SOLDIERS CREATE CARD TOURNAMENT IN BASRA IRAQ TO RAISE FUNDS FOR THEIR WOUNDED.
KICK OFF HELD IN WASHINGTON STATE.

Operation Ward 57 in conjunction with the COB (Contingency Operating Base) Basra USO will be holding the 1st ever "Hold'em for Heroes" poker tournament to support the wounded OIF/OEF Service members currently recovering from their injuries at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington DC. All funds raised will go to Operation Ward 57.

The event will be held on March 25, 2010 at the USO center on COB Basra and is open to service members who can participate there. The cost of entry is a minimum donation of five dollars to Operation Ward 57 through one of their websites. The day of the event bring the receipt to the USO to register.  The bigger the donation, the bigger the starting stack of chips.  One Rebuy per player is authorized for a minimum $20 donation at time of rebuy.  The event will include trophies for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place along with donated giveaways Players that make it to the final table will also receive an Operation Ward 57 Shirt.  Donations for top prizes are still being accepted and need to be sent to Iraq immediately.  Operation Ward 57 encourages others to hold a similar game to show support for and make an even bigger impact on these Heroes who have sacrificed so much.

The community of Soldiers, Sailors , Airmen and Marines, have time and time again proven that there is no better network of support than Service members helping Service members.  The "Hold 'em for Heroes" event was conceived by SSG Christian Hamilton and supported by the USO along with the 1st Battalion (ASSLT), 377th FAR.  Utilizing his talents as an amateur poker player he realized he could combine his two great passions of Poker and Military Duty to organize a poker tournament with the event registration benefiting Operation Ward 57.  Born and raised in Pittsburgh PA, he joined the Army in Nov 1999.  He has spent his military career stationed between Korea, Germany, Ft Lee, VA, Ft Gordon, GA, & Ft Lewis, WA.  He deployed July 2009 and currently serves as a Logistical Support Supervisor for the 1st Battalion (AASLT), 377th Field Artillery Regiment in Basra, Out of Joint Base Lewis McChord (JBLM).  Personally impacted by the casualties of war, and inspired by Operation Ward 57, he was motivated to find a way to make an impact on and improve the overall quality of life of the Soldiers, Sailors , Airmen and Marines that have sacrificed so much in support of OIF/OEF.

SSG Hamilton will be traveling back to JBLM for leave and on February 25, 2010 a flag-signing event and kick off party will be held at a location TBA.  The 10-foot Operation Ward 57 was created in 2007 by civilian supporter, Rick Clements and has been gathering signatures in the Northwest ever since.  The signatures and flag symbolize support and respect for those wounded in combat.  After being sent to Iraq, the flag will return to Washington DC and find its place on Ward 57 at Walter Reed.

Sponsored by KDF Reprographics, Hooah Buttons, The Rogues, Sony

Buffalo Wild Wings, on the BoardWalk in Bossier City, will host an all day fundraiser March 10, 2010 in order to raise money for Operation Ward 57.

Twenty percent of all Buffalo Wild Wings sales from11:00 am until 11:00pm will go to Operation Ward 57 in Washington D.C. Walter Reed Army Medical Center (WRAMC) in Washington DC is the first stop for many of America’s returning wounded service members from Iraq and Afghanistan.

Known as “the amputee ward”, the orthopedic Ward 57 at WRAMC houses some of the most severely injured patients for weeks or even months. The painful sacrifice of losing one or more limbs is the new battle these service members and their families now fight.

The USO at Ft. Hood is raising money to help.  Every dollar raised will be distributed to Fort Hood organizations affected by the November 5 shooting and its aftermath.

http://www.uso.org/whatwedo/forthood/

Last year we were asked to provide some warm clothes for the patients and came up with the idea of a small fleece blanket.  Perfect for coming and going in a wheelchair and to protect from the old drafty windows.  They were extremely appreciated by patients, typically in a hospital gown, and by family members who spend their days next to their soldier's bed.

If you would like to donate a fleece blanket for a wounded soldier or purchase one for yourself, click here and put your order in today.

*Please note, shipping will begin November 15th.  Made by Stitch America.

Multi-platinum band, Collective Soul, have supported the troops for a long time and we were pretty excited that Operation Ward 57 was able to connect with the band through good friend, Michele Caplinger.  The wounded soldiers from WRAMC were treated to first class viewing experience at the 9:30 Club in DC.  One soldier in a wheelchair had a whole section of the floor marked off for him and his family.  During the concert, lead Singer Ed Roland, hung off the stage almost diving into the audience to make sure he shook this heroes hand and let him know he was not forgotten!

THANK YOU Ed Roland, Dean Roland, Will Turpin and Joel Kosche.

