| Welcome to our first edition of the Citizen S.A.M. newsletter. Citizen Support for America's Military offers various opportunities to support our Armed Forces, our wounded, veterans and Gold Star families (those who have lost a loved one in the war). WHO WE ARE Citizen S.A.M. is composed of thousands of volunteers from across the USA. **We are ordinary people of all ages doing extraordinary deeds. **We recognize we live in the greatest nation on earth enjoying freedom every day yet so little is asked of us in return. **We are Americans who have discovered the secret of giving back through supporting our Marines, Soldiers, Sailors, Air Men, wounded, veterans and Gold Star families. **Citizen S.A.M. is about Americans taking care of fellow Americans. If we don't, who will? Please visit citizensam.org to see where you might best serve. Then forward this newsletter and invite your friends to do the same. Each of us doing our part helps to preserve our precious freedom and keep the United States of America strong! OPERATION HELMETLINER Do you knit or crochet? Our troops need you! The temperatures are becoming very frigid for our soldiers deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan and we have patterns to help keep them warm. Visit citizensam.org and click on Operation Helmetliner to download the patterns. Please pass this information on to other crafters. Mail the finished product to us at the address provided and we will ship them to our Armed Forces. Meet Operation Helmetliner Team Leader Sue Pflederer Sue took up knitting 6 years ago and hasn't put it down. She doesn't have any personal connection to our Military but has been moved to tears by the awesome sacrifice these great men and women make for her. "Supporting our Military in this way is the very least I can do," she says. Because she travels frequently for her job, she plans to carry a sample helmetliner. pictures and patterns with her so she can stop in to knitting stores in these other areas to spread the word. Please feel free to email her with pattern related questions or to request a picture for your local knitting store/guild at [email protected]. DO YOU SEW? Transporting of our wounded from the war zone to medical facilities occurs in cargo planes which have no heat. Citizen SAM is making Quilts for our Wounded with specifications to fit stretchers and gurneys. When visiting the website click on this heading for guildelines. We are in need of a Team Leader to oversee this aspect. E mail [email protected] for more details. $$ FINANCIAL SUPPORT Financial support is always needed for shipping and material costs. Your gift is tax deductible and can be made securely through PayPal listed on the website. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to each of you! May your holidays include love, safe travel, peace and happiness. Please remember in your thoughts and prayers our troops serving in harm's way keeping us safe and our Gold Star families who cannot share this holiday with their loves ones. God bless America; home of the free because of the brave! Patti Smith Citizen SAM, Founder citizensam.org Where ordinary people do extraordinary deeds |