Thursday, July 30, 2009

Special Ops Mission TV Series Premieres August 13th on the Military Channel


For the first time the public will have the opportunity to be up-close-and-personal on Special Operations missions as Special Operator Wil Willis has to complete missions all by himself against a team of highly trained opposition forces.

Wil, a former Army Ranger and Air Force Para-Rescue, films himself as he undertake six incredible missions.

Nancy Brown of YourMilitary.com and I had the opportunity to interview Wil along with Morningstar Entertainment series producer Bob Niemack on our BlogTalkRadio show YourMilitaryLife.com.

This was a lively interview that provides fascinating background information for the series, which is six Thursdays in a row on the Military Channel starting August 13th.

Listen to the interview now -- and you, too, can learn what a frago is.
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Phyllis Zimbler Miller is the author of MRS. LIEUTENANT: A SHARON GOLD NOVEL and the co-author of the Jewish holiday book SEASONS FOR CELEBRATION. She also blogs as a National Internet Business Examiner and at Operation Support Jews in the Military and Fiction Marketing, and she is the co-host of the BlogTalkRadio show Your Military Life. Her newest military-related project is the book/website project In Support of Our Troops.

Phyllis' company Miller Mosaic LLC provides internet marketing information to help people promote their brand, book or business. On July 1st the company launched the Miller Mosaic Internet Marketing Program.

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Former Special Forces Medical Sergeant Dan Katz Offers Optimal Fitness Coaching


Former Special Forces medical sergeant Dan Katz was motivated by his military fitness training to search for more effective fitness strategies.

The results of his search fuel his new company Optimal Fitness, which he has started now that his five-year Army commitment is fulfilled.

Listen to the exercise and nutrition tips he gave Nancy Brown of YourMilitary.com and me on our BlogTalkRadio show YourMilitaryLife.com and visit his website ReachYourFitnessGoal.com to learn more.
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Phyllis Zimbler Miller is the author of MRS. LIEUTENANT: A SHARON GOLD NOVEL and the co-author of the Jewish holiday book SEASONS FOR CELEBRATION. She also blogs as a National Internet Business Examiner and at Operation Support Jews in the Military and Fiction Marketing, and she is the co-host of the BlogTalkRadio show Your Military Life. Her newest military-related project is the book/website project In Support of Our Troops.

Phyllis' company Miller Mosaic LLC provides internet marketing information to help people promote their brand, book or business. On July 1st the company launched WeTeachWebMarketing.com.

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Former Marine Terry Hall Starts WoVEN -- Women Veterans Empowerment Network

On the BlogTalkRadio show YourMilitaryLife.com that I co-host with Nancy Brown of YourMilitary.com, former Marine Terry Hall shared her story of founding WoVEN: Women Veterans Empowerment Network.

Terry offered advice for preparing for transitioning to the civilian workforce as well as discussing the upcoming day-long Department of Veterans Affairs Women Veterans Summit at which Terry will be presenting.

Listen to Terry now.
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Phyllis Zimbler Miller is the author of MRS. LIEUTENANT: A SHARON GOLD NOVEL and the co-author of the Jewish holiday book SEASONS FOR CELEBRATION. She also blogs as a National Internet Business Examiner and at Operation Support Jews in the Military and Fiction Marketing, and she is the co-host of the BlogTalkRadio show Your Military Life. Her newest military-related project is the book/website project In Support of Our Troops.

Phyllis' company Miller Mosaic LLC provides internet marketing information to help people promote their brand, book or business. On July 1st the company launched the Miller Mosaic Internet Marketing Program.

Monday, July 27, 2009

Army in Iraq Uses Preventive Medicine

Thanks to a tweet from @armywellbeing I learned about this effort:
FORWARD OPERATING BASE KALSU, Iraq (July 23, 2009) — A small preventive medicine team does big things to protect servicemembers from disease-borne foods, water, bugs and animals.

