Sam Lerman is well known in industry and is asking for your help in supporting an Afghan he befriended while serving in OEF. Wazir Gul, grew up under brutal Taliban rule to serve the US Army and US Air Force for five years at war. Wazir has been here for quite awhile but his family was stuck in Afghanistan. They are now out of Afghanistan and safe in a third country. The work now is to reunite the family.
Sam and his wife have expended a great deal of funds assisting Wazir and his family and now they’re asking for some help.
American Humane, the country’s first national humane organization, today reunited retired Military Working Dog Akim with Senior Airmen Jenna, his former handler and best friend, in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The pair have been separated for more than a year after serving together in South Korea.
“We at American Humane honor the lifesaving contributions of all veterans, including the four-legged military dogs who risk their lives to courageously serve our country,” said Dr. Robin Ganzert, president and CEO of American Humane. “We are thrilled Akim will get the retirement he deserves, alongside the person who loves him most.”
Uniquely qualified in detection and patrol, Akim was paired with SrA Jenna in 2020. The two served together in South Korea, patrolling the Air Base, searching vehicles at the gates, and training with the Republic of Korea Air Force Special Forces. In November 2021, they were forced to part ways.
While serving together, Akim had a near-death experience after accidentally swallowing a bee and suffering from an extreme allergic reaction. SrA Jenna leaped into action as Akim went into anaphylactic shock, picking up the 70-pound dog and running him to the veterinarian at the base. Thanks to her quick action, Akim survived. SrA Jenna spent the next two days by his side and even slept with him in his kennel to keep him company. From that day forward, SrA Jenna always had an EpiPen on hand.
Tragically, Akim lost his eyesight when he was resuscitated and in recovery. He eventually regained some of his sight and was able to perform his duties on base again, but it never returned fully. This unfortunate incident formed a lifelong, unbreakable bond between Akim and SrA Jenna, and the pair have been inseparable ever since.
“I don’t care about me. I care about my dog. I just wanted to make sure that he was as comfortable as he could possibly be,” said SrA Jenna, recalling the traumatic event. “No one is going to care as much about him as me.”
From the moment she became MWD Akim’s handler, SrA Jenna knew she wanted to be the one who gave him a forever-loving home when he finished his years of service. American Humane was honored to work with SrA Jenna and the U.S. Military to transport MWD Akim more than 6,000 miles from South Korea to New Mexico, into SrA Jenna’s loving arms. The reunion took place in Albuquerque.
“I want him to see everything,” said SrA Jenna. “I want him to experience the freedom of life. I want him to go in a river and go swimming and just live his best free life. He still deserves to see the world and get to have some fun.”
Retired MWDs often have medical issues stemming from their physical jobs, and American Humane provides free specialty and preventative medical care to make retired MWDs as healthy and comfortable as possible during retirement.
To help us reunite military heroes like Akim with their former handlers and give them the retirement they truly deserve, visit www.AmericanHumane.org.
A joint effort by the German aid organization ADRA Deutschland e.V., the German NGO Aktionskreis Wirtschaft-Politik-Wissenschaft e.V., and Rheinmetall subsidiary Zeppelin Mobile Systeme GmbH (ZMS) shows what can be achieved when capable people team up in pursuit of a good cause. Working together, they were able to supply urgently needed medical technology to Ukraine in very short order.
In June 2022, representatives of ZMS handed over two computer tomography shelters to Mr Christian Molke, Chairman of the Board of ADRA Deutschland e.V. and Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Aktion Deutschland Hilft e.V. at its Meckenbeuren location, with Mr Tobias Kurzmaier, Aktionskreis Wirtschaft-Politik-Wissenschaft e.V., in attendance. These shelters are designed for high-mobility operations under extreme conditions. On behalf of the Mayor of Kyiv, Dr Vitali Klitschko, retired state secretary Dr Bogdan Balasynovych took delivery of the shelters as well as peripheral equipment, including two trucks and a mobile generator for the city of Kyiv. The aid organization ADRA Deutschland e.V. is thus providing direct support to the people of the Ukrainian capital. Intended for civilian use in and around Kyiv, the two mobile units will make a vital contribution to the provision of local medical care.
