To honor fallen heroes on Memorial Day weekend, The Travis Manion Foundation (TMF)recruited thousands of volunteers, across the U.S. on Sunday, to do one special thing uniformly together in what's called, #THEHONORPROJECT.
#THEHONORPROJECT is an event where about 2,000 volunteers nationwide visit 45 cemeteries, including Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery in San Diego, to place tokens down on the graves of fallen heroes and take photos to send to their loved ones.
“It’s a very special moment because they can’t be here,” said Sam Neuhauser, TMF's West Regional Manager. “Those pictures are submitted to the family members, so they know that their loved ones or battle buddies were visited for Memorial Day.”
Neuhauser said about 10,000 grave sites will be visited nationwide on Sunday as part of #THEHONORPROJECT.
One volunteer, Jamie Yslas, participated on Sunday morning to honor his father and wife, who are buried at different national cemeteries.
"Circumstances can take you away from the grave site of your loved ones, so being able to connect with them via this token, via this picture, lets you be connected and remember their service," Yslas said.
Neuhauser said TMF volunteers were also able to visit the grave sites of 23 Medal of Honor recipients buried at Ft. Rosecrans. The volunteers were able to place Medal of Honor flags upon their grave sites as well.
#THEHONORPROJECT was started by TMF. The foundation was named after Travis Manion, a fallen Marine who made the ultimate sacrifice in 2007. Manion was killed in Iraq by a sniper while trying to save his comrades.
Since its inception in 2001, the project has grown each year. "Our main purpose is to provide opportunities for veterans and families of fallen, for the community to go out and serve together," Neuhauser said.
For Memorial Day weekend, TMF has a matching program set up for double the impact of contributions. Donations at different levels support specific purposes to help families of fallen heroes:
- $25 - Supports personal development for surviving families to help navigate grief;
- $50 - Helps families of the fallen serve alongside each other in honor of fallen heroes;
- $75 - Assists with travel costs so families of the fallen can connect on TMF Expeditions.