“We do a lot of different things here and other locations,” said Army Spc. Matthew B. Hintermaier, a preventive medicine technician with Company C, 172nd Support Battalion. The team conducts a variety of tests and studies, including monitoring insect populations and water sampling, to detect pathogens.
Read the rest of the article now.
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Phyllis Zimbler Miller is the author of MRS. LIEUTENANT: A SHARON GOLD NOVEL and the co-author of the Jewish holiday book SEASONS FOR CELEBRATION. She also blogs as a National Internet Business Examiner and at Operation Support Jews in the Military and Fiction Marketing, and she is the co-host of the BlogTalkRadio show Your Military Life. Her newest military-related project is the book/website project In Support of Our Troops.

Phyllis' company Miller Mosaic LLC provides internet marketing information to help people promote their brand, book or business. On July 1st the company launched the Miller Mosaic Internet Marketing Program.

Sunday, July 26, 2009

Support the Campaign to Encourage Michelle Obama to Meet with Autism Community


Guest blogger Tim Welsh (@TannersDad on Twitter) is an "older father" of Tanner (who turns 12 this November). Tim suffered two heart attacks at 38 and moved his family back to the family farm area for support from family, church, and friends. Tim has been an active voice in autism advocacy for the last six years. He fights for vaccine safety, insurance reform, fiduciary responsibility of donated funds, services across all ages, and many other areas.


I do believe there is a rising autism pandemic evolution in the world and we must do something about it. I am not asking for anything but your voice: on your blogs, at your church, service club, Twitter, Facebook, MySpace or YouTube.

We are not even doing the basic things like cover medical expenses for military families dealing with autism. According to the website www.autismsalutes.com, less than 10 percent of the needs of these families are being covered.

On a national basis now, we have real discrimination going on. Just 14 states mandate insurance coverage for our loved ones dealing with autism. So this really gets me moving, mad, and vocal.

A couple of things happened this spring. I was honored to be invited to the AutismOne conference in Chicago as a guest of Ed Arranga, the founder of AutismOne. It is one of the world’s largest autism conferences with over 120 speakers from around the world.

I met Angela Warner there. She is the mother warrior autism advocate for families dealing with autism in the military and founder of AutismSalutes.com. Her passion, creditability and mission struck me.

I said on the site www.ageofautism.com that we should send a representative to meet with the White House and President Obama. We decided it had to be somebody who united not divided the community.

We knew that President Obama had much on his plate. We also knew that Michelle Obama has said she supports three things -- families, military and health care issues – and that those would be the mainstay of her work during her stay at the White House as First Lady.

When Angela Warner put up her hand and volunteered to start a campaign to get Michelle Obama to meet with the autism community, I jumped on it and ran.

We set up an event page to encourage a meeting between the autism community and Michelle Obama. Please join us at our Facebook campaign page at http://tinyurl.com/m9r8ws.

Your support can make a difference!
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Phyllis Zimbler Miller is the author of MRS. LIEUTENANT: A SHARON GOLD NOVEL and the co-author of the Jewish holiday book SEASONS FOR CELEBRATION. She also blogs as a National Internet Business Examiner and at Operation Support Jews in the Military and Fiction Marketing, and she is the co-host of the BlogTalkRadio show Your Military Life. Her newest military-related project is the book/website project In Support of Our Troops.

Phyllis' company Miller Mosaic LLC provides internet marketing information to help people promote their brand, book or business. On July 1st the company launched the Miller Mosaic Internet Marketing Program.

Friday, July 24, 2009

Army Has New PTSD Program

Thanks to a new follower on Twitter -- @armywellbeing -- I learned about the site www.armywell-being.org. And the very first article that caught my eye was headlined "New PTSD Program Answers Need."

For those of you who read this blog regularly and/or listen regularly to the BlogTalkRadio show YourMilitaryLife.com that I co-host with Nancy Brown of YourMilitary.com, you know that I am very interested in helping people suffering from PTSD. Thus this new program is very encouraging.

