Just as no one should be left behind, no one should ever be forgotten

I am posting this today with mixed emotions. Please know that while I still adhere to my stance on not discussing politics, I do feel that our government holds a huge responsibility in our country. We count on them and defer to them in times of crisis to make responsible, reasonable and well informed decisions. Being a paid public figure who sits in such positions is an awesome responsibility and certainly not one that I would want, so I certainly don't mean any disrespect with this post. I just feel that with their job there can not be any room for error. Just as our military is bound by a code of conduct much higher than any other organization in this country, shouldn't our government be held to the same standards? It is because of that immense weight we lie upon their shoulders that I'm torn between what I came across this morning.

On August 1st, 2013 U.S. Representative, Scott Rigell stood before the house and asked the speaker to bear with him for five minutes as he paid honor to the 32 American Heroes lost nearly two years earlier on August 6, 2011 during Extortion 17. Please know that the number 32 referenced above is not an error or typo on my part. That is the number he mentioned twice during his five minute speech. Then he listed the names of those American Heroes, going through the Navy, Army and Air Force personnel until all 30 names were read. Once again, when I wrote 30, that was not an error. If we are counting only American casualties, from Extortion 17 alone, the number would be 30, plus 1 military working dog named, Bart. To read the entire record for that day, please click HERE.

The faces of the 30 American heroes lost in Extortion 17 on August 6, 2011

Please know that I believe Mr. Rigell's intention to be pure of heart and obviously his assistant or whoever slipped him the little piece of paper gave him wrong information. However, I can't help but wonder how quickly someone in the military would be reprimanded (severely) if they made even the slightest error on a mission. Regardless, I will digress as I am neither judge, nor jury. My biggest bone of contention with this is that sadly we lose countless lives every week, month and year and these names do not get mentioned. They do not take five minutes out of their sessions to read their names. My question is why? Now, to the people who are saying to me right now, "but, it was the greatest loss of life for NSW (Naval Special Warfare) in a single day since Operation Red Wings in 2005" I completely agree with you and can't tell you how much my heart hurts for the families that lost loved ones that day. 

Marine Sgt. Daniel J. Patron

However, how many know that on that same day, of the same year, we also lost a Marine? Marine Sgt. Daniel J. Patron was 26 years old and from Canton, OH. He died in Helmand Province, Afghanistan while attempting to disarm a roadside bomb. We've all heard the names of the 31 heroes (including Bart) that were killed during Extortion 17, but how many of you can honestly say they've heard of Marine Sgt. Patron? Did you know that he has a highway which has been dedicated to him? Did you also know that after serving two tours in Iraq in 2005 and 2009 that he voluntarily extended his service? When he was killed, he only had three months left on his tour. In November he would have been home. Home with his family.

Every day on Honor Them the names and faces of the our fallen heroes are shared with everyone who wishes to take a moment to say thank you for the tremendous sacrifice these heroes have made for our country and us. In light of Mr. Rigell's five minutes wishing to pay remembrance to those American heroes lost, I can't help but feel that an injustice has been done to the other families who also grieve on this day. So, please, if you would, join me in a moment of silence while I list the other names that were not mentioned and who lost their lives on August 6th during Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation New Dawn.

