Hello from Cleveland, Ohio! Exciting things are happening with the Honor and Remember Across America campaign. This is the first dispatch from the road that I've been able to put together, but there will be weekly updates from here until I return home in November.

Where to start! How about with our terrific welcome in Cleveland? I am on my way to the Cleveland Indians baseball stadium for Honor and Remember Night with a motorcycle escort courtesy of Rolling Thunder. This is just one of dozens of special moments that I've had in the first 30 days of our national effort to raise awareness about the Honor and Remember Flag.

This update will be a little longer than the ones to follow so that I can catch you up on all of the exciting news so far.

As you may know, Honor and Remember Across America is a five-month journey across the USA that will take us to every state capital. Our goal is to meet with local, state and federal political leaders in order ask for their endorsement for both state and federal recognition of the Honor and Remember Flag. At each stop my hope is to spend time with Gold Star families and share the vision of what we are doing as well as share stories of our loved ones. The most important moments are the presentation to many families with personalized flags.

On June 7, we set out on the first leg of our journey, which took us to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware, where we were met by the base commander, vice commander and chief of family support. The Dover facility is where our fallen heroes first come when they return to the USA. What an amazing place this is to welcome our heroes home! We had the privilege of presenting flags to the families of LCpl Richard James and SP4 Keith Campbell. Lots of tears of gratitude for the recognition of the sacrifice of these two Americans.

June 8 saw us head out of Delaware's capital after a successful meeting with state legislators. Our destination: Bel Air, Maryland, where we presented two more flags to Gold Star families. The next day, we visited the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, MD, where we had a great tour and fabulous lunch with several Gold Star families.

Next stop: New Jersey. Another flag presentation, this time for a family of a Vietnam War casualty. After leaving Trenton, we headed to New York City, where I appeared on the FOX News Strategy Room broadcast.

June 12 - Onward to Connecticut to attend a fallen heroes memorial celebration with many Gold Star families in attendance, including the widow of a Vietnam soldier.

On June 14, we met with our first governor (other than Bob McDonnell in our home state of Virginia). Rhode Island Governor Donald Carcieri signed our Pledge of Support, a document we are taking from state to state, asking lawmakers at every level of government to promise their support for recognizing the Honor and Remember Flag at the state and national levels.

June 15 we were in Boston, Massachusetts for a flag presentation within the halls of the state capital. Many legislators and Gold Star families in attendance.

Augusta, Maine was our next stop for a flag presentation for another Vietnam God Star mother. On June 18, we had a great meeting with Vermont Governor Jim Douglas.

June 21. Albany, New York. Met with two New York state senators and had a great interview on ABC Channel 10 News. We visited Syracuse and Rochester, which included a Patriot Guard escort to a Rochester Redwings game, where a special ceremony was held.

June 24 was a travel day to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. All along the way we have had the opportunity to stay with wonderful families and visit great churches. Governor Ed Rendell promised that the HR Flag will be flying in PA. On our way to the Pennsylvania's Heroes Walk outside Pittsburgh we passed the 3,000-mile mark after 18 days on the road.

Charleston, West Virginia was our next stopover. We met with Governor Joe Manchin III and held a ceremony for several Gold Star families. Then it was on to Cincinnati, Ohio, where we discovered that the Honor and Remember RV needed some brakes. God must have had his hand on us as we cross the mountains in West Virginia.

Today, July 2, we had a great press conference at the Ohio state house in Columbus. Two more flag presentations. On our way to the Cleveland Indians game.

As you can see, it's been an eventful month.

Monday we head for Traverse City, Michigan, where we will spend a few days before we head out for Indianapolis, Indiana.

Please check the Honor and Remember web site www.honorandremember.org for the Honor and Remember Across America itinerary. There are many expenses on our journey, one of the largest being gas. Please consider helping us financially or providing any other assistance as we come to your hometown. Contact us at the web site and let us know if you would like to be involved with any of the planned events in your state. Thank you for the continued prayers and encouragement.

God Bless
George
Sign the Petition ~ Share the Vision ~ Fly the Flag

From Downrange:

Kabul- Afghanistan

Byron Bird, Jr

(Selected verses from two poems, "A Father's Memory of His Son" and "High in the Mountains")

Twenty-nine years ago, I was wild as anyone could be;
I met a wonderful woman and asked her to marry me.
All our friends and family were at the wedding, they wished their very best;
A new and special love I found; this woman's patience I would sometimes test.

