Words cannot describe the satisfaction I receive whenever I interact with our adopted unit from Fort Campbell. I am so humbled to be in the presence of such patriots when they visit our city. Working to coordinate care packages when our guys are deployed is an honor, and the support of Linda Patterson and ASA is a critical part of the success of this organization.
I have always been a proud American but that pride was was exemplified when I met Linda Patterson and became part of American Supporting Americans. Linda Patterson is one of the best Americans I have had the pleasure of meeting. The tireless,caring, loving 24/7 hard work she has performed with the inception of ASA after the Vietname War in memory of her brother has been amazing. To my knowledge there is no other independent organization that has been active since the 1960's except for government subsidized like USO> Linda has done it all my herself. I am honored that she accepted me into the fold of great people throughout the country doing great work on behalf on our military. ASA supports all branches of the military. To see the impact that one person can make is a model for everyone else. Her expertise is beyond compare. The experiences I have with ASA have enriched to my life in such a meaningful way that it almost hard to describe and should really be experienced. The work that we do with ASA in support of all branches of the military is an honor. My Unit is part of the US Army and having had the opportunity to meet the wonderful soldiers and their families for the past nine years has become an integral part of my existence. My family also supports these efforts. The soldiers and their families (as well as the "Brass") are always so appreciative of anything that we do. I interface with my Unit in some way on a weekly basis and try to help with anything I can. It may be moral support,provide items they need, support their spouses and children. As far as I am concerned, there isn't anything I won't do for them as they "watch my back" so I can live a daily life of comfort, security and peace. Frankly, I do not think I would have the strength of character to do what these soldiers do and I have great empathy for their families. I have loved each and every one of them from the Private to the Top Brass. It has been my honor to know them, work for them and support them. American Supporting American performs these services ALL OF THE TIME, not just during time of war. This is our mission. It is Linda's life mission and she never fails. I will continue with this work as long as I am needed. I urge all Americans to have their hometown or City to Adopt-A-Unit. While they support us, we must return the favor and support them. Your life will be enriched and better for your efforts.
I am Julie Schuler and my friend, Janie Terrell are the "Adopt a Unit" Liaisons" of the ASA Chapter in Villa Hills, Kentucky. The City of Villa Hills has adopted the Alpha Battery, 1/320 Field Artillery Regiment, 101st Airborne Division, whose home base is Fort Campbell, Kentucky. Our adopted soldiers are deployed in Afghanistan at the present time and for many of them this will be their fourth deployment. Our ASA efforts were started four years ago, but we have already grown and developed our program for the service men and women in the unit we have adopted. In the process of developing our chapter, Janie, our volunteer committee and I have worked with Linda Patterson very closely so that we as a community can raise the morale of America's brave men and women "as high as the clouds" quoted by Linda Patterson. Linda is trying to reach literally thousands of troops and Americans by raising awareness of this important program. She is dynamic, she is inspirational and she is passionate about her organization. Through the results of Linda's work, people involved with ASA programs are in direct contact with hundreds of military units, commanders and their families not only during deployments but also during troop stand-downs. ASA provides global service to achieve the mission of ASA, Linda spends countless hours educating and seeking support from city administrators, community leaders, university athletic groups and community businesses. As a community we have reached out to our soldiers and their families by getting our local schools, businesses and residents involved. Many of the things we have done for our soldiers have been sending care packages, letters, personal cards made from students and our residents. Students have made CD's sending our adopted soldiers greetings and best wishes. We have invited our soldiers to visit their adopted city. While they are visiting their adopted city we pay for all their expenses. we invite our soldiers and their families to the Cincinnati Reds game and Bengal football games while they are here in the states or when they come home for R and R- all expenses paid. They are our honored guest!!!!We can do this because our community has come together to help raise money to make this happen for our adopted soldiers and their families. We have a connection between our "Top Gun" soldiers and because of this connection there is always a genuine display of care and love for our soldiers. This is also a great tribute to the students, teachers and citizens of Villa Hills, Kentucky for all their efforts. Every military unit needs support from their cities and communities, it is important that each soldier knows that they have a strong connection between their adopted cities. I can honestly say that we as a community truly feel that our adopted soldiers are our extended family. The positive efforts from this program could never happen without the dedication and love that Linda Patterson puts into this program. I am so proud to say that I am part of this wonderful program in honor of our country's best!!!!