Read this article by Capt. Bryan Lewis now.
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Phyllis Zimbler Miller is the author of MRS. LIEUTENANT: A SHARON GOLD NOVEL and the co-author of the Jewish holiday book SEASONS FOR CELEBRATION. She also blogs as a National Internet Business Examiner and at Operation Support Jews in the Military and Fiction Marketing, and she is the co-host of the BlogTalkRadio show Your Military Life. Her newest military-related project is the book/website project In Support of Our Troops.

Phyllis' company Miller Mosaic LLC provides internet marketing information to help people promote their brand, book or business. On July 1st the company launched the Miller Mosaic Internet Marketing Program.

Thursday, July 23, 2009

Senator Barbara Boxer Needs Help with Three Amendments to Support Military Families

Urgent email from California Senator Barbara Boxer:

As Americans, we are so lucky to live in a free country, defended by the brave men and women of our armed forces. We owe them our gratitude, respect, and support for sacrificing so much for us.

That's why I've just introduced new legislation in the Senate that will ease the burden on our military families. My three amendments are being considered, right now, during this week's debate on the defense authorization bill — and I need your help.

Please stand with me, add your voice, and help me build support for these crucial amendments to help our military families: Please endorse my amendments now!

What would my amendments do?

* Give families with two parents on active duty the option to stagger their overseas combat deployments — so one parent can stay home as the primary caregiver for their children. In addition, after one parent returns, provide a 90-day re-integration period before the other parent is deployed. This amendment is supported by the National Military Family Association.

* Reimburse military families who have to travel more than 50 miles from home in order to receive medical care — down from the current 100-mile requirement. This amendment is supported by the Military Coalition.

* Provide flexible spending accounts for all uniformed service personnel — so military families receive tax breaks for spending on medical expenses and child care. This amendment is supported by the VFW, National Military Family Association, Military Officers Association of America, and other organizations.

These amendments are the right thing to do for our servicemembers and their families. They do so much to protect us — now it's time for us to stand up for them.

Please stand with me, add your voice, and help me build support for these crucial amendments to help our military families: Please endorse my amendments now!

The Senate is slated to consider my amendments over the next few days, so time is of the essence here.

I need to show my colleagues the strong grassroots support behind these military families amendments — and your help can make the difference.

If you support these amendments, please let me know. It will really help me secure the votes I need to get them passed.

Please join me in supporting these military families amendments now.


In Friendship,

Barbara Boxer
U.S. Senator

P.S. Your support in the next 48 hours is crucial:Please sign on to endorse these military families amendments now — and then forward this email to everyone you know!
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Phyllis Zimbler Miller is the author of MRS. LIEUTENANT: A SHARON GOLD NOVEL and the co-author of the Jewish holiday book SEASONS FOR CELEBRATION. She also blogs as a National Internet Business Examiner and at Operation Support Jews in the Military and Fiction Marketing, and she is the co-host of the BlogTalkRadio show Your Military Life. Her newest military-related project is the book/website project In Support of Our Troops.

Phyllis' company Miller Mosaic LLC provides internet marketing information to help people promote their brand, book or business. On July 1st the company launched the Miller Mosaic Internet Marketing Program.

Military Families Impacted by Autism Need Your Immediate Help

Here is the latest update from Karen Driscoll, Marine Corps wife who has three children, one with autism:

Dear Friends, Family, and Fellow Autism Advocates,

The Senate Defense Bill will likely wrap up tonight or tomorrow and go to the floor for a vote.

Unfortunately, the autism amendment to recognize the medical necessity of effective autism treatments and provide appropriate coverage of treatment services under the TRICARE basic program was rejected by the Senate Armed Services Committee.

Military families impacted by autism need your immediate help and action today.

1. Please contact Senator Levin and Senator McCain and ask they allow the Gillibrand autism amendment, amendment #1786, be voted on. Phone numbers below.

Senator Levin 202-224-6221

Senator McCain 202-224-2235

Not sure what to say? Below is a sample statement for your consideration:

“I appreciate the service and sacrifice our military families have given this country. Military families with autism face extraordinary challenges and need the senator’s help. I ask the senator allow the Gillibrand autism amendment to the NDAA, amendment #1786, be voted on.”

