Dynamis Alliance’s motto is “Crush Everything” and they’ve decided to help go after cancer next.
This new t-shirt not only raises awareness, a portion of all proceeds of its sale will be donated to a charity of Dynamis’ choice to help others CRUSH CANCER.
dynamisalliance.com/blog/product-details/mens-crush-cancer-t-shirt
A friend of mine informed me of a family in need. Derek Baldwin retired from the Army but has been unable to work for many years due to repeated bouts with cancer. His family has cared from him throughout his illness. Unfortunately, cancer took him from us this past weekend, leaving his loved ones with a great deal of debt. His friends are working with a local SOF 501(c)3 charity Duskin & Stephens Foundation to raise money for his family to offset their debt. Please consider donating.
Derek Baldwin (Baldy) was an amazing unsung hero in the SOF Community. He died approx 0300 on Saturday the 29th of September 2018 due to liver cancer failure.
Baldy served in 2nd BN, 75th Ranger Regiment, then served on an SFODA in 10th SFG, and then later served under JSOC for many years. I personally have known him since 2005 when he was one of my Military Free Fall instructors. The man absolutely loved jumping out of airplanes.
In 2010 while I was visiting a friend in the hospital from an IED explosion, I happened to see the name Baldwin on the door next to my friends room. I asked the staff if his nickname was “Baldy”. Due to patient privacy I was told they couldn’t tell me anything. So I walked in and Baldy was laying there. Fresh out of surgery from Colon Cancer. We brought in an X-Box and lots of things for him to help pass the time. Eventually he got a clean bill of health.
Several years later, the cancer came back in the form of Liver Cancer. The doctors and staff from USSOCOM made sure that he had the best treatment. He underwent many years of treatments at some of the best hospitals. A lot of them experimental treatments. Throughout all of that, Baldy would call and check on his friends to see how they and their families were. Always asking to see if he could help.
Ultimately, Baldy went the extra mile in everything he did. Unfortunately, even the past couple of years he fought death on a daily basis. I wish I could tell you the impact this man had on our nation’s freedom. I simply can’t due to the nature of the work he did. While I was visiting with Baldy and his family during the last hours of his life, multiple high ranking commanders called to check on him from different places in the world.
While all of his wonderful character traits were amazing, he did fail to properly plan for his death. There is about $20k in debt, plus another $11K in funeral arrangements. There will be lawyer fees as well for the execution of his estate. I am targeting $50k to help his son Mike Baldwin cover some of this.
Mike and his family have been care-taking for Baldy for the past 6 years. He and his son (little Derek) are pictured here with Baldy. I think this is the perfect fitting picture. Whatever money is left after the bills are paid, will go into a trust fund for Little Derek.
Duskin & Stephens Foundation has worked closely with us during this time of need. They have graciously offered to help in this non-profit donation.
I can’t thank you enough for helping with this hero’s family.
CJ Sends
FRANKFORT, KENTUCKY – September 17, 2018 – The Spirit of Blue Foundation announced that it has awarded the Trooper Joseph Cameron Ponder Memorial Safety Grant to the Kentucky State Police Foundation (KSPF) to outfit all 1,000 troopers and officers of the Kentucky State Police with lifesaving tourniquets inside of rugged duty belt cases. The KSP uniform policy was amended to include mandatory wear of the North American Rescue Gen7 C-A-T Tourniquet inside of an Eleven 10 RIGID TQ Case with High Gloss finish and Shirt Shield attachment as part of its official uniform. Both companies worked with Spirit of Blue to configure the product specifically for KSP. The grant was funded in large part by a strategic partnership with Law Enforcement United, along with contributions from Eleven 10, North American Rescue and Sportsmen Organized for Law Enforcement, along with a number of smaller private donations, and is valued at $83,970.
(left to right) Spirit of Blue Foundation Executive Director Ryan T. Smith and Bill Janson, president of Eleven 10, LLC presented a ceremonial check for tourniquets and cases to Brenda Tiffany, mother of fallen Trooper Cameron Ponder, Kentucky State Police Commissioner Rick Sanders and Sgt. Josh Lawson, commander of the KSP Public Affairs Branch.
The grant is named after KSP Trooper Joseph Cameron Ponder, who was killed in the line of duty on Sept. 13, 2015. Trooper Ponder’s mother, Brenda Tiffany, was instrumental in the inception of this safety grant and was on hand at a special ceremony held at the Kentucky State Police Training Academy on September 13, 2018.
According to Tiffany, this memorial grant is a very fitting way to help remember her son on the third anniversary of his death. “This is the first time I have looked forward to Sept. 13th,” she said. “It’s such a positive contribution on his behalf.”
“On behalf of the Kentucky State Police, I would like to thank The Spirit of Blue Foundation for this very generous grant,” said KSP Commissioner Rick Sanders. “This grant will allow every officer to have immediate access to an effective tool which may save a life of an officer or citizen.”
Tourniquets are vital pieces of medical equipment that officers require on the road in the event of a traumatic injury to an extremity. When only precious minutes exist to treat such an injury, tourniquets are able to be applied individually or on a fellow officer to prevent excessive blood loss until that individual can be placed into medical care. As a secondary benefit, officers who carry a tourniquet are also able to use them to rescue a member of the community who may have experienced a similar type of injury.