Army Spc. Zeferino E. Colunga KIA 2003-08-06

Army Pvt. Kyle C. Gilbert KIA 2003-08-06

Army Staff Sgt. Brian R. Hellermann KIA 2003-08-06

Army Sgt. Leonard D. Simmons KIA 2003-08-06

Marine Cpl. Roberto Abad KIA 2004-08-06

Army Spc. Joshua I. Bunch KIA 2004-08-06

Marine Lance Cpl. Larry L. Wells KIA 2004-08-06

Marine Lance Cpl. Chase J. Comley KIA 2005-08-06

Army Sgt. Brahim J. Jeffcoat KIA 2005-08-06

Army Spc. Kurt E. Krout KIA 2005-08-06

Army Sgt. Carlton A. Clark KIA 2006-08-06

Army Staff Sgt. Tracy L. Melvin KIA 2006-08-06

Army Staff Sgt. Stephen A. Seale KIA 2006-08-06

Army Cpl. Jose Zamora KIA 2006-08-06

Army Cpl. Juan M. Alcantara KIA 2007-08-06

Army Sgt. Nicholas A. Gummersall KIA 2007-08-06

Army Cpl. Kareem R. Khan KIA 2007-08-06

Army Spc. Christopher T. Neiberger KIA 2007-08-06  

Army Staff Sgt. Jacob M. Thompson KIA 2007-08-06

Marine Lance Cpl. James D. Argentine KIA 2009-08-06

Marine Lance Cpl. Travis T. Babine KIA 2009-08-06

Marine Sgt. Jay M. Hoskins KIA 2009-08-06

Marine Cpl. Christian Guzman Rivera KIA 2009-08-06

Marine Cpl. Daniel L. Linnabary II KIA 2012-08-06

My final thought is more of a question for Mr. Rigell and every other politician who serves in such an important capacity for our country. I ask you to not forget the sacrifice paid by so many others. We have lost thousands upon thousands of heroes since the global war on terror began. Not just 30, or even 32. I ask you to please make note of every loss of life, not just the ones lost in certain tragedies. It should never be about the number of lives lost. The person who was lost should be what matters the most. 

Since Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation New Dawn has began (and at the time of this post), U.S. Central Command has confirmed 6,714 deaths as the result of these conflicts. They were fathers and mothers, sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, they were husbands and wives. And more importantly, they were heroes. They served our great nation valiantly, they put duty before self. 

Quite simply, they gave their today, for our tomorrows. 

Let us not forget any one of them.

With respect, and immense gratitude. I thank you for your time in reading this message.
~ Amanda HONOR THEM! 

Has honor and integrity taken a back seat? You be the judge

When I started my mission to Honor Them over 2 years ago, it was a personal one. While I admittedly was still trying to find my niche in how to accomplish this, I knew one thing above all else, Honor would be the prime focus. While I may have begun on Twitter, I soon branched out into Facebook and began this blog. My mission may have begun as a personal one, but not too long after I had people joining me in my endeavors. After some time it didn’t just become important to me, but became a part of who I am. That is why not a day will go by that I will not Honor the sacrifice paid by so many. This brings me to the purpose of this post.

There are some who sadly have chosen to use the death of our heroes for their own ill gotten gains. It’s really become an epidemic in today’s society. As unbelievable as it may seem, there are those who are worse offenders than others. Please, before you read on, I ask you all to consider the fact that I don’t normally call out any company and/or organization. In fact, I’ve never done so. I stick to my mission and ensure the families of the fallen are taken into consideration in all my efforts. Respect for them and all that they've endured is very important to me. However, there is one company who as I understand it, hasn’t done this in the past and my fear is they are repeating the same patterns.

Below you will see some information along with screen shots (please forgive the haziness of the images as I blew them up for ease of reading), which points to a pattern of behavior. It, in my opinion, not only appears to be dis-honorable, but calls into question this company’s true intentions. I’ve chosen to post this on my blog because the owner of this company either ignores or deletes anyone’s comments (on Facebook) who attempt to make an inquiry into the questionable activity. Furthermore, this company usually blocks those inquiring immediately after. So, I ask you to look at the information I’ve provided and draw your own conclusion.

First, as a matter of background, I contacted the publicist for the family of fallen US Navy SEAL, Lt. Michael Murphy and this is what she had to say:

As Publicist for the Family of LT Michael Murphy I was approached by John Stiener, the owner of Infidel USA on July 23, 2011 proposing a Murph The Protector t-shirt with ALL proceeds benefitting Michael’s Foundation.  By all accounts the shirt was a hit, but I would never know exactly because I was never given the sales figures as to what exactly was sold as promised.  After endless emails, text messages and phone calls asking for his payment to the Foundation, of which there had been only a few, I threatened to sue Infidel USA.  That is when John’s Mom called and intervened on his behalf.  She felt that it was unfair that 100% of the proceeds go to that Foundation and that John should be entitled to some.  I explained to her that the agreement had been otherwise and that the memorial tee was bringing him new business. I further explained that it was an agreement that he presented. Also, I reminded her that he was promoting the tee the whole time as benefiting Michael’s Foundation when in fact only a few payments had been made. A year and a half later NO accounting of sales had been made available to me and as it appears from this that John was using all the Murph The Protector profits to expand his company. This is by his own admission in communications with me.  Regardless of John’s promises to the foundation, John’s mom made the following agreement with me. She asked that she be given one week and she would provide me with the amount of shirts sold and the rest of the money owed to the Foundation.  In addition would I allow one last print run of the shirt before I terminated the agreement.  I told her that I would not make a decision on the last print run until the monies were paid and the accounting of all sales was provided to me.  Approximately one week later payment was made for what I was told was the sale figures of all the Murph t-shirts. However, I have no way of knowing this to be accurate or not as I was not provided with an accounting of the sales as promised.  John and his Mom requested that they be allowed to go ahead with one final print run of the shirt and with that we would part ways.  I agreed, with the understanding that the accounting of sales would be forthcoming. As I previously mentioned this still has not happened.   John only paid the foundation for part of this final print run.  I of course sent him countless emails and text messages as well as tried to call and collect the money, but to no avail.  I was forced to reimburse Michael’s Foundation with my own money as I felt responsible for making such a poor business decision. 

You may ask why the above information is relevant. Well, I ask you to read on, as its relevance will soon become clear. 

 On February 7, 2013 Infidel USA came out with a new t-shirt. See the Facebook post introducing this shirt by clicking on this LINK (If for some reason that link becomes invalid because the post has been deleted. I will update this post with a screen shot of the link). The t-shirt depicted the name of US Navy SEAL, Chris Kyle who was recently killed. The company states in their post as well as on their website that 100% of the proceeds with benefit Craft International and FITCO Cares. On the surface this seems like a wonderful idea, and one that I normally would be backing 100%. However, because I am so adamantly against anyone (not including the families) profiting from someone else's death, I simply cannot stand behind an organization which has proven in the past to take money under the pretense of funds going to an organization and then not following through with that promise. Case in point, the below screen shots.

SCREEN SHOT A: In this screen shot, the publicist for the family of Lt. Michael Murphy clarifies any misleading comments made by Infidel USA by explaining that Infidel USA “did NOT give all the money to Michael’s Foundation as promised.” And further she asks a few questions, one of them being, will her comment remain. Please see the next screen shot.

SCREEN SHOT B: As you’ll see here, minutes later not only is her comment removed, but someone else asks if what she wrote is true. Please see the next screen shot.

SCREEN SHOT C: As you can see here, Infidel USA has responded with the comment “Of course not.” However, regardless of their prompt reply, you will see in SCREENSHOT D (below) that Infidel USA deleted the question, as well as their response. Also, it appears they deleted one which states they are working with FITCO and Craft International. 

 

SCREEN SHOT D: Comments referencing any question of misuse of funds have been deleted. You can tell this by the new comments appearing below where other’s comments once were.

 

 

 

 

All of this may not seem like too much cause for concern in some of your opinions. However, I was sent the below screen shot (SCREEN SHOT E) which raises all sorts of red flags for me personally. As someone who supports our military and their families I make it a habit to only give to companies who are truly helping the families of our fallen heroes. Please note the placement of this comment. It was only on the page for a short time and promptly deleted once the publicist for the Murphy family left her comment. In this comment by Infidel USA they claim to have multiple veterans that work for their company. They also claim to have “athletes that worked with Chris in Ramadi.” At which point Infidel USA goes onto explain that those who worked with Chris came to them with the idea to do something. 

SCREEN SHOT E

If what he states is true, then why delete it? Or, as a matter of interest, why delete so many other comments as well? If Infidel USA truly has veterans who worked along side Chris Kyle in Ramadi working for him who asked him to take on this project, then why remove it once question is raised? Further, why would Infidel USA block people who have only asked questions? After all, they are only questions. If in fact Infidel USA’s only motivation is to help the families of the fallen, why not simply address the issues and rebuild their company's reputation? 

