Merry Christmas

For 90-year-old WA woman, helping soldiers is simply part of life

I love this story from the Bellingham Herald:

Margaret Hardy seems to have a quip for everything. After all, the 90-year-old just had to point out that her daughter-in-law had been waiting years to bury her.

Under crocheted hats, that is.

Hardy has donated thousands of hats over the years to soldiers abroad and to local charities.

She received an award for her work from the local Republican Women's group which was presented to her by Staff Sgt. Candido Villalobos of the Washington National Guard's 81st Brigade:

Villalobos, a former Marine, told Hardy that her donation to troops in places like Afghanistan and Iraq meant a lot, especially in cold winter months when they can wear them under their helmets.

"A lot of boys don't have anybody that sends them anything," he told her as she sat in a leather chair in the room where she spends much of her days crocheting, watching Fox News and sipping on a can of root beer.

Read the whole thing.

Update 2/9/2011: I happen to know the author of the article I linked above. This evening, he posted on facebook that he received an email from a member of Margaret's extended family. She passed away yesterday. Condolences to her family and friends, and congratulations to her on a life well-lived.

APO Address Giveaway to Brighten a Soldier's Holiday

Dad's Roadhouse up in Illinois is having a little giveaway contest. To show appreciation to our troops, they will send a gift package to a service member. All you have to do to sign up (or sign someone up) is to this post and put the rank, last name and a contact email. PLEASE DO NOT PUT IN THE FULL ADDRESS INFORMATION ON A PUBLIC FORUM LIKE THAT! The drawing will be 6pm Central on Sunday, December 19. As of right now, the odds are pretty good right now, but McQ has also posted it over at Blackfive, so we can expect that to change...

A big THANK YOU to Dad's Roadhouse for supporting the troops!