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4Welcome
to Operation American
Braves
Latest updates
Fonda-Fultonville Central School's mascot, the
"Braves", proudly honors the strength and courage of the Native
Americans who once inhabited the Mohawk Valley. Through
"Operation American Braves", the Fonda-Fultonville school
community honors a new generation of "braves", the proud
American men and women who courageously serve our nation as
members of the Armed Forces. Far from home and family, these men
and women often perform their duties in some the most dangerous
places in the world. "Operation American Braves" enables our
school and our community to express its concern for these people
in a very tangible way. We donate supplies that
are not readily available in the field. We write encouraging
letters and emails to let them know, that despite any political
concerns or differences here at home, we are proud of them.
Send a Christmas Card to a recovery
soldier
Mrs. Deitch passed this along as a worthwhile thought this
holiday season:
When doing your Christmas cards this year, take
one card and send it to this address. If we pass this on and
everyone sends one card, think of how many cards these wonderful
special people who have sacrificed so much would get.
A Recovering American Soldier
c/o Walter Reed Army Medical Center
6900 Georgia Avenue, NW
Washington , D.C. 20307-5001
Lt. Elizabeth Valade's recent mission
featured on "60 Minutes"
Lt. Elizabeth Valade has been serving in an undisclosed
location—until now. Her recent mission was the focus of a CBS
"60 Minutes" piece.
Watch the video.
Lions Club donates $1000 in phone cards
Local Lions Club president Bob Channell recently congratulated
FFCS Spanish teacher Nancy Deitch on the success of the American
Braves effort and added a little good news—the Lions Club is
donating $1000 in phone cards to servicemen and women serving
overseas.
American Braves site reaches nationwide audience
When FFCS Spanish teacher Nancy Deitch first promoted the
concept of the American Braces, website, she had envisioned a
simple means of organizing students and local community members
in her goal of supporting U.S. soldiers serving abroad. Little
did she realize that it would grow in its scope and its
importance. Mrs. Deitch recently received a letter that offers
some insight into how far-reaching the site has become.
Dr. Maureen M. Mulino is a marine biologist serving with the
Minerals Management Service in New Orleans, Gulf of Mexico
Region. She currently sends packages to a soldier assigned to
her through the non-profit group Soldier's Angels. All she knew
was that he is in D-Trp 1-91 CAV 173rd ABCT Task Force Saber.
Wanting to know more, she searched the Internet and found Dan
Kelly's letters on our Operation American Braves. She discovered
that the this unit was stationed in Afghanistan and that they
were paratroopers.
Not only that, she learned what sorts of things that soldiers
really wanted and needed in their care packages. She has even
asked if we have suggestions for the coming spring and summer.
So if you wonder whether this site has an impact—stop wondering.
Our efforts reach our soldiers through the cards, letters, and
packages we send. And we are a source of information for others
who want to do the same. (read
her letter to Lt. Dan Kelly)
 Elizabeth Valade deployed to Iraq
1999 Fonda-Fultonville graduate 1LT Elizabeth Valade is
currently deployed to Iraq. Elizabeth is the daughter
of Martha Stanton-Sweet who teaches on Team Seneca. She was an athlete
in school, playing soccer and basketball, and running track at FFCS and later playing soccer and lacrosse and running track in
college. Elizabeth enlisted in the US Army in 2001. She was an
Intelligence Analyst (96B) for 5 years. As a non-commissioned
officer she was offered a direct commission into the Officer
Corps. She was selected to branch into Military Intelligence.
When not deployed Elizabeth works in the metropolitan Washington
DC area. Because of the sensitive nature of her assignment, we
cannot publish her address. Any correspondence must be
relayed through Mrs. Deitch. (read
her correspondence)
John Ferrara deployed to Afghanistan
2001 Fonda-Fultonville graduate Spc. John Ferrara has been
deployed to an undisclosed location in Afghanistan. Since
graduating, John works at the Walmart Distribution Center in
Sharon Springs as well as being active in the Army National
Guard. He has a five year old daughter named Dallys, He recently
married his wife Holly on July 14, 2007. John enjoys spending
time outdoors (camping, hiking, skiing, etc), and spending with
his family and friends. Take a moment and drop him a note:
Spc. Ferrara, John J.
ARSIC-S
RPAC/FOB Maholic
APO-AE-09355
 News
from Lt. Kelly
2001 Fonda-Fultonville graduate 2nd Lt. Dan Kelly is
deployed to Afghanistan as a Maintenance Control Officer. Mrs. Deitch has added him to our mailing list - so grab a pen and
drop him a line! In case you'd like to contribute to FFCS's
effort to send care-packages to the troops, his mom included a
list of items he and his fellow soldiers would appreciate. In
his most recent letter, he mentions that four of his fellow
soldiers seldom receive mail. If you have a moment and would
like to support these young men,
read his
recent letters to Mrs. Deitch.
Agency offers grants to children of deployed Reserve and
National Guard service members.
The truth is sometimes harsh. When Military Reservists and
National Guard members are deployed, their families frequently
suffer. Not only is a parent away away from home, but active
duty often means a pay cut. Finding the money to cover sports
leagues, music lessons or tutoring can be impossible—until now.
