That's right - Patti is now officially America's Most Inspiring Mom. Those of us who know her would most definitely agree. Patti has boundless energy and enthusiasm; the kind that just sweeps you along with her.

Ask anyone who leads one of Soldiers' Angels Special Projects how they got started, and the most likely answer is going to be "Patti called me...."

And I can vouch for that - from this blog to the SOS: KIDS program and Operation Outreach (and a few other things along the way), it was Patti that led to my involvement. Five minutes in her presence and you feel like you can conquer the world - and that nothing is impossible when it comes to supporting our Heroes.

From the days of sending a few extra letters and packages to her son Brandon's buddies, that dedication and enthusiasm has seen Soldiers' Angels grow to a network of tens of thousands of Angels supporting tens of thousands of Heroes. Not bad for someone who describes herself as the "ordinary mother of an ordinary young man turned hero."

But that contest isn't over yet...

The designation of America's Most Inspiring Mom is only a step along the way to the grand prize of "America's Favorite Mom." True to form, Patti is donating any prize money won in this contest to Soldiers' Angels. Top prize is $25,000. Just imagine what that can do for our heroes.... To put it in perspective, here are some examples of what SA could do with $25,000:

- 450 First Response Backpacks for the wounded

- 550 Vet Packs to VA Hospitals

- 800 Welcome Home packages to returning Heroes

- Nearly 1200 care packages to deployed troops

- 40 Laptops with Voice-activated software to wounded Heroes

Voting for the contest ends April 25th, so don't wait - vote now, and go back every day until then - you can vote once daily. You have to register to vote in the contest (which is free, and takes only a minute or so).

So vote now, vote often, and help us honor Patti for all that she does to inspire us, and support our Heroes.

Click Here to Vote!

Labels: America's Favorite Mom, Patti Patton-Bader, Soldiers' Angels

SAR JUMPER
A search and rescue swimmer, known as a SAR, jumps out of an MH-60S Seahawk assigned during training in the Persian Gulf, April 13, 2008. U.S. Navy Seaman David A. Brandenburg

Labels: helicopter, MH-60S, photos, SAR, Seahawk, Search and Rescue, US Navy

News of Note
Operation Iraqi Freedom
New Iranian Weapons Cache Discovered in Iraq (OK, NOW have we had enough?)
Iraq's Sadr tells fighters to observe truce
Cougar Squadron Kicks Off Raider Typhoon
Iraqi Police Takes the Lead for Security of Kirkuk
Coaltion Forces Aim to Boost Fish-farming Industry in Mahmudiyah

Homeland Security / War on Terror / Hamas-Hezbollah Happenings
Interpol Chief: 'Real Possibility' of Olympic Games Attack
Sri Lanka military blame Tigers as bus bomb kills 24
Remarks by Bush, Palestinian Authority's Abbas at White House
Israel's UN ambassador calls Jimmy Carter 'a bigot'
Police official says bomb kills 3 in northwestern Pakistan

Troops on Trial
U.S. Marine faces court-martial over Okinawa rape

Other Military News
Attack Wing: Glider Makes Waves With Stealth and Speed

Worldwide Wackos
U.S. Ship Fires Warning Shots at Iranian Fast Boats (How about now? Have we had enough now???)
U.S. Demands Syria 'Come Clean' on Nukes - PHOTOS
IAEA Criticizes U.S. for Holding Back on Intel (But not Iran and North Korea for holding back on anything...or for building nukes....that makes sense...)
IAEA to probe Syria atomic plant report - Video
Iranians vote in run-off parliamentary election
Analysis: Lawmakers say Korea deal must have guarantees

Homegrown Moonbats
Hold on to your couch: Cruise returning to "Oprah"

Politics / Government
Rev. Wright Sounds Off on Controversial Comments in New Interview
McCain says N.C. Republicans out of touch over ad
House Democrats urge FTC to probe pump prices
Video: McCain focuses on November
Pelosi: Clinton, Obama sharing the ticket not a good idea (Too true - that might open up some giant vortex of 'suck' that would doom us all...)
Obama presses on gas prices, Clinton hits on debates
Some young religious voters focus on social justice
Russia vows would defend people in Georgia enclaves
Statement on Russian Downing of Georgian Unmanned Aerial Vehicle

