Just to fill you all in, I have been trying to help out the Soldiers’ Angels organization get the word out regarding some folks in need of our help. I know that often times we all can be a bit cynical or get our “knickers in a twist” about the bad feelings, slanted news, and more often than not raw deal the US Military gets. I’m trying to get out there and use my skills to help the Soldiers’ Angels - ’cause I can’t sew and I truly suck at baking! We’d have brave men and women with cool scarves falling apart in front of their eyes or they’d be dropping like flies from those evil cookies that looney toon Milblogger, Fix4RSO, sent them!

Our first person in need is a soldier we’ll call Mr. Olson. He is very close to losing his house, being 3 months back on payments. He was with the 1498th Transportation Company out of Riverside, CA. He was in Kuwait first in 2003 and then was all over Iraq. In 2004 he was injured in Tikrit and sent stateside. Simply put, his injuries were from his foot being caught in a winch and he nearly lost it. This incident also affected his left knee and lower back. He was put on Med Hold until everything came back to normal. Needless to say, he had to go through physical therapy - but in 2005 he was released because the State of California says he’s just hoppin’ ready to get to work. However, his PT Test results say differently and he cannot return to his ANG Active Duty Special Work (Counter Drug Task Force in Southern California). His private sector job opportunities have fallen through as well leaving him without any pay at all. He moved temporarily to Washington State to go to Madigan Hospital for more PT. He has run out of money and wants to get back to California where the job market is improving a bit. He’d at the very least like to just get his electricity, water, and phone bills paid. If he could get some help with his house payment and a job, I think he’d be OK to carry on! It’s a steep hill to climb, but I think we all can help lighten the load.

Our second person in need is a sailor we’ll call Mr. McCutchen. He, too, is very close to losing his house. Without having any income at all, the weekly food bill is truly breaking the bank. The mortgage company has told him he needs to at the very least make one payment by June 5th - but he has no funds due to his injury and separation from the Navy.  He was injured in Iraq when the rear portion of the vehicle he was riding in ran over an IED. He struck his head during the explosion and has since been suffering extreme pain in his head and neck. He has been having blackout spells. His legs also swell to the point that he has difficulty bending legs to get dressed or to shower and walk. He cannot drive because of blackout periods nor can he do any form of exercise. His civilian job is driving an 18-wheeler. Because of the blackout periods, he cannot safely drive any vehicle. He was taken off active duty since his return from Iraq and has not been able to work. He has not had a paycheck since April and is getting behind in all his bills. Now, the Navy is trying to get him processed back on active duty so that he can continue and then complete medical treatment. He is currently being treated by a neurologist - does not know final results yet. The Navy cannot tell him when he will actually be back on active duty - has to wait for processing. He has 5, yes five, kids and his wife is a stay at home Mom (something I am happy to hear, and is very honorable!). They have lots of bills, as you all can imagine! We need to raise some very serious money to help the McCutchen Family!

Both these men are staring down the worst of all paths ’cause they’re gonna have to go on public assistance. Ouch! US Military personnel should never have to go on public assistance! If we could keep these families afloat just a bit longer, manage their runway so to speak, I think that they can get back to a normal life. I hope you can help, or maybe you know someone that can help both these families?

The best way to help is to either go to the Soldiers’ Angels web site and make a donation. In the “notes/comments” field be sure to mention your donation is for either Mr. Olson or Mr. McCutchen - or BOTH! And, if you just want to have me get my coordinator from Soldiers’ Angels to get in touch with you directly so you can best direct your gift, no matter what it is, we can do that too! Just be sure to leave a comment in this post with your e-mail address in the short registration process. That way I can send your contact info on. You can also just send me an e-mail. Use the following e-mail address:

Fix4RSO AT fix4rso DOT com

Last but not least, at a minimum, please say a prayer for both these families. Prayer is a power way beyond all understanding. Take a chance!

God Bless you all. God Speed to all our brave men and women!

This entry was posted on Thursday, June 1st, 2006 at 2:04 and is filed under ARMY, Commitment, GreatestGift, JointForces, SoldiersAngels, USN, WayPoint. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.