Help "Welcome Home the Heroes," a parade and charity event organized by my dad and friends

[Big Dumb Patriot]

What the news referred to as a "local grassroots movement" is quickly growing into a national event, as the "Welcome Home the Heroes" organization continues to pull in donations for the soldiers, and families of soldiers, who are finally reuniting at this long-awaited closure of the Iraq war. The group, which has already raised over $25,000 in [I]less than four days[/I] for veterans services in the Saint Louis area, is not operating under [I]any[/I] political pretense. This is not a Roman Triumph, nor a protest of any sorts. The charity's one and only motive is to provide thanks and support to the returning soldiers, who will face new hardships in their return to civilian soil, and their families, and to honor those who did not return, and provide charitable resources to their families.

The organization has faced stiff challenges in its ascent, but today, it reached the tipping point. With national press, the donations are flowing in greater and greater numbers. Two local businesses, especially, have contributed hugely to our cause. Anheuser Busch and the Mayflower company have contributed a combined total of nearly twenty thousand dollars towards the charity. National Veterans services, such as Mission Continues, are now picking and sponsoring the organization. This event, spurned only by a small handful of Saint Louis citizens, has officially reached the "grand" scale.

I'm here not to ask for your donations, only to spread the word of this quickly growing event and to ask that you support it through any means that you have available. Support for the cause is as easy as [B][URL="http://www.facebook.com/groups/300720723305074/?notif_t=group_activity"]joining the Facebook group[/URL][/B], though if you do wish to provide a monetary donation, sending a pledge to [B][EMAIL="[e-mail]"][e-mail][/EMAIL][/B] will get you the information you need to contact our new sponsors while we finalize our online donation forms.

[quote]Last month, in late December of 2011, the President of the United States of America formally ended the Second Iraq War.

Let's stop right there for a moment. Because these days, it seems Americans never do. To say those two words--Iraq War--is to invoke a reflex to debate the history of the war. When we talk about the last painful, world-changing nine years we almost can't stop ourselves from picking up the national TV remote and trying to rewind and relive them all, only more perfectly this time.

But there weren't many DVR players in Iraq. There was sand. And extremes of temperature, and housing that would make the seediest trailer park in town seem like the Ritz Carlton. There were huge bugs, bad food, toilet problems, and no thought of a luxury like personal privacy.

Then there were the bombs. And mortars. RPGs and AK-47 rounds, snapping like angry bees that can kill with one sting. Nervous darting of the eyes of strangers who may or may not look like the guy who might or might not have been with the guy who blew himself up in a crowded market yesterday.

Ironic. The genesis of the January 28th group was a chat among a group of friends over the holidays that began as most friendly chats begin: with group bitching about assorted job pressures.

When our nation called our military professionals to work, they showed up to work a job where everything has to play out perfectly the first time, or people die. For nine years, so many of our sons and daughters and moms and dads and brothers and sisters carved big, extremely dangerous years out of their lives and served in the desert. Because as a nation, we asked them to.

Let's stop right there for a day.

The January 28th Group is people. Period. We're Americans. We looked around the country after the President declared the war over and noticed that no city in America seemed to be taking a day to stop and say thank you to our Iraq veterans. Many group members are centered in St. Louis, but the group is not just a local phenomenon. We've garnered support from all across the state and nation, where other Americans are considering the idea of taking a day to throw our vets a party and connect them with people and resources who want to help ease their transition back home.

The St. Louis branch of the January 28th group is trying to pass the tipping point and get enough political and financial backing to throw a parade and host a Veterans Resource Village in downtown St. Louis on January 28th, 2012. Whoever you are, wherever you are in America...if this parade happens and you want to show up and say thanks to our returned veterans, we welcome you to be our guest for the big day. If you can't but you want to add your voice to the January 28th group, we'd love to add your virtual voice to the celebration.[/quote]

[B][U]Here are the stories of some of the people who represent the soul of this event:[/U][/B]

[quote][img]http://a4.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/405263_343572232338511_100000572127139_1260917_1050674278_n.jpg[/img]
"Ladies and Gentlemen, the amazing supporter of troops and Coalition Forces on the left is Ali, who was A.K.A. "Tony". He was my interpreter during 2009-2010. He completely devoted himself to the betterment of Iraq and put himself and his family in harms way to work with us. He gave the team countless intelligence tips to prevent us from going into bad areas of Ramadi, and which people were not to be trusted among the Iraqis. He was forced to flee his home due to him helping the Coalition Forces. Now he is in exile from Iraq. He is my friend."

