Veterans- Our Nations Heroes- November 11, 2024
- mmoser91
- Nov 11, 2024
- 5 min read
Veterans- Our Nations Heroes- November 11, 2024
Veterans Day. What does this day mean to you?
In the United States, Veterans Day is a federal holiday observed annually on November 11, for honoring military veterans of the United States Armed Forces.
Our Nations Heroes- Those who selflessly served to defend our freedoms. I am not military and don’t have military family. I didn’t carry the weight, walk in the boots or even see the things that they saw. I never had to. And that is exactly the point. Thank you for all who have served. The United States of America is worth defending. It is worth preserving and protecting. When the United States is strong, the world is strong. When the United States is weak, the world suffers.
In August of this year, I had the opportunity to host a Veterans fundraiser event with some friends, Jonathan and Natalie Stewart, for an organization that has become near and dear to my heart—The Independence Fund.
I learned about The Independence Fund in August of 2021… just after the United States withdrew from Afghanistan. A prayer of “God, how can we help?” with one of my best friends led to a phrase that was placed on our hearts of “just be available.” Over the next several weeks and months, the “just be available” phrase kept ringing in my head. So often we can get wrapped up in our own worlds with our friends, families, work and all of the things that pull us in so many directions that we miss out on needs that are right in front of us. I received a call from a dear friend, Caroline, to help at a Veterans event last minute after their volunteers had to cancel. I had no idea what I was walking into but after witnessing the evening, hearing their story and mission and seeing the tangible ways they were helping Veterans, I was so moved. It was inspiring to see every day people come together to help our Nation’s heroes… all in the spirit of Love for their Country and those who selflessly served.
Fast forward several years and I wanted my friends and family to have the opportunity to learn more about The Independence Fund. Friends and family dressed for the occasion and had an incredible night celebrating our Nations Heroes.
The first event at “Beaver Lodge” brought me to tears to see so many come together in support of our Nations heroes. Our Country is so great because of the people that live in it. This is what “We The People” in action is. We are so lucky to live in a community that has a love of Country and wants to step in to support. A few people that helped make this evening amazing include: The Moser Group Inc., Dennis and Patti Moser, The Moser Group Inc. Maintenance Team, Lexie Crouch, Sarah Huitt, The Village Greene Band, Bubbles and Brew CLT, The McLemore Boys, Rachel Love, Noble Smoke, Jordan and Tia Davis, Nothing Bundt Cakes and Seaboard Brewing. Thank you to all of the sponsors who made the evening a success for The Independence Fund.
It was an honor to have First Lieutenant Patrick Cleburne McClary, III, USMC, Retired, with us for the evening as the guest speaker. “Clebe McClary” is an American hero. During the Vietnam War, his unit was attacked by the Viet Cong. Lieutenant McClary was seriously wounded, losing his left arm and left eye, yet he continued to lead his men. The numerous surgeries and long recovery period that followed could have taken a bitter toll, but he faced rehabilitation with characteristic determination. In the years since, Lieutenant McClary has become a symbol of courage and hope to many around the world.
The McLemore Boys… Gems of humans that truly made the Veterans fundraiser the best!! So much I could share about this amazing family but what I’ll share is one of my favorite stories about their family- The McLemore Legacy. Their family founded one of Columbus, Georgia’s most successful companies, Masterbuilt, but the story behind Masterbuilt is what really is incredible. The story goes, the sun was setting in the rear-view mirror of Dawson’s truck as he gave the business to God praying, “You are the Master, I’m the builder. If you’ll help me along, I’ll name it after you and call it Masterbuilt.” The family continues to love and serve and give back to so many. What a blessing they are!
A friend, Sarah Verardo, CEO of The Independence Fund, President of The Verardo Group, and Founder of Save Our Allies is a national advocate for Veterans, Caregivers, and their families as well as a celebrated cable news commentator, public speaker, and author.
It is an honor to know her and her story and to see the impact they are making.
About The Independence Fund:
About The Independence Fund : Founded in the halls of Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, The Independence Fund was born to care for our nation's most catastrophically wounded surviving service members from the Global War on Terror. With an expansion to caring for the warfighter's family, and all generations of wounded, ill, and injured heroes, TIF stands in the gap to help combat veterans, active military, and wartime Allies with unmet needs. By restoring independence to those who sacrificed their independence for us to remain a nation of freedom, The Independence Fund deploys tangible programs to restore the physical, spiritual, and emotional health of our Veterans and families. Known for the hallmark all terrain track wheelchair program, The Independence Fund has provided more than 2,600 track wheelchairs to severely wounded American heroes.
About Operation Resilience : Operation Resilience is a program between The Independence Fund, Department of Veterans Affairs, and Department of Defense that reunites tactical combat units in the formation in which they originally deployed to Afghanistan or Iraq. Recalling combat units that saw heavy casualties overseas and have faced Veteran suicide in their unit once home, we reunite combat teams to rely on their original bond of brotherhood. With a four-day retreat bringing the unit back together, we rely on a whole health model: psych education, physical team building, bonfire fellowship, service projects, and team building. Often, the unit members have not been reunited since they left the battlefield with the exception of gathering for funerals. Operation Resilience brings the team back together for their most important mission post war: being their brother / sister's keeper at home the way they were on the battlefield.
Our Impact By the Numbers
664 Veterans have attended Operation Resilience
2,678 All-terrain track chairs ordered for Wounded Veterans
2,144 Adaptive sports grants supplied
1,480 Veterans engaged through TIF Tactical
2,094 Caregivers assisted
303 Families assisted
3,487 Veterans and Caregivers supported through Independence@Home
9,584 Veterans supported through Feeding Independence
3,952 Cases served through Casework
3,852 Officers/first responders trained through VJI
If you would like to support The Independence Fund’s mission to support our Nations heroes: https://give.independencefund.org/give/423753/#!/donation/checkout
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