2. Call your senator and ask the senator to support and sign on to the Gillibrand autism amendment to the NDAA, amendment #1786.

Not sure who your senator is or how to contact him/her? Simply click here.

3. Please forward this e-mail to your friends and family and ask for their support and immediate action.

This important legislation will provide access to the much-needed medical services and treatments military children with autism require. Our military families shoulder significant responsibilities today. We have a moral obligation to provide our military families with the medical care they require. I ask for your help.

On behalf of the thousands of military families impacted by autism, I thank you for your action in support of our special children.

Semper Fi,

Karen Driscoll – Marine Corps wife, mother of 3 (one with autism)

Karen0622@aol.com
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Phyllis Zimbler Miller is the author of MRS. LIEUTENANT: A SHARON GOLD NOVEL and the co-author of the Jewish holiday book SEASONS FOR CELEBRATION. She also blogs as a National Internet Business Examiner and at Operation Support Jews in the Military and Fiction Marketing, and she is the co-host of the BlogTalkRadio show Your Military Life. Her newest military-related project is the book/website project In Support of Our Troops.

Phyllis' company Miller Mosaic LLC provides internet marketing information to help people promote their brand, book or business. On July 1st the company launched the Miller Mosaic Internet Marketing Program.

Monday, July 20, 2009

The Veteran Tickets Foundation Gives Back


Thanks to a tweet I saw from @ArmyWifeNetwork I learned about the organization Veteran Tickets Foundation -- www.vettix.org. Here's some information from the website home page:

Give something to those who gave.


The Veteran Tickets Foundation is a non-profit, tax-exempt organization dedicated to giving back to those who gave us so much. We team up with major sports teams, leagues, promoters, organizations, venues and everyday ticket holders to provide free and discounted tickets to the more than 26 million Veterans and Active Duty Service Members in the United States.

Who’s with us?

The Veteran Tickets Foundation has inspired major organizations (MLB, NFL, NBA, NHL and NCAA) across the country to donate tickets. Moreover, generous companies and private citizens are contributing their tickets as well as their financial support to help us purchase blocks of tickets to the most popular events. Even better, all donations to The Veteran Tickets Foundation — whether tickets or cash — are 100% tax deductible.
Visit the site now to learn more and donate.
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Phyllis Zimbler Miller is the author of MRS. LIEUTENANT: A SHARON GOLD NOVEL and the co-author of the Jewish holiday book SEASONS FOR CELEBRATION. She also blogs as a National Internet Business Examiner and at Operation Support Jews in the Military and Fiction Marketing, and she is the co-host of the BlogTalkRadio show Your Military Life. Her newest military-related project is the book/website project In Support of Our Troops.

Phyllis' company Miller Mosaic LLC provides internet marketing information to help people promote their brand, book or business. On July 1st the company launched the Miller Mosaic Internet Marketing Program.

Sunday, July 19, 2009

Why My Novel MRS. LIEUTENANT Is Excellent for Book Clubs


Phyllis' company has just launched www.WeTeachWebMarketing.com.
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Phyllis Zimbler Miller is the author of MRS. LIEUTENANT: A SHARON GOLD NOVEL and the co-author of the Jewish holiday book SEASONS FOR CELEBRATION. She also blogs as a National Internet Business Examiner and at Operation Support Jews in the Military and Fiction Marketing, and she is the co-host of the BlogTalkRadio show Your Military Life. Her newest military-related project is the book/website project In Support of Our Troops.

Phyllis' company Miller Mosaic LLC provides internet marketing information to help people promote their brand, book or business. On July 1st the company launched the Miller Mosaic Internet Marketing Program.

Thursday, July 16, 2009

A Heart-Warming Story of Cooperation in Afghanistan

"The Baptist and the Mullah Launch a Faith-Based Attack on the Taliban" -- a front-page story by Michael M. Phillips in the July 16th Wall Street Journal of cooperation between the U.S. Army and the Afghan National Army:
HAJI MOHAMAD ZARIF, Afghanistan -- In a country soaked with religion, it has fallen to an Oklahoma Baptist to turn Islam into a weapon against the Taliban.