In the Courts / Crime and Punishment / Law and Order
Trio Acquitted in Groom Slay - PHOTO ESSAY: Bachelor Party Shooting
Slideshow: Verdict announced
Share your thoughts on the verdict (Reuters)
Polygamist Sect Moms Separated From Kids - PHOTOS
More teenage mothers emerge in Texas polygamy probe
Man Dies After Police Use Taser After Bar Fight
16-Year-Old Held in Alleged Columbine-Style Plot
Murder Suspects, 6-Month-Old, in Standoff With Cops
Ex-Hooker Publishes Handbook for Aspiring Call Girls
China hears death row defense by video for first time

U.N. News
U.N. Secretary-General: Rising Food Prices 'Global Crisis'
U.N. urges world to help Africa fight malaria - Video

Media in the Media / Bloggers in the News / Watching the Web
Yahoo plans makeover with elements of social network
The 'Fair Tax': Not Such A Crazy Idea?

Science / Medicine and Health / Technology
Rex Was Just a Big Chicken
FDA Takes a Closer Look at Lasik Eye Surgery Complaints
FOXSexpert: The Top 10 Sex Mistakes That Men Make
Supermarket Worker Who Had Fatal Heart Attack Drank 4 Cans of Red Bull Nightly
Planned Parenthood Accused of Black 'Genocide' -VIDEO
Hold the marbles: Abstract approach best for math
Protein scraps help fill in dino family tree
Launch of RIM's 3G BlackBerry faces delay: report
Cellphone market Q1 growth fastest since 2006
Nintendo: no plan to cut Wii, DS prices this year

Mother Nature
More 08 Caribbean hurricanes than avg: AccuWeather
Hong Kong anglers let cash bonanza get away
Video: Three Little Lions

Oddities
Don't Bend It! Ugly Kid Fight Over Dirty Beckham Jersey
Kids' Homework These Days: 'Omg, Lol, Cya l8r'
Ads seek ex-soldiers for smuggling jobs
State moves to ban fake testicles on vehicles
Anglers let big cash bonanza get away
Prized police catch escapes again
Vikings acquitted in 100-year-old murder mystery
Video: Licking the art opposition
Facial with bird excrement takes flight at New York spa

Other News of Note
China to meet Dalai Lama aides amid Tibet tension - Video
Direct Dialogue Is Way Forward in Tibet, Says United States
Osho on Tibet: Communist Invasion Stops Inner Search

Fox News
Bush Hails Early Mailing of Stimulus Checks
FOXBusiness: Uncle Sam's Greenbacks Arriving Early
Pop Tarts: Going Green With Steam: Kim and Reggie's Racy Way of Saving Water

Reuters
Zimbabwe police raid opposition HQ, scores held
Consumer sentiment at a 26-year low
Harvard gets record $100 million gift from Rockefeller
Hollywood is on edge ahead of summer movie season
Amy Winehouse to be quizzed over assault claims
Bette Midler returns to the stage and screen
Wesley Snipes jailed for 3 years in tax case - Video
French cinema sees gloom amid box-office triumph
Video: Madonna: Documentary 'changed' me
Job flexibility key to productivity and loyalty: study
Jane Austen: A serial flirt with a hangover
Art breathes new life into Berlin bunker
Wizards shackle James in 108-72 rout of Cavs
Rays sweep Blue Jays at Disney World
Calzaghe accuses Hopkins of being a sore loser
Impressive Federer storms into Monte Carlo semis
Canadiens seal OT win over Flyers

AP World News
Microsoft 2009 outlook rosy, but investors trip on near-term
Canadiens, Red Wings win 2nd round NHL series openers
It pays to be a draftable defensive lineman
McGrady, Rockets rally past Jazz 94-92 to force Game 4
Southern Baptist membership, baptisms decline in 2007
Wizards get off ropes, dominate Cavaliers 108-72 in Game 3

News Blaze
Ironhorse Tracker Radio Newscast Available
Ironhorse Report Video Newscast Available
Soldiers' Angels and Patriot Guard
Iraq News
Read about Operations in Iraq
FOB Warhorse Memorial Photos
Videos

