When:
September 9, 10 & 11, 2008
Where: The Cannon Building Corner
I am very
proud to say that this event by The Band of Mothers, The Gathering of
Eagles and Free Republic, marks the one year anniversary of our proud
stand on the Cannon Bldg Corner in support of our Heroes, our Brave
Men and Women of the greatest military, the United States Military! I
am even more proud to say we stood proudly these three days to
acknowledge the victories and GREAT accomplishments of our Soldiers...
When:
July 8th, 9th & 10th, 2008
Where: The Cannon Building Corner
The
Band of Mothers and The Gathering of Eagles proudly gathered on the
Cannon Bldg Corner, and reminded all those inside that building we
stand proudly and gratefully for our Soldiers! We had a great
turnout and much support from those who passed by...
When: June
3rd, 4th & 5th 2008
Where: The Cannon Building Corner
The Band of Mothers &
friends stood on Pelosi's corner in DC, the Cannon Bldg corner,
on June 3rd, 4th and 5th to once again remind our legislatures that we
have Soldiers in harm's way and they need all their funding so they
continue their victorious mission!
Our recruiters are our
“First Line of Defense” and need to be recognized for their efforts.
In the past year, our recruiters have been under attack by insurgents
right here at home! As Americans we need to show them that we know
they are important and we appreciate them.
The Band of Mothers stood strong on the corner of the
Cannon Bldg in Washington, DC (Where Nancy Pelosi supposedly
works) from April 7th, 8th and 9th to
remind her and the Congress to support our Soldiers and the General.
We will be among other supporters with Support our Troops signs.
Attending the 2008 CPAC
was my excellent opportunity to collect more Post Cards of Support
for our brave men and women of the United States Military. It is
heartwarming to find so many Patriots in one location, who
appreciate and sincerely revere our Soldiers and their service!
The
Berkeley California council on Tuesday passed two resolutions
condemning the Marines as part of a campaign by anti-war activists to
shut down the recruiting center. The council also gave Code Pink, a
leftist group that daily harasses the Marines with hate speech, a free
parking place and noise permit.
I urge all Americans to
visit a recruiting station today and thank these Fine Noble and Brave
Soldiers for their service and let them know "we've got their backs!"
A small group of volunteers in Oak Lawn, IL meet almost every week to
pack and mail boxes to soldiers from the south side area or that have
relatives in the same area. These soldiers in turn pass the material
to their units and several units around them, continuously spreading
out the good will from the community back home. It all started in
March 2003 when a student’s parent from Mrs. Jacky’s early education
classes at the Oak Lawn Park District was sent to Iraq. Items were
collected and sent out weekly in small boxes. The soldiers’ names kept
growing and so did the collections. Soon this group became known as
“Mrs. Jacky’s Soldiers.”
The soldiers who have returned all say the same thing in their thanks to
this group, “It was not what you sent, but that you sent all the time to
show us that someone back home cares about us.” Their families also
expressed their gratefulness that their soldier’s morale was being
positively lifted with each box sent. Stamps, letters and items are
accepted at Oak View Center at 4625 W 110th Street in Oak
Lawn, IL 60453. If you have any questions please feel free to contact
Mrs. Jacky at 708-857-2200. Thank you for your positive thoughts for the
soldiers! Mrs. Jacky: )
"New US battle rule: No
fighting near Afghan homes"
Letter dated June 27, 2009, still waiting for an answer but if anyone
wonders what is wrong in Afghanistan, this is what is wrong!
The
Band of Mothers are the mothers of The Noble and Heroic Soldiers of the
United States Military. We are dedicated in our mission to Step Up, Stand Up
and Stick Up For Our Soldiers.
Goals: To Proudly Seek, Garner
and Nurture Support for our Soldiers.
After Action Report: Michael
Behenna Clemency Hearing
After Action Report:
Michael Behenna Clemency Hearing
Washington,
DC
In Support of lst Lt Michael Behenna
Clemency Hearing
January 7, 2009
Please accept my apologies for the lateness of this report. A matter
came up that required too much attention.
