skates
1838 - English steamship "Sirius" docks in NYC after Atlantic crossing
1861 - Robert E. Lee named commander of Virginia Confederate forces
1864 - US mints 2¢ coin (1st appearance of "In God We Trust")
1884 - Thomas Stevens starts 1st bicycle trip around the world (2 years 9 months); US recognizes King Leopold II's Congo Free State
1889 - Oklahoma land rush officially starts; as many as nine out of ten of these settlers had jumped the gun, earning themselves the name "Sooners"
1893 - Francis Dhanis army occupies Kasongo; Paul Kruger elected President of Transvaal for 3rd time
1898 - 1st Spanish-American War action, USS Nashville takes enemy ship; Congress passes Volunteer Army Act calling for a Volunteer Cavalry
1898 - US President William McKinley orders blockade of Cuban harbors
1906 - Olympic games held in Athens are not accepted by the IOC
1913 - Montenegro troops march into Skoetari, North-Albania
1914 Babe Ruth's 1st professional game (as a pitcher) is a 6-hit 6-0 win; México ends diplomatic relations with US
1915 - 1st military use of poison gas (chlorine, by Germany) in WWI; 2nd Battle of Ypres begins; New York Yankees don pinstripes & hat-in-the-ring logo for 1st time
1916 - France battles at Fort Douaumont
1922 - South Ossetian Autonomous Region is established in Georgian SSR
1924 - Hague Chambers of Commerce forms, Netherlands
1926 - Persia, Turkey & Afghánistán sign treaties of security
1930 - US, Britain & Japan sign London Naval Treaty to reduce naval forces
1931 - Egypt & Iraq sign peace treaty
1933 - Dutch government forbids leftwing radio address
1940 - Rear Admiral Joseph Taussig testifies before US Senate Naval Affairs Committee that war with Japan is inevitable (He was right)
1943 - German counter attack in North-Tunisia; RAF shoots down 14 German transport planes over Mediterranean Sea
1944 - Allies land near Hollandia, New-Guinea; Hitler & Mussolini meet at Salzburg
1945 - Concentration Camp at Sachsenhausen liberated
1946 - SED, Sozialistic Einheitspartei Deutschlands, party forms
1951 - Ticker-tape parade for General MacArthur in NYC
1952 - 1st atomic explosion on network news, Nob, NV
1954 - Senate Army-McCarthy televised hearings began; Achiel van Acker forms Belgian government; USSR joins UNESCO
1955 - Congress orders all US coins bear motto "In God We Trust"
1961 - Uprising of French parachutist of General Salan/Challe in Algeria
1964 - World's Fair (Flushing Meadow, Corona Park, New York) opens
1967 - Martial Law goes into effect in Greece
1969 - 1st human eye transplant performed; Robin Knox-Johnston ends 312 day non-stop sailing
1970 - 1st Earth Day held internationally to conserve natural resources; Flat Earth celebrated
1971 - Soyuz 10 launched
1972 - Apollo astronauts John Young & Charles Duke ride on the Moon
1974 - Barbara Walters becomes news co-anchor of the Today Show
1977 - Simon Peres becomes premier of Israel
1978 - 'The Blues Brothers' (Dan Akroyd and John Belushi) make their first appearance on Saturday Night Live
1981 - 10,000 copper workers in Chile strike; Almost 1 million West German metal workers on strike
1982 - Launch of STS-3-Lousma & Fullerton
1983 - Soyuz T-8 returns to Earth; Stern magazine announces major historical find-discovery of 60 volume personal diaries written by Adolf Hitler (turned out to be a hoax)
1987 - Sri Lanka Air Force bomb Tamil, 100s killed
1988 - Women are allowed to compete in the Little 500 bicycle race in Bloomington IN, for the 1st time
1990 - Lebanon releases US hostage Robert Polhill after 39 months
1991 - Intel releases the 486SX chip; Johnny Carson announces he will retire next year from Tonight Show; Earthquake strikes Costa Rica & Panamá, killing 95
1992 - 6.0 earthquake in California; Gas explodes in sewer, killing 200 in Guadalajara, México; Plane crash at Perris Valley Airport, California, kills 16 parachutists
1993 - Holocaust Memorial Museum dedicated in Washington DC
1994 - 7,000 Tutsi's slaughtered in stadium of Kibuye, Rwanda

