St. Bartholomew Supports
Two Projects that Help Save Lives
Under the direction of parishioners Dwain Wiedermann and Nancy Pulaski, St. Bartholomew’s cooperated with two local organizations, Project Bandana and Operation-Helmet, to provide spiritual encouragement and physical protection to our armed forces facing deployment or currently deployed.
PROJECT BANDANA is sponsored by the Houston Marine Moms in conjunction with Operation Bandana, a national organization. Houston Marine Moms has served more than 5,000 soldiers headed to Iraq and now Afghanistan since the project was begun in 2005.
The bandanas carry the 91st Psalm which reminds us of God’s promise of protection and love. The bandanas are received by the soldiers who know that people back home are praying for them and their safety. The soldiers find spiritual comfort in the bandanas, and because the bandanas are camouflage, the soldiers can wear them under their helmets to keep them close at hand at all times.
Houston Marine Moms tells an amazing story of a unit that was expecting a 50-75% casualty rate due to their mission. The unit was given the bandanas and one year later, all 150 soldiers returned home safely; a zero % casualty rate.
OPERATION HELMET is a non-profit organization headquartered in Montgomery, Texas. It was founded in 2003 by Dr. Robert H. Meaders, an ophthalmologist, Vietnam veteran, and retired Navy captain when his Marine Corp grandson requested upgrade kits to make his unit’s helmets safer in combat
With donations from caring U.S. citizens, this non-profit organization provides helmet upgrade kits to troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as to those ordered to deploy in the near future. These helmet upgrades provide:
* Protection – Shock-absorbing pads keep the helmet from slapping the skull when hit with blast forces, fragments, or being tumbled along the ground or inside a vehicle. This decreases the chance of brain injury from IED’s, bombs, RPG’s, vehicle accidents, falls, etc.
* Comfort – If it is comfortable, it will stay on troop’s head longer and more often.
* Stability – Keeps the helmet firmly on the head and out of the eyes.
Donations from the Memorial Day event were made directly to Operation Helmet.