Video From Ken

Hi everyone. Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas.

Ken sent this YouTube video from Aghanistan-the miracles of technology...

-Charlie

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=82nWmXPEwsc&feature=related

Happy Thanksgiving!

Dear Ken,

On this Thanksgiving holiday, we are thankful for the blessings that God has bestowed upon us. Family, friends, and good health are the things that often come to mind. We want you to know that we are also thankful for the sacrifices you and other military members and their families make for all of us on a daily basis. You are the unsung heroes that protect our liberty and tirelessly represent American ideals across the world.

My son, Chaz, made this card for your care package this week. His message represents the feelings of many of us back home. While you may be in a very dangerous place thousands of miles away from home, you are only a thought or a prayer away from friends, loved ones, and gracious fellow Americans.

Happy Thanksgiving!

God bless and be safe,
Charlie

Care Packages On The Way!!

Hi Ken. The Cub Scouts and American Heritage Girls have been very busy getting goodies and supplies together for the care packages we will be sending you in a couple days. Hopefully you will receive the shipment in time for the Christmas holiday.

Sincerely,
Charlie

Thinking Of You

Dear Ken,

As you face the challenges of being away from home and serving our nation in a dangerous place, we want you to know that we are all keeping you in our thoughts and prayers. Our families are deeply appreciative of your sacrifice and we'll do our best to try to keep up your spirits. Last week, we collected our extra Halloween candy, boxed it up, and shipped it your way. There's so much candy that you may need the services of a good dentist upon your return.

Hang in there and remember that you have a lot of folks back home praying for you.

God bless,
The Scouts

Submarine Scouts

Last week, the Cub Scouts had the privilege of visiting the U.S.S. San Juan at the U.S. Submarine Base in Groton, Connecticut. They had a chance to interact with the crew and experience the conditions in which our dedicated sailors work for weeks at a time underwater! It was a wonderful precursor for the Veteran's Day holiday. Many thanks to HM1 Curtis Thaxton for arranging the tour and to the crew of the San Juan for their hospitality and patience.

Sincerely,

Charlie

Ken,

We are not sure what to say except WOW and THANK YOU! You are amazing and we are so privelaged to have the opportunity to support you during your journey.....You are in our prayers,thoughts and heart! Be safe...

THANK YOU for all you do .....

Sincerely,

Denise, Paul,Deanna 9 ,Matthew 7, and Megan 4 Dittrich

American Heritage Girls and Mystic Cubscouts Pack 2

Ledyard ,CT

Proud of Our Sailor!!

Curtis forwarded me this message from Captain Laube at the Herat Regional Medical Hospital in Afghanistan. It seems that HN Metzger has made quite an impact in the short time he has been deployed! America is a great country and our people are beacons of hope for others around the world.

Ken-may God continue to bless you and the work you are doing. We are all so proud of you!!

Be safe,
Charlie

I had the pleasure of visiting yesterday afternoon with your HN Metzger during a memorial service for one of our fallen warriors from Afghanistan. I met HN Metzger when he first checked into Camp, ARSIC-West a month or two ago. I was involved in placing him with one of the Afghan National Army Kandaks as a medic mentor. As soon as he checked in to their unit, they went downrange to a very dangerous area where we are trying to forge our way into a strongly held Taliban area. He has been integral in building a new Forward Operating Base. Last week, he was involved in a fire fight with the Taliban. A civilian mom, holding her baby, was shot through the forearm and humerous. One bullet, two entry and exit wounds. She was hit in the arm with which she was holding the baby. The baby was unhurt. The wound was nasty with shattered bones and open wounds. He was the first person to render aid to her. He did an outstanding job. She was medevac'd to our regional hospital. The injury is serious and will take at least 6 months to heal, if it heals. HN Metzger was brought down to our main camp for a few days to resupply. I spoke with him last evening. This young man is the reason I am still in the Navy. He has such a positive attitude and outlook. He is so young, yet he has already seen so much in the last month. I was proud to introduce him to the Army ARSIC-West Commander. You should be very proud of this corpsman. Keep him in your thoughts and prayers as he is returning to that area today and will be there throughout the winter in austere conditions.

V/R,

Ken Laube
CAPT Kenneth Laube,MSC,USN,FACHE
Hospital Commander Mentor & ETT Team Lead
Herat Regional Military Hospital

Remember Me

This video was created by 15 year-old Lizzie Palmer and has been circulating around the internet. For those if you who haven't seen it, please follow the link below. It's a simple, but moving tribute to our troops and suitable for viewing by all ages. Thanks to Rich Goccia for forwarding the link.

Remember their sacrifices each day and pray for their safe return.

-Charlie

http://www.youtube.com/swf/l.swf?swf=http%3A//s.ytimg.com/yt/swf/cps-vfl59689.swf&video_id=ervaMPt4Ha0&rel=1&hqt=1&eurl=&iurl=http%3A//i2.ytimg.com/vi/ervaMPt4Ha0/default.jpg&t=OEgsToPDskIh6cVKzEgFZ0WHVQciidti&use_get_video_info=1&load_modules=1&autoplay=1

Message From Ken Metzger

Things are going well over here in Bala Murghab. Been very quiet. Starting to get cold at night now, even though it's still really hot during the day. We've had some very windy days here where it's not good to go outside. The sand is everywhere. I am doing good though. I have been treating a lot of local people and I have seen a lot of interesting patients. This is a great learning environment. I feel like I'm doing a lot of good here. It's nice to help these people as they need it very badly. I appreciate everything I have back home more than you can imagine now. I appreciate the support from all of you. Thank you and I hope to keep hearing from you.

