Help Me Support TAPS and Honor my Dad
On October 8, 2017, I will be participating in the Army Ten Miler in support of the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS). TAPS provides direct support to families who have been impacted by a death in the military regardless of geography or circumstance.
As many of you know, I lost my dad last year on July 5th, 2016. My dad served for 24 years in the Army and served two tours in Vietnam. As a result of his exposure to Agent Orange in Vietnam, Dad suffered from prostate cancer, heart disease and Parkinson's. But that's not what I want to focus on here. I want you to get to know a litte more about my dad and this amazing organization that has supported me since his death.
First of all, my dad was the most amazing man in the world - of course, I may be a little biased. He was the best dad I could have ever asked for and regardless of what was going on in his life or my life or in the world - I always knew I was deeply loved by him. He was a soldier and an engineer by profession, but he was an educator by heart. You never had a conversation with my dad without learning something. And he never let a day go by without learning something new himself. I grew up surrounded by books and he instilled a love for learning in me from a very young age. Even though I knew my dad very well and watched him as I grew up, I was still overwhelmed at his funeral by the sheer number of people who spoke about how much my dad had helped them or how deeply he had impacted their lives. It shouldn't have been a surprise to me because Dad never met a stranger and there was never a person he came across that he wasn't willing to help. I can only hope to carry on this legacy in some small way.
As you can imagine, losing him has been the hardest thing I have ever experienced in my life. He has been the only man in my life and quite frankly, I have felt completely lost without him. That is why I am so incredibly thankful that I have found my TAPS family. They have supported me in so many ways. Most recently, I was able to take part in a trip to a working cattle ranch for a week in Colorado. Most of you probably don't know, but this was a dream come true for me. I love animals of all kinds and have always desperately wanted to ride horses all my life, but just never really had the opportunity. Well the week at the ranch was even more than I could have dreamed of! I felt the whole week that I had been dropped into the middle of an old western movie - just like the ones I used to watch with my dad. He used to laugh and say how great it must have been to be a cowboy. As I was riding my horse through canyons and along the sides of bluffs, I could feel my dad right there with me, enjoying every moment of it. It was the first time since Dad died that I have felt sincere and true peace and gratitude. And all of that came at NO COST to me. TAPS provided that opportunity to me and 22 other survivors across the country through the donations of generous folks like you. And they provide experiences like that year round that help people like me who are stuck in their grief to keep moving forward. It may seem small but this trip truly was transformative for all of us.
The funds I raise will flow directly into TAPS programming which supports me and other families like mine through an amazing network of resources, seminars and publications. TAPS provides these services at NO CHARGE to survivors from all branches of the service, including Reserves and National Guard. TAPS’ programs and services are available not only for immediate family, but also for extended family and friends. Please help me honor our fallen heroes by supporting me in this effort. No donation is too big or too small.
Thank you!
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