January 6, 2009:
I had the honor and distinct pleasure to have breakfast with the
Behenna family on the morning of January 6th. They are a family with
presence and my thoughts immediately were that the Clemency Board
would be impressed, to say the least. They are a beautiful and loving
family. That did not surprise me at all as I spent a few days with
Vicki Behenna in early December lobbying in support of Michael. Vicki
is a lioness and they have messed with her cub and after meeting the
family, the Clemency Board will know they have stepped into the Lion's
den! They are a close knit family and they are fighters!
After breakfast we headed to the hill and met up with a truly great
group of Patriots who came from all over the country to lobby with us
in support of Michael. I know the Behenna Family joins me in thanking
Beth, Carrie, Stanger, Snooper, Nonnie, and Pastor Ed and Annie B.
These folks came from Pennsylvania, New Jersey Indiana, Texas and
Washington State. God Bless you folks for coming such a long way and
your support was noticed by all we met with and I know it helped
Michael, I have no doubt.
We had no formal appointments as the Congressmen were back in their
districts. That actually worked to our advantage. We were all welcomed
into every office we visited and we got the ear of many staff and
military liaisons. The offices we visited included Mary Falin, Rep
Kline, Rep Thomspon, Duncan Hunter, Steve King, Trent Franks, Mike
Pence, Joe Wilson, Ike Skelton, Darrell Issa, Buck McKeon and Susan
Davis. In each office Vicki told Michael's story. Vicki articulates so
well the injustice done to her Son and she is so very compelling. In
Rep Davis's office, as Vicki made her case, the two aides were so
enthralled they literally stopped everything they were doing,
including answering their phones, to listen and watch Vicki. Michael's
father Scott is a big man and has a commanding presence himself. If
Vicki forgot to mention something, he filled in for her. Curtis, one
of Michael's younger brothers spoke about his brother's credibility
and Shannon, Mike's girlfriend and a beautiful girl, spoke about his
loyalty. Let me just say this, this family is a force to be reckoned
with! Michael's Aunt and Godmother had come along and she filmed the
trip. In my conversations with her, she shed a few tears for her
godson.
The reaction from all we met with was shock, especially at the
ludicrous 25 year sentence Michael received and the fact that not all
the evidence was presented at his trial. All agreed Michael has
certainly been served an injustice. Many had suggestions of
representatives to meet with who could help us further. Special
special thanks to Beth, who arranged our visit with Rep Thompson's
office and who waited on us. They were so very gracious to all of us
and gave us tour passes which the Behenna family utilized on Friday.
Curtis' girlfriend, Candace, a beauty herself, has never been to DC so
the family spent Friday showing her around and those passes were
welcomed and so appreciated.
January 7, 2009:
Our group gathered outside the building where the Clemency Hearing
took place in Arlington, Virginia, about 8am. The hearing began at
9am. We encountered a Swat Team, Police and the Security man in charge
of the building. When they saw what a non-threatening group we were,
and that there were no "pink" people there harassing us, they went on
their way. They were all supportive too! We held our signs "Free
Michael Behenna" and
www.defendmichal.com, and of course, the beautiful "We
Support Our Troops". The Behenna family arrived about 8:15 and they
were delighted to see us all out there. I do believe we gave them that
extra push. The family looked tense and it just made my blood all the
more for what this family has been put through, all because their Hero
Son defended himself against a known Al Qaeda terrorist. We hugged
them and let them know we would not leave until they came back out.
Pastor Ed assured them we would pray for them and we did. The panel
consisted of 5 members, 3 male, two female and two of the members were
civilians. Vicki was originally told she would be given 10 minutes to
fight for her Son's life, but the family was actually given about one
hour. I think that speaks to this families credible and formidable
presence. The panel asked questions relating to Michael's life as he
grew up and what his plans were if he were released. The Behenna
family were told that a decision would be rendered in a week or two
and that Michael is the one who will be notified of the decision. Pray
folks, please pray as if Michael is your Son, because he is, he is all
of our Sons!