“We are extremely grateful to everyone involved in this effort for their terrific commitment. Everybody knew that time was of the essence when people’s lives were at stake, especially given the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. Cooperation was invariably fast, flexible and solution oriented”, reports Christian Molke, summing up the delivery of state-of-the-art medical technology to Ukraine.
“In supplying these expandable 3:1 shelters with their built-in computer tomography systems, ADRA Deutschland has provided the city of Kyiv with highly mobile, state-of-the-art medical technology that our customers need for conducting autarkic operations under the most extreme conditions”, explains Alexander Lutz, head of sales at Zeppelin Mobile Systeme GmbH.
“Just six weeks elapsed between receipt of the order through ADRA Deutschland e.V. and transfer of the shelters to the city of Kyiv at the beginning of June”, notes Hauke H. Bindzus, chairman of the ZMS board of management. “Together with our strategic partners like Siemens as well as ADRA, the initiator and donor, and Aktionskreis Wirtschaft-Politik-Wissenschaft e.V., we demonstrated the pragmatism necessary for getting the job done”, adds Bindzus. “Moreover, we’re especially happy that we could contribute in this way to improving the situation of the people in Ukraine.”
Dr Bogdan Balasynovych, who was instrumental in getting the shelters to Kyiv, has now confirmed that they have arrived safely and have been handed over to their users.
Numerous international volunteer helpers are supporting ADRA-Nothilfe in Ukraine, as are donors from Germany, and resources from the charity Aktion Deutschland Hilft. Furthermore, ADRA Deutschland e.V. is working together with the German Foreign Office to support more than 50,000 refugees in Ukraine, Poland, Romania, Hungary, Slovakia and Moldovia with food packages, hygiene articles and cash.
Zeppelin Mobile Systeme GmbH is a leading maker of individualized, customer-specific shelter solutions which, as mobile functional spaces, create environmental conditions that would otherwise only be possible in permanent buildings. With its expertise in setting up mobile medical facilities and ability to integrate state-of-the-art medical technology into existing infrastructure, the ZMS range of products and services is built on cutting-edge innovation.
Posted in Advertiser, Charity, International, Medical, Press Release | Comments Off on Emergency Medical Aid for Ukraine: Rheinmetall Subsidiary ZMS Supplies Kyiv with Two Mobile Computer Tomography Shelters
Since it’s the day after July 4th, did you know that Robert Heinlein graduated from the US Naval Academy and was a Lieutenant in the Navy until TB caused his medical retirement? “The Lieutenant” was fiercely patriotic and even though he was not eligible for active duty during WWII, he was a civilian engineer at the Philadelphia Naval Yards so he could do his part. He always supported our military, but since Robert is no longer with us, The Heinlein Society pays it forward in his name by sponsoring The Heinlein for Heroes project (H4H). H4H sends paperback Heinlein / SF books to active duty military serving overseas. They also send hardback Heinlein / SF books to VA Hospitals and other veterans groups in the United States. So far, they have shipped over 38,000 books, but to continue to do that they need your help! The majority of funding comes from individuals like you who join The Heinlein Society. Yearly dues for a full membership are $45.00 and are tax deductible in the US. If that’s not enough, all regular and lifetime members will be eligible to win a complete Virginia Edition of Robert Heinlein’s work in just a few short months. Joining is easy at The Heinlein Society website.
Rheinmetall MAN Military Vehicles GmbH (RMMV) has donated two high-mobility HX 4×4 vehicles to THW-Bundesvereinigung e.V., Germany’s Federal Agency for Technical Relief. Official handover of the keys took place on 22 June 2022 at the Rheinmetall stand at Interschutz 2022 in Hannover, the world’s leading trade fair for first responder technology.
The two new HX vehicles were meticulously customized in cooperation with MEILLER-Kipper company of Munich and special truck maker Freytag Karosseriebau to meet the needs of the civil protection and disaster relief organization Technisches Hilfswerk (THW). Thanks to their robust design, high mobility and 1.5-metre wading capability, the trucks are tailor-made for tough terrain and flood zones. A round roof hatch gives the crew an excellent 360-degree view as well as providing an additional means of entering and exiting the vehicle. These HX vehicles lend themselves to a wide variety of transport tasks and can also pull trailers of the kind used by THW. One of the two donated vehicles will be deployed at the local THW chapter in Dülmen in North Rhine-Westphalia, the other in Limburg in Hesse.
