OMAHA, Neb., May 25, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- A 40-acre spot in northwest Nebraska will soon become a memorial for those who died while deployed after Sept. 11, 2001. Wounded Warriors Family Support plans to turn land it owns 12 miles east of historic Fort Robinson into a site that features a cultivar of the Rocky Mountain Juniper tree named "Blue Heaven."
"The Rocky Mountain Juniper is a beautiful tree that will remind us of the promise of everlasting life," said Col. John Folsom, USMCR (Ret.), founder and president of Wounded Warriors Family Support. "The tree color denotes loyalty and honor. Junipers are beautiful trees that are tough enough to endure the climate of northwest Nebraska.
"This will be a living memorial where we can watch a tree's steady growth from seedling to maturity, which will be emblematic of child to adult," he said. "In the same way, we will nurture and protect our memorial trees, all the while remembering those they represent."
There have been more than 6,850 soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines who have made the ultimate sacrifice in Operations Enduring Freedom, Freedom's Sentinel, Inherent Resolve, Iraqi Freedom and New Dawn.
Each memorial juniper will be dedicated to a service member and linked to an online database. The memorial also will have the names engraved.
"This visionary memorial project will inspire the families of these valiant soldiers, sailors and airmen and become a national treasure, developed in the Heartland, in a very special place that captures the solemnity and beauty of Nebraska and our country," said Wounded Warriors Family Support Board Member Hal Daub, a former congressman and Omaha mayor.
If you would like to honor a post 9/11 veteran or make a "Blue Heaven" memorial donation, contact Wounded Warriors Family Support Development Director Kevin Sander at 402-991-0857.
About Wounded Warriors Family Support Wounded Warriors Family Support is an independent nonprofit organization whose mission is to provide support to the families of those who have been wounded, injured or killed during combat operations. This organization is run by combat veterans for combat veterans. Rated a four-star nonprofit by Charity Navigator, Wounded Warriors Family Support aids veterans and their families in healing the wounds that medicine cannot. For more information about Wounded Warriors Family Support, visit www.wwfs.org.
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"The Rocky Mountain Juniper is a beautiful tree that will remind us of the promise of everlasting life," said Col. John Folsom, USMCR (Ret.), founder and president of Wounded Warriors Family Support. "The tree color denotes loyalty and honor. Junipers are beautiful trees that are tough enough to endure the climate of northwest Nebraska.
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"This will be a living memorial where we can watch a tree's steady growth from seedling to maturity, which will be emblematic of child to adult," he said. "In the same way, we will nurture and protect our memorial trees, all the while remembering those they represent."
There have been more than 6,850 soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines who have made the ultimate sacrifice in Operations Enduring Freedom, Freedom's Sentinel, Inherent Resolve, Iraqi Freedom and New Dawn.
Each memorial juniper will be dedicated to a service member and linked to an online database. The memorial also will have the names engraved.
"This visionary memorial project will inspire the families of these valiant soldiers, sailors and airmen and become a national treasure, developed in the Heartland, in a very special place that captures the solemnity and beauty of Nebraska and our country," said Wounded Warriors Family Support Board Member Hal Daub, a former congressman and Omaha mayor.
If you would like to honor a post 9/11 veteran or make a "Blue Heaven" memorial donation, contact Wounded Warriors Family Support Development Director Kevin Sander at 402-991-0857.
About Wounded Warriors Family Support Wounded Warriors Family Support is an independent nonprofit organization whose mission is to provide support to the families of those who have been wounded, injured or killed during combat operations. This organization is run by combat veterans for combat veterans. Rated a four-star nonprofit by Charity Navigator, Wounded Warriors Family Support aids veterans and their families in healing the wounds that medicine cannot. For more information about Wounded Warriors Family Support, visit www.wwfs.org.
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SOURCE Wounded Warriors Family Support
