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Mabry Anders Memorial Angel Project

Mabry Anders Memorial Angel Project. 7/22/1991—8/27/2012.

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Mabry Anders Memorial Angel Project

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  1. Mabry Anders Memorial Angel Project

  2. 7/22/1991—8/27/2012

  3. (Reuters) - In the weeks before his death, 21-year-old Mabry Anders had grown increasingly worried that he might not come home from Afghanistan. The Army specialist was battling insomnia and would send brief, worried messages back to his family. There were good reasons for concern. During his six-month tour, the Taliban staged a major attack at his base, a suicide bomber had killed one of his brigade's most revered leaders, and an Afghan villager threw a fire-bomb at a vehicle he was traveling in. But what Anders may not have expected is that his killer would be an Afghan army soldier, one of those the U.S. military is supposed to be training to take over security of the country ahead of the withdrawal of most U.S. troops by the end of 2014. Anders, an Army mechanic from a small town in Oregon, and Sgt. Christopher Birdwell, from Windsor, Colorado, were part of an early morning clearance mission near the Afghan town of Kalagush when the lead vehicle in their convoy hit a bomb. Improvised explosive devices, or IEDs, are hardly a novelty and, after 11 years of war, troops know how to respond. Soldiers in the convoy quickly secured the area and Anders went to help load the damaged vehicle for transport. The American patrol had the road blocked to ensure security. But the Afghan soldiers approaching in another convoy were not seen as a potential threat, and were allowed to pass. On board that convoy was Welayat Khan. "They are trained to trust the Afghan soldiers," Anders' mother, Genevieve Woydziak, said. Welayat Khan was sitting at the gun turret mounted on a vehicle in the Afghan convoy. At 8:10 in the morning, as his vehicle passed Anders and Birdwell, Welayat Khan took aim at the Americans and fired. Welayat Khan then jumped out of the Afghan vehicle and started to run. But he didn't get very far. An American helicopter arrived in minutes and shot Khan dead less than a kilometer away, according to a U.S. Army spokesman. Relatives said they were taken by surprise when Welayat Khan joined the Afghan army. His cousin recounted that Khan had lambasted Western military forces. But, work with the Afghan army meant steady paychecks of about $240 a month, helping his 15-member family. Interviews with Afghan officials suggest that Welayat Khan was not properly vetted. He was admitted to the force seven months before the attack, despite presenting a fake birth certificate and having gotten a flimsy recommendation from a commander who vouched for him simply because the two men were ethnic Pashtuns. Insider attacks now account for one in every five combat deaths suffered by NATO-led forces in Afghanistan, and 16 percent of all American combat casualties, according to 2012 data. The rising death toll has alarmed Americans and raised new, troubling questions about the war's direction. By Phil Stewart and HamidShalizi WASHINGTON/KABUL | Wed Sep 26, 2012 7:32pm EDT

  4. Memorial Angel Project I began the angel project after a friend of mine gave me one a couple of days after Mabry was killed.  I really held tight to that angel for months.  It brought me a lot of comfort.  So, I sent one to Pam Birdwell and have been sending them ever since.  I have received so many heartfelt thank you cards, email and phone calls from families that receive them.  There is just something about them that makes them special.  But to be honest, I did not realize how many of us there are.  I had intended to send them for all long as I could afford to do so.  My friend Jacki Adams owns a little gift shop here in Baker City called the Sycamore Tree.  She provides them to me at cost which is so generous of her.  If you and your students would like to help offset the cost of the angels it would be kindly appreciated.  That would enable us to keep sending them to the families of the fallen for a longer period of time.  I would ask that you send any donations to the Sycamore Tree rather than me directly.  The address is as follows: The Sycamore Tree Mabry Anders Memorial Angel Project 2108 Main Street Baker City, OR  97814 There have been other individuals that have donated to the project and I have just had them send the funds directly to the Sycamore Tree.  That makes me feel better so that people know where there donation is going rather than me being the middle man.  --Gen Woydziak (Mabry’s mom)

  5. Voluntary Service Project • Our goal is to alleviate ALL the financial cost of providing angels to grieving spouses and mothers of fallen service members. • Students will be able to pre-register to sponsor an angel(s) during the semester. Name(s) will be drawn as the need for an angel sponsorship arises. • The cost to sponsor an angel is $10.00.

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