CENTCOM
Warij residents become Sons of Iraq
Reward program leads to more insurgent weapons finds
School renovation under way in Mahmudiyah
Microgrants keep Arab Jabour clinic open
Soldiers create 'Daughters of Iraq' program
Calm descends on Bayji during medical engagement
Warij residents become Sons of Iraq
White House nominates Petraeus for top CENTCOM job
Afghan veterinarians come to ranchers' aid
Displaced Iraqis returning home in droves

USJFCOM
Joint Knowledge Online earns prestigious award for distance learning
Learn more about Joint Knowledge Online
Joint Knowledge Development and Distribution
Follow USJFCOM news on Twitter
Interoperability assessment begins - podcast
Learn more about JSIC
Provincial reconstruction team supports Iraqi farmers
Task Force Ramadi gets fuel flowing
DoD honors USJFCOM efforts to improve command and control linkages - podcast

Multi-National Force - Iraq
Iraqi Veterinarians Study with International Expert
Camp Bucca meal availability
Alleged bombing cell leader, 12 other suspects detained
Three terrorists killed, eight al-Qaeda suspects detained
MND-C Soldier attacked by IED
Two terrorists killed, three wanted al-Qaeda suspects captured
MND-B Soldiers kill 10 criminals in separate operations

DefenseLink
TOP NEWS
Nuclear Project Reaffirms Proliferation Dangers
Mullen: Iranian Meddling Destabilizes Iraq, Region

IRAQ NEWS
Soldiers Repair Schools in Iraqi City
Troops Kill 22 Terrorists, Detain 37

AFGHANISTAN NEWS
Coalition Provides Care in Kandahar

AMERICA SUPPORTS YOU
Attendance Doubles for 'Work Day' - Photos
Pentagon Kids Enjoy 'Work Day' Fun - Photos

MILITARY NEWS
VA to Call Combat Veterans With Info on Benefits
JCOC Delivers School Supplies, Soccer Balls to Hondurans
Distributed Learning Delivers Training Anywhere

FACE OF DEFENSE
Soldier Lives New Dream

Weather
Afghanistan
Bost/Laskar Ghurian Herat Kabul Qandahar

Germany
Ansbach Aschaffenburg Berlin Berlin-Tempelhof Berlin/Schonefeld Bremerhaven
Darmstadt Frankfurt Frankfurt/Main Freiburg/Breisgau Garmisch
Garmisch-Partenkirchen Geilenkirchen Gelnhausen Giessen Kitzingen
Hanau Am Main Heidelberg Mainz Mannheim Nurnberg Stuttgart Trier
Wiesbaden Wurzburg

Gitmo

Guam
Agana Agana Heights Agat Andersen AFB Asan Barrigada

Iraq
Al Azamiyah Al Basrah Al Hillah Al Karkh Al Kazimiyah Al Kut
An Nasiriyah Baghdad Baqubah Mosul Najaf Nineveh Tall Kayf