These are all things which trouble me and make me wonder where the funds for this shirt will really go. However, to be fair, I must state, I have not personally approached the company. I have chosen not to do so because of the numerous people that have approached them to only receive no response and then be blocked. I further would like to state that I am merely a concerned citizen and also 100% civilian. I do what I do because I choose to and while I normally would 'vet' a charity/organization before I decide to endorse them, sadly I don’t feel confident that any correspondence by me asking questions to Infidel USA would be met with anything other than ignoring and blocking me. 

My only concern is that the family of Chris Kyle is taken care of and this isn't going to be a repeat of what transpired with the Murph t-shirt. Other than that, I have no skin in the game, so to speak. The main purpose of my post is to ask everyone to truly consider the organization they are giving their money to before they do so. Just because someone claims to be on the up and up, doesn’t always mean that they are. This could be said for countless companies or organizations.

Once again, and in closing, this blog post contains what I have witnessed and have been able to ascertain from the events unfolding on a public social networking site. My statements are my own and contain my opinion on a matter that is near and dear to my heart. I do not know without 100% certainty whether or not the allegations against Infidel USA are factual because as best I can tell they refuse to respond to them. Perhaps in the future they will work with the companies they state they support to ensure all funds go where they are promised. I also hope that Infidel USA will make good on their promises made to the Murphy Foundation. If they choose not to do either of these things, I am left with no other alternative but to question their motivations and intentions between making products of this nature and selling them under the guise of "giving back" to charities. 

All I Want For Christmas Is You

Freebies on Veterans Day

Below is a listing of businesses who are offering freebies to Veterans and those who serve on Veterans Day. I'm sharing this information from a patriot who was very kind enough to pass it along. Thank you, David. 

VETERANS DAY DISCOUNTS 2012
**FREE MEALS ON VETERANS DAY

OLIVE GARDEN
Veterans Eat Free. Olive Garden Restaurants offer a free meal (with proof of service) from a list of several entrees on a special menu. This special is scheduled for Monday, November 12, 2012. Additionally, some Olive Garden restaurants will also give out a $10 gift card to veterans for a future visit.

APPLEBEE’S
Military Veterans and Active-Duty Service Members will be able to eat FREE at any Applebee’s across the U.S. on Veterans Day, Sunday, November 11, 2012. There will be six entrées available from the menu. Guests will be asked to show one ore more of the following as proof of Service: a U.S. Uniform Services Identification Card, a U.S. Uniform Services Retired Identification Card, Current Leave and Earnings Statement, Veterans Organization Card, a photograph in uniform, or wearing a uniform in person. For more information about Veterans Day at Applebee’s, visit the Applebee’s website http://www.applebees.com/vetDay/default.aspx

GOLDEN CORRAL
Golden Corral's 9th annual Military Appreciation Monday dinner will be held on Monday, November 12, 2012, from 4 to 9 pm in all Golden Corral restaurants nationwide. The FREE dinner meal is a special "thank you tribute" to any person who has ever served in the United States Military. If you are a veteran, retired, currently serving, in the National Guard or Reserves, you are invited to join us for Golden Corral's Military Appreciation Monday dinner. To date, Golden Corral restaurants have provided over 2.2 million free meals and contributed over $3.3 million to the Disabled American Veterans organization.

CHILI’S
FREE meal, Veterans Day, Sunday, Nov 11, 2012. Chili’s is offering all Military Veterans past and present their choice of one of 6 meals. This offer is available during business hours at participating Chili’s in the U.S. only. Dine-in from limited menu only; beverages and gratuity not included. All Desserts priced $5.oo for Veterans and active duty military. Simply show proof of military service. See flier for more information.
 

T.G.I. FRIDAYS
In recognition of Service, ALL Veterans and Active Duty personnel are invited to EAT FREE this Veterans Day, Monday, November 12, 2012. To get the free meal, service men and women will have to show proof of service. Proof of service includes: U.S. Uniform Services Identification Card, a U.S. Uniform Services Retired Identification Card, Current Leave and Earnings Statement, Veterans Organization Card, a photograph in uniform, or wearing a uniform in person.
Valid only at: 3555 S. 2700 W., West Valley City.
130 W. 10600 S., Sandy.
4029 S. Riverdale Rd., Riverdale
**Don’t forget T.G.I. Friday’s offer a 10% Discount for all Service men and women with proof of service all day everyday.