The U.S. military, eager to hand the war over to the Afghan government, has placed mentors throughout the Afghan National Army. The Americans help commanders command, fliers fly and spies spy. U.S. Army Capt. James Hill, a baby-faced 27-year-old from Lawton, Okla., drew the job of mentoring Lt. Col. Abdul Haq, a 51-year-old army mullah who has never shaved.

Capt. Hill's faith-based mission is to counter the propaganda of Taliban fighters, who ride motorcycles through isolated villages spreading the word that the Afghan army is led by godless communists working to purge the country of Islam. Show the people that the army is a Muslim one, and they'll be more likely to support it against the insurgents, his theory goes.
Read the whole story now.
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Phyllis Zimbler Miller is the author of MRS. LIEUTENANT: A SHARON GOLD NOVEL and the co-author of the Jewish holiday book SEASONS FOR CELEBRATION. She also blogs as a National Internet Business Examiner and at Operation Support Jews in the Military and Fiction Marketing, and she is the co-host of the BlogTalkRadio show Your Military Life. Her newest military-related project is the book/website project In Support of Our Troops.

Phyllis' company Miller Mosaic LLC provides internet marketing information to help people promote their brand, book or business. On July 1st the company launched the Miller Mosaic Internet Marketing Program.

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Even the U.S. Army Is on Twitter


Yes, sir! You can follow the U.S. Army on Twitter at @USArmy

Nancy Brown of YourMilitary.com and I on our BlogTalkRadio show YourMilitaryLife.com interviewed Lindy Kyzer, strategist with the U.S. Army's Online and Social Media Division, on how the U.S. Army is using social media to tell the Army story.

Lindy, a civilian, clarified the different Army requirements between when a soldier blogs about his/her life in the military as opposed to, for example, writing a blog on knitting without revealing a service connection.

Listen to this interview now
-- it's amazing what the Internet has brought to our military men and women.
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Phyllis Zimbler Miller is the author of MRS. LIEUTENANT: A SHARON GOLD NOVEL and the co-author of the Jewish holiday book SEASONS FOR CELEBRATION. She also blogs as a National Internet Business Examiner and at Operation Support Jews in the Military and Fiction Marketing, and she is the co-host of the BlogTalkRadio show Your Military Life. Her newest military-related project is the book/website project In Support of Our Troops.

Phyllis' company Miller Mosaic LLC provides internet marketing information to help people promote their brand, book or business. On July 1st the company launched the Miller Mosaic Internet Marketing Program.

Sunday, July 12, 2009

Michael Reagan's Portraits Capture the Men and Women Who Have Given Their Lives for Our Country


On June 30th I wrote the blog post titled "Michael Reagan's Life-Life Portraits of Fallen Warriors" about the amazing portrait artist who for the last five years has dedicated his life to drawing portraits of fallen U.S. military men and women.

He has made several posters with collages of the portraits he has drawn. One of these posters is above, but it is too small to do justice to Michael's work. I've had the privilege of seeing the posters in person -- and they are extremely powerful.

To look at the faces of these men and women (yes, women, too) and know that they gave their lives serving our country.

Please go to Michael's site fallenheroesproject.org now and donate for the postage and other costs associated with these portraits. He himself takes no money for these portraits. And click on the posters, which will enlarge and you'll be able to see the faces of the military personnel who died for the U.S.

And you can read my June 30th blog post about this incredible project and listen to the BlogTalkRadio YourMilitaryLife.com interview that Nancy Brown of YourMilitary.com and I did of Michael Reagan.
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Phyllis Zimbler Miller is the author of MRS. LIEUTENANT: A SHARON GOLD NOVEL and the co-author of the Jewish holiday book SEASONS FOR CELEBRATION. She also blogs as a National Internet Business Examiner and at Operation Support Jews in the Military and Fiction Marketing, and she is the co-host of the BlogTalkRadio show Your Military Life. Her newest military-related project is the book/website project In Support of Our Troops.