Japan
Kadena Air Base Okinawa Tokyo Yokohama

Today in History
1185 - Sea battle at Dan-no-ura - Minamoto Yoritomo beats Taira family
1449 - Anti-pope Felix V resigns
1507 - Geographer Martin Waldseemuller 1st uses name America
1604 - Count Maurits' army lands at Cadzand
1607 - Battle at Gibraltar - Dutch fleet beats Spanish/Portuguese fleet
1626 - Battle at the Dessauer bridge - Monarch Albrecht von Wallenstein beats Earl of Mansfeld
1660 - London Convention Parliament meets & votes to restore Charles II
1678 - French troops conquer Ypres
1684 - Patent granted for the thimble
1707 - Battle of Almansa - Franco-Spanish forces defeat Anglo-Portuguese
1719 - Daniel Defoes publishes "Robinson Crusoe"
1747 - Prince Willem V appointed viceroy of Zealand
1792 - Guillotine 1st used - to execute highwayman Nicolas J. Pelletier
1850 - Paul Julius Reuter uses 40 pigeons to carry stock market prices
1859 - Ground broken for Suez Canal
1861 - 7th New York arrives to reinforce Washington, DC; Battle of Lavaca, TX
1862 - Admiral Farragut occupies New Orleans, LA
1864 - Battle of Marks' Mill, AR (Camden Expedition)
1867 - Tokyo is opened for foreign trade
1881 - 250,000 Germans petition to bar foreign Jews from entering Germany; French troops occupy Algeria & Tunisia
1886 - Sigmund Freud opens practice at Rathausstrasse 7, Vienna
1891 - President Benjamin Harrison visits San Francisco
1898 - US declares war on Spain over Cuba
1901 - Erve Beck hits the 1st home run in the American League
1901 - New York becomes 1st state requiring auto license plates ($1 fee)
1905 - Whites win right to vote in South Africa
1915 - 78,000 ANZAC troops land at Gallipoli
1925 - Paul von Hindenburg elected 2nd President of Germany (Adolf Hitler is 3rd)
1926 - Persian cossack officer Reza Chan crowns himself Shah Palawi
1927 - Spain routes 20,000 soldiers to Morocco (uprising Rifkabylen)
1928 - Buddy, a German Shepherd, becomes 1st guide dog for the blind
1933 - US & Canada drop Gold Standard
1941 - Operation Merkur - Hitler orders conquest of Kreta
1942 - Luftwaffe bombs Bath
1945 - 46 countries convene United Nations Conference on International Organization in San Francisco, CA
1945 - Clandestine Radio 1212, used to hoax Nazi Germany's final transmission; Last Boeing B-17 attack against Nazi Germany; US & Soviet forces meet at Torgau Germany on Elbe River; Allied air raid on Surabaja, Java; British troops reach Grebbe line Netherlands; Red army completely surrounds Berlin
1947 - Trial against WWII mayor of Amsterdam (Edward Voûte) begins
1950 - Chuck Cooper becomes the 1st Black to play in the NBA; Ambon proclaims RMS (Republik Maluku Selatan)
1952 - American Bowling Congress approves use of an automatic pinsetter; German "Country" Bathe-Württemberg forms
1953 - Scientists identify DNA
1954 - Bell labs announces 1st solar battery (New York, NY); British raid Nairobi, Kenya (25,000 Mau Mau suspects are arrested)
1957 - 1st experimental sodium nuclear reactor operated; Ibrahim Hashim forms Jordanian government
1959 - St. Lawrence Seaway linking Atlantic & Great Lakes, opens to shipping
1960 - 1st submerged circumnavigation of Earth completed (Triton)
1961 - Mercury/Atlas rocket lifts off with an electronic mannequin; Robert Noyce patents integrated circuit; Premier Moïse Tsjombe of Katanga arrested in Congo
1962 - US Ranger spacecraft crash lands on the Moon; Cleveland sends Harry Chiti to Mets for a player to be named later - on June 15, the Mets send Chiti back to Cleveland
1967 - Britain grants internal self-government to Swaziland; Abortion legalized in Colorado
1971 - US canal rights in Nicaragua & rights to Corn Islands expire; About 200,000 anti-Vietnam War protesters march in Washington, DC
1974 - NFL moves the goal posts & adopts sudden-death playoff; German Chancellor Willy Brandt's Secretary, Günther Guillaume, found to be a spy; Leo Tindemans forms Belgium government; Marcello Caetano overthrown in Portugal; he is exiled to Madeira and later to Brazil (Carnation revolution)
1975 - 1st Boeing Jetfoil revenue service, Hong Kong to Macao; Mario Soares' Socialist Party wins 1st free election in Portugal; West German embassy blown up in Stockholm, Sweden
1976 - Cub centerfielder Rick Monday rescues US flag from 2 fans trying to set it on fire; Elections in Vietnam for a National Assembly to reunite the country; Portugal adopts constitution
1978 - Supreme Court rules pension plans can't require women to pay more
1979 - Peace treaty between Israel & Egypt goes into effect
1980 - Announcement of Jimmy Carter hostage rescue bungle in Iran
1982 - In accordance with Camp David Accord, Israel completes Sinai withdrawal
1983 - "Nightline" expands from ½ hour to a full hour
1985 - West German Parliament rules it illegal to deny the holocaust
1986 - ETA bomb attack kills 5 in Madrid
1988 - NASA launches space vehicle S-211
1990 - Hubble space telescope is placed into orbit by shuttle Discovery; Violeta Barrios de Chamorro begins a 6 year term as Nicaragua's President
1993 - Russia elects Boris Yeltsin
1994 - Bomb attack on taxi stand in Johannesburg - killed; King Azlan Shah of Malaysia resigns; Mexican businessman & billionaire Angel Losada kidnapped; Tsutomu Hata elected premier of Japan

