Remembering our Veterans

This Veterans Day, check out “Three Ways to Honor our Veterans” and “Honor America’s Heroes” for resource lists and practical ways you can support our military and veterans. Plus, sign up to virtually volunteer and send a thank you card to a veteran or find another volunteer opportunity. Read more below about how our nonprofit partners support military veterans and their families.

 Addy’s story with St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital®

Addy is a pint-sized cowgirl, and she won’t go anywhere without her boots. This “Princess Cowgirl” is undergoing treatment for anaplastic astrocytoma, a type of brain cancer, at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital®.

At St. Jude, Addy received proton radiation therapy and is still receiving chemotherapy. Treatments invented at St. Jude have helped push the overall childhood cancer survival rate from 20 percent to more than 80 percent since it opened more than 50 years ago. St. Jude won’t stop until no child dies from cancer.

Tanner, Addy’s dad, is a staff sergeant in the Army. He always donated to St. Jude via the Combined Federal Campaign, but never thought he’d need St. Jude for his own family. “We’ve been thrown a lot of curveballs with Tanner being in the military,” said Linsie, Addy’s mom. “But I’ve never gone into a medical facility and felt as good as I do about St. Jude. We’ve left here feeling like it was family. They’ve made everything that we’ve gone through, even cancer, as easy as possible.”

Zach’s story with Samaritan’s Purse

Marine Corporal Zach Oglesby, a veteran of the wars in Iraq (2008-9) and Afghanistan (2010), and his wife just participated in Operation Heal Our Patriots® with Samaritan’s Purse.

For years, Zach has dealt with post-traumatic stress from his time in combat. His tour in Afghanistan was especially difficult as a number of his fellow Marines and friends were killed on that deployment and several others were terribly wounded. Zach now works in law enforcement. “It’s been hard for me to cope and deal and…be a good husband and family man,” he said.

Operation Heal Our Patriots is a year-round ministry that gives wounded veterans and their spouses spiritual refreshment, physical renewal, and marriage enrichment and includes long-term aftercare. Started in 2012, this project is already serving more than 1,200 wounded veterans and their spouses.

Another way to support these wonderful organizations is through the Combined Federal Campaign (CFC). Visit the CFC website and choose St. Jude (CFC # 10560) and Samaritan’s Purse (CFC #10532).