HOOTERS
FREE Meal, Veterans Day, Sunday, Nov 11, 2012. Hooter’s is serving up 10 free boneless wings to military veterans all day on Veterans Day. Offer good for all veterans and active duty military personnel. Offer valid at participating Hooters, Dine-in only; open to all active duty and military veterans with valid military ID or proof of military service. Drink purchase required. For more information, visit, www.HootersVeteransDay.com.

TEXAS ROADHOUSE
FREE meal, Veterans Day, Monday, Nov 12, 2012. Offer varies by location; our local Texas Roadhouse is offering a free meal from opening until 4pm. Other locations may vary in offer, hours, or availability. Call ahead to your local restaurant for more information. Visit the web site for locations and participation. http://www.texasroadhouse.com/

SUBWAY
Free Six Inch Sub. Many Subway locations offer a free six inch sub to military veterans on Veteran’s Day, November 11, 2010. However, Subway restaurants are franchises, so this offer may only be available in select locations. Please contact your local Subway for more information regarding Veteran’s day specials.

KRISPY KREME DOUGHNUT
Free doughnut. Available only at participating Krispy Kreme stores. Offer available to all active-duty, retirees & veterans on Veterans Day, Sunday November 11, 2012. Be sure to call ahead to verify your local Krispy Kreme is participating.

DENNY'S RESTAURANT
All-you-can-eat Pancakes. Participating Denny’s restaurants will be offering an all-you-can-eat pancakes meal on Monday, Nov 12, 2012. Remember to call ahead and verify that your local Denny’s is participating.
 

**OTHER DISCOUNTS ON VETERANS DAY

SKYRIDGE INN Bed & Breakfast
Free night stay. The Sky Ridge Inn B&B in Torrey, Utah is offering a free night stay to a veteran and a single guest. This offer is limited by availability of rooms. Reserving ahead of time is recommended. For reservations call (435) 425-3222.

CABELA’S OUTDOOR STORE
Veteran's Day weekend, Cabela's outdoor store is offering their employee discount to all veterans, active duty military and reserves, law enforcement, fire and EMS personnel on Nov. 11 and 12. Dubbed a "Hometown Heroes" event, eligible shoppers will need to check in at a table at the store to receive a coupon for the discount. The discount varies from 5% to 50%, depending on item. Some items may be excluded.

HOME DEPOT and LOWES MILITARY DISCOUNT
The 10% military discount is available to: Active-duty military members, National Guard and Reserve members, retirees, honorably discharged veterans and immediate family members of all those groups are eligible. Customers requesting a discount must be able to show a valid military ID card or other proof of military service (a DD Form 214 or VFW membership may qualify).

SPORTSCLIPS
FREE haircut to active-duty military & veterans. Offer only available at select locations on Veterans Day, Monday, November 12, 2012. Additionally, offers 20% discount on all services and products to Military and Veterans everyday. Sports Clips is currently participating in the Help-A-Hero program which provides free call time to deployed or hospitalized military personnel. Please call to verify local participation.

SLEEP NUMBER STORES
This year Sleep number is offering a couple of discounts. Among these are $600.00 off on all I8 or M7 beds, 30% off all bedding items, and 0% interest on 24 months financing. This is only available to military and veterans. This special is going on now through Nov. 18. Contact your local store for more details.

SONIC CAR WASH
FREE car wash to Veterans on Veterans Day, Monday, November 11, 2012.

