Military Personnel

chambersburg@herald-mail.com waynesboro@herald-mail.com CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. - Uncle Sam wants his GIs to fight his battles, but he won't put up the coins for wounded soldiers, sailors, Marines and airmen to call home. Letterkenny Army Depot employees, however, have donated thousands of minutes of long-distance service to wounded members of the Armed Forces recovering at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., in the form of prepaid phone cards. Tory Mazzola, an aide to U.S. Rep. Bill Shuster, R-Pa.

marlob@herald-mail.com BOONSBORO - As a result of a pledge that no Boonsboro-area military personnel serving in Iraq will be forgotten this Christmas, the Boonsboro High School Service Club collected more than 6,000 cards, all of which are on their way overseas. The club got a request from a local military support group to help collect 2,000 cards, but that goal was exceeded with contributions from students, staff and students at Greenbrier and Boonsboro elementary schools.

Tom Gorzelanny allowed only three hits in eight sharp innings against a struggling San Francisco lineup, and Michael Morse and Jerry Hairston Jr. drove in runs for Washington, helping the Nationals beat the Giants 2-0 Monday on Military Appreciation Night. Gorzelanny (1-2) hadn’t lasted eight innings in a game since Aug. 12, 2007, when he threw a shutout for the Pittsburgh Pirates against the Giants. On Monday, he gave up Aaron Rowand¿s double leading off the game and single in the third, as well as Cody Ross¿ single in the eighth.

To the editor: It is somewhat discouraging to attend our Veterans Day ceremonies and notice that there are more veterans honoring their own than regular citizens paying their respect. Slapping a sticker reading "Supporting Our Troops" on vehicles was never my kind of so-called support of our troops. When our first casualties from Iraq arrived, I felt the need, as an old veteran, to do more than just talk about support. While national natural disasters occupied our people, our troops' personal disasters seem to fade into the background.

HAGERSTOWN -- Rosa Grunthalt is not the sort of property manager who just collects the rent check. She likes to chat and get to know the residents of Kenley Square Apartments, a 96-unit complex in Hagerstown. Through her chats, Grunthalt noticed that more than a handful of residents had something in common -- namely, a history of military service in Iraq. With Kenley Square Apartments' annual Resident Appreciation Day approaching, Grunthalt came up with an idea to use the event as an opportunity to honor the military personnel who reside there.

bonnieb@herald-mail.com CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. - Some American military personnel serving overseas will be feasting on Girl Scout cookies in about two weeks, thanks to the efforts of several local Girl Scout troops and American Legion members. By raising $5,628 in donations from the community, the Scouts are able to send 1,608 boxes of cookies to those serving in the Middle East. On Saturday, with the help of six American Legion members, they prepared the cookies for shipping.

HAGERSTOWN - Rosa Grunthalt is not the sort of property manager who just collects the rent check. She likes to chat and get to know the residents of Kenley Square Apartments, a 96-unit complex in Hagerstown. Through her chats, Grunthalt noticed that more than a handful of residents had something in common - namely, a history of military service in Iraq. With Kenley Square Apartments' annual Resident Appreciation Day approaching, Grunthalt came up with an idea to use the event to honor the military personnel who reside there.

Martinsburg, W.Va. - Servicemen and women of the 167th Airlift Wing, who kept bases in Kosovo and Bosnia operating by flying in supplies, are scheduled to return home Sunday. Approximately 80 members of the West Virginia Air National Guard's 167th Airlift Wing left the Tri-State area in November to support operations in the former Yugoslavia, said Lt. Col. Charles Sencindiver, chief of staff. The guardsmen were stationed at Ramstein Air Force base in Germany as part of Operation Joint Forge, a NATO peacekeeping mission.

A private university with a branch campus in Martinsburg announced Tuesday that it has signed a formal agreement with the U.S. Department of Defense that makes the college's programs more accessible to military service members. For example, the memorandum of understanding allows for the college to provide college credit for military training, Mountain State University President Charles H. Polk said in a news release. “We take great pride in being a military-friendly institution, and this MOU takes our long-standing relationship with the military to the next level,” Polk said.

The Washington County chapter of the American Red Cross kicked off its annual Heroes fundraising campaign Wednesday morning during a breakfast at its headquarters on Conrad Court in Hagerstown. Maria I. Johns, director of financial development for the Red Cross of Washington County, said 21 people pledged to raise $12,716 toward the organization's $30,000 goal. The money will be used to support Red Cross services, including disaster relief, assistance for fire victims, emergency military communications, and cardio-pulmonary resuscitation and first-aid training.