SPC Arianne Jimenez of the Indiana Army National Guard.

The Binky Brigade was started in 2008 by Air Force Staff Sergeant Angela Parker and her mother, Becky Shumaker. The Binky Brigade provides small, cuddly blankets to children of war-torn areas. The blankets are sent to deployed troops for them to distribute to the local children. They are also sent to US military hospitals in Iraq to be distributed to the local children who are being treated there (mostly in the burn unit). This not only provides comfort to children who are witnesses to the perils of war on a daily basis, but also allows our troops to foster a positive relationship with the locals they are trying to protect.