To Beth, Carrie, Stanger, Snooper, Nonnie, Pastor Ed and Annie B,
thank you for all your support and for coming such a long way to
support this Hero. I believe there is a special bond between us that
will last a lifetime.
With A Mother's Heart Filled With Love and Respect For lst Lt Michael
Behenna and His Beautiful Family,
Beverly Perlson
The Band of Mothers
(Click image for
larger view) Michael's Family
CALL TO ACTION!
NO To Gitmo Detainees Coming to
Illinois!
As our Soldiers fight these butchers over in
Iraq and Afghanistan, FOR THEM, PLEASE take
a minute and sign this petition!
Thanks to those that joined us on December 22nd,for the General Assembly Hearing at
Sterling High
School,
1608 4th Avenue, Sterling, Illinois.
The hearing with Senators and Congressmen
gathered inside the Centennial
Auditorium and debated the pros and cons of selling the Thomson Prison to
the Federal Government to house the
Gitmo Detainees.
"The 911 Never
Forget Coalition
www.911NeverForget.us
agrees with your thinking and we stand with you specifically against
moving Gitmo to Thomson or anywhere in America for that matter."
-----------------------
The following
is the link to the
Chicago Tribune
article regarding this hearing:
The terrorists
who our elected officials are going to bring to the Thompson
Prison, in the
State of Illinois , are the very people responsible for
our Heroes names on the Wall in
Marseilles ,
Illinois . This is a slap in the face of every Gold
Star Family if they bring these terrorists here! These brave
Heroes gave their lives to keep us safe and this is wrong and
twisted to bring these terrorists here or anywhere in this
country. Our tax dollars
paid for the 400
million dollar facility at Gitmo they currently inhabit
and it is nicer than some of the homes the people of
Illinois
occupy! Leave them at Gitmo!
My passion
runs high as it should, out of respect for my Son’s brothers
who didn’t come home, and out of respect for my Son, who
served 4 deployments with the 82nd Airborne fighting to
keep us all safe here. If
Senator Durbin
and Gov Quinn get their way, the sacrifice of all these brave
Warriors is in vain. This is the ultimate slap in the face
and Gov Quinn should not support this. If he wants to make
the Thompson facility productive and create jobs, take the
prisoners from
California that are being turned out into their
streets, and bring those prisoners here.
I am
appealing to all our Gold Star Families, Blue Star Families,
and Those Who Support Them: Please join us on December 22nd
for the General Assembly Hearing at Sterling High School ,
1608 4th
Avenue , Sterling , Illinois at 12:00pm. We Cannot
Allow The Murderers of Our Heroes Whose Names are Etched on
the Freedom Run Wall to Come To The Very Country They Gave
Their Lives to Protect!
Please
Join Us. Please Understand, if they come here, they will be
released here, sooner or later, after your tax dollars are
spent feeding them and defending them. My son fought hard to
keep these butchers from hurting his family and his country, I
intend to fight hard to honor his service and keep our family
and our country safe. As far as I'm concerned, the line in
the sand is drawn, and I stand on the side of our Soldiers and
our country, not on the side of the terrorists. I hope to see
all of you on December 22nd!
Thank
You.
Beverly
Perlson
The Band of Mothers
708-466-2983
lst
Lt Michael Behenna is a Hero.
I proudly accompanied
Michael Behenna's mother, Vicki Behenna, to meetings on December 2nd
and 3rd with Congress and Senate officers in DC.
lst
Lt Michael Behenna is a Hero. He stepped up to the plate to serve
his country and he did so bravely and honorably. Michael now sits
in Leavenworth for killing a terrorist. Please spread the word and
help us FREE MICHAEL BEHENNA.
