So what's new for the summer? Since the stand down, we are not planning specific events, rather we are in a support mode for other programs as they continue their missions of troop support.   We've begun the "Speak My Name and I Am Not Forgotten" page on Facebook, and we invite you to post photos and the stories of your loved ones we've lost over the years.   No matter the uniform, if they are in service to our country ... or our ally countries ... They are welcome.  HEADS UP!  ... Due to the high cost of gas at the time the tour was to begin, and budget constraints put on so many of the departments we would visit, this tour was canceled!  ) :  As you might imagine, this decision was made with a heavy heart, but we could not justify the cost.  We had a vehicle donated, but it would average about 11mph.  Do the math at over $4 a gallon for over 12,000 miles, and you will see what we were up against. We are planning and plotting our 5th & final tour!!! We will hit the road on April 30th and return June 18th.  The tour will, as always - in tribute to US Army Stryker Jake Herring - take us to 55 hometowns.  It encompasses more than 12,000 miles, and will take 7 weeks to accomplish. The final route will be ready for presentation on New Year's Day, as is our tradition.  In the meantime, if your department is interested in having us do a stop, please contact us right away.  We have a basic route planned so far, if you're along the way, you never know ...

Rest in peace, Jake April 28, 2010 ... OPEN LETTER FROM THE DIRECTOR OF THE HERO TO HERO TROOP MORALE CAMPAIGN -  THE HERO SHIRT PLEDGE DRIVE IS CLOSED!    Tomorrow, April 28th, is a most significant day in our history. Until that day, Hero To  Hero was a Washington State based program to honor Washington's deployed troops.    Our message was that our first responders were willing to give the very shirts off their  backs - regardless of their personal politics. It was truly about the warrior, not the war.    Why did April 28th make the program change? Because that was the day that war became  personal. That was the day our own family member was killed in Iraq. This program  honors, specifically, two fallen heroes ... US Army Stryker, Sgt Jake Herring & Tacoma  police officer James G Lewis.  Both were killed in their respective lines of duty. Both served  in the military. Both were memorialized the same day in early May.    I attended both memorials and (probably while in the grief process) determined that we  needed to do more than just add a name to a wall ... we needed to honestly remember.  And  so it was that the national - and eventual international - Hero Shirt Drive began.  And  what a "drive" it was!     Honoring one of Jake's loves, we chose the number 55 for his then retired high school  football jersey. And I personally drove nearly every mile of the (inter)national tours to  honor the fallen & wounded. The tours were 55 cities, over 12,000 miles & lasted up to 6  weeks on the road.  Many thanks to my son, Beau Jackson, Kathy (Green) Campton,  Kelly Averbeck,  & JeeNee Caron, for their support & all they did to help as co-Road Warriors!   We did 4 tours with an equivalency of twice around the equator by the time I was forced to  quit after developing osteo-arthritis in my knees. We have been able to send more than  35,000 shirts off the backs of heroes to our desert-deployed and wounded troops since   Jake & James died, and met some amazing people.    Why do I tell you this? Because tomorrow on the 6th anniversary of Jake & James deaths,  the Hero Shirt Pledge Drive is closed!  Does this mean I have changed my mind or heart?   No! What it means is that I can simply no longer try so hard to do what seemed so simple  when the emotions of war enabled so many to open their hearts for our troops.    This was a difficult decision to make, and a long time coming.  I tried, and a lot of other  people tried to help. as well.  But I can honestly look in the mirror and know that along  with some pretty great people we have done such wonderful things for so many ... And we  should all be very proud of that!    Angry?  No.  Maybe a little sad, but let's look at this as a positive.  We can still do good for  the morale of our troops.  What does this mean to our supporters?  It means that if a troop  contacts us personally for a shirt we will try to make that happen via our contacts, but we  will no longer seek to make the Pledges happen, and the stateside drive is over.    Many of you are not aware that in the States, I have been running the program single-  handedly for over two years.  (The situation is the same in Canada, as the entire program  is handled personally by Sarnia firefighter, Kevin McHarg.)  After 7 years of this, I can tell  you personally that the work is never-ending, the pay is non-existent, the costs are many,  & the rewards are unbelievable.    Our teams were composed of mostly Gold Star families, or wounded troops & their  families ... They would eventually get medically boarded & start trying to fight for their  veterans rights, as that became all consuming for them, there was simply no time left to give to this  cause.  It hurt, but we understood.  And to be honest, the economy did none of us any favors.    So am I going to fold up & go away?  Should I?  Suppose that is up to all of you.  My  thought is that rather than asking anyone to Pledge shirts, why not give the gift of words  & thoughts from our heart? (Still, NO politics & NO pro/antiwar stances!)  I will still do  what I can to honor and pay respects to the men and women who selflessly put their lives  at risk for us everyday ... photo ops, visits & morale efforts for the military, veterans, fire,  police & EMS.  My heart has not changed.    The Pledge/Message form will now allow ANYONE who wants to post their message for  their desert-deployed troops to a map that everyone can see & read ... Most importantly,  our troops.  You can also add photos and/or video messages.    While our friends to the north are more than welcome to join us & send messