West Texas Service Member and Family Fund (WTSMFF):

(a project of Soldiers of Today and Yesterday (STY)

On the 24th of August.2007 we (WTSMFF) were awarded a grant in the amount of $100,000 by the TRIAD Fund of Permian Basin Area Foundation.
This is great news for us and the Permian Basin.
You will be able to hear our PSA's on the Radio and Television soon. If you are a Servicemember of the Permian Basin Iraq and Afghanistan war Veteran or Family member (wife or child/children) of and need assistance please give us a call.Proof of MOB orders or DD-214 to apply.
Johnie Lee Qualls
432-631-3429

Email: styveteran@suddenlink.net

Thank you Triad Fund for the Permian Basin Area Foundation for your generous grant/donation.

Board members:

 

Executive Director and Chairman - Johnie Lee Qualls (Ret. Sgt. - Army)

Vice Chairman - Ray LeBlanc (Ret. PO3 - Navy)

Comptroller - Susan Burns

Liaison/Logistic officer - Jimmy Haines (Ret. SSgt. - Army)

Chaplain/Grief Counselor -  John Rubalcava (Ret. - Army)

Director - Benefaction specialist - Chris Buck (Ret. Sgt. - Army)

El Paso, TX. Points of Contacts (POCs):

Director - David Garcia (Ret. Army)

Director - Jeri Elena Mark (Ret. Army)

Director - Juan Ruiz (Ret. Army)

Director - Casey McDermott

STY 2nd Vice President - Carol McCarter
STY Secretary/Treasurer - Gladys Qualls
 

 

 

Certified Public Accountant:      Martha Lawler Dunham

 

Attorney at law:                         Jeff Robnett

Gifts for Soldiers

President of Soldiers of Today and Yesterday is sending care packages to soldiers in Iraq.

Boosting soldiers

A letter from a soldier in Iraq helped put the situation there into perspective for Johnie Lee Qualls.

While Capt. Milan D. George described the weapons his company is using as “some of the best,” he said there were areas in which the equipment could be better.

The glasses the soldiers were issued were “not the best” and the U.S. Army didn’t provide replacement parts, he said. Also, since they didn’t have proper seats for the gun turrets on their Humvees, they had to use cargo straps with a sleeping mat attached.

“We welcome any assistance we can get,” George wrote.

A Vietnam veteran himself, Qualls brought his organization, Soldiers of Today and Yesterday, into action.

“In Vietnam, I never received a package of my own. I got one letter from my sister,” he said. “I think it’s wonderful that people are sending packages over now.”

But Qualls isn’t sending cookies and DVDs. He’s providing supplies soldiers can use in battle. Along with ballistic glasses to protect against improvised explosive devices, his organization sends out seats for the Humvee turrets.

Other equipment includes masks soldiers can use for anything from keeping dust out of their face to coffee filters.

Socks that are better cushioned then military issued versions and straight-blade knives are also sent.

Qualls is sending all the equipment to George’s 150-member company from an office behind his Midland home.

His work is being funded partly by a $100,000 grant from the Texas Resources for Iraq-Afghanistan Deployment — or TRIAD — Fund. It’s one of 14 West Texas organizations funded in TRIAD’s recent round of grants.

Guy McCrary, who oversees TRIAD grants in West Texas as president and chief executive officer of the Permian Basin Area Foundation, said even though Qualls’ group is relatively new, it had proven itself as one of 31 groups to get TRIAD funding so far.

Soldiers of Today and Yesterday is also valuable because it’s made up of veterans, McCrary said.

“We were impressed by their passion for their work and their understanding of the issues that our troops are going through,” he said.

Soldiers of Today and Yesterday provides other services to current and former soldiers and their families, some of whom experience steep drops in pay going from the private sector to the military.

After he came back from Iraq more than a year ago, U.S. Marine Cpl. Kevin Rhoades of Andrews needed gall bladder surgery, which his wife said put a strain on the family’s finances. But Qualls came through, helping the family pay the electricity, gas and other bills.

“It was just a big relief,” Marcy Rhoades said. “We’ve been struggling since he got back from Iraq.”

Rhoades said she has told other military families about Qualls’s group.

“I think it’s a wonderful organization,” she said. “It’s a blessing to have an organization like this here.”

And soldiers want to reward Qualls for his work, which also includes an Internet radio station. He said they even sent him the hat former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein was wearing when he was captured by U.S. forces in 2003.

“My wife says, ‘Put it on eBay,’ ” Qualls said. “I said, “No, it’s gonna be here forever.’ ”

WANT TO HELP?
For information on donating to Soldiers of Today and Yesterday, call 631-3429.