Ali's response: "It is a great honor and pleasure to have such chance[...]"

Ali is now in protection, having had to flee Iraq with his family. Our organization is to thank him for his sacrifices, and to provide whatever financial support we can offer.
[/quote]

[quote][img]http://a4.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/405956_342196585798076_100000232120812_1379202_1008042593_n.jpg[/img]

"While I was on a mission in Ramadi, I snapped this picture of this bus. On this day, it was incredibly hot. I would say that it was around 120 degrees or more Fahrenheit. I was in all my gear, which weighed at least 75 lbs more than my body weight. From the previous pictures, you can imagine the uncomfortable and cumbersome feeling we all must have felt.

However, when I saw this older woman in the third window of a bus. She was completely covered from head to toe, as most woman in Iraq usually are as a sign of respect and their culture, and the bus was completely packed full of people. It had to be incredibly and unbelievably hot on that bus. All the windows were relatively closed on the bus and again the temperature was 120 degrees, I can not imagine how hot it must have been on that bus. As I stood there exposed in the open, in my gear, Personal Protective Equipment, high-speed clothing, with my M9 and M4 weapon, with 210 rounds of M4 and 45 rounds of M9, a Beacon in case I was captured, a medical kit in a time of need, and the best training and knowledge in the world, et cetera. At that moment, I realized it was NOT about me.

As the bus turned the corner, the older woman looked at me. . . she gave me a look. . . . As the older woman stared at me, it made me think about her life and what she had to deal with on a daily basis. Cleaning a dirt floor in her adobe home, maybe no running water, maybe little or no healthy food. . . I wondered what adversity she had faced and gone through during her lifetime. . . and yet she had survived to the age she was. . .

I wondered what kind of life she had lived and what she had seen. I wondered what trials and suffering she had seen in her life. I wondered what was important to her. . . her family? Her health? Her freedom? Or just getting off that hot damned bus?

In all reality, she didn’t care about me, she didn’t care about my clothing, weapons, safety, what my job was in Iraq or back in America, she didn’t care about what I did for a living, how much money I made, what music I listen to, what my portfolio consisted of, etc. She only cared about getting through that day, and she wanted off that bus!!!

I had an epiphany, it wasn’t about me. It was about her. At that point, I felt so small and insignificant. I did not think about the heat or my small worries. The only thing I could see in her face was pain and suffering. I thought about her life and what she must have dealt with and endured through life. As she starred at me, I felt as if I was an alien and foreigner in her world. I felt an obligation to help or do something for Iraq to earn her acceptance and a reason why I was there to help and contribute to something that was larger than myself. I was there for Humanity!

I value what I was a part of and will always be proud of my service.

To all of you, when you look at her face. . . what do you see?"

Written by Major Rick Radford, a close friend of the organization and one of its organizers and chief sources of inspiration. Radford is a good and honest man, and our charity hopes to thank him for his service.[/quote]

[quote][img]http://a2.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/387336_342112959139772_100000232120812_1378976_850835781_n.jpg[/img]

"This young 82nd Airborne soldier was 18 years old and had just graduated from High School six months prior.

He was a professional! He went on several missions with my team and always conducted himself with honor and respect. I am proud to have served with him.

His girlfriend sent him the small stuffed animal monkey. She was in fear for him. Therefore, he continued to wear it on his IOTV as an extra layer of protection.

It served him well."[/quote]

[quote]
[img]http://a7.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/393660_341041635913571_100000232120812_1375227_2050667300_n.jpg[/img]

In 2004, there was a mission that my unit was tasked with near Al Nasiriyah, Iraq, which was south of Baghdad, about half way between Kuwait and Baghdad. Al Nasiriyah is the location where Jessica Lynch was captured by the way.

Anyway, there was a water treatment facility that was damaged due to bombing or insurgents. Therefore, my unit was a combat engineer Battalion and had the understanding of facilities, construction, etc. Plus, there was a Korean unit attached to our Battalion for combat support. The Korean Commander’s name was “Captain Chow”. He and I became close and developed a great international relationship.

Nonetheless, we set out to fix this water treatment facility to distribute clean water for the local tribe. It took us a few weeks to get the needed parts and supplies to fix the concrete, piping, and electrical work needed. However, one of the best pieces of criteria people in the military do is “complete the mission”, which we did in a timely manner and under some of the most austere combat environments.

