Honoring our armed forces: Union Pacific unveils patriotic locomotive

Union Pacific's locomotive 1943,  The Spirit, was unveiled at Fort Riley on Monday to honor each branch of the Armed Forces. 

The Kansas Department of Transportation recently partnered with Union Pacific Railroad and Fort Riley to honor the military.

Union Pacific has deviated from their standard bright yellow locomotive paint-scheme only a handful of times in their long history. Their most recent endeavor? The Spirit, or locomotive No. 1943, which was unveiled at Fort Riley. This locomotive was painted specifically to honor every branch of the Armed Forces.

“The first locomotive started rolling across Kansas in 1860, beginning now more than a century of partnership, reliability and prestige,” said Secretary of Transportation, Richard Carlson, who spoke at the unveiling ceremony. “This locomotive is a visual example of Union Pacific’s dedication to the military and to the people of Kansas.”

With 2,196 miles of track in Kansas, and a capital investment of over $75 million, as well as state and community support, Union Pacific remains an integral part of life in Kansas. Union Pacific operates a transcontinental corridor through the northeastern corner of the state and a north-south “couplet” of main lines from Kansas City to the Gulf Coast.

In addition to Secretary Carlson, Fort Riley’s Garrison Commander Colonel John Lawrence, Assistant Vice President of Public Affairs for Union Pacific Liisa Stark, as well as Union Pacific’s Director of Public Affairs for Kansas and Missouri Lindsey Douglas spoke at the ceremony.

Locomotive No. 1943 will travel across Union Pacific’s tracks throughout the United States, proudly displaying support for the service-members who serve our nation.

Sending Care: Ways to brighten a service member's day

Being away from family and friends can be really hard.  Being away from family and friends and in the middle of a combat zone can be even more so.  For many who serve overseas in the military, this time of year can be extremely difficult. Fortunately, there are millions of caring people who send care packages to encourage our service members.

If you have never sent a care package there can be a lot of questions about what to send and how to find a service member in need. In yesterday’s blog we discussed tips on how to protect you and your wallet from fraudulent charities.  If you use those tools you can easily find a charity that you can send care packages through either by helping to fund the organization, or even by adopting a soldier.

If you have the opportunity to adopt a solider (or if you know a friend or relative is serving), here is a list of some items that are needed and wanted:

Personal care and grooming items: Toothbrushes, toothpaste, dental floss, cotton swabs, shaving lotion, disposable razors, shampoo feminine products, and tissues. Disposable hand warmers, goggle-style sunglasses, cotton socks and undergarments are also recommended.

Food and drinks: If you plan on sending food, make sure it’s sealed and cannot be contaminated by soaps and liquids. Eating soggy soapy cookies could dampen anyone’s spirits.  In fact, it is encouraged to send non-perishable packaged goods. As shipment time varies and could take a while to reach a service member.

It is recommended that if you know of something that a military member can’t get overseas to include it, such as their favorite condiment and seasonings.

Powered drink mixes:. Hot cocoa, instant coffee, tea, sports drink mixes and water flavor enhancers.

Reading and creative materials: Paperback books, comics and magazines, word puzzles, coloring books and crossword puzzles, sketchbooks and notebooks. (Pens and pencils would be a good addition as well)

Games: Small sports toys such as foam footballs and basketballs, Frisbees, playing cards and hacky sacks.

Electronics: mp3 players with loaded music, small earbuds, CDs, DVDs, handheld games. Include AA and D batteries. But remove the batteries so the appliance doesn’t turn on.
Sentimental items:  Hand-written letters, or photos of how life is going at home are highly valued by service members. Consider using USB drives with video and photos of loved ones saved, include blank ones as well.

These are just a few ideas of what to send our armed forces during this time of year. We encourage you to do your research and find the charity that can serve you and your armed forces member the best. If you are mailing your own be sure to check up on what size of a box can be shipped. Many care package guidelines recommend not going larger than a shoe box.

It is also strongly encouraged to check with where your armed forces member is stationed. Some materials simply are not allowed in certain countries.

If you are packing items that need to be protected, consider using packaging that also can be functional. (Such as popped popcorn in baggies, bean bag toys that can be given to local children, packages of tissues, socks or newspapers.)

Check out these links for more information on care packages:
https://supportourtroops.org/care-packages
http://www.military.com/deployment/what-to-send-someone-who-is-deployed.html

We at KDOT would like to thank our military who have served and who are still serving. Have a safe Veteran’s Day. 

Choosing a charity: Tools for supporting veterans or active military safely

Part of the Russell Kansas Veteran's Memorial - designed by Mallory Goeke

Friday is Veteran’s Day and citizens across the country honor military and veterans at ceremonies, luncheons and parades. Some even use this time of year to send care packages to members of our military. Those who partake in this activity may have a couple of questions: How can you spot the fake charities from the real ones? And what do you send to our military serving overseas.

In this two-part blog series, we will address both of those questions. Today, we start with keeping yourself (and your wallet) safe while you choose a legitimate charity to support. According to themilitarywallet.com, there are steps to figure out how real a charity is:

Do your research: Many veterans and military charities do a great job at providing encouragement and care to our nation’s heroes. At the same time, there are some organizations that take advantage of supporters and scam them into giving money away.

Check state and federal charity lists:  If a charity is the real deal, they should be registered with the government. Simply using a search engine with the “Your State + Charity List” should help.  You can find Kansas’ charity list here: http://www.kscharitycheck.org/main.html

Charities should be listed as 501 (c ) (3) non-profit organization. There are requirements that a charity has to meet in order to be listed with the IRS.

How much is actually used for what the charity is advertising? Real charities should be transparent. They understand the value of your dollar and are upfront and honest when it comes to what their charity actually does and how your money will used. There are also third-party websites that monitor, score and compare how they spend their money versus how the money is used to fund the charity.  Listed below are a couple of charity-watch websites:

Better Business Bureau’s (BBB) Wise Giving Alliance.

Charity Watch.

Beware of unsolicited and overeager requests: Charities always ask for help in some way. That is to be expected. However, if the organization is trying too hard to pitch its purpose there could be a reason for that. Don’t commit to giving money over the phone, and if you are being solicited in person, it is OK to take time to research the charity before you send them your money. Ask the solicitor if they have a flyer or business card. The charity will still be thankful to your contribution a day later.

Never send cash or give out your Social Security number, birthday or other sensitive information. Bottom line: Protect yourself. Cash can’t be traced back and it can be easily lost. Giving out too much information could be used to steal your identity.

Now that you have the tools to protect yourself from scams, come back tomorrow for a list of items that our military serving overseas need.