Team NAVY and MEGEN:
While donations are taken year ’round, there is an annual fund raiser (two years old now) that runs from Halloween to Veteran’s Day (11 Nov). During this period teams of bloggers, formed along Service affiliation lines, compete with one another to drive fundraising efforts. Last year four teams sought to be the first to meet their goal of $45,000 – Team Navy was first across the line a few days before the competition was over and turned our efforts over to help the Marines’ team. In all, three of 4 teams exceeded their goal and over $200,000 raised in that very short timeframe.
As the first over the line, Team Navy was declared winner and hence, became the first possessor of MEGEN (Most Excellent GoldEn Notebook)
In preparation for defending our position (and to challenge other teams in the coming year) we are running MEGEN around the country getting pictures of it in any manner of Navy/sea-themed locale and/or with people of note (Service or VALOUR-IT connected).Also hoping that in the process, general awareness of and support for VALOUR-IT will be increased.
What’s VALOUR-IT?
VALOUR-IT (Voice Activated Laptops for OUR Injured Troops)
What: Project Valour-IT, in memory of SFC William V. Ziegenfuss, provides voice-controlled software and laptop computers to wounded Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines recovering from hand and arm injuries or amputations at major military medical centers. Operating laptops by speaking into a microphone, our wounded heroes are able to send and receive messages from friends and loved ones, surf the ‘Net, and communicate with buddies still in the field without having to press a key or move a mouse. The experience of CPT Charles “Chuck” Ziegenfuss, a partner in the project who suffered hand wounds while serving in Iraq, illustrates how important this voice-controlled software can be to a wounded servicemember’s recovery.
So where’d MEGEN go with the Scribe household? Thought you’d never ask… 
From Milepost 0 in Washington DC:
To Bath Maine:
And New London, CT
…and back to Occupied Territory and our own 9/11 Memorial. From thence it has winged its way north for the next MEGEN escort in/around NYC about the time of remembering the 6th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. Hopefully we’ll ge a few more from the heartland and Left Coast before the competion starts.
And speaking of the competion, we’re a little over two months out from the ’07 edition of the competition – hope all you Army, Marine and Air Force team members are getting your game faces on!
Other waypoints for MEGEN:
- Pinch has hosted
- As has Fearless Leader and others
Watch this space for more...
Stumble It!
Stumble it!
“hope all you Army, Marine and Air Force team members are getting your game faces on!”
I bring the pain, baby! Cuz when it’s game time, it’s pain time!
Ah, Team Air Force speaks up! Think you all can avoid a Michigan-like finish this year?
All razzing aside, how about the same blog-to-blog bet we had last year? Think that worked out pretty well for all involved…
-SJS
Sounds good to me. Might lead to me getting off my lazy keister and doing that feature again on a more regular basis.
So, Mike, the “lazy keister” syndrome continues in the USAF community?
Geez…go figger…seems like same thing doomed one team to expiring before the goal was attained….
Very nice!
I’ve been meaning to ask… any chance we can get her over here in the Sandy Eggo area? Think of the possibilities…
Ha ha ha. Although anymore it seems like the USAF is more concerned with the radioactive keister syndrome…
FbL:
Oh, agreed — I know Xformed has been trying to leverage (unsuccessfully) something out of yon furry-headed strike-fighter pilot out your way in that regard…
- SJS
Well, if you get it over to me, perhaps I can either guilt him into it through proximity or appeal to the gentleman in him to not ignore a lady’s reasonable request…
Besides, I do have a DoD ID, and so can get onto any base around here to get some shots myself.
[Just in case someobody's wondering... yes, I'd be very circumspect about any pictures I'd take on base.]