Phyllis' company Miller Mosaic LLC provides internet marketing information to help people promote their brand, book or business. On July 1st the company launched the Miller Mosaic Internet Marketing Program.

Psychiatric-Service Dogs Are Trained to Help Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans

Nancy Brown of YourMilitary.com and I often interview people on our BlogTalkRadio show YourMilitaryLife.com on the subject of PTSD -- Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Nancy and I are committed to helping get the word out about resources to help people suffering from PTSD.

So I was very excited to read the front-page article in the July 11th Wall Street Journal by Yochi J. Dreazen titled "Sit! Stay! Snuggle!: An Iraq Vet Finds His Dog Tuesday." And the article's subtitle: "Trained for 2 Years, Retriever Helps Mr. Montalvan Get Back on His Feet."

It's an amazing story. Here's just one paragraph:
Tuesday is with Mr. Montalvan at all hours. Taught to recognize changes in a person's breathing, perspiration or scent that can indicate an imminent panic attack, Tuesday can keep Mr. Montalvan buffered from crowds or deliver a calming nuzzle. Other dogs, typically golden retrievers, Labradors or Labrador retriever blends, are trained to wake masters from debilitating nightmares and to help patients differentiate between hallucinations and reality by barking if a real person is nearby.
Read the whole story now.

And if you want information on how to recognize the symptoms of PTSD, check out the free article at InSupportofOurTroops.com
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Phyllis Zimbler Miller is the author of MRS. LIEUTENANT: A SHARON GOLD NOVEL and the co-author of the Jewish holiday book SEASONS FOR CELEBRATION. She also blogs as a National Internet Business Examiner and at Operation Support Jews in the Military and Fiction Marketing, and she is the co-host of the BlogTalkRadio show Your Military Life. Her newest military-related project is the book/website project In Support of Our Troops.

Phyllis' company Miller Mosaic LLC provides internet marketing information to help people promote their brand, book or business. On July 1st the company launched the Miller Mosaic Internet Marketing Program.

Wednesday, July 8, 2009

Chaplain Barry Baron Talks About Jews in the U.S. Military Today


Photo from http://www.jcca.org/JWB/ Answering the Call: Commencement exercises at the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York, NY included two graduates entering service in the U.S. Armed Forces. Steve Rein, left, is accepting a commission in the USAF (reserve component) and will serve as assistant rabbi at Park Avenue Synagogue. Josh Sherwin, right, is accepting a commission in the USN (active component) beginning in the fall. JWB Jewish Chaplains Council Director, Rabbi Harold L. Robinson (RADM CHC USN Ret.), center, attended to welcome them as rabbinic colleagues.

On the BlogTalkRadio show YourMilitaryLife.com that I co-host with Nancy Brown of YourMilitary.com we interviewed Rabbi Barry Baron, deputy director of the Jewish Welfare Board's Jewish Chaplains Council.

Rabbi Baron is also a chaplain and a LTC in the U.S Army reserves, and he talked about the outreach undertaken by national organization the Jewish Welfare Board to support Jewish servicemen and women in the U.S. armed forces.

In his U.S. Army chaplain role Rabbi Baron has been to Iraq once and Afghanistan twice for important Jewish holiday periods.

He described to us that after 9/11 there has been an upsurge in Jews volunteering to serve in the U.S. military, and now there is a shortage of Jewish chaplains for the Jewish men and women who serve in numerous military capacities.

Listen to Rabbi Baron's interview to learn more about Jews serving in the U.S. armed forces today.
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Phyllis Zimbler Miller is the author of MRS. LIEUTENANT: A SHARON GOLD NOVEL and the co-author of the Jewish holiday book SEASONS FOR CELEBRATION. She also blogs as a National Internet Business Examiner and at Operation Support Jews in the Military and Fiction Marketing, and she is the co-host of the BlogTalkRadio show Your Military Life. Her newest military-related project is the book/website project In Support of Our Troops.

