Scoops For Troops - April 26, 2009
Apr 26, 2009 14:20:10 GMT -6
Post by Moderator on Apr 26, 2009 14:20:10 GMT -6
Jeff Seeber, Director of the Military Salute Project, was the speaker for the opening ceremony of the Tribute To The Troops 3K Walk & 5K Run in Eagan, MN on April 26, 2009. The event was followed by Scoops For Troops in honor of Conor Masterson, Daniel Olsen and Adam Van Alstine, a fundraiser that benefits the Fallen Heroes Children's Education Fund and the Wounded Heroes Fund. Here is the transcript of his remarks ...
There is only one thing that can come anywhere close to the grief and the anguish the families of the fallen have experienced, and that is leaving them with the impression that no one outside the family and a close circle of friends remembers their loved ones.
There is nothing any of us can do to restore their loss, but all of us can do something to make certain that our fallen heroes never become just another name on a wall. All of us can take whatever it is we enjoy doing, or whatever we are good at, and use it to keep their memories alive forever.
If you enjoy walking, you can walk. If you enjoy running, you can run. If you enjoy motorcycles, you can ride. You can donate your time, your money, your organizational skills, or whatever talents you may have and do them in the names of those who gave the last full measure of devotion ... American heroes such as Daniel Olsen, Conor Masterson and Adam Van Alstine.
I cannot run, and I do a rather poor imitation of walking, but I can eat ice cream and my group can coordinate events that honor and remember America's Armed Forces, past and present. Because of the honorable service of the men and women who have worn the uniform since September 11, 2001, our mission has been to do whatever we can to recognize their sacrifice, and that of their families.
That is why the Military Salute Project is coordinating and conducting the 2009 Remember The Fallen Tribute. During seven weekends in May, June, July and August, we will visit the gravesites of 80 Minnesotans who rest in eternal peace throughout our state and western Wisconsin.
Accompanied by groups including Tribute To The Troops, the Patriot Guard Riders, the Boy Scouts, Soldiers' Angels and Bugles Across America, we will place a memorial flower arrangement, sound Taps, and photograph each headstone.
We will display the pictures on our website so that the families of the fallen might see them during one of those endless nights when they might be searching the internet to see if at least the name of their loved one is still out there. Should they stumble across the individual photo albums we will create, they will know that on a summer day in Two-Thousand-Nine, some strangers stopped by the gravesite to thank their hero, and our hero, for their service and their sacrifice. Hopefully, that will provide a minute or two of comfort.
We invite all of you to join us for one or more of the Visitations. We will visit Daniel's, Conor's and Adam's gravesites on Saturday, May 16 during Tribute To The Troops 3rd annual Salute To The Armed Forces Ride.
Those of us who served throughout the Cold War, and especially during Vietnam, owe the men and women who have served since September Eleven a huge debt that we can never repay. For reasons we cannot comprehend, they decided to reach out to us and bring us back from our self-imposed exile.
As a token of our respect and our admiration, I would like to close by reading to you the three short sentences that are chiseled into the top of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial on the Capitol Mall in Saint Paul. While the words were written to honor the buddies we lost during Vietnam, many of us consider those who wear the uniform today to be as close to us as the brothers and sisters we served with.
In honor and remembrance of Daniel Olsen, Conor Masterson and Adam Van Alstine, and on behalf of their families and friends ... the inscription reads as follows ...
We were young. We have died. Remember us.
Thank you for being here today and may God bless the United States of America.
There is only one thing that can come anywhere close to the grief and the anguish the families of the fallen have experienced, and that is leaving them with the impression that no one outside the family and a close circle of friends remembers their loved ones.
There is nothing any of us can do to restore their loss, but all of us can do something to make certain that our fallen heroes never become just another name on a wall. All of us can take whatever it is we enjoy doing, or whatever we are good at, and use it to keep their memories alive forever.
If you enjoy walking, you can walk. If you enjoy running, you can run. If you enjoy motorcycles, you can ride. You can donate your time, your money, your organizational skills, or whatever talents you may have and do them in the names of those who gave the last full measure of devotion ... American heroes such as Daniel Olsen, Conor Masterson and Adam Van Alstine.
I cannot run, and I do a rather poor imitation of walking, but I can eat ice cream and my group can coordinate events that honor and remember America's Armed Forces, past and present. Because of the honorable service of the men and women who have worn the uniform since September 11, 2001, our mission has been to do whatever we can to recognize their sacrifice, and that of their families.
That is why the Military Salute Project is coordinating and conducting the 2009 Remember The Fallen Tribute. During seven weekends in May, June, July and August, we will visit the gravesites of 80 Minnesotans who rest in eternal peace throughout our state and western Wisconsin.
Accompanied by groups including Tribute To The Troops, the Patriot Guard Riders, the Boy Scouts, Soldiers' Angels and Bugles Across America, we will place a memorial flower arrangement, sound Taps, and photograph each headstone.
We will display the pictures on our website so that the families of the fallen might see them during one of those endless nights when they might be searching the internet to see if at least the name of their loved one is still out there. Should they stumble across the individual photo albums we will create, they will know that on a summer day in Two-Thousand-Nine, some strangers stopped by the gravesite to thank their hero, and our hero, for their service and their sacrifice. Hopefully, that will provide a minute or two of comfort.
We invite all of you to join us for one or more of the Visitations. We will visit Daniel's, Conor's and Adam's gravesites on Saturday, May 16 during Tribute To The Troops 3rd annual Salute To The Armed Forces Ride.
Those of us who served throughout the Cold War, and especially during Vietnam, owe the men and women who have served since September Eleven a huge debt that we can never repay. For reasons we cannot comprehend, they decided to reach out to us and bring us back from our self-imposed exile.
As a token of our respect and our admiration, I would like to close by reading to you the three short sentences that are chiseled into the top of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial on the Capitol Mall in Saint Paul. While the words were written to honor the buddies we lost during Vietnam, many of us consider those who wear the uniform today to be as close to us as the brothers and sisters we served with.
In honor and remembrance of Daniel Olsen, Conor Masterson and Adam Van Alstine, and on behalf of their families and friends ... the inscription reads as follows ...
We were young. We have died. Remember us.
Thank you for being here today and may God bless the United States of America.