“Tourniquets are quickly becoming one of our most granted pieces of equipment,” explained Ryan T. Smith, Executive Director of the Spirit of Blue Foundation. “The reason is because they are more affordable than most safety equipment and, sadly, officers need this type of lifesaving device more as threats to their lives, and others, become more prevalent.”
To date, Spirit of Blue has granted 2,196 tourniquets nationwide and five documented Community Saves have been made as a result.
Law Enforcement United (LEU), the grant’s sponsor, is an organization of 1,000 active and retired police officers who honor fallen officers and raise funds to assist charitable organizations that serve the law enforcement community. Each year members of the organization ride 250 miles or more into Washington, DC to participate in National Police Week events and carry flags in honor of each fallen officer which are given to the surviving families upon their arrival. Since its founding in 2009, LEU has raised over $5,750,000 for law enforcement causes.
Statistics released by the Officer Down Memorial Page show that 105 law enforcement officers have already lost their lives in 2018 – a 5% increase over the same period in the year previous. 40 of those deaths were firearm related, an 18% increase over the same period in 2017. The reality of these statistics, and the increasing number of underfunded law enforcement agencies across the country, fuel the Spirit of Blue safety grant initiative.
The Spirit of Blue Foundation actively encourages the public at large to honor and appreciate law enforcement officers who serve and protect our communities. By supporting the Spirit of Blue Foundation, the public can make an impact in the lives of law enforcement officers every day. To learn more about the Spirit of Blue, or make a donation, visit www.spiritofblue.org.
WASHINGTON, D.C., September 19, 2018 – The Global War on Terror (GWOT) Memorial Foundation, the congressionally-designated non-profit foundation tasked with organizing, fundraising and coordinating efforts to build a new memorial on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., today announced Winstanley Architects & Planners (WA&P) as the Executive Architect for the project.
In this role, WA&P will manage and oversee the 24-step process required by the National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC) and National Capital Memorial Advisory Commission (NCMAC) to design and build a memorial in Washington, D.C.
“Significant commemorative work such as this memorial require a well-laid roadmap to capture the purpose and vision of the project as well as move through necessary government approval processes,” said Michael Winstanley AIA AICP, Founding Principal of WA&P. “Utilizing our multidisciplinary approach and drawing on our many years of experience working in Washington, D.C., we look forward to collaborating with the GWOT Memorial Foundation to guide the planning and development of this unique and historic memorial.”
Over the months ahead, the GWOT Memorial Foundation is focused on advocating for land within the National Mall in Washington, D.C. The foundation and Winstanley will collaborate to gather input from the veteran community and the public to ensure the memorial pays proper tribute to GWOT veterans and their families – and is a true reflection of the American people.
“While the process to build a memorial is linear, we’re enlisting WA&P to collaborate with us in thinking about the bigger picture. With limited available locations on the National Mall, it is vital to demonstrate the scale and impact of the GWOT and a memorial in its remembrance,” said Michael “Rod” Rodriguez, president and CEO of the GWOT Memorial Foundation. “The conflict is filled with a collection of unique experiences by Americans across multiple generations and diverse backgrounds. Our next priorities as a foundation are to educate, encourage dialogue and listen to the voices of our country to ensure the memorial reflects the American people. WA&P will play a key role in that process.”
WA&P is uniquely suited to this assignment. From its origins, the firm has utilized a multidisciplinary approach of architecture and planning critical to assisting the Foundation. Additionally, as the Project Director for the NCPC Memorials and Museums Master Plan, Mr. Winstanley has a keen understanding of the opportunities and nuance of site selection in the nation’s capital.
Once a site is selected and approved, the GWOT Memorial Foundation will host a design competition, where artists from around the country can submit designs that evoke the themes discovered, including those of endurance and sacrifice on a global and multi-cultural scale in America’s longest war.
To learn more about the GWOT Memorial Foundation or to donate, visit gwotmf.org or follow the foundation on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram.
BCM employee Jamie H is raising money for the charity Warrior’s Heart.
Warriors Heart is dedicated to giving back to those who have given selflessly, served their country, and risked everything to help others.
Jamie’s mission and goal is to raise awareness that our nation’s greatest still need our fellow Americans support. With your support and donations he is going to sweat and grind for those who given all, and support the Warriors Heart continuous mission.
His plan is to conduct one repetition of various exercises (Tire Flip, Dumbbell Snatch, Dead Lifts, Push Ups, Barbell Clean and Press, Dumbbell bent over rows, Dumbbell Bench press, Standing Military Press, etc) for every Two Dollars donated to the cause. He captures his efforts on video which he posts to Facebook. We suggest you follow Jamie on Facebook to keep up with the fundraising effort.
To donate, visit www.gofundme.com/jamie039s-warriors-heart-fundraiser.
The Old Glory Relay kicked off earlier this week at Boston’s Fenway Park and it’s moving its way out to San Diego, to end there on Veteran’s Day.
If you want to track it’s progress, visit share.garmin.com/OldGloryRelay.
One flag, 4,300 miles, and there is still time for people to register and join the relay on the course or register and participate in spirit.
To get involved, visit oldgloryrelay.org.
The Stacy Strong 5k honors Kenton Stacy a Navy EOD tech who was seriously wounded last November in combat operations.
www.eodwarriorfoundation.org/events