VETERANS DAY DISCOUNTS

**The following companies offer discounts, but you may find that NOT all locations participate:
Restaurants Arby's A&W Burger King Carl's Jr. Chevy's Fresh Mex Chick-Fil-A Chipotle Denny's Dunkin' Donuts IHOP KFC Long John Silver's McDonald's Panda Express Pizza Hut Quizno's Red Robin Sonic Taco Bell Wendy's Travel AmTrak Best Western Choice Hotels Continental Airlines Cruise lines (most) Hyatt Hotels Marriott HotelsWyndham Hotels and Resorts Car Care AutoZone Checker Auto Parts General Motors Jiffy Lube Kragen Auto Parts Meineke NAPA Auto Parts Super Sonic Car Wash Cell Phone Service Discounts Alltel Cingular Sprint/NexTel T-Mobile Verizon Clothing and Shoes  Aeropostale The Children's Place Dress Barn Fanzz (10%) The Finish Line Foot Action (15%) Foot Locker (20%) Hot Topic Jos. A. Bank Jockey Kohl's Lerner New York & Company Pac Sun Reebok Timberland Outlets (active duty only) Wilson's Leather

Has Hollywood lost focus?

There was a time not so long ago, less than a century in fact, when Hollywood and all of the talent that arose from it knew the importance of supporting our troops. People like Bob Hope and Marilyn Monroe who were in high demand still made sure to take the time out of their busy schedules and entertain the troops. The USO was founded in 1941 as a way to provide morale to service members through entertainment. At the time and throughout the following years there were dozens upon dozens of entertainers who followed suit. If you research some old interviews with those entertainers you will hear one common thought amongst them all. They all truly believed in the importance of supporting our troops. They all truly understood the sacrifices being made by those serving. Well, it would seem times sure have changed. 

Now, before I go on I think it's only fair to state that there are many performers who are still actively involved in the USO and all it stands for. To those, I offer my heartfelt thanks and gratitude for their selfless and generous offering of both time and compassion. However, Hollywood has taken a different turn in the past couple of decades. Some of that talent that receives millions of our dollars each year are instead using their spotlight for politics. For those of you who have been watching "Honor Them" for a while, you know I make it a habit to never discuss politics. My political beliefs are kept silent because (in my opinion) honoring "them" has nothing to do with politics. It comes from your heart. It is a sense of patriotism that runs deep and is fueled by the pride of being a part of one of the greatest nations in the world. 

One of the most amazing and wonderful things about our country is our freedom of speech, our freedom to think our own way and form our own opinions. We are not under a ruthless dictator that some of the other countries we assist have suffered through. With that being said though, I can't help but wonder why politics have taken such a nasty turn. I know what you're all thinking, that there has been mudslinging and dirty play in politics for decades if not longer. I don't disagree with that, but when did Hollywood become the voice for politicians and their agendas? More so, when did those stars who received millions upon millions every year decide that they were the know all-end all to tell us and our military what is right and what is wrong? 

Let's face it, the last several years have been quite tumultuous for our country. The political arena has changed greatly and with it more and more of our nation's "talent" have decided to use their spotlight to further political agenda while either bad mouthing our armed forces or completely ignoring them all together. It seems that every time I turn around I'm hearing about one of them disparaging our troops or veterans and I can't help but wonder why? Sure I understand that being an American means that they have the freedom to do and say as they please. What if we (as a country) allow that to go too far though? We will always (I pray) have our freedoms to do and say what we choose, but the second we start forgetting who is defending those rights we are losing sight of the bigger picture. 

Our country was founded on some very strong beliefs. Beliefs that ran deeper than just the paper the words were penned to. One of the most integral parts of our freedoms is having a strong force to defend us. On September 11, 2001 we found out just how easily our country can be blindsided. Not everyone loves our country, we have enemies, enemies who wish to do us harm, enemies who take so many – too many – of our brave troops away. At the end of the day all of the money, material objects and luxuries will mean nothing if our country is left helpless. Our Armed Forces guard us every second of every day. Not a moment passes where they do not have our backs. They are on guard, always watching, always protecting, always defending. Without them, where would we truly be? I challenge those big Hollywood hitters who haven't stood behind our troops recently to make a few changes in their life and remember just who is guarding their 6.

With all that being said, I would like to share with you a story of someone who gave so much of herself and received little in return. 