Birthdays
1214 - Louis IX, king of France (1226-70)
1228 - Koenraad IV, Roman Catholic German king (1237-54)
1284 - Edward II, king of England (1307-27)
1599 - Oliver Cromwell, Puritan lord protector of England (1653-58)
1608 - Jean, duke of Orléans / brother of French King Louis XIII / General
1769 - Mark Isambard Brunel, engineer/inventor
1825 - Charles Ferdinand Dowd, US, standardized time zones
1840 - James Dearing, Confederate Brigadier General
1862 - Edward Grey English, Viscount of Fallodon/minister of Foreign affairs
1874 - Guglielmo Marconi, inventor (radio/Nobel 1909)
1900 - Lord [Hubert Miles] Gladwyn [Jebb], MP (Liberal); Wolfgang Ernst Pauli Austria, physicist (Pauli inhibition/Nobel 1945)
1906 - William J. Brennan, Jr., 92nd Supreme Court judge (1956-90)
1914 - Marcos Perez Jimenez, President/dictator Venezuela
1939 - Veronica Sutherland, British diplomat
1940 - Al Pacino, actor (And Justice For All, Godfather, Scorpio)
1941 - Lawrence J. Smith (Representative-FL)
1942 - Jon Kyl (Representative-AZ)
1951 - Ian McCartney, MP

Passings
1295 - Sancho IV the Brave, scholar/king of Castile/León
1342 - Benedict XII [Jacques Fournier], Pope (1334-42)
1607 - Don Juan Alvarez, Spanish Admiral (Gibraltar), dies in battle; Jacob van Heemskerck, Dutch Admiral (Nova Zambia), dies in battle
1647 - Matthias Gallas, Austrian earl of Campo/duke of Lucerna, dies at 62
1792 - Nicolas J. Pelletier, Frenchman, first to be guillotined
1862 - Charles Ferguson Smith, US Union General-Major, dies of infection at 55
1928 - Pjotr N. Wrangel, Russian baron General, dies at 49
1960 - Amanullah, emir/king of Afhanistan (1919-28), dies at 67
1981 - Dixie, a mouse who lived 6½ years, dies
1992 - Dany [Daniël S] Tuijnman, Dutch minister of traffic & water, dies at 77
1994 - George Gennimatas, Greek minister of National Economy, dies at 55; Talaat Yassin Hamman, militant Muslim leader, shot dead at 32

Reported Missing in Action
1967
Stackhouse, Charles D., USN (WI); A4C shot down, released by DRV March, 1973 - retired as a Commander - alive and well as of 1998

Weskamp, Robert Larry, USAF (CO); F105 shot down - remains returned March, 1974

1968
Crossman, Gregory J., USAF (MI); F4D shot down (w/Mitchell)

Guillory, Hubia J., US Army (LA); KIA in ambush - remains left behind

Kelley, Daniel M., US Army (MA); KIA in ambush - remains left behind

Mitchell, Albert C., USAF (NY); F4D shot down (w/Crossman)

Scott, David L., US Army (IL); KIA in ambush - remains left behind

1971
Lemon, Jeffrey C., USAF (IL); F4D shot down (w/Sigafoos)

Odom, Chester R. II, US Army; believed working with VC

Sigafoos, Walter H. III, USAF (PA); F4D shot down (w/Lemon)

1972
Brownlee, Robert W. US Army (IL); evaded across Dak Poko river

1975
Walsh, Brian - led away at gunpoint

Yim, John Sung - possibly beheaded

Labels: Headlines, History