Nine months after the vows, there came into this world a bundle of joy.
It was a glorious day, she had given birth to a beautiful brown-eyed boy.
He was full of spirit and difficult at times; He was a lot of fun.
One of my greatest treasures: I loved him dearly, for he was my first son.

I watched him grow and he developed into a young man so wild and free.
He was like no other, one of God's greatest gifts, we called him Jeremy.
Growing tall and lean with a desire to be with the best;
The way he played football and wrestled, he stood out among the rest.

Graduation day came early for him in the year of ninety-one,
On the honor roll four years for being the best that he was among.
Most valuable football player and wrestler, he wouldn't settle for anything less.
After graduation, he gave up his Blazer and friends, then joined the Army to be with the best.

I asked him not to go; he said with firmness in his voice that he must do this for himself.
He was always G.I. Joe as a kid; his personal life would be put on the shelf.
Training was hard with many difficulties; running and marching, never time to sit.
He would become an Airborne Ranger, by their creed they were never allowed to quit.

I came home on the fateful day after work; I was tired and all worn out.
In drove the chief of police, a priest and a sergeant; I wondered what this was about.
His mother was the first to greet them, then turned to me with tears in her eyes;
For Jeremy had made the ultimate sacrifice and they told us how he died.

It was in a helicopter crash over the Great Salt Lake; it went down in a fiery flame.
He had volunteered for this mission, letting no one else take it, for he wouldn't be ashamed.
Sergeants, officers, enlisted men; the best of the best were together that fateful day;
All the rest of his Ranger buddies were on shore, but all they could do was pray.

There was such beauty at the cemetery, a blanket of white snow; the Rangers were standing so proud.
With prayers and farewells, a twenty-one-gun salute, then taps that touched the hearts in the crowd.
His mother laid a yellow rose on the casket, as an eerie gust of wind came down;
As the rose blew off, a Ranger out of nowhere caught it before it touched the ground.

I believe that gust of wind was taking his soul back to heaven, where he came from
Jeremy was only here for a short while; God's gift to me, my beloved son.
Two weeks after he had gone, I had a vision. It was Jeremy and he said to me,
"Get on with your life, I am at peace; you've grieved enough, just let it be."

As the days go by and time passes, his spirit keeps me moving on.
I will think of him often and the memory of where he is in the great beyond.
Someday this old cowboy will ride that horse alone to that mountaintop up high.
It will be a lonely ride, but it will be worth it to see my son, that Ranger in the sky! ............His Dad


NOTE: Honor and Remember is looking for positive stories about the young men and women who have died serving our country. We would like to share them in this newsletter and on a special page on our web site. The stories should be about 300-400 words in length and contain insights that capture the individual's personality and celebrate their life and honor their experiences in service, etc. We want to present a snapshot of our young heroes ... who they were and how those who loved them remember. Photos are welcome. Please send to contact@honorandremember.org



Laura Olisewski

It was one of those picture perfect days. You know the kind: sunny, an occasional white cloud in a deep, blue sky. It was about 70 degrees and there was a gentle, warm breeze - just perfect. I was in our backyard, picking blueberries from the more than 30 bushes we had when the chimes at the church at the end of our street started to play "America the Beautiful." I laughed because it was just too perfect - almost unreal.

Then I started to think about how truly blessed I am that I have the freedom to have all of these wonderful things in my life. The one thought that stuck in my mind was "freedom." I thought about all the soldiers, sailors and veterans that have fought for my freedom throughout the years, even years before I was born. It reminded me that I owe so much to them for what they have given me.

That is why I am such a strong supporter of the Honor and Remember campaign. The very least that I can do is to show the families of the fallen that I respectfully honor and remember what their hero gave for me. The Honor and Remember Flag helps me to do that, without needing to say a word, because it isn't always easy to find the words that truly express the feelings associated with such a tough situation.

My husband and I are honored to be VIP escorts at Rolling Thunder in Washington, D.C. We have Gold Star family members on the back seats of our motorcycles as we ride them through the streets of Washington, D.C. during the event. While doing this not long ago, we were honored to meet the Morel family. They lost their Marine son, Capt. Brent Morel, (a Navy Cross recipient for extraordinary heroism), on April 7, 2004 in Iraq. Coincidentally, my husband was serving in Iraq at the same time. We have now become close with the Morels.

