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United Warrior Survivior Foundation |
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| GREETINGS! |
| Here is the summer edition of UWSF's newsletter. We hope it finds you and yours enjoying all of the wonderful blessings of freedom and life in our great country. In this edition, you will find updates on our fundraising efforts, our outreach to surviving families, and our plans for the West Coast Conference this fall.
We at UWSF remain ever mindful that warm weather, especially in mountainous conflict zones such as Afghanistan, usually also means an increase in enemy activity. Summer months are notoriously dangerous and difficult for special operations forces. As our servicemembers continue to confront some of the worst parts of human nature in war zones this summer, we thank you for what you have done, and continue to do, to allow our surviving families to experience, through your generosity and commitment, some of the best parts of human nature.
We salute all of you who are in service to our country this summer, whether it be as a military member, military family, veteran, civil servant, troop supporter, volunteer, awareness artist, etc...and we are especially grateful to those of you who help us serve the families that are left behind. |
| 2008 STARS IN STRIPES GOLF TOURNAMENT |
| A huge thank you to all who came out to support UWSF at our 2008 Stars in Stripes Charity Golf Tournament. Held May 31, 2008, and supported by our generous donors, tireless volunteers, and enthusiastic players, this tournament is one of the highlights of UWSF's year, and we thank everyone who made it possible. Next year's event promises to be even better, so we look forward to seeing YOU! |
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UPCOMING EVENT: West Coast Survivors Conference
Plans are in full swing for the West Coast Survivors Conference, which will be held August 22-25, 2008, at the Manchester Grand Hyatt in San Diego, CA. These reunions are lifelines for our surviving spouses. At this year's event, we have planned empowering and educational sessions by Colette Carlson, who will present strategies for balancing the demands of grief and emotion with "real life," which does not stop long enough to let our spouses pick up the pieces. Conference attendees will also be shown self-defense and personal safety techniques in a class taught by Naval Special Warfare personnel.
If you would like to help sponsor this truly life-changing, empowering event, please look at our West Coast Conference Sponsorship Opportunities. These events are investments in the incredible spirits of our surviving spouses. A huge thanks already to the Manchester Grand for hosting us.
If you would like to contribute gifts, sundries, snacks, or toiletries for our welcome bags, please contact emily@uwsf.org. Often it is the little things that open up a guarded heart! | |
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SOLOVEY'S ART: CELEBRATION AND MEMORIAL
UWSF thanks Mike Solovey,
himself an active duty soldier and friend and mentor to one of our fallen Special Operations heroes, for the prints he donated for the silent auction at the recent golf tournament. Mike, an accomplished artist and Army Major, has a special talent for artistic details that really speak to soldiers and their families. His prints Brotherhood, All Seven, and Reload
were auctioned at our tournament; his website, www.soloveyart.com (also linked above) is an inspiring reminder of both the realities of combat and the memories of our fallen. Thank you, Mike! We also would like to recognize the late Major Paul Syverson for being cool enough, even as a rat at Virginia Military Institute, to link up with Mike, who is still a friend to his family.
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| SURVIVORSHIP: A Difficult Road |
UWSF is pleased to be among organizations and individuals who continue to tell the stories of the survivors of the Global War on Terror, whether they be soldiers who have come home to a difficult reintegration process, or the spouses that survive when their husbands or wives do not. The former is the goal of the movie Home Front, which chronicles the traumatic injury and reintegration an Iraq war veteran. The filmmakers have extended their commitment to telling the stories of our military families to a day of recognition for wounded veterans, called the H.E.R.O.E.S. Day project. Whether it be helping a wounded veteran cope with a strange new reality, or helping a surviving spouse come to terms with the changes in his or her world, we are proud to be associated with other organizations who want to help ease these transitions. We invite you to check out their website, at Home Front - The Movie, or these ways to help wounded warriors. | |
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| DONOR SPOTLIGHT: OIivia Heide makes a "Stand" |
 Rest assured that as long as there are young people like Olivia ("Livi") Heide in the world, the future of our country is in good hands! Olivia, 6, came up with the idea to set up a lemonade stand at a local gas station on Memorial Day to spark remembrance and to raise money for surviving families. We are deeply grateful that Livi and her family are giving the proceeds to UWSF! We also want to recognize the powerful spirit of Livi, who calls her project "The Stand" because of what it represents. We are so proud that the memories of our fallen heroes, and the spirit in which they served, are alive to a young lady as awesome as Livi. Thank you, Heide family! |
| SPOUSE PROFILE: Wendy Chandler (CPT Jeremy A. Chandler, USA) |
 Wendy Chandler is not only a surviving spouse: she is herself an Army veteran, a teacher, a nurse, and a runner. She is committed to her friends and family, nursing education, the special operations community, and the legacy of her late husband, CPT Jeremy A. Chandler, a detachment commander with 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne), who was killed in action on August 11, 2005, in Tarin Khowt, Afghanistan. Though her life has been marked by this tragedy, it is the spirit of her commitment to both her husband and the community they both served, that is most evident with Wendy. Since his death, she has gotten a Master's Degree in Nursing Education, done post-graduate work, run the Marine Corps Marathon, worked as a nurse, taught nursing, and dedicated her time and energy to volunteering to ensure that the surviving families of fallen warriors are not forgotten. This year, Wendy's running team is again running the Marine Corps Marathon in memory of her husband's spirit and to raise money for organizations that support families of the fallen. Investing in Wendy's 26.2-mile
 celebration of what it means to be a husband, a wife, a patriot, a veteran, a soldier, and a survivor is another way to her and to support UWSF, and to show our spouses that no matter how strong and competent they are, our organization exists to provide them the support that they need. Please CPT Jeremy Chandler Running Team to support Wendy's mission to raise awareness of the incredible people who have given their lives for our country, and to celebrate the incredible people they leave behind - who, like Wendy, continue to dedicate their lives to serving the country and the community. To learn more about the man whose legacy she, with his parents, friends, and family, are proud to keep alive, please read about Jeremy Chandler.
In an interview with Wendy for this newsletter, she emphasized the importance of UWSF's unique mission in her own life, and explained how difficult it was for her to find comfort, or dedicated groups for surviving spouses, before UWSF reached out to her. Wendy will be attending the West Coast Conference this August. |
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This Independence Day, as we celebrate the birth of our nation, let's take a few quiet moments to send thoughts of support to the soldiers who have fought for our freedom. Fill your heart with pride and celebrate America!
Wishing you a very Happy Independence Day,
"This nation will remain the land of the free only so long as it is the home of the brave.".....Elmer Davis | |
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