My Name is Rick Smith. I am one of the First , Original Adopted Son's of A Company 1st 327th Infantry Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division. The First and Only Unit to be adopted by a American City, San Mateo , California during the Vietnam War . I have Lived and Personally expierenced what it means to have Complete Strangers back home step up and Adopt, Support, Care for and Write to Deployed Soldiers when their Moral is so Down and in the Dumpster ! This is where it All began . With Sgt. Joe Artavia, Linda , and the City of San Mateo , Calif. coming to Rescue 132 Depressed and Worn out soldiers . All Brothers of her Brother Joe's Unit ! Joe , Linda and San Mateo brought us back up and out of the Ashes of our Depression and gave us back our sense of Worth !!!! This was the Origin for what would later become America Supporting Americans ( ASA). I was a Young 19 year old Buck Sgt. in one of the Most Famous Units of WWII. Scared to daeth of all that Responsability and so very fearful of letting down by Brothers , or Failing in Our Mission ! Joe Wrote Home to his Big Sister Linda begging her to please approach the Mayor and City Council of San Mateo to just See If They Would Just Write to Us. Many of His Brothers were not getting Any Mail from Home ! Our Morale had Never been lower ! My Brothers and I were just Beside ourselves when we recieved word from the States that we had Offically been Adopted by San Mateo on March 4, 1968. This could not have come at a better time. We had just suffered 60% Losses of our Company on January 24 1968. Just seven days before the Major TET OFFENSIVE ! We were absolutely Blown Away by all this. Morale instantly started to Soar ! As Joe would write his Sister after seeing the adoptions effect on us. Our Morale "Soared as High as The Clouds " !!! Sadly there would be bad news going Home and Back to San Mateo. Sgt James Grainger was wounded on March 5th. Just one day after the Adoption had been Finalized on March 4th. I Myself Sgt. Bill Smith was wounded on March 23rd. Linda's Brother Sgt. Joe Artavia was Killed during a Fire Fight on March 24th. Lt. Steve Patterson who was Sgt. Joe Artavia's Platoon Leader was also wounded on March 24, 1968. Little did LT. Patterson know at this time that Fate would play it's hand in December (XMAS) 1968 and Bring Linda to Vietnam . The City of San Mateo sent Linda to Vietnam for Christmas of 1968 to meet all the Troopers in Their Adopted Company of Paratroopers.The City sent her bearing the City's Gold Medalions ,Offical Adoption Certificates for Each Trooper, as well as an Invitation to visit our Adptive City , a Key to The City upon Our return from Vietnam. I and Sgt Jim Grainger had the Destict Honor of being Chosen to Personally Escort Linda and Her Personal Escort LT. Steve Patterson North from Bein Hoa up to Phue Bia ,Hue. to meet with All from A Company at their Rear Base Camp, "Camp Eagle" when the Company was brought in Out of the Jungle for Christmas "Stand Down " ! I will Never Forget Linda's Grace, Courage, Humility,and True Sincerity as she met and Greeted Each and Everyone of us as Her Own Brothers ! It was a Sireal Moment in the History of the Company ! We were like a bunch of kids that hadn't see their older Sister in Years !!! We were Truly Blessed By God when he placed Sgt. Joe Artavia in Our Ranks. Joe Blessed us with his Big Sister. Who In Turn Blessed us with the Great Citizens of a Really Great "LITTLE" Town called San Mateo , California. They were True Americans . Who Stepped Up and Adopted and Supported their Combat Sons during the most of turbelant times in our Country's History. When that was Not the Most Popular Thing to be Doing !!!! They brought Us up Out of the Ashes and gave us back Our Humanity ! They "Raised Our Morale As High As The Clouds"! Besides the Adoption of A Company. Three Truly Amazing things also would come to be. Linda and Lt. Steve Patterson would become Man and Wife Upon his return from Vietnam. America Supporting Americans would be Born from out of All of This ! San Mateo would go on to Honor Their Committment to her Adopted Unit for the past 42 Years. All the Generations since March 4, 1968 have stepped up to Support A Company , 1st 327th Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division. San Mateo still without ever Waivering Supports A Company during their, this most recent Deployment to Afghanistan !!! I lost contact with Sgt. Jim Grainger, Linda, LT. Steve Patterson, San Mateo Until 2004 when I attended a Brigade Reunion and we all met again. It was as if Not a Day had Passed since we were All Together There . That Wonderful Christmas in 1968. So far Away from Home. We Had Each Other Then and Now, Forever !!! Hooah , to Joe, Linda, Steve, and Most Importantly The Great Folks of My Adopted City of San Mateo, Californa ! Rick Smith aka Sgt. Bill Smith aka "Wild Bill" A Company 1st 327th Infantry Regiment 101st Airborne Division Vietnam 1968-1969