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Hats off to you Permian Basin Area Foundation and Soldiers of Yesterday and Today for the great works that you do! It is such a shame that comments like the one below me have to appear. Ones that have NOTHING to do with this article. These organizations are doing what matters most, supporting our troops. I have always and will continue to support our men and women who fight for our country. Thanks again PBAF and Soldiers of Yesterday and Today!
Ignorance is Bliss - Nov 02, 2007 01:02:02 PM	Remove Comment
Politicians talk about the glory of war, Generals plan the battles, soldiers just want to go home. Our mission is done, there is no more that can be done in Iraq. The only thing that remains to be done is to bring our soldiers home. If Iraq is headed for civil war then it will come to pass, there is nothing more that we can do to prevent it. Enough US blood has been spilled in the desert, too many mothers and wives mourn the loss of husbands and sons, too many children will never know the voice of their father. The time has come to end this war and to heal our nation.
Peace Now - Nov 02, 2007 11:26:55 AM	Remove Comment

Hello everybody.

Last Dec. 14, we finally had sent our equipment and around 5,000 cards to a unit of Iraq and it finally came. (By accident also the box with  the Chirstmas presents for our eldest son, pots and pans and a set of knives, ha-ha-ha)

Our Christmas cards and the equipment sent to Iraq was finally received and read on...(see also our guest book on the left hand link)

Sir (sorry habit),
 
  We received you packages and all I can say is THANK YOU!  The men
loved everything, we had a formation and handed everything out, it was
freezing but well worth it.  I can't thank you all enough.  I will put
together a thank you letter and either post it on your website or email
it to you, I will include pictures.  I would also like to get it to the
radio station, we are still going through the letters, and probably will
be for a month!

  Mail starts running again tomorrow so we will get you son's stuff in
the mail then.  He should get it 10 days later, unfortunately we don't
have parcel tracking available.

  Thank you again, I will get that letter together this week.


MILAN D. GEORGE Sr.
CPT, AR, D/3-144 IN
Commanding
833-5075

and here is his letter then.....

28 December 2007

To: Mr. Johnie Lee Qualls and supporters of, “Soldiers of Today and Yesterday”

As the Company Commander for Delta Company 3rd Battalion, 144th Infantry, I wanted to express my sincere appreciation for all the support and care we have received from you all. As a Commander keeping moral high is one of my most challenging tasks. I feel that this is much harder for National Guard and Reserve Commanders than it is for our Active Duty counterparts, because in many cases we do not have the opportunity to get to know each other before we are thrown into a very tense and violent situation where we must rely and trust in each other. This is one of many disadvantages we have as a reserve force, but one of the greatest advantages is the link we have with the communities that raised us. In many cases this bond is enough to keep us going when we don’t know if we can go any further. We see it in many ways, some run stories in local news publications, some have school’s or church groups prepare care packages others, as in Johnie Lee’s organization, bring all of that together in one large and extremely generous display of support.

For those that have served in the military you know that the equipment we are given is not always top quality or applicable to the mission you are doing, well Johnie Lee contacted me and asked me what we “needed.” I told him that we really didn’t “need” anything that we are making due with what we have. Of course he has served and knew that there was some equipment that the military didn’t provide but would make life a lot easier if we had it. He then put together a list of what we call, “comfort” items and asked me what I thought. I told him that I would be grateful for whatever he could put together and let me tell you, I had no idea that he could put together that much! Not only was much of the equipment a force multiplier but it also proved to my men that we are supported and that what they are doing is worth something. Not to mention they look cool! The new gunners’ seats make sitting in the turret for 10 hours much more bearable, and the head wraps and ballistic glasses keep most of the cold and dust out their faces. I’ve already had one my .50 caliber machine gunners tell me that he dropped the 40 lbs barrel on his hand and because of the “knuckle protector” gloves that Johnie Lee got for us, he didn’t sustain an injury.

Again I can’t thank you all enough for your support. I hope this letter is a start. If we don’t respond to your individual cards please forgive us, you all sent so many that it would take months to do so. I have added some pictures taken as we handed out your gifts. We all appreciate everything more than you will ever know.

Very Respectfully,

Milan D. George Sr.

**************************************************************************************************************

CPL Marcos Placeres: I want to thank everyone for the gifts that were given to us here at Dco 3/144.It helps alot.Out here in the desert you can go through alot of gloves and thats just what I needed.I appreciate all that everyone does for the troops over seas. When I get home I hope to do the same in return.Thanks again!
CPL Marcos Placeres
Originally, 1/141 Inf.
"Remember The Alamo"

Name: andy roe
Phone:
Email: Message: dear wiley-x my name is cpl roe and i am currently deployed to iraq. during a fire fight i was wounded, getting shot in the hand by and ak-47 round i was wearing your gloves the short kind that are green and black with the hard knuckles, well after the mission i was rushed to the hospital. the doctor told me that if i had not been wearing your golves that i would have lost my whole hand when instead i just to tissue and ligament damage. thank you for your prouduct it saved my hand and allowed me to after a large ammount of healing time, to continue the fight over here. i would love to hear back from you thank you again ANDY_ MOSUL IRAQ