Phyllis' company Miller Mosaic LLC provides internet marketing information to help people promote their brand, book or business. On July 1st the company launched the Miller Mosaic Internet Marketing Program.

Tuesday, July 7, 2009

Preparing Rosh Hashanah Packages Now for Deployed Troops


(Rosh Hashanah is the Jewish New Year in the fall. This year it begins on the evening of Friday, Sept. 18. It is a holiday for which Jews attend synagogue services.)

Dear Friend,

We are writing to you because of your past support of ProjectMOT. As you may know we sent almost 100 holiday care packages to our deployed Jewish troops last year. This year for Passover we sent 114. All were well received and enjoyed by our brave heroes in their various parts of the world.

If you have a deployed serviceman or woman who will be away during the holidays, please send us their military address so we can send them a care package.

We are now preparing the High Holiday packages which we will be sending at the end of August, and have orders for 80 at this point. We already have blank greeting cards for them to send home, some candy and cookies, but we really want to make these boxes special.

We have a web page with information about what we are doing and our wish list and invite you to have a visit: www.rimmon.com/ProjectMOT.htm

See the wish list now to learn how you can help.
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Phyllis Zimbler Miller is the author of MRS. LIEUTENANT: A SHARON GOLD NOVEL and the co-author of the Jewish holiday book SEASONS FOR CELEBRATION. She also blogs as a National Internet Business Examiner and at Operation Support Jews in the Military and Fiction Marketing, and she is the co-host of the BlogTalkRadio show Your Military Life. Her newest military-related project is the book/website project In Support of Our Troops.

Phyllis' company Miller Mosaic LLC provides internet marketing information to help people promote their brand, book or business. On July 1st the company launched the Miller Mosaic Internet Marketing Program.

Friday, July 3, 2009

What Happened to the 56 Men Who Signed the Declaration of Independence


I normally wouldn't post this type of viral email here on my blog. But I found myself today thinking about this email that I'd read yesterday. And I realized that it has a very powerful message. I only wish I could credit the person who originally wrote it, but I don't know who that is.

Have you ever wondered what happened to the 56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence?

Five signers were captured by the British as traitors, and tortured before they died.

Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned. Two lost their sons serving in the Revolutionary Army; another had two sons captured.

Nine of the 56 fought and died from wounds or hardships of the Revolutionary War.

They signed and they pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor..

What kind of men were they?

Twenty-four were lawyers and jurists. Eleven were merchants, nine were farmers and large plantation owners; men of means, well educated, but they signed the Declaration of Independence knowing full well that the penalty would be death if they were captured.

Carter Braxton of Virginia, a wealthy planter and trader, saw his ships swept from the seas by the British Navy. He sold his home and properties to pay his debts, and died in rags.

Thomas McKeam was so hounded by the British that he was forced to move his family almost constantly. He served in the Congress without pay, and his family was kept in hiding. His possessions were taken from him, and poverty was his reward.

Vandals or soldiers looted the properties of Dillery, Hall, Clymer, Walton, Gwinnett, Heyward, Ruttledge, and Middleton.

At the battle of Yorktown, Thomas Nelson, Jr., noted that British General Cornwallis had taken over the Nelson home for his headquarters. Nelson quietly urged General George Washington to open fire. The home was destroyed, and Nelson died bankrupt.

Francis Lewis had his home and properties destroyed. The enemy jailed his wife, and she died within a few months.

John Hart was driven from his wife's bedside as she was dying. Their 13 children fled for their lives. His fields and his gristmill were laid to waste. For more than a year he lived in forests and caves, returning home to find his wife dead and his children vanished.

So, take a few minutes while enjoying your 4th of July holiday and silently thank these patriots. It's not much to ask for the price they paid.

Remember: freedom is never free!

I hope you will show your support by sending this to as many people as you can. It's time we get the word out that patriotism is NOT a sin, and the Fourth of July has more to it than beer, picnics, and baseball games.
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Phyllis Zimbler Miller is the author of MRS. LIEUTENANT: A SHARON GOLD NOVEL and the co-author of the Jewish holiday book SEASONS FOR CELEBRATION. She also blogs as a National Internet Business Examiner and at Operation Support Jews in the Military and Fiction Marketing, and she is the co-host of the BlogTalkRadio show Your Military Life. Her newest military-related project is the book/website project In Support of Our Troops.