With that said, the local Sheik, who was the Tribal leader, Sheik Tashar was so pleased that his tribe would from that point forward get fresh and clean water, and his kiddos were no longer going to contract dysentery, that he cooked about half of his goats as a “Thank You”. He cooked ½ of his life’s savings to say “Thank You”! Therefore when we were finished with the mission, he invited us to his home and his family cooked half of his goats for our soldiers. It was an amazing experience to eat with an Iraqi Sheik, in Iraq, in 2004. . . and eat goat from a pan that looked like a toboggan. In this picture, you can see very clearly what we ate… and. . . It tasted like CHICKEN!!!

Who in America would give ½ of their life’s savings to say “Thank You”?[/quote]

[img]http://a6.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/166944_10150467047322874_558172873_8752489_4248462 17_n.jpg[/img]

[B][u]NEWS MEDIA[/U][/B]
Here is a local news video, though now officially behind-the-times! We've reached our minimum goal of $25,000, and now several other local and national news sources have picked up the story. As further stories and interviews are aired, I'll update them here!
[B][url]http://www.ksdk.com/video/default.aspx?bctid=1382068002001[/url][/B]

A new interview video, but still behind on the good news that we've officially hit our first donation goal of $25,000!
[b][URL="http://www.kmov.com/news/local/Unusual-effort-and-deadline-for-Iraq-returning-vets-parade-in-STL-137281508.html"]http://www.kmov.com/news/local/Unusual-effort-and-deadline-for-Iraq-returning-vets-parade-in-STL-137281508.html[/URL][/b]

People are makin' it happen in a big way.
[B][url="http://www.kmov.com/video?id=137321963&sec=549692"]http://www.kmov.com/video?id=137321963&sec=549692[/url][/B]

PSA calling out to companies and citizens who wish to show their support. All of our work so far has been out-of-pocket, but even with a very small personal budget, we're doing our best to get the word out. Please help by pimping this video!
[B][URL="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6MsZzyAWBY&feature=youtu.be"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6MsZzyAWBY&feature=youtu.be[/URL][/B]

[B][U][URL="http://www.facebook.com/groups/300720723305074/"]Again, please "Like" our Facebook group to help spread the news and influence of this charity event![/URL][/U][/B]]

[h2]Important Update[/h2]
Our sponsor is finally officially on board, and has set up a web page for the movement! The Mission Continues group, one of the largest veterans services organizations in the country, is fully supporting and backing the [I]Welcome Home the Heroes[/I] event! They've set up an easy online donation page for anybody interested in supporting the movement. All proceeds go directly to this group and benefit veterans and the families of veterans.

[B][url]http://www.missioncontinues.org/welcomehomeheroes[/url][/B]

[ewitwins]

Wow, of course! I'll see if I can print out some courtesy posters. I'm not quite sure what I can do here in Arizona, would you have any suggestions?

I was thinking along the lines of simply putting up posters asking people to thank our men and women as they come back home.

Also, as a side-note, do you have a smartlink or whatever those labels that you can scan with a smartphone called? I could put it on the poster and hang them about the University.

[Big Dumb Patriot]

We don't have anything like that, man, but it's a great idea! Neither my nor I have a smart phone capable of scanning those links, but if you know how to set one up, that'd be great! I'm planning on hitting the town this weekend with a stack of flyers, and a smart link would definitely help. Not many people take the time to write down event details, but scanning them in with a phone is quick and easy!

I appreciate the offer to help design flyers, we could definitely use some! Here's what we've got so far in our custom art pool, if you want to draw from any of our available sources:

[quote][img]http://a4.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/399817_10150461610382874_558172873_8733542_178223300_n.jpg[/img][/quote]

[quote][img]http://a7.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/399619_10150459855772874_558172873_8727157_1618766016_n.jpg[/img][/quote]

[quote][img]http://a4.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/384952_10150459847282874_558172873_8727107_1569454019_n.jpg[/img][/quote]

[quote][img]http://a2.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/405426_10150459846162874_558172873_8727104_2054137500_n.jpg[/img][/quote]

[editline]13th January 2012[/editline]

And a new video:

[B][URL="http://www.kmov.com/news/local/Unusual-effort-and-deadline-for-Iraq-returning-vets-parade-in-STL-137281508.html"]http://www.kmov.com/news/local/Unusual-effort-and-deadline-for-Iraq-returning-vets-parade-in-STL-137281508.html[/URL][/B]

[blacksam]

It would be better to do a page as opposed to a group. People can see pages you've liked, not groups.

