Wish Inspires New Life for Photographer

This is a testimonial written by veteran Travis Dowling as a follow-up blog published in February 2013. His original story can be found here.

About two years ago I asked Hope For The Warriors® for new camera equipment as part of the A Warrior’s Wish® program. At the time I had just been medically retired from the Army after 11 years of service and had to sell most of my equipment to pay bills and provide food for my family. After the Wish was fulfilled, it drastically changed and continues to have a huge impact on my life.

Today, I am living out my dream of taking photos at sporting events. I am the Sports Editor at the Northern Light Newspaper, the student paper at the University of Alaska Anchorage, where I am currently on pace to graduate with a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and Public Communication in May 2015. Through this position, I have had the opportunity to photograph NCAA basketball and hockey events, along with landscapes around Alaska. Upon graduation, I am applying to Indiana Purdue University to pursue a Masters Degree in Sports Journalism.

My education at UAA and my love and passion to tell stories through the lens of a camera gave me the chance to make a documentary about homelessness called Homelessness: Giving Hope to Those in Need, which can be viewed here. The documentary was screened at the UAA Student Film Screening. To read more about Homelessness: Giving Hope to Those in Need, please visit the Alaska Commons review article here.

It is my desire to use a variety of cameras to bring attention to the public about social issues such as homelessness. My next goal is to purchase a new Nikon digital camera with video to continue pursuing my career. Once I am able to purchase the new camera, my goal is to make a documentary of the effects of war on the children that had parents lost or injured in Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom.

All photos credited to Travis Dowling

All You Need to Know: Jacksonville Run

If you're participating in this Saturday's Run For The Warriors® in Jacksonville, NC, here's all the information you need to know about packet pick-up, registration, and scheduling.

Friday, May 16, 2014
11:00 am - 1:00 pm--Packet Pick-up at Marston Pavilion, aboard Camp Lejeune
3:00 pm - 6:00 pm--Packet Pick-up at the Jacksonville High School Stadium 

Saturday, May 17, 2014
6:00 am - 7:00 am--Same Day Registration & Packet Pick-up at the Jacksonville High School Stadium
6:50 am--Opening Ceremony 
7:00 am--Half Marathon Start (Each race will begin 5 minutes after the start of the previous race in order)
10K Start 
5K Start 
1-Mile Walk/Run Start 

11:00 am--Award Ceremony

Not running but want to help?  We can always use more volunteers!  Contact Leslie Hunt for more details.

Vintage T Anyone?

This is the 9th annual run in Jacksonville which means that we have a lot of different T-shirt designs out there!  Wear your vintage Run For The Warriors® T-shirt on Saturday and show us your long-time support to Hope For The Warriors® and to our military families!

Bonus Tips for Race Day:

We strongly encourage you to do packet pick-up Friday, May 16, to save time Saturday morning. We also recommend getting to the race early on Saturday to ensure that you are there for the ceremony and the race start.

Happy running!

New Meaning for the Marine Corps Marathon

The following was written by Tiffany, a Marine Corps spouse who shares her account of how Hope For The Warriors® supported her young family from day one.

My husband Jeff has been part of Team Hope For The Warriors® as a handcyclist for a year now. Through Team Hope For The Warriors®, he has made some amazing friends and has been able to attend some races he's been wanting to do for quite some time. When the Marine Corps Marathon date was released for 2013, he really wanted to go, not only because he's a Marine but also because it was on his birthday. Hope For The Warriors® contacted him about attending and he jumped at the chance. I was 29 weeks pregnant when we flew to Washington DC for the marathon and little did I know that Hope For The Warriors® would be our angel in disguise. 

We went to the Team dinner Saturday night and I started having some pains. Jeff thought it may be from all the walking around so we left the dinner early to relax at the hotel. About 10:30 p.m., I was in a lot of pain and it wasn't going away. When Jeff called the Team director and asked where the closest hospital was, she decided to come to the hotel and take us herself. As it turns out I was in active labor, which couldn't be stopped. 

Our beautiful baby girl was delivered via emergency c-section on October 27, 2013 at 1:23 a.m. She was 2 lbs 8 oz, 12 inches long. We named her Emmalyn Arlene Chaffin. She shares her birthday with my husband. Jeff went on to complete the marathon on zero sleep and even made a PR. Hope For The Warriors® president came and visited me in the hospital, which was amazing. She said they would help us in any way they could. Hope For The Warriors® really helped us when we needed it the most. 

After I got discharged from the hospital, they got me a rental car so I could get to and from the hospital. They provided us with a social worker on their staff, who was always there to answer any questions, help me with the meetings with the doctors, and to just be there for emotional support. Six weeks later Texas Children’s Hospital picked us up, allowing Emmalyn and I to be reunited with my husband and two boys. Emmalyn was discharged from the NICU on Christmas Eve and it was the best Christmas gift. I'm so thankful to the entire Hope For The Warriors® Team for everything they did for us during that time, I can honestly say I don't know what we would have done without them.

Liberation Day: Honor and Remember

Dutch Children performed songs and dances for their Liberators

People often ask why I work for Hope For The Warriors® and why this work is so important to me.  The honor that I give to service members and veterans is directly related to my parents.

Liberation Day is May 5 in The Netherlands, the day that the country was freed from Nazi rule back in 1945.  My parents immigrated to the United States in 1956 with very little.  But coming to the United States with almost nothing, was better than trying to farm in a small country, still struggling after two world wars.

My parents knew firsthand the terror of living under the rule of an evil leader.  They knew the fear of an unexpected knock at the door and unwelcome German soldiers searching their home.  My parents tell stories of home searches—Germans looking for both people as well as hidden food supplies.  Their voices still held some of their fears as they shared their stories, but also some pride in the tricks that were used and never discovered.

My Mother with her family

My mother’s family had a shelter—dug just large enough for her parents, herself, and her ten brothers and sisters(Yes…13 of them!). And yet they still managed to hide one or two Allie soldiers that were separated from their platoon.  My father biked throughout his farming community, collecting food on a little cart that trailed behind him.  It was not until years later that he learned that the food was for those fighting in the resistance. 

My father on his farm

My daughter once interviewed my parents for her history project and asked the question, “Who was your hero?”  My parents quickly responded, “We had no heroes.  If you looked to anyone as a hero, they would have been taken away and killed.”

The Allies and the Liberation of the Netherlands changed that.  The service members became their heroes and that has never changed, even 70 years later.  Because of those men, I did not have the same experiences that my parents had growing up.  I have no idea what it is like to live in fear of a knock on the door.

Growing up, Memorial Day meant parades in my small town. Following the parade was a Memorial Day Service, honoring those who had made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedoms.  As a child, I wanted to run off with my friends but my mom never allowed that.  My mom’s life, and therefore my life, would have been significantly different had it not been for the sacrifices of those who served. Those men paid the ultimate sacrifice, giving me the life I have today.  She was determined that I learn this important lesson.

My parents married in 1956 and boarded this ship 10 days later

Not everyone can draw such a direct line from these sacrifices to his or her daily life.  Yet each one of us lives in a country with freedoms and privileges vastly greater than the majority of people in this world. My mom and dad’s experiences allowed me to see both ends of the freedom spectrum, and thanks to that important lesson, I recognize the need to thank and support our military. And perhaps even more important, because of the thousands of men and women who have served and continue to serve in our military, I am conscious of and grateful for these freedoms for my parents, my family, and myself.