Phyllis' company Miller Mosaic LLC provides internet marketing information to help people promote their brand, book or business. On July 1st the company launched the Miller Mosaic Internet Marketing Program.

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

The Coast Guard and Social Media

Nathan Hodge wrote a June 30th blog post on Wired.com titled "Can the Coast Guard Get It Right on Social Media?" The article starts:
The Coast Guard in recent months has embraced web 2.0: The service launched a new multimedia site and took enthusiastically to Twitter. Even Adm. Thad Allen, the Coast Guard commandant, has been updating his blog. And some smart search-and-rescue controllers even used Facebook to locate an overdue mariner. It’s something of an about-face for the service, which once looked on the new media with some suspicion.
Read the whole article now.
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Phyllis Zimbler Miller is the author of MRS. LIEUTENANT: A SHARON GOLD NOVEL and the co-author of the Jewish holiday book SEASONS FOR CELEBRATION. She also blogs as a National Internet Business Examiner and at Operation Support Jews in the Military and Fiction Marketing, and she is the co-host of the BlogTalkRadio show Your Military Life. Her newest military-related project is the book/website project In Support of Our Troops.

Phyllis' company Miller Mosaic LLC provides internet marketing information to help people promote their brand, book or business. On July 1st the company launched the Miller Mosaic Internet Marketing Program.

Flashback to the Early 1970s

I'm a big fan of small world stories -- the connections that are made between people and events.

This morning my husband asked me if I remembered the first name of the lieutenant colonel who had headed the 18th Military Intelligence Battalion in Munich when my husband was stationed there from September 1970 to May 1972. I recalled his first name started with "Ro."

My husband had just read an article about seven soldiers being inducted into the Military Intelligence Hall of Fame. We agreed that the retired Brig. Gen. Roy Strom below was who we knew.

• Retired Brig. Gen. Roy “Bud” Strom, who served for 31 years. He entered the Army in 1954 and ended his career as the deputy chief of staff for intelligence at Forces Command at Fort McPherson Ga.

Not a big coincidence. Then later today I started reading an article in the July 6th and 13th New Yorker that had just arrived in the mail. The article is about Colonel Michael Dane Steele and Operation Iron Triangle in Iraq in May of 2006.

I got to this paragraph:
At the Army's Command and General Staff College, Steele has been compared to William Calley, the lieutenant who, during the Vietnam War, led the massacre of villagers in My Lai.
This is the small world connection: While my husband worked under LTC Strom, I worked as a civilian for the 66th Military Intelligence Brigade.

With free time between typing secret reports on a manual typewriter, I read my issues of the New Yorker shipped through our APO address. And I clearly remember reading the article in the New Yorker about Calley and the massacre at My Lai.

In this 2009 New Yorker article the reporter, Raffi Khatchadourian, says:
As General Oates told me, "The story of Colonel Steele and Operation Iron Triangle is about a fundamental difference of opinion about how to prosecute the war in Iraq."
I'm not a U.S. war historian so I can't write an erudite opinion as to whether the story of Lieutenant Calley and My Lai was "about a fundamental difference in opinion about how to prosecute the war in" Vietnam.

I just know that today feels like a day anchored in the early '70s.
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Phyllis Zimbler Miller is the author of MRS. LIEUTENANT: A SHARON GOLD NOVEL and the co-author of the Jewish holiday book SEASONS FOR CELEBRATION. She also blogs as a National Internet Business Examiner and at Operation Support Jews in the Military and Fiction Marketing, and she is the co-host of the BlogTalkRadio show Your Military Life. Her newest military-related project is the book/website project In Support of Our Troops.

Phyllis' company Miller Mosaic LLC provides internet marketing information to help people promote their brand, book or business. On July 1st the company launched the Miller Mosaic Internet Marketing Program.