Rest
in Peace PFC Michael Pearson
I want to thank every
Illinois resident who lined the highway from the funeral home to Abe
Lincoln Cemetery. There were hundreds of Patriots! It was
absolutely the most beautiful thing I have ever seen in my life. It
was a long way from the funeral home to the cemetery but it was the
most heartwarming ride of my life. Marine Jim was riding with me
and he had to grab a tissue. Thank you to all of the Patriots who
lined the highway and all of those who pulled their cars over and
stood at attention.
I'm a fighter, as are my
Sons and my brother, as was my father, and I am mad, mad as hell
that this happened on our soil. Like 9/11, another cowardly act by
the jihadis.
Beverly Perlson
The Band of Mothers
To all those who want to
harm America or her Defenders, this is for you...
My favorite "boots on the ground"
organization, the Gathering of Eagles, does so many wonderful
things for our Veterans and their latest project is near and dear to
my heart. Please visit
www.gatheringofeagles.org and
click on the sidebar "Helping Homeless Vets in Philadelphia." There
should never ever be a homeless Veteran and Chris Hill and the
Gathering of Eagles are on a mission to find them. Please do some
Christmas shopping with AVON and remember, 40% of the proceeds from
your purchase goes to this wonderful organization! Avon
has many special deals on products and gifts for everyone: from
gift baskets to
watches, handbags, children's clothes to everyday personal care
products. Shop early and share the spirit of giving with The
Gathering of Eagles, whose boots go on the ground all over this
great country in support of our troops. Please pass this GOE
fundraiser to everyone you know.
Thank You and Merry Christmas!
Beverly Perlson
The Band of Mothers
The Band of Mothers is excited
and happy to announce a special Fundraiser for The Gathering of
Eagles, sponsored by AVON! Over the next 30 days, you can help fund
the troop support activities of The Gathering of Eagles by shopping
your Christmas gifts from AVON! I am proud to showcase this GOE
fundraiser on The Band of Mothers and am very grateful to AVON for
this opportunity to help our troops! When making your purchase,
please be certain to enter the code for GOE where indicated! Please
pass this GOE fundraiser to everyone you know! This is a great
opportunity to Christmas shop early and share the spirit of
giving with The Gathering of Eagles, whose boots go on the ground
all over this great country in support of our troops!
Thank You and Merry Christmas!
Beverly Perlson
The Band of Mothers
Help support the Gathering
of Eagles organization by clicking on
the link above and shopping for your favorite Avon items.
The Avon Rep. will donate up to
40%
of her commission to GoE.
Please remember to enter
this code on checkout: EAGLES1
or your donation won't get counted!
We took a "Stand For Our Troops" on the Cannon Bldg Corner
Sept 9th & 10th in Washington, DC
Col Robert Brenner, Jr,
Retired
WWII Army Veteran
Battle of the Bulge
D-Day
AMERICAN HERO!
Huge Success, to
see our After Action Report click here.
Strumming for Vets is an
organization that has come up with a way to help restore the feeling
of joy and self-worth that can be lost after extreme trauma. With
donated guitars and teachers donating their time, these vets are given
a new type of therapy that works!
The GOE’s Laptops for
Wounded Warriors mission is designed to provide our wounded troops
with computers to insure they maintain contact with family and friends
via the Internet while recovering at military medical treatment
centers across America.
Evan is Army Strong
at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
Folks, please help us get this bill passed! Since I emailed everyone
last, only 10 names have been added to this bill. We need 90 more
names on this bill! Please help us help these Gold Star Families. It
is the least we can do for these brave Soldiers who gave their lives
for all of us. Their families should be protected from further pain
and grief. It is wrong to exploit the names of our fallen and this
bill will enable the Attorney General to file suit against those who
do.
So please, take the time today and call the representatives at the
bottom of this email. If you can't call all of them, call as many as
you can. This is our chance to give back to these families and protect
them from further pain and suffering.
"We
sleep safe in our beds because rough men stand ready in the night to visit violence on those who would do us harm."