I am the President of the Warren Area Lacrosse Association, we are located in Gurnee Illinois and this is our 4th year. Our program began in my back yard when we were faced with the challenge that there was no lacrosse programs at our high school. So, not knowing any better, we started a non for profit of our own and took on the high school to approve our program. From the first year of 48 boys on two teams, we have grown to over 240 players on 3 boys and 3 girls high school teams as well as youth teams grades 3-8. I connected with Linda and the ASA while surfing the net after seeing a program about supporting soldiers in the community. We were actively looking for a way for our teams and players to do some community activities to help them be better citizens as well as better athletes. When I spoke Linda, heard her passion and story we knew this was the program for us. We began our relationship with the ASA when Linda assigned us a platoon from the 10th Mountain Division Sustainment Brigade stationed in Iraq. Every player we had, wrote letters and sent packages to the troops. They treated this support with a level of importance that still impresses me when I think of it. This year, we are fortunate to have adopted 300 soldiers from the 101st Airborne, Co. B 96th Aviation Support Battalion known as BIG UGLY. Every one of our players wears 101st Airborne patches or stickers on their uniforms and helmets and I think they are as proud to wear the 101st unit insignia as they are to wear their school colors. We were the first Illinois team to support units thru the ASA and this has grown to one of conference rivals support units form the 101st., and creating the Patriot Award. A trophy our teams compete for in honor of the 101st and all soldiers deployed in harms way. Linda and the ASA has been hugely supportive of the units we support as well as our program. We will have our teams support units for as long as Linda will allow us and hope we continue our relationships with our soldiers for years to come. The boys can hardly wait for our units to return, because we have a standing challenge to them to play a game of lacrosse and to come and help their families at Fort Campbell. This is all due to the dedication and support from Linda and the ASA! Because of this program, not a player on any of our teams can walk past a soldier they see and not stop and thank them for their service. A lesson of respect that any citizen, coach or parent would love to instill in our youth.
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The City of Boynton Beach, FL originally adopted Delta CO, 2-327th INF, 1 BCT, 101st ABN DIV (aka Delta Demons) during Operation Desert Storm. In February 2003, Linda Patterson of America Supporting Americans contacted our Mayor and asked if we would re-affirm our adoption for Operation Iraqi Freedom. We did, by Commission resolution, and I have had the priviledge of helping to coordinate support efforts through four separate deployments. The letters and emails from our adopted soldiers let us know how much they need and appreciate everything we send to them. Our diverse citizenry continues to step up to the plate time and again with such a showing of altruism and patriotic enthusiasm, it makes us all proud to be Americans and residents of Boynton Beach, FL. I would also like to acknowledge my friend and co-worker Valorie Moats who was the heart and soul of our support efforts. We lost Valorie in 2008 to cancer, but her memory, spirit and committment to our troops live on. Thank you Linda Patterson for helping us to participate in one of the most important and meaningful endeavors of our lives.
A wonderful way for university student-athletes to support the men and women who are in harms way. We find "leaders" on our teams as a result of this experience and it is gratifying to these athletes as they identify with friends or family who are serving. A GREAT community service project for groups to be invovled in....what you get back will be a multiple of your effort.
I became involved with ASA back in November 2004 when the City of Cold Spring first passed the resolution to adopt their Army unit, the FSC 3/187th INF. Over the past 6 years, we have been fundraising to support our Soldiers, sending over 600 care packages to them, providing support to their FRG by buying T-shirts, making donations to Ft. Campbell's Fisher House on behalf of injured Soldiers and in memory of fatalities from this unit and arranging for a memorial tree to be planted in our city for a fallen Soldier. Our Soldiers have visited our City and have told me how important the support our City gives them is. I have received photos of our adopted Soldiers opening our care packages. I've heard from injured Soldiers who have received the get-well cards, which were sent from school-children in our City urging them to get better. Linda Patterson makes it easy for cities to find a way to support our Soldiers. She is ready and willing to answer any questions, as well as provide assistance and encouragement in whatever way she can.