When Adam and I got married this past August, we knew that it was because of the work that American soldiers and sailors like Capt. Morel that we were able to have the freedom to celebrate our wedding as we did. So we included a story about Capt. Morel and the Morel family in our wedding program. We also went on to explain about our Honor and Remember Flag that we had flying at the outdoor wedding and why we were flying it. Our friend Neil Cotter, who is also friends with the Morels, surprised us by showing up with Capt. Brent Morel's personalized Honor and Remember Flag, which had been shipped overnight by Molly Morel. So we were able to honor him in name at our wedding. It was truly a special day, but it was made all the more significant and memorable because we were able to show our guests how much we appreciate, recognize, honor and remember our fallen by flying the flag.

A friend of mine, Christine, a Gold Star Mom, once said that her greatest fear is that people will forget her son, Cpl. Steven Koch. That really stuck with me. Those words strengthened my resolve to make sure that Gold Star families know that I recognize their sacrifice and remember their hero every day ... and without a word.
Proud wife of Adam, an OIF 2004-2005 veteran!


We would like to Honor the sacrifice of the men and women who lost their lives this January and Remember them each specifically by name. Please pray for these families as they begin their journey of healing through this unimaginable devastation.

Spc. Josiah D. Crumpler, Spc. Matthew D. Huston, Spc. Ian T.D. Gelig, Lance Cpl. Carlos A. Aragon Sgt. Vincent L.C. Owens, Lance Cpl. Nigel K. Olsen, Sgt. Anthony A. Paci, Spc. Alan N. Dikcis, Sgt. Aaron M. Arthur, Spc. Lakeshia M. Bailey, Pvt. Nicholas S. Cook, Sgt. Jonathan J. Richardson, Pfc. Jason M. Kropat, Lance Cpl. Garrett W. Gamble, Cpl. Jonathan D. Porto, Pfc. Erin L. McLyman, Sgt. 1st Class Glen J. Whetten, Spc. Steven J. Bishop, Staff Sgt. Richard J. Jordan, Gunnery Sgt. Robert L. Gilbert II Sgt. Joel D. Clarkson, Chief Petty Officer Adam Brown, Spc. Robert M. Rieckhoff, Lance Cpl. Justin J. Wilson, Sgt. 1st Class Carlos M. Santos-Silva, Sgt. Maj. Robert J. Cottle, Lance Cpl. Rick J. Centanni Lance Cpl. Jacob A. Ross, Lance Cpl. Randy M. Heck, Pfc. James L. Miller, Pfc. Raymond N. Pacleb



With so much momentum in place and more progress ahead, we must focus on broadening awareness. That is why we will soon be taking the message to every state and launching "Honor and Remember Across America." Click here for trip info.

The trip will focus on taking the Honor and Remember message to 50 states with the hope that each state legislature will join Virginia's in officially adopting the flag. We will be giving presentations at various venues where we have been invited to speak, including houses of worship, veterans groups and community organizations. And most importantly, we will look forward to meeting many Gold Star families around the U.S. Our goals are to spread the word about the Honor and Remember Flag everywhere possible, to see the flag flying across America and to touch the lives of many families who have lost so much.



I want to thank Kate McLaughin and this organization for Honoring me with this flag. I lost my son Spc Mathew Taylor 09-26-07. I appreciate everything that you all are doing and to all our soldiers for protecting our USA. Thank you also to all the soldiers like my son that gave their lives so that we all can be free!!! God Bless us all!!! Cameron Park, CA

"THANK YOU" For way too long this nation's fallen have been reserved a place in the back of the bus, forgotten. Such has it been for our older warriors. In recent years, some of this still continues, yet there are still good, strong, honorable citizens that have stepped forward to hold our banner high and declare to all that they have what it takes to stand against the darkness. Many have fallen and this flag now honors them in a way that has never been done before. For this I say "THANK YOU". To all my brothers and sisters in uniform... Montrose, CO

I am with you. I am a retired navy man and will be proudly flying this right along side my POW/MIA flag from my front porch. Shingletown, CA

I think this is a great idea! My husband has been to Iraq and Afghanistan and believe this is a wonderful way to honor him and those who came back safely, but most importantly for those who will never come back. I think about them every day and hope that they know how grateful we all are!! Knoxville, IL

This is for my Son Cpl Tim Roos KIA July 27 06 and all of the others that lost there lives for are freedom . Thank you so much for honoring us. Cincinnati, OH

Our son, Cpl Michael J. Anaya was KIA 04/12/2009 on Easter Sunday morning. We are still struggling with our loss and yet are so proud of him! God Bless you for this effort - it is comforting to know that the Fallen Warriors are not forgotten. Crestview, FL

