Silver Star Day May 1st..

Today IS Silver Star Day - a national day set to officially remember and honour all the wounded troops in America, from any war. Silver Star Families of America is a group that nobody volunteers to join, but they are very active in their mission of making sure that EVERY wounded is honoured. You can find out more about the 501(c)3 organisation here. Started in 2005, SSFOA is today celebrating the very first Silver Star Day. Their stated mission is "to assist and support the wounded troops,...and act as an advocate for the wounded, and educate the public". Here at Tanker Bros, we are very familiar with the wounded, following as we do the progress of "DJ" Emery, "JR" Saltzman, and just this last week, "TJ" whose mother shared their family's story about life at Walter Reed.

This last Sunday, Terri Rager, state co-ordinator for Ohio SSFOA gave a speech in her role as a Silver Star mom, and has given permission for me to share it here with you.

Hi, I’m Terri Rager and I’m here today because, like all of you, I support our Troops. I used to be one of those troop supporters that slapped a magnet on the back of my truck and then didn’t do anything else. And then, in 2003, in exchange for my Son, the Army sent me a Proud Parent of a Soldier decal which I slapped on beside the magnet, and I started to support MY troop. After boot camp, my son, Nate, was deployed to S. Korea and I was feeling pretty safe, I mean, after all, we were there for 53 years without ever deploying one soldier. That was of course, until my son got there and somehow managed to be one of the first 3800 Soldiers that ever were. Eight months into his one year deployment he was sent to Iraq. He was in Iraq for only 4 months before getting hit by an IED. I sat at Walter Reed Hospital for 3 days waiting for my boy to arrive from Germany. In those 3 days I was blessed to be given the opportunity to talk to some of the most amazing men I have ever met. What they had in common, besides their injuries, was an unbreakable spirit. Their positive attitudes and joy for life were very humbling. The experience of those 2 weeks at Walter Reed changed my outlook on a lot of things. Believe me, coming home I knew how very fortunate I was to have my son sitting there on that plane with me. Shortly after getting home, I started supporting our troops. For real. I joined Soldiers Angels and have adopted soldiers who I write and send care packages to. I got very involved with the Living Legends Team of SA, which supports the families of our Fallen. Meanwhile, Nate was in Colorado at Ft. Carson on Med Hold, and not doing very well. He was depressed, homesick and physically hurting. I searched online for something that would show him how proud of him I am and how much his service was appreciated, not by just his Mom, but by America. And I ran across this Silver Star Families of America website. They send out these Silver Star Banners and Certificates of Appreciation to honor our wounded. When Nate got his package he ran out to Wal-mart for a frame for the certificate, and had it hung it on his wall before he even called me. It was the happiest I had heard him for quite a while...So I went back to the website and became a member. Today I am the Ohio State Coordinator for SSFOA. Our mission is to make every wounded Hero, from any war, feel the way my son did when he opened that package. You wouldn’t think that this little banner would make much of a difference to anyone. But I’ve seen first hand that it does make a difference, because it shows that people DO care and DO appreciate the sacrifices made for our country. A few months back we embarked on a mission to have one day set aside to honor ALL of our wounded. Purple Heart recipients, victims of friendly fire, kids injured in a war zone, those who suffer with PTSD, Agent Orange effects and Gulf War Syndrome. To date, 44 states and many cities have declared May 1st “Silver Star” Day to remember the sacrifice of our wounded. We would like for you to join with us in honoring our wounded this Tuesday, the first ever Silver Star Day. You could visit a VA Medical center, a Veterans home, a military hospital. Drive with your lights on, say a prayer, sponsor a Silver Star Banner for a wounded soldier. If nothing else, just stop for a minute and remember. Your being here today is a great statement of support of our troops. I am very proud to stand here with you. Thank you for being here. May God bless and keep our troops safe until they are able to come home to us. Thank you.

Thank YOU Terri. I am humbled to stand with you in honouring ALL our wounded. Thank YOU for your service, Nate.

Brat