Linda Patterson is a dynamo. She has been committed to the mission of ASA for decades and has devoted countless hours and unlimited energy to providing support for our troops. ASA operates on a very limited budget and is very efficient in putting its resources to work for our troops. ASA continues to grow and continues to add more organizations and troops to the roster of supported units. Reading the comments in these reviews provides great evidence of how successful Linda and ASA have been in providing a human connection between local communities and the soldiers who sacrifice so much.
I am the President and founder of the Eastern York Lacrosse Club in York, PA. Our club is 4 years old and growing quickly. In an effort to differentiate our program from many other youth organizations, we helped our student-athletes become involved in community related programs while teaching them the sport of lacrosse. As a result, the parents and players have better experiences to help us with our retention rate and growth in numbers. Two years ago, we met Linda from ASA and WOW...what a great ride it has been. The first year we connect with the 10th Mountain Sustainment Unit and this past year, we have supported the 101st Airborne Assault Division. Our players do care package drives and write letters of support. We have had great communication with our sponsored troops and have learned so much. One of the greatest benefits has been the respect that I see my son offer whenever someone in uniform in out in public. Because of being invited to Fort Drumm last summer and meeting so many in the Army, we now will always go up to our servicemen and servicewomen and shake their hand and thank them for their service. What a great life lesson for all of us. If you have any involvement with youth sports regardless of the type of sport, please reach out to Linda and ASA. It will change your life and help those who are serving to protect our freedom and defend our great nation.
Linda was very helpful in connecting our group with a unit (The Screaming Eagles), and responds to any questions we had quite promptly. She had pre-prepared guidelines for things that we could and could not send to the troops, and a list of commonly requested items that came in handy as our group assembled care packages. Thank you Linda for all your hard work and giving Americans a more active way to appreciate American troops!
As a chief officer in the City of Burlingame, CA Fire Department I was asked to attend a meeting to determine interest in supporting (adopting) soldiers who were serving in Bravo Company, 1-327 IN, 101st Airborne Division. Through the guidance of America Supporting Americans (ASA) founder, Linda Patterson, we were able to convince the city council that this was a project worth supporting. I became the first chair of our committee that consists solely of community volunteers who desire to show support to members of our military. Through our partnership with ASA Burlingame's Adopt-a-Unit committee has been able to reach our to several hundred soldiers during their deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan over the past 6 years. We've come to know them by name, have been their guests at their home base at Ft. Campbell, KY and have even stayed at their homes. Several of our adopted soldiers have visited Burlingame, CA to express their thanks for our support to them. Volunteers collect donated items for the soldiers such as snacks, personal hygiene items, magazines, etc during the deployments. To date we have been able to come together to box and ship over 700 boxes to our young men while away from home. I cannot put into words the feeling one experiences when a young soldier sends a brief note of thanks for what we have done. We have even been able to provide a crib to a new mother while her soldier/husband was deployed. Several of us were numb when we attended a welcome home ceremony and witnessed a young soldier holding his daughter for the first time. In tears, soldiers would bring their family to introduce the "people from ASA". This remains my most satisfying volunteer experience. Being able to make a difference in the lives of our young people makes all efforts worth it to those who chose to get involved. Thank you Linda Patterson and ASA for giving us that chance.
Working with Linda and Cpt. Paul Sipe was very exciting They both made it very easy to work with them. This organization is very important and Linda you are a ANGEL! Thank you for giving United Healthcare the opportunity to show our appreciation to our soldiers! Linda was able to get United with a Platoon of 75-80 men and women that were in need of a foster parent we became the pround parents of The Famed Screaming Eagles (101st Airborne Division) early April of this year. United as a team was able to send our troops over 20 boxes of items that was requested. Troops recevied the packages early July and was very thankful. Allowing United to be apart of this organization has gave all of us a great feeling of reward to know we helped in some way. Thanks Linda!