Some who knew her say that Martha Raye endured less comfort and more danger than any other Vietnam entertainer. The most unforgivable oversight of all was that none of her shows were taped. I was unaware of her credentials until someone sent me a very touching email. If you search more information on Martha, you will find many memoirs that tell of her selfless acts on behalf of our brave troops. In fact President Lyndon Johnson awarded her a green beret and the honorary rank of Lieutenant Colonel in the Special Forces as a thank you for her extraordinary efforts.  Martha was also a nurse and used the skills she had to tend to wounded during the Vietnam War. It is said that several times at the Army Field Hospital in Pleiku, she would cover a surgical shift, giving a nurse a well-deserved break. 

 

Of note, Martha Ray is the only woman buried in the Special Forces cemetery at Ft. Bragg. Martha died on October 19, 1994, but as a civilian, as an American and as a woman I offer her my utmost gratitude and respect for all that she did for those in harm’s way.

Operation Honor Them

On June 30, 2010 I began my mission to Honor Them. When I reached my first anniversary (Please see that blog post from June 2011 HERE) in Honoring Them I felt like I had accomplished a great deal and was proud to be in the company of so many fine patriots. Little did I know that last year was merely a drop in the bucket for all I'd accomplish in the following year. Over the course of the past twelve months both my facebook and twitter pages as well as my mission has grown by leaps and bounds. As I write this, I am just below 25,000 Likes on facebook, and quickly approaching 7,000 followers on twitter. On a daily basis I receive countless messages and emails from military families, service members and veterans who support my cause and are glad to take part. This makes me very proud and honored to be a part of a community that holds such immense patriotism and love for those who give so much of themselves on our behalf.

This year in celebration of my 2 year anniversary I wanted to hold a month long event to reach out to my fellow patriots. There are many ways that one can Honor Them, but all too often we get caught up in the daily distractions of life. With little financial obligation or time spent we can all do our part. Even the smallest gestures can have a lasting impact and show our troops and veterans just how much they mean to us. 

Below is a calendar of this month's planned events. Please feel free to share it and it's information with many. While I'm offering up these ideas, these are things we can do year round. Whether you pick one, two, a dozen or all of them, even participating is a step in the right direction. Also, during this month I will be making posts relating specific topics all day on each separate day of the week. Look for the schedule below the calendar.

Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
Military Families	Navy	Air Force	Coast Guard	Marine Corps	Army	Wounded

Please join me for the entire month of June to take part in Operation Honor Them. If you're on twitter look for #OpHonorThem and #OperationHonorThem. And join me on facebook too!

Thank you to: Forged Clothing, Soldiers Angels, DS&S Tactical, Boot Campaign, That Others May Live Foundation, Kill Cliff, Lt. Michael Murphy Scholarship Foundation, Navy SEAL Academy

Salutes to Forged Clothing

In 2007 two former United States Navy SEALs founded ForgedClothing. Their company founded and fueled by the values of Brotherhood, Respect and Freedom as well as their belief in making products in the USA. Since Forged’s inception, they have operated with the utmost professionalism and integrity. They take great pride in being involved with their customers and giving them a top of the line product which has meaning behind it. While that in itself is unique to a company in this day and age, there is another reason behind my post. 

Some may not know this, but Forged Clothing donates a percentage of every sale to several military affiliated non-profit organizations to help wounded veterans and their families. They also have created some specific tribute shirts to honor their fallen brothers, and 100% of the profits from those shirts are donated to the Navy Special Warfare Foundation. This is all in addition to being involved with fundraisers for the families of friends who have made the ultimate sacrifice on our behalf. 

While these reasons alone would be enough for Honor Them to stand behind a company such as Forged, there are so many more. Besides their efforts to give back on various levels, they also have supported my message and mission with Honor Them since the beginning. In doing so, Honor Them and Forged will be partnering up on a special project which also gives back while allowing you to show your patriotism and support of our troops and veterans. 

Also, be on the lookout for some exciting changes. In the next month Forged Clothing will be launching their new website which will include new tribute shirts and new merchandise which will benefit the customer as well as various charities.

On behalf on everyone who join me in Honoring Them, I say Bravo Zulu to Forged Clothing for never forgetting that All Gave Some, Some Gave All.