ABOUT THE BAND - Collective Soul gained a special place in the hearts of music lovers when they burst onto the scene in 1993 with the rock anthem “Shine.”  It’s hard to imagine that the band has been making music for nearly 2 decades since then.  Hard, that is, until you turn on the radio and find yourself singing along to “Staring Down,” the song from band’s latest self-titled album.

On October 24th, Award Winning Celtic Band, the ROUGES raised $4,000 for our programs at their 3rd annual "DEAKSTOCK"

Having performed with the United States Air Force Symphony Orchestra and being long time supporters of the US Military, the Rogues' staff include a retired Marine (photographer), a retired Army Colonel (advisor), and former members of the Air Force and the 82nd Airborne (security).

The guys from Alice in Chains were looking forward to meeting the wounded warriors from Walter Reed at their first show on their US tour September 4, 2009 at the 9:30 Club in DC.  In between cracking jokes, drummer Sean Kinney hung his head and said, "I just play the drums"  It was a nice humbling moment to show respect.

The special event made www.aliceinchains.com and we are beyond thrilled that bass player Mike Inez rocked our T-Shirt on stage!

I can’t say enough about those guys in particular, and all of our military in general.  It definitely puts things in perspective when you meet people who have made that kind of sacrifice for their country.

They also had a roped off area in the balcony, and it was cool to watch them enjoying the show. And believe me, if they serve our country with the same enthusiasm that they rock out, then we’re all in very good shape.

Thanks so much to Manager Susan Silver and Howard Petruziello from Capitol Music Group.

On September 15, 2009 at the Puyallup Fairgrounds in Washington State, Rodney and his staff made sure the group of recovering soldiers from Ft. Lewis got to spend some time with him back stage and take photos.  Rodney told Director, Deborah that he "wears the heck out of" his Operation Ward 57 shirt we gave him last time and he's really proud of it.  During the encore he made certain to give thanks to our special group and all wounded soldiers.

Big thanks to Danita Dahl who coordinated the group from Ft. Lewis and to Brittney McBride for event coordination.

Visit with patients & families
on Wards 57, 58 and the Mologne House.

Help Operation Ward 57 by purchasing a Star War Medallion

Only 100 coins remain. The Pennsylvania Star Wars Collecting Society came up with this creative idea and we love it! "I ordered mine two months ago and was very pleased when I received it. Well worth the cost, but as I am ex-army I would have payed even more." - Mark Egelston

The Pennsylvania Star Wars Collecting Society is honored to support Operation Ward 57 through a special charitable fundraiser.  We will be selling medallions featuring Obi-Wan Kenobi, the heroic Jedi Master from Star Wars - The Clone Wars.  The medallions were produced in a one-time run of 1000 medallions with the permission of Lucasfilm Ltd.  All proceeds generated through the sale of these medallions will be donated to Operation Ward 57.

Click here to purchase a medallion

M3 Rock Festival Presented by 98 Rock, a premier East Coast ‘80s-focused glam rock and heavy metal festival, at Columbia, Maryland’s Merriweather Post Pavilion on Saturday, May 30th.

Along with heavy-hitting headlining sets from the Dee Snyder-fronted glam kings Twisted Sister, San Diego hard-rockers Ratt, and massive Massachusetts rock group Extreme, this festival featured 2 stages, 16 bands, 10 hours of music, and a wide variety of entertaining booths and attractions.

Operation Ward 57 had a tent selling shirts on site as well as gave the artists shirts to wear and support America's wounded warriors.  Joining us in the booth was To the Fallen Records, www.tothefallenrecords.com, original music by veteran and active duty artists which donated $2 out of every album sold to us.

Deborah

Scott

Nick and Mike

Adrian, Christina, Adam

Help Operation Ward 57 by purchasing "The Bamboo Chest: An Adventure in Healing the Trauma of War"

Author Cork Graham is a San Francisco-based former combat photographer, combat medic and Vietnam political prisoner, who writes and edits film scripts, books, feature articles, acts, does public speaking, produces, and teaches writing.

He was very impressed with our organization and the help we provide and wanted to do what he could. 50% of the sales of his book go directly to Operation Ward 57.

Click here to purchase a signed copy of his amazing story

We want to improve the nurses break room this week and would like you to help raise $1,000 to do this.  We have already purchased a new microwave, coffee maker and toaster and they LOVE them.  This little space is far from comfy, but so important to everyday on the Ward.  These nurses are active duty, former service members and civilians who work 24/7 to take care of our severely wounded soldiers.  Let's take care of them.  Can you kick in $10 bucks and help?  Thank you!!  Deborah

Click here to learn more about the goal or donate