Below is a message from the Vice Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Soldiers' Angels. An organization that I also serve on the board of...Soldiers' Angels has been wronged by Michael Yon who deletes opposing views on FB and web sites so please share this message from Ricky John. Send it far and wide. Soldiers’ Angels Soldiers On Once again, Michael Yon has launched an unprovoked, unwarranted attack on the integrity of Soldiers Angels’. Given the nastiness and personal nature of the allegations a response to his recent allegations, which are sourced by rumors and innuendoes, is required. However, prior to addressing the sensationalistic musings that he has flung upon the wall of his Facebook Page, a little background on Yon and his relationship with Soldiers’ Angels is necessary. At one time, Yon and Soldiers’ Angels were friends. Yon was near the front lines of the War on Terror, taking pictures and posting stories about the lives of our troops in the trenches. At the time, many believed that he was operating in the noble tradition of notable correspondents such as Ernie Pyle. Likewise, Soldiers’ Angels and its cadre of volunteers were supporting our deployed troops, helping their families survive tough deployments, and giving comfort to our returning wounded heroes. Modern technology and the nature of the war allowed Soldiers’ Angels’ volunteers and donors to provide support to our troops at a previously unfathomable level. During this time period Yon was appreciative of Soldiers’ Angels. In fact he sought help from Soldiers’ Angels to allow him to continue taking his pictures and posting his stories. In exchange he provided Soldiers’ Angels with information on units that he came in contact with that needed support and even allowed Soldiers’ Angels to use his photographs for a calendar. One day, for reasons not truly understood by the Soldiers’ Angels Board of Trustees, Yon began attacking one of the most compassionate and active troop supporters on the planet, Mary Ann Phillips. For those who do not know Mary Ann, she is an American Citizen who was living in Germany at the beginning of Operation Enduring Freedom and through much of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Mary Ann decided that she could best support our troops by visiting the wounded when they were transported to Landstuhl Hospital in Germany. More background information on Mary Ann can be found here (http://www.voanews.com/content/mary-ann-phillips-acts-as-stand-in-mom-for-wounded-soldiers-104584499/162199.html ), but suffice it to say that she is a true Angel on earth to our wounded troops. As a testament to the profound effect she has had upon the wellbeing and welfare of our wounded, Mary Ann was awarded the Presidential Citizens Award by President Obama. Her citation for this award reads, “Caring for America’s injured service members, MaryAnn Phillips embodies strength and grace. An American citizen living in Germany, Phillips volunteers with Soldiers’ Angels at Landstuhl Air Force Base. She spends countless hours at the bedsides of our wounded warriors and their families, caring for them, encouraging them, and grieving with them. Phillips receives the Citizens Medal for putting her patriotism into action on behalf of our troops and our nation.” The phrase, “Never has so few done so much for so many”, is truly applicable to Mary Ann. The chronology of Yon’s attacks on Mary Ann is described in detail here (http://www.mudvillegazette.com/033746.html ). Since the throwing of this tantrum, Yon continues to fling unsubstantiated poorly researched allegations against Soldiers’ Angels, its volunteers, its Board of Trustees and now even the honourable Veterans who have provided service to our country. In his latest attack, “Soldiers’ Ducks”, Yon, with an air of precognition and omnipotence not often claimed by mortal men, threatens that he has “internal documents” and that he has “facts” proving that the Soldiers’ Angels Board of Trustees “are using and embarrassing the organization”. However, his post is short on facts and long on personal attacks. Yon has repeatedly stated that he is not a journalist. Never has the truth of his assertion been more evident than in this most recent Facebook post. The post falls short of exhibiting even a modicum of journalistic skill or integrity. It closely resembles rantings loosely attached to reality by only the thinnest whispers of truth. Yon’s posting’s disjointed and poisonous nature makes it somewhat difficult to formulate an ordered response. In an effort to insure that Yon’s allegations do not remain unchallenged, his specific allegations are simply addressed below in the order in which they were shovelled. Charity Ratings Yon’s current and most consistent howl is to refer to Soldiers’ Angels as a 1 star rated charity by Charity Navigator. As with his other assertions, this one is a purposeful distortion of the truth, which is intentionally warped in a failed attempt to make reality fit into his sensationalistic fabricated story line. As previously addressed in detail by Soldiers’ Angels (and wholly ignored by Yon), Charity Navigator is one of several nationally recognized charity watchdog groups. The rankings on Charity Navigator are composed of two components: one rating examines the transparency and accountability of a charity, and the other uses certain factors to analyse the financial position of the charity. The most recent rating by Charity Navigator gave Soldiers’ Angels an overall rating of 2 out of 4 stars. Soldiers’ Angels earned a 4 star rating for Transparency and Accountability (in his calls for transparency Yon ignores this uncomfortable fact). In regard to the financial rating, Soldiers’ Angels made a decision several years ago to make the hiring of veterans a priority. This veteran hiring preference became known as the S.A.V.E program. This decision, while the right thing to do from a moral perspective and in keeping with Soldiers’ Angels mission, was not conducive standing in the ranking process used by Charity Navigator. Rather than being thrown into a column under program expenses, the Charity Navigator analysis throws it into a column under administrative costs. Even though the S.A.V.E. program results in a lower rating, Soldiers’ Angels stand by the viability and usefulness of the...
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Posted
Aug 01 2012, 11:57 AM
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BLACKFIVE