[Big Dumb Patriot]

[QUOTE=blacksam;34198124]It would be better to do a page as opposed to a group. People can see pages you've liked, not groups.[/QUOTE]

That's what the "Share" button is for, my man.

[blacksam]

[QUOTE=Big Dumb American;34198147]That's what the "Share" button is for, my man.[/QUOTE]

Sharing is communism.
Waiting for my request to be accepted.

[PvtCupcakes]

I certainly wouldn't call these people heroes. More like fools. Especially the guy carrying around loaded weapons in the middle of a big city who saw an old lady on a bus and thought he was helping Iraq by shooting people.

[highlight](User was banned for this post ("Trolling - you do this far too often" - verynicelady))[/highlight]

[lordcrypto]

BDA, is the closest thing to a website the facebook group?

If it is, here's the QR code.
[img]http://i.imgur.com/nCl35.png[/img]

[editline]13th January 2012[/editline]

Here's a QR code with a little event info.
[t]http://i.imgur.com/fZqwt.png[/t]

Also, BDA, if you need to make one: [url]http://qrcode.kaywa.com/[/url]

[Big Dumb Patriot]

Another news interview!

[url]http://www.kmov.com/video?id=137321963&sec=549692[/url]

[spaceghost]

I live about 40 miles from st louis, I would love to contribute to it, I can't spend a lot of money right now but i'll make a small donation, every bit helps.

[Shazmind]

[QUOTE=PvtCupcakes;34198437]I certainly wouldn't call these people heroes. More like fools. Especially the guy carrying around loaded weapons in the middle of a big city who saw an old lady on a bus and thought he was helping Iraq by shooting people.

[highlight](User was banned for this post ("Trolling - you do this far too often" - verynicelady))[/highlight][/QUOTE]

You're invited to go live in Afgahnistan or Iraq at any time you know

[Big Dumb Patriot]

We have most definitely reached the tipping point. After five interviews tonight, the local and national media is putting the event details out there in force, and support is coming in faster than we can handle. In the past three hours, our Facebook group has grown by over four hundred members, and donation pledges are pinging at amazing rates.

In the morning, a group of volunteers (myself included!) are approaching several prominent Saint Louis figures and businesses to hopefully enlist their support.

Though we're trying not to be [I]too[/I] optimistic, at this rate we're tentatively setting our sights on a $100,000 pledge mark.

[lordcrypto]

You guys really need a website or something with a donation meter.

[Big Dumb Patriot]

We're working on it! Our sponsor has to set up the donations page to allow for easier collection of private donations. As it stands, all donations must be made via faxing in a signed document, which is not something that many people can do! However, the organizers are not legally entitled to personally collect money for this event, and so they cannot set up the donation page themselves. As soon as our sponsor has an easier donation system in place (hopefully sometime tomorrow, early afternoon), we'll be pimping it at every opportunity!

[editline]13th January 2012[/editline]

New video:

[url="http://www.fox2now.com/news/ktvi-local-organization-wants-to-welcome-home-iraq-veterans-20120113,0,6799375.story"]http://www.fox2now.com/news/ktvi-local-organization-wants-to-welcome-home-iraq-veterans-20120113,0,6799375.story[/url]

[editline]13th January 2012[/editline]

[quote]
[img]http://a3.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/s720x720/380381_342892345728500_100000232120812_1381067_197898847_n.jpg[/img]

"In this pic, we were out on a mission with the Iraqis again. In this picture, you can see two Iraqi Interpreters that sacrificed their lives, along with their families to help the Coalition Forces. One was named "Arkon", while the other was "Tony".

Both of these two patriots were vital to our safety!"[/quote]

[lordcrypto]

I notice that even that video that you just posted is still saying that you guys are short of the 25k goal.

[Big Dumb Patriot]

They were all filmed earlier in the day, and are just now being aired.

[Funky Mummy]

Knowing how many innocent people have been killed by the US military, I personally refuse to call these men heroes.
They are heroes in America, just like the Taliban are considered heroes in the various countries that they originate from. (Considered heroes by those who support them obviously)

And knowing that the US will most likely invade Iran this year, it only makes me stand by that statement even more. More innocent people will suffer.

If you ask me, a true hero is somebody who helps people and not by hurting innocent people in the process.

[B]Edit:[/B]

However, I still congratulate you on the success of the charity. Well done.