(Learn
more...)
Drop a note to another FFCS grad
Airman First Class Robert Crewell is stationed
with the 407th Air Expeditionary Group in Iraq. Crewell is a
FFCS graduate. Take a moment and send a greeting to one
our community's own!
A1C Robert Crewell
407 AEG ESFS-FP
APO. AE 09331
Not sure what to say or do? A quick visit to
www.letssaythanks.com
can help
The Xerox Corporation is hosting a special Web
site dedicated to sending thanks to the thousands of military
personnel stationed overseas. With a few strokes of your
keyboard, you can create, personalize, and send a printed
postcard—all for free! The site offers a series of 65 designs,
each created by young people from across the United States. You
simply choose a design, add a brief message, "sign it" with your
name and hometown, and click send. Xerox prints the card and
mails it to an American serviceman. To learn more or to send
your card, just visit
www.letssaythanks.com.
Leader-Herald highlights shares Operation
American Braves story
The Leader-Herald captured the essence of Operation American
Braves in a front page story published on November, 22, 2007.
Leader-Herald reporter Christina Chamberlain interviewed Mrs.
Deitch and Superintendent Hoffman as well as a Fonda-Fultonville
students.
Read the full article.
Why Operation American Braves?
Fonda-Fultonville Central School's mascot, the
"Braves", proudly honors the strength and courage of the Native
Americans who once inhabited the Mohawk Valley. Through
"Operation American Braves", the Fonda-Fultonville school
community honors a new generation of "braves", the proud
American men and women who courageously serve our nation as
members of the Armed Forces. Far from home and family, these men
and women often perform their duties in some the most dangerous
places in the world. "Operation American Braves" enables our
school and our community to express its concern for these people
in a very tangible way. We donate supplies that
are not readily available in the field. We write encouraging
letters and emails to let them know, that despite any political
concerns or differences here at home, we are proud of them.
Learn more and join the effort!
History
FFCSD Spanish teacher Nancy Deitch learned that a close family
friend,
Andrew
"Drew" Johannes, had been deployed to Iraq. Drew had spent his early years in Clifton Park. His
father AJ taught engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic
Institute (RPI) and later relocated the Johannes family to
Oklahoma where he assumed a professorship at Oklahoma State
University.
Drew went on to attend the U.S. Military Academy at West Point
and served one tour in Afghanistan.
In August of 2006, Drew and 16 other young soldiers in the Third Brigade
Special Troops Battalion (3BSTB) Military Transition Team (Mitt)
were deployed to Iraq's oil producing region of Kirkuk.
Thousands of miles from home and family, the
team missed some items that are not part of the standard
military issue. Mrs. Deitch wanted to help and found much
support from students and several fellow teachers. Drew put
together a list of items the team lacked. Local individuals and
families contributed boxes of food and
supplies that were sent to Drew and his fellow soldiers.
Other sent encouraging letters and cards sent to
these young men.
With this as a beginning, Operation American
Braves is continuing to reach out to members of the Fonda-Fultonville
community who are also deployed overseas.
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Collecting Donations
Mrs. Deitch and others in our school are
currently collecting supplies for Dan Kelly and his fellow
soldiers. Consider donating items from the following list.
- soap (antibacterial)
- aftershave lotion
- hand lotion
- disposable razors
- nail clippers
- dental floss
- tooth paste
- tooth brushes
- lip balm
- deodorant
- shaving cream
- hand lotion
- sun screen
- wipes
- bandaids
- ace bandages
- toothpicks
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- Tylenol/Motrin tablets
- Benadryl/Claritin tabs
- warm socks
- gum
- cookies
- trail mix
- cheese or peanut butter crackers
- Gatorade mix/Crystal Lite/iced tea mix
- hot chocolate mix
- pens
- note paper
- birthday cards for the soldiers to send home
- Christmas cards for them to send home
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- decks of cards
- magazines-any kind
- copies of recent newspapers (I send Dan the
Recorder and the Daily Gazette, especially when
there is any article about anyone at FFCS)
- books-novels fiction/non-fiction
- batteries
- recent CD's
- phone cards-US
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Christmas
overseas |
Communications
-
Newsletters
- While stationed in Iraq, Drew produced a monthly newsletter that kept
friends and family up to date on his unit's activities. Typical
of military publications, it is full of acronyms
(abbreviations), so it can be a little confusing.
They are full of photos and provide a clear picture of life in
the Middle East. Click here to view
August 2006,
September 2006,
October 2006,
November 2006,
December 2006,
January 2007,
February 2007,
March 2007,
April 2007,
May 2007,
June 2007,
July 2007,
August 2007,
September 2007.
-
Letters - What
would letter from a friend mean if you had had a
particularly bad day? It's only a regular stamp!
Click here to find names and addresses.
-
Email - Everyone
prefers a written letter, but if you can't get around to
sending a letter, you can email the unit via
americanbraves@ffcsd.org. Please don't be disappointed if you do not
receive a personal response. Student interest has been so great that
it is
difficult to answer messages individually. They try to respond to
everyone through emailed letters to Mrs. Deitch.
-
Postings -
Click here to read the
correspondence
2nd Lt. Kelly sends us.
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