The disastrous 2021 flood in the Ahr valley prompted Rheinmetall MAN to donate the trucks. The MEILLER Kipper company supported the project by donating the three-side tippers, which were then installed by Freytag Karosseriebau. To get relief supplies into the disaster zone and deliver donations directly to the areas affected, Rheinmetall’s joint venture partner MAN lent the disaster relief workers several all-terrain-capable RMMV trucks.
The Rheinmetall MAN Military Vehicles HX family are among the most widely used trucks for armed forces and security services as well as other government agencies. Over 15,000 are now in service worldwide. A family of military off-the-shelf vehicles, HX trucks are systematically designed for maximum robustness, mobility, ergonomics, and modularity – all unique selling points. These vehicles have proved to be highly effective in disaster relief and aid operations, including in the Ahr valley in 2021, during bushfires in Australia, and floods in New Zealand.
Rheinmetall was exhibiting at Interschutz for the first time. Widely considered to be the world’s leading trade fair for firefighters, rescue services, disaster relief, civil defence and security, the event is held every five years. This year it took place in Hannover from 20 to 25 June. Among the systems on show were the SX-GTLF triple combination pumper from the plant fire brigade in Unterlüß, an HX 77 with a CSM Excavator build-on, and an HX60 three-side tipper.
In March 2022, TEAM5 Medical Foundation traveled on its first post-COVID humanitarian aid mission to the Palpa regions of Nepal, providing much-needed medical relief for indigenous peoples in the rural and mountainous areas of the country. Tasmanian Tiger®, a TEAM5 Silver Sponsor, provided support with product and financial donations to the non-profit SOFMED veteran foundation.
TEAM5 Medical Foundation member meeting with patients in rural Palpa regions of Nepal.
Knoxville, Tenn. (June 2022) – Tasmanian Tiger®, a tactical nylon line of products distributed exclusively for the US market by Proforce Equipment, Inc., welcomes the return of the TEAM5 Medical Foundation from its mission to provide medical relief to several remote villages in the Palpa region of Nepal. TEAM5 is a non-profit SOFMED veteran foundation providing medical relief to some of the world’s most overlooked populations in hard-to-reach places.
The Nepal expedition, originally scheduled before COVID-19 restrictions, was finally launched in March of this year. The TEAM5 team, consisting of a highly trained medical team comprised of professionals from the USA, UK, Croatia, and Nepal, are all volunteers. Many TEAM5 volunteers traveled over 25 hours in flight to arrive in Katmandu, only to then ride in a 4×4 for an additional 12-hours in order to reach the campsite. After reconciling some political challenges, the team still faced Nepal’s notoriously famous tough terrain. Moving the team from low-ground camps to high-altitude camps, coupled with 95-degree days with 100 percent humidity did not deter TEAM5 members from reaching out to as many patients as possible.
TEAM5 founder and team leader, Eric Linder, said, “TEAM5 is comprised of all volunteers. Members take their holiday vacations away from their families to help those less fortunate. This was, no doubt, a very challenging mission, both mentally and physically, but our team, created from several countries, including the USA, United Kingdom, Croatia, and Nepal, all worked seamlessly to provide advanced western care to those who would never have had the opportunity before.”
Tasmanian Tiger’s Silver Sponsorship supported TEAM5 through financial and product donations. The team relied on an assortment of TT Medical packs, the TT Mission Pack MK II, the larger TT Modular Gunner Packs, the TT Mission Pack MKII’s, and TT Transportation Bags. Included in the Tasmanian Tiger product donation were many of the smaller, yet just essential gear items, such as the TT Passport RFID B pouch.
Andreas Schechinger, CEO of Tatonka GmbH, added, “Our company fully supports the TEAM5’s selfless efforts to help people, who would not otherwise have an opportunity to receive this kind of western medical relief. Tasmanian Tiger has long held the belief that it is good business for a company to respect its employees, and provide for them a socially responsible, and sustainable environment in which to create, produce, and thrive, because, like TEAM5, Tasmanian Tiger believes it is good business to make the world a better place.”