Birthdays
1357 - Johan I, King of Portugal (1383-1433)
1451 - Isabella I of Castile, Queen of Spain (1479-1504), patron of Columbus
1515 - Antoine of Bourbon, duke of Vendôme/king of Navarra
1610 - Alexander VIII [Pietro Ottoboni], lawyer/Pope (1689-91)
1690 - John Carteret, Earl Granville (C), English chief minister (1722-42)
1773 - Jean V baron de Rebecque Swiss/Dutch army leader
1799 - Jean Poiseuille, physician/physiologist (blood pressure)
1818 - Cadwallader Colden Washburn, Union Major General
1823 - Alfred Gibbs, Union Major General
1827 - William Hopkins Morris, Union Major General
1831 - Alexander McDowell McCook, Union Major General
1832 - Julius Sterling Morton Adams, (Governor-NE), started Arbor Day
1853 - Alphonse Bertillon France, anthropologist, devised crime ID system
1866 - Hans von Seeckt, German General (Future of the Reich)
1870 - Nikolai Lenin [Vladimir Ilich Ulyanov], Bolshevik/USSR revolutionist
1876 - Robert Bárány Sweden, otologist, vestibular expert (Nobel 1914)
1881 - Alexander Kerensky Simbirsk, Russian PM (1917)
1902 - Megan Lloyd George, English politician
1904 - J[ulius] Robert Oppenheimer, head of Manhattan (A-bomb) Project
1916 - Earl of Oxford & Asquith Governor (Seychelles)
1917 - Leo Abse, biographer/MP
1919 - Donald Cram, US biochemist (Nobel 1987)
1926 - James Stirling, Scottish D-day-parachutist/architect/knight
1929 - Robert Wade-Gery, diplomat/exec director (Barclays de Zoete Wedd); Victoria Opoku-Ware, Ghanaian queen
1931 - Henk Gortzak, Dutch MP (CPN/PSP)
1933 - John A. Llewellyn, Welsh-born astronaut
1934 - David Ratford, diplomat
1937 - Jack Nicholson, actor (One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Shining); Bobbi Fiedler (Representative-R-CA)
1939 - John Foley, Major-General
1945 - Alan Dukes, Irish President; Robert Key, MP/British undersecretary for National Heritage
1946 - Dectuplets Bacacay Brazil, 8 males & 2 females; Archy Kirkwood MP (L-D)

Passings
0536 - Agapitus I, Italian Pope (535-36)
1253 - Elias van Cortona, Italian General (1232-39), at about 53
1355 - Eleonora Plantagenet, daughter of King Edward II, at 36
1462 - Gilbert of Lannoy, master of Villerval/Tronchiennes/Santes
1521 - Juan de Padilla, Spanish nobleman/communero-rebel, beheaded
1677 - Wenzel E Fürst von Lobkowitz, Austrian chancellor, at 68
1833 - Richard Trevithick, inventor (steam locomotive), dies at 62
1864 - Joseph Gilbert Totten, Union General-Major, at 76
1865 - Francis Washburn, Union Colonel/General Major, of injuries
1908 - Henry Campbell-Bannerman, British premier (1905-08)
1933 - Frederick Henry Royce motorcar pioneer
1946 - Harlan Fiske Stone, Chief Justice Supreme Court (1941-46), at 73
1984 - Ansel Adams, US photographer, at 82
1989 - Huey Newton, Black Panther leader, shot dead at 47
1992 - Joop [Joseph] van Santen Dutch 1st Chamber member (CPN), dies
1993 - Andries Treurnicht, founder, South Africa Conservative Party, at 72
1994 - Richard Milhous Nixon, 37th US President (1969-74), of a stroke at 81
1996 - Hiteshwar Saikia, PM of Indian state of Assam (1991-96)

Reported Missing in Action
1961
The following US Army SF personnel reported MIA after their unit was ambushed:
Ballenger, Orville Roger (OH); released August, 1962

Biber, Gerald Mack (NE): probably KIA

Bischoff, John Malcom (SC); probably KIA

Moon, Walter H. (AR); KIA in escape, July 1961

1966
Boyd, Charles G., USAF (IA); F105 shot down, released by DRV February, 1973 - retired as a General - alive as of 1998

Brunstrom, Alan L., USAF (FL); RF101C shot down, released by DRV February, 1973 - retired as a Colonel - alive as 1998

Nickerson, William B., USNR (CT); A6A shot down (bombardier/navigator, w/Weimorts)

Weimorts, Robert F., USN (AL); A6A shot down (pilot, w/Nickerson)

1968
Cooley, David L., USN (VA); radio contact lost with F111A (w/Palmgren)

Chomyk, William, USAF (NY); F4D shot down, KIA/BNR (pilot, w/Riggins)

Palmgren, Edwin D., USN (NC); radio contact lost with F111A (w/Cooley)

Riggins, Robert P., USAF (IL); F4D shot down, KIA/BNR (bombardier/navigator, w/Chomyk)

1969
Scott, Vincent Calvin, Jr., USAF (VA); O2 shot down, KIA

Van Cleave, Walter Shelby, USAF (TX); F4D shot down, KIA/BNR

1970
The following USAF personnel reported MIA after their AC130-A was shot down; remains returned September, 1995 - group burial November, 1995
Adachi, Thomas Y. (CA); aerial gunner

Brooks, William L. (TX); pilot

Davis, Charlie B., (KY); navigator

Fisher, Donald G. (PA); crew

Harris, Stephen W. (MO); navigator

Hensley, Ronnie L. (WV); crew

Ireland, Robert N. (CA); crew

Lint, Donald M. (IA); crew

Rowley, Charles S., (CT); ID disputed

Towle, John C. (IL); crew

Also reported MIA this day in 1970:
Golz, John B., USN (IL); A4C shot down, KIA/BNR

Labels: Headlines, History