Sincerely,

Ken

Thinking of Ken Metzger

Ken Metzger and I have been emailing back and forth over the last couple weeks. He has now moved into the field ("the boonies" as he describes it) with his small unit. He learned that he will likely stay in the field for the remainder of this tour. As a result, he will probably not have access to the Blog anymore, but he does have email access. I will be posting things for Ken when he is able to give us updates. The Afghanistan nights are starting to get cold, but a construction team just arrived to build some sleeping rooms and a warm shower. In addition, the Marines just arrived as well.

As this very long election season draws to a close, please remember Ken and all of our military families working selflessly each and every day to protect our freedom and right to vote.

If you'd like to email Ken directly, please click here.

-Charlie

Open Thread

HN Ken Metzger will be headed out into the field this weekend for the next 4-5 weeks. Unfortunately, he now has to pay for his internet access (and it's not cheap in Afghanistan). I will work with Curtis to see what can be done about it.

Please feel free to leave Ken a post by clicking "comments" below and keep him in your thoughts and prayers.

-Charlie

A Special Visit

The scouts were honored by a special visit from HM1 Curtis Thaxton, HM1 Felipe Rios, HM3 Jerry Nieves, and HN Samantha Davila from the U.S. Sub Base in Groton, CT. We were all excited to learn about their roles, past deployments, flag etiquette, flag folding, and the color guard. In addition, Curtis and Felipe (both recently deployed in Iraq) emphasized the importance of our effort to support our troops. We thank Curtis, Felipe, Jerry, and Samantha for joining us this week and helping to teach our scouts about their community and the sacrifices made by our brave military members and their families.

Sincerely,
Charlie

Introducing Myself...

Hi Kenneth,

I am Heather Thompson, Charlie's wife. I feel honored and blessed to be part of such a great way to support our troops. Your selfless service to our country is admirable beyond description.

Last night, Curt came to our meeting and told the kids about you. He told the kids why he does what he does...to allow the kids and every U.S. citizen to have the liberties and freedoms to go to ice cream, have a wonderful education, play on playgrounds, and even debate politics I'd assume! Everyone here in America is able to do just that because of people like you.

Your dedication and service will undoubtedly give our scouts an amazing example of what our military is all about. It is our hope that this program will give them a personal connection, an image on the face of war and not the assumption that war is something they can do nothing about.

Please let us know what we can do to support you best right now. The kids are all eager to do something and would love to know what would best help you.

I will lift you up in prayer for safety and continued sacrafice during your time of selfless service.
Thank you, although that will never seem enough for all you do.

Blessings to you,
Heather Thompson

Meet The Scouts

Introducing--HN Kenneth Blaine Metzger

I am HN (Hospitalman) Kenneth Blaine Metzger based in Groton, CT. I am currently deployed to Camp Stone (Herat), Afghanistan under the the 1st armored battalion from Fort Riley, KS. I am attached to a 16 man team as their sole corpsman(and medical provider) and the only Navy personnel out of five 16 man teams. I am the first and only corpsman to be assigned to this team. I am originally from Royal Center, IN, where my family and beautiful daughter (Alexandria Rose Sency) are from. My girlfriend, Tasha Klein, is from St. George, KS. I have been in the Navy since December 6, 2006, and I will be here in Afghanistan for 12 months until Sep. 09. I am 23 years old and the oldest of 7 children.

Greetings From The Scouts

Greetings from American Heritage Girls Troop CT0001 and Cub Scout Pack 2 Mystic. Our scouts are very excited to begin our second year of supporting the brave military men and women and their families who sacrifice so much for our nation.

Last year, we were honored to support and get to know HM1 Curtis Thaxton, his wife, Melissa, and his son, Bailey, during Curt's deployment to Iraq. The emotions depicted in this picture upon Curt's return to the good ol' USA pretty much say it all! This year, we'll be working very closely with Curt to support other deployed service men and women. So far, we made contact with the following folks:

HM1 David Beason (deployed in Kuwait)
HM2 Corporan (deployed in Kuwait)
HN Kenneth Metzger (deployed in Afghanistan)
HN Matthew Hreben (deployed in Afghanistan)

Hopefully as time and conditions permit, these brave sailors will be able to access this blogger and keep in touch with all of us. We are also hoping to grow our support network to include family, friends, and other appreciative Americans.

God bless our service men and women and their families!

Sincerely,
Charlie Thompson

About This Blog

American Heritage Girls Troop CT0001 and Cub Scout Pack 2 Mystic proudly support our military men and women and their families at home for the sacrifices they make for us all each day. We have created this blogger to enable our troops to better communicate with friends, loved ones, and appreciative Americans at home. We are proud of our troops and thankful for their service. Please visit this blog often and show your support for their efforts!