This is an awesome movement honoring those who are so easily forgotten or just counted as mere statistics of war. I serve in the Navy and have seen many friends go to Iraq and Afghanistan during this war. Do whatever it takes to get this flag in the air! God will honor this, I truly believe that! Newport News, VA

Thanks to all who have taken the time to leave such wonderful comments in our guestbook. There are hundreds more to read at www.honorandremember.org/guestbook.php



As of the publication of this newsletter, there are well over 35,000 total petition signatures. The numbers are steadily increasing as more supporters continue to spread the word. Our goal is 1.6 million signatures, one living person's name for each of those who have died for this country. If you haven't signed the petition, please follow the link now. If everyone will simply ask one other person to sign the petition each time we send out a newsletter, we can continue to double our numbers and reach our goal in eight months.
www.honorandremember.org/petition.php



As the number of Honor and Remember supporters across America grows, so does the number of opportunities to present flags to Gold Star families. Likewise, opportunities to promote the Honor and Remember Flag and get it flying are coming from all directions. We need volunteers, volunteers, volunteers!

For those reasons, Honor and Remember is in the process of developing a network of state chapters that will serve as the front line of future efforts to build recognition, involvement and support for our cause. From its beginning, Honor and Remember has been a grassroots effort. We truly believe that the only way we can accomplish our mission is with a "boots on the ground" presence in every state that will enable us to: identify and communicate with local Gold Star families; promote the flag and the cause to municipal and state officials; encourage corporate sponsorship; collect petition signatures; and organize local fundraising and promotional events. And most importantly present flags to generations of families who have sacrificed for us all.

If you have an interest in helping us build organized state chapters, please contact us at chapters@honorandremember.org. We are looking for volunteers with both experienced leadership and those with a willing heart to make a difference.

Alaska Chapter - AKchapter@honorandremember.org
Ohio Chapter - OHchapter@honorandremember.org
North Carolina Chapter - NCchapter@honorandremember.org
Virginia Chapter - VAchapter@honorandremember.org

Check the Status of HR 1034

Please consider contacting your House and Senate representatives in regard to Bill HR 1034 and tell them about the importance of supporting it. You can do this easily by visiting this web site and sending them an email:
writerep.house.gov/writerep/welcome.shtml

You can also check the status of HR 1034 by visiting the following web site, where you will be able to see if your representative has signed on as a co-sponsor of the bill. If not, ple ase continue to follow up with him or her until their name is added to the list.

Follow these steps:
Go to http://thomas.loc.gov/

Then type H.R.1034 in the Search Bill Summary & Status box.

Then click the Bill Number button. Then click the Search button.



We ask that you fly the Honor and Remember Flag at your home, church, business and organization or on your car or motorcycle. There are other ways to show support, such as T-shirts, hats, magnets, stickers and more. Also, we have lapel pins, cloth patches and coins. Please visit the Honor and Remember web store to see a full selection of products. Next to every "support our troops" sticker should be another to honor and remember those who gave their lives.
Visit our catalog page at http://www.honorandremember.info/zcart/



You have expressed your support for the Honor and Remember Flag campaign by signing our petition and purchasing flags. Please consider adding to that support by making a one-time or monthly contribution. By partnering with us you can help keep the campaign moving forward with city, state and federal adoption, public education and most importantly, your financial support will enable us to pay tribute to every family of a fallen hero. We have presented well over 200 flags since last year, averaging close to one every three days! But we can do more.

You can easily make a contribution on our website by clicking on this link: www.honorandremember.org/donation.php.

Your donation will help us to continue pressing on toward a national symbol of remembrance; recognizing our fallen military men and women more than two days a year, and leaving a legacy to all future generations.

Of course, another vital source of contributions is corporate sponsorships. We are working on contacting large companies who might want to get on board with this important cause. In particular, we have found significant interest on the part of companies that have relationships with some facet of the military. If you can suggest a company that we should contact for corporate sponsorship, please let us know at contact@honorandremember.org.

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The Honor and Remember Dispatch is devoted to keeping you informed about milestones, events and stories associated with the Honor and Remember National Flag Campaign.

OUR MISSION: Create, establish and promote a nationally recognized flag that would fly continuously as a visible reminder to people and nations, specifically for all lives lost in defense of our established freedoms. www.honorandremember.org/mission.php

PLEASE CLICK HERE TO FORWARD THIS UPDATE TO FAMILY, FRIENDS, CO-WORKERS AND VETERANS.