[Big Dumb Patriot]

I can dig it. But in the end, this isn't a matter of politics. Whether you were "for" or "against" the war in Iraq (or war in general) doesn't come in to play here. These are men and women who went through hell for what they believed was right, and who made sacrifices that most people can barely imagine. Some of them sacrificed far too much. This parade is to thank them for those sacrifices, and to thank them for everything they accomplished and tried to accomplish, and to give them access to services and charities that will help them to reunite with their families and friends now that they've finally been allowed to come home, for however short a time.

This isn't just for the soldiers, either. It's for everybody who suffered for this war. It's for their families. It's for people like Ali, the interpreter, who put himself and his family at risk to overturn an oppressive and fanatical power, who had to flee his very country in the face of death once his identity was compromised, and who doesn't regret a thing. It's for the other interpreters, who didn't make it out so lucky. It's for the Iraqi forces who rallied behind the Western forces to help reclaim their country. It's for the European forces, who sacrificed no less. It's for the private engineers and volunteers who built schools, hospitals, and cafeterias. It's for every innocent life cut short by an improvised explosive device, or a stray round, or a rogue bomb. It's for the hope that one day these things won't be necessary anymore.

It's a celebration that it's over. There are other wars and there will be new wars, but this one is done. We're out, and moving out. Isn't that something worth celebrating?

[quote]
[img]http://a8.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/392171_2662986252534_1192295387_32315324_1845988744_n.jpg[/img]
[img]http://a4.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/405707_2662996412788_1192295387_32315332_1708489960_n.jpg[/img]
[img]http://a7.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/196709_1705339791971_1192295387_31585178_5471323_n.jpg[/img]
[img]http://a5.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/190379_1705342472038_1192295387_31585191_5044105_n.jpg[/img]
[img]http://a8.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/382944_2662981852424_1192295387_32315318_1511702695_n.jpg[/img]

Iraqi Kids Day, a monthly event at Joint Base Balad, Iraq.[/quote]

[Funky Mummy]

You are correct. I guess I just got locked up on the whole "hero" thing. Apologies, you are indeed doing a great thing. :smile:

[Jedi_Rayne]

I live all the way in California, and don't really have any spare money to donate, but I joined the group on Facebook, and will spread the word, if only to just bring attention to it.

[Big Dumb Patriot]

Our sponsor is finally officially on board, and has set up a web page for the movement! The Mission Continues group, one of the largest veterans services organizations in the country, is fully supporting and backing the [I]Welcome Home the Heroes[/I] event! They've set up an easy online donation page for anybody interested in supporting the movement. All proceeds go directly to this group and benefit veterans and the families of veterans.

[url]http://www.missioncontinues.org/welcomehomeheroes[/url]

[FKop_Dragon]

I really liked the story about the guy giving half his herd in thanks. It was really heart-warming.

[lordcrypto]

New new new QR code for the missioncontinues.org one.
[img]http://i.imgur.com/Gznuw.png[/img]

[Big Dumb Patriot]

With these QR codes, if I put them on a flyer can I adjust their size, or do they need to remain at their current scale?

[lordcrypto]

They should be adjustable.

[editline]14th January 2012[/editline]

Just tested, they do. Just scale them evenly so they remain in a ratio of 234px:234px

[Reserved Parkin]

This is a great organization. It never ceases to amaze me how much troops get support from home, unlike the Vietnam War. Years from now, when we are old, we can look back as the first 'Digital Generation' who grew up during times of war. Interesting.

[Big Dumb Patriot]

This event only continues to grow, but we need your help! This is more important than any other thing we've asked for so far. It's more important than joining the Facebook page, more important than private donations, more important than flyers or pimping or anything else!

I need you to simply click "attending" on this Facebook page, and ask a friend or two to do the same.

[url]http://www.facebook.com/events/155536264556094/[/url]

We're trying to prove to our corporate sponsors that donating to this event is a good PR move that will benefit their business as well as our charity, and this virtual event is how we plan to do it. We need raw numbers, so that we can go back to the news agencies and say, "look at how many people are advertising these businesses now because of their donations."

I don't care where you live or what your stance on any of this charity business is, I'm asking you, as a personal favor to me, to please just click "attending," and maybe ask a friend or two to do the same thing. The only effort it requires of you is the time it takes to wait for the page to load so you can click a button. With enough people endorsing this bit of advertising, more corporate sponsors will jump on board.

[st0rmforce]

So is this kind of an American version of [url=http://www.helpforheroes.org.uk/]Help for Heroes[/url]?
Nice job BDA's dad.

[Reserved Parkin]

I clicked the 'Going' button. That's the same as attending, I hope.