 OBJECTIVE The objective of this foundation is to grant the last wish of the U.S. service members who have been lost in Operation Iraqi Freedom: to provide for their children.
PLAN
CALL TO ACTION Until recently, most of the fighting in U.S. wars had been done by 19 year old
draftees, few of whom had families. But the institution of an all volunteer army has changed the demographics
of the U.S. armed forces. Now, most U.S. servicemembers are career soldiers with families.
Recently there has been considerable debate about how many billions of dollars we should spend to
rebuild Iraq. But first we must take care of our own. Many of our servicemembers have made the
ultimate sacrifice for us; now we must make a small sacrifice for them. Soon we will welcome home our troops from the war in Iraq with celebrations, parades and joyous reunions. But the families of fallen servicemembers will have to deal with loss, grief, and the financial stress of losing of their principal breadwinner. The benefits provided by the government to the survivors of servicemembers are insufficient to raise a family. This issue is not political. In fact, it is one thing that those who are passionately in favor of the Operation Iraqi Freedom can agree on with those who are passionately opposed to the war. If you are in favor of Operation Iraqi Freedom: the reason that these children have no one to protect them is that their father or mother fell on the battlefield protecting your children. Now, it is your responsibility to protect their children. If you are opposed to Operation Iraqi Freedom: contributing to this cause shows your compassion for the innocent casualties of a war that you oppose while proving that you support our troops. Everywhere you hear politicians and business executives expressing their gratitude to the servicemembers who gave their lives in Operation Iraqi Freedom. But gratitude is not enough; gratitude does not house, clothe, feed, or educate their children. FREEDOM IS NOT FREE, BUT THE COST SHOULD NOT BE BORNE PRIMARILY BY THE INNOCENT CHILDREN OF OUR SERVICEMEMBERS. IT IS TIME TO PAY FOR YOUR FREEDOM. HISTORY April 3, 2003: While watching a network broadcast showing the children of U.S. servicemembers who had been lost in the war in Iraq, Dan O'Dowd, CEO of Green Hills Software, Inc., realized that these children were shouldering the largest burden of the U.S. war effort. That is when the need for private action to provide for these children became clear to him. April 9, 2003: The foundation is formed. April 10, 2003: The foundation and its objectives are announced. FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS What percentage of active duty U.S. servicemembers are married? How many children do active duty U.S. servicemembers have?
The average is almost 2 children per married active duty U.S. servicemember. (Click here to view a Military Times web page on U.S. servicemember demographics.)
How many servicemembers have been lost in Operation Iraqi Freedom?
Here is a Fox News report on this subject. What benefits do the survivors of servicemembers receive from the government?
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Grant Program Has Ended
Having reached our goal to offer financial assistance to 100 children of fallen heroes, we are now in the processing of shutting down this site.
We are no longer accepting contributions. Thank you for your support.
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