“I would also like to thank our amazing sponsors from backpacks from Tasmanian Tiger, sleeping bags and clothing from SNUGPAK, uniforms from Massif, headlamps by US Elite, Lumidaid for their solar lights, WileyX for the sunglasses, Leatherman tools, The SPOT satellite communications, the Las Vegas Sands Corp, and for the medication and supplies, including the crash kits from Medaire/ISOS,” Linder added. “And finally, we are pleased to announce that we will be heading to the high mountains and jungles of Peru in September. With the full support of the Peruvian military, including logistics, air and ground support, we have been invited to live on a forward base, while we treat those indigenous who are located in the VRAEM. We look forward to your continuing support.”
Stay in the conversation by following on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. All sales inquiries can be directed to tt@tasmaniantigerusa.com.
Nepal TEAM5 Members take a moment to capture themselves in Nepal. (Starting top row, l-r) Saskia Pia Muller (MD, Emergency Medicine), Bryan Vande Sand (HM, ST [USAF/USN Corpsman/Surgical Tech]), Christophe (local guide), Chris Duncan (MD Intensive Care), Ollie Neece (EMTP-CC, Critical Care and Rescue Paramedic). Bottom row: Laura Thomson (RN, Critical Care Nurse), Eric Linder (RMP, FAWM [Remote & Austere Medical Specialist]), and Burjour Langdana (DDS, Oral Surgery).
Posted in Charity, Industry, Press Release | Comments Off on Tasmanian Tiger Supported TEAM5 Medical Foundation Returns From Nepal
In honor of PTSD Awareness Month, Princeton Tec, manufacturer of headlamps and personal lighting for the outdoor, tactical and industrial markets, is offering a limited edition of the Vizz and the Remix RGB lights with Murdock Webbing in MultiCam® Black. A percentage of the proceeds from each purchase will be divided between SOC-F, and Warriors Heart Foundation – two organizations dedicated to providing the help for our heroes.
Waterproof, durable, bright and versatile: the Vizz headlamp makes a great partner in any situation. The Vizz’s combination of durability and power make it an ideal choice for any demanding environment.
Our feature loaded Vizz includes a Maxbright LED that creates a powerful spot beam for longthrow illumination, a pair of white Ultrabright LEDs to deliver a flood beam, and two red Ultrabright LEDs handle close-range lighting while preserving night adjusted vision.
Regulated circuitry delivers consistent light output over an extended period of time. When not in use the Vizz can be locked to prevent accidental turn on, and the translucent switch acts as a low battery indicator.
The Remix RGB should be your go-to when runtime is crucial. The Remix features an astounding 43h runtime on High, by far the best in it’s class. Our Remix RGB headlamp has red, green, and blue light clusters to best suit your individual needs. Equipped with an asymmetrical single arm bracket, easily accessible battery door enclosure, and large push button switch. The end result; true versatility in a compact, water resistant, and self-contained package.
Posted in Advertiser, Charity, Press Release | Comments Off on Princeton Tec Offers Limited Edition Lights for PTSD Awareness Month
Safran Optics 1 supports non-profit organizations which seek to improve the lives of veterans and military families. Most recently, Optics 1 partnered with the Sterling Promise Foundation to host their first-ever fundraiser during Special Operations Forces Industry Conference (SOFIC) 2022. With the help of industry sponsors, financial donations and a silent auction, the foundation received $43,500 to support their mission.
The Sterling Promise Foundation exists to honor the life of Staff Sergeant Scott Sterling, who passed away in April 2021 after a heroic battle with colorectal cancer. Scott served in the 75th Ranger Regimental Reconnaissance Detachment and 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta. The foundation is dedicated to ensuring that veterans are able to live long, healthy, fulfilling lives following their careers in the US Army Special Operations, through early cancer screenings and awareness campaigns.
With financial assistance, the foundation can focus on early detection cancer screenings and augment related medical benefits for special forces members and veterans before cancer takes another soldier. Some of their ongoing initiatives include:
• Partnership with Cologuard® to promote early screenings for colorectal cancer
• Free colorectal screenings for veterans, regardless of age, whose insurance benefits do not cover
• Awareness campaign targeting the special operations community promoting all GI cancer screenings
Optics 1 was honored to host this event to raise funds and awareness for the well-being of our nation’s veterans, while celebrating the life of Scott Sterling, a cherished industry friend.
Posted in Charity, Fundraising, Veterans | Comments Off on Safran Optics 1 Raises Over $43,000 for the Sterling Promise Foundation
