LMFRF Quarterly Report  

“The defining virtue of a soldier is courage. The habit of courage is not acquired by study; it is forged by practice. By demanding obedience to duty, honor, and discipline, frank and forthright acknowledgment of error, respect for ranks above and solicitude for ranks below, assumption of responsibility of command, willingness to sacrifice for the good of the corps - by demanding all those difficult things the unit develops moral courage, which in the Last Accounting we must give, is the kind that matters. That is why military training is not and never will be, just one more interchangeable way for young men and women to develop character or learn to serve others. It is one of the noblest ways, and never let anyone tell you otherwise.”  -Excerpt from Scalia Speaks  The past 14 years of our Landings Military Family Relief Fund, made possible by YOU, our donors, have enabled close associations with our military beneficiaries. We have dealt with multiple deployments all over the globe, which has caused great sacrifice to the men and women we support. We have come to know soldiers from entry-level to high command, and I believe we have witnessed Scalia’s definition of character. In today’s troubled world, we see, in real-time, our men and women in full combat gear, hauling helpless babies over barbed wire and holding children in their arms, showing compassion, feeding them one day, on the next day, the tragedy of terrorist suicide bombings. The courage of our Military is on full display! Many wounded, 13 who gave the last full measure! We once again gain an appreciation of their character. In my eyes, these ALL VOLUNTEER  PATRIOTS are the hope of our great country. WE HAVE ASKED COURAGE OF THEM IN THE PAST, IN THE NOW, AND IT WILL BE EXPECTED IN THE FUTURE. Through this reporting period, I pass on the Fund’s thanks to Vicky Miller. Through the coordination efforts of Fund Directors, Tom Osborn, and Paul Soderberg, she donated very valuable woodworking equipment to the Soldiers Recovery Unit. They were delighted! We also thank Al Anderson for using us as a conduit for making multiple premium tickets available to our Military for the Savannah Bananas Baseball. The Nightstalker’s and 3rd Infantry Combat Aviation Brigade were very grateful. This period also included working with the Landings Women’s Golf Association for their annual Red White and Blue Golf Tourney. Confronted with COVID-19 cases rising, they had to give up their luncheon for which they had asked the Fund to provide a military speaker. Not letting our plans be defeated by COVID-19, we agreed to have our planned speaker make an appearance and provide some words of appreciation at kick-off! We had a beautiful day and a field of generous ladies! Our speaker was LTC Edward Ziembinski, Commander of the Fort Stewart Soldiers Recovery Unit, the Iron Warrior Battalion. He thanked the Ladies for their support. “The Landings Military Family Relief Fund, through their extreme generosity and selflessness, has made a tremendous impact in the lives of the Soldiers at the Fort Stewart Soldiers Recovery Unit (SRU). The SRU is committed to healing our soldiers, but it is the Landing’s Military Fund that does its utmost to maintain the soldiers’ resilience and keeps their spirits high,” Ziembinski said. A Color Guard from the 3rd Infantry Division also honored us with a magnificent presentation! In my last report, Col J. Freeman (Medical Commander of the 3rd Infantry Division) thanked us for our generous donation made to the Medical Command. In this report, I want to share some of the individual feedback we received:

•  “Working on wood projects has been a big part of my recovery...it’s the only time my mind can be clear…it has made a big impact on my life.”
•  “Arts and crafts helped me through significant stress.”
•  “The Garden Group ensured a continuing purpose for me and a sense of accomplishment.”
•  “The Gardening group helps you focus on something other than pain.”

All administrative work that is done by the Fund is administered through the Liberty County United Way, headed by Jennifer Darsey. They have been and continue to be our faithful and trusted partners. Thank you and your team, Jennifer. On behalf of the Landings Fund Directors, thank you to all who support our Fund, enabling it to provide help and support to our Coastal Georgia active-duty Military and their families. If you have not yet joined our team, you can do so by making a check payable to LMFRF/SCF and mail to the address below: Savannah Community Foundation 2225 Norwood Avenue Suite B Savannah, GA 31406 Phone: (912-921-7700) Thank you for your continued support, and I ask for prayers for our Troops.