-
George Orwell
From the Founder of The Band
of Mothers:
As I watched
Cindy Sheehan and her misguided bunch in Crawford, Texas, she ignited in
this mother my “protective instincts.” I raised three children myself and
well, let’s just say “nobody ever messed with my kids!” I do not believe
there is a force in this world stronger than a mother’s instinct to protect
her children. I have watched these protestors and worry so very much about
how their disrespectful behavior affects our noble Soldier’s morale. I
decided that we cannot afford nor allow their voice to be the only voice
heard! Never a mother who could sit idly by, an idea formulated in my heart
and in my mind that our brave men and women need “The Band of Mothers” to
watch over them, and more importantly, to “Stick Up For Them!”
If You would like
to become a member of the Band of Mothers, simply go to the Ranger UP
website and purchase a T-shirt and wear it often and everywhere! All
proceeds after cost go to The Wounded Warrior Project and The Gathering of
Eagles Organization - which protects our soldiers from the growing
insurgency at home.
We will know each other, and so will others, by our T-Shirts!
The Very Proud Mother of a United
States Soldier 82nd Airborne,
The Very Proud Sister of a United States Marine - Vietnam,
The Very Proud Daughter of a WWII Veteran.
Beverly Perlson
Founder, The Band of Mothers
An email was sent to the
founder of The Band of Mother, Mrs. Perlson, which shows the character
of our brave heroes, our soldiers and serves as an example of why
the United States of America is the GREATEST nation in the world!
We wanted to share it with you - THANKS RYAN, may God's speed and grace
be with you.
Dear Band of Mothers,
Thank you so much for the
support of the troops. Being a mother is not easy; being a mother in a
situation where you know you may never see your beloved son or daughter
again must be torture. You are correct, Warriors come from Warriors.
I am 20 years old and from
Colorado. I am a student at the University of Colorado, and come
November, I am a United States Marine. My mother is terrified; I do not
know what to tell her, but I know that this is something that I have to
do, for America and for myself. Thank you for raising children with the
courage and strength to serve.
I wish the safe return of
all of your children. Despite the efforts of peace groups and
counter-protestors, there are always replacements such as myself. It may
not seem like it, but there are still plenty of kids who know when to
stand up and do what is right. In fact, the Army and USMC were above
their recruitment quotas for last year; I would say there are a lot of
us. It is an honor to follow your children into battle, and to relieve
them so that they may return. Thank you again, you are an amazing group
of women. I think I am going to get my mother a shirt. She is terrified,
as I said; I hope that one day she can come to be proud of me as well.
Thank you all.
To my Brave Son and
all the Brave Men and Women of our Armed Forces:
In the heartfelt words of our parting
President and Your Commander-in-Chief: "This Nation Owes You
A Debt of Gratitude."
With all my heart and soul, thank you for
your service and sacrifice.
To President Bush: We will miss
you. It is my belief that these last 7 1/2 safe
years will soon be more memorable than anytime in our
history. Thank you for keeping my family and my country
safe. History will make you our Hero.
Beverly Perlson
Founder, The Band of Mothers
(Click on image to watch video)
(Click on image for larger
view) Chandler's Watch Radio
Show on
www.sandiego1700.com
On the evening of May 2, 2008, at Louie's
Chop House on the south side of Chicago, I had the honor of dining with
the Producer and Crew of the infamous radio show "Chandler's Watch" on
www.sandiego1700.com. The last time I
had such a memorable and entertaining evening I had visited my Hero
Son and his Hero Brothers at Ft. Bragg! From left to right, yours truly
with Leo McSweeney (Co-Host on SanDiego1700), Tommy Chandler (Host) and
John "Howie" Howell (Producer). These Pro-Victory Marines actively
support their Brothers and ACTIVELY antagonize Suzi and Code Pink every
chance they get!!! Checkout their radio show on Saturday nights at 5pm
pacific time. They are huge supporters of our troops and just the Best
Company you can be in! Thanks with all my heart for all you fellows are
doing for our brave men and women. You are The BEST!
Chandler's Watch website:
http://www.chandlerswatch.com