Latest news with #HonorProject
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Families honor military veterans on Memorial Day at cemetery
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Several events are happening across the country on this Memorial Day as families honor the men and women who have died while serving in the military. At the West Tennessee State Veterans Cemetery, families gathered to honor fallen military service members and the sacrifices they made. 'It's the ultimate sacrifice, you know. And being a veteran myself and my wife, it's a lot,' said Brandon Kretchman, a military veteran. Man set on fire inside car crashes into front yard: MPD The Travis Manion Foundation, one of the nation's leading veteran service organizations, hosted The Honor Project, where over 2500 TMF volunteers at 60 cemeteries across the country gathered to place flags on each gravesite. 'People that have loved ones here that that aren't able to make it, they're able to send in their names, and we'll go be intentional and go visit their gravesite, place a token in and say their name and keep their memory alive,' said Neil Sheridan, TMF Volunteer Leader. The Honor Project initiative demonstrates to surviving families and battle buddies that their loved ones will not be forgotten. 'The deployments, the nuisances of families being separated, and going out and sacrificing for our freedoms. Again, it's the least we can do to be able to come out and just pay honor to everyone that came before us,' said Kretchman. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
CBS News
25-05-2025
- Sport
- CBS News
Volunteers place 500 tokens on fallen heroes' graves for the Honor Project DFW
People across North Texas are remembering fallen soldiers this Memorial Day weekend. That included a group of veterans, military spouses, and volunteers in Dallas. The Fort Worth and Dallas chapters of the Travis Manion Foundation hosted the second annual Honor Project. CBS News Texas A somber mood filled the DFW National Cemetery on Saturday as the community gathered to remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country's freedom. "Pause and know that this week was bought with a heavy, heavy price," Clint Bruce said. Clint Bruce played for the Baltimore Ravens and the New Orleans Saints. He left the NFL to become a Navy SEAL. "For me, it was the bigger challenge, right? I was incredibly humbled to have an opportunity to play at the NFL, and it was really neat because I got to see the infancy of Ray Lewis and his career when I was at the Ravens," Bruce said. The man with the large stature and even bigger heart gave back, speaking at the opening ceremony for the Honor Project. "The Travis Manion Foundation exists to give veterans and their families opportunities to continue to serve their community, continue to pay tribute to those who served alongside them, and continue to invest in this is this proposition to call heroes to the front because our nation, unfortunately, is always going to need heroes," Bruce said. Those who came out to the ceremony want the community to enjoy the Memorial Day weekend, but to also stop and understand the true meaning behind it. "I think it's important that we pause and say thank you for all that they did in order for us to be here where we are today," Deanna Phillips said. Deanna Phillips' husband, Lt. Col. Mike Phillips, served in the U.S. Air Force. "Mike was on a short deployment to Korea and came home and within 48 hours was diagnosed with stage four cancer," Phillips said. "He died of the service-connected cancer." The pain is still raw 15 years after his death at just 43 years old. "That's very difficult, and especially when you're thrust to being a single caregiver of your daughter as well," Phillips said. Phillips helped to organize the DFW project. Volunteers placed tokens on the graves of 500 fallen heroes. "I just I think it's important that you teach your kids about the meaning of today and the meaning of this weekend," Phillips said. "With that, I would say take a moment, and tell a story, go online, watch a YouTube video, something, just to honor those that have given their lives for where we are today." Click here for more information on the Travis Manion Foundation.
CBS News
25-05-2025
- General
- CBS News
Volunteers with The Honor Project return to the National Cemetery of the Alleghenies
Volunteers with The Honor Project return to the National Cemetery of the Alleghenies Volunteers with The Honor Project return to the National Cemetery of the Alleghenies Volunteers with The Honor Project return to the National Cemetery of the Alleghenies Nearly 60 people gathered to remember the lives lost of those who served our country on Saturday, and allow them to not be alone for those who may not be able to come and remember them. It's nearly double the number of people who came out for the Travis Manion Foundation's first year of "The Honor Project" at the National Cemetery of the Alleghenies. For someone like Angelic Smith, those moments hit home. "My husband was buried this time of year last year," she said. Her family is one of many Gold Star families. It's not easy. "You learn to grow with grief every day," Smith said. But part of it now involves turning grief into good. "I know by just seeing all these people that my husband's legacy will always be alive," Smith said. "We can say their name and remember them for those who cannot be here to remember them," Jessica Gardner, national manager for the 9/11 Heroes Run for the Travis Manion Foundation, said. It's why the Travis Manion Foundation hosted "The Honor Project" at the cemetery. "This is our second time here," Gardner said. It helps demonstrate to families and loved ones that people in graves like these are not forgotten. "A woman had an idea to do this because someone had said that they had a family member that they wanted them to visit, and they couldn't be there," Gardner said. The volunteers went around with their packets and stones. For some, this is close to them, too. "I have had family in the military and I've also had friends in the military," Leslie Brovenzano, chapter event coordinator, Travis Manion Foundation Pittsburgh chapter, said. State Senator Devlin Robinson made it a point to be here as well, as a veteran of the Iraq War and the War in Afghanistan. "I want to make sure that all of our fallen comrades are honored," Robinson, the senator for Pennsylvania's 37th district, said. For Smith, that first time was difficult. "This year, being back here, I feel a little bit stronger," she said. It's in part because of that growth, but also the sense of comfort it can bring. "As long as they keep coming out here, laying those coins, [and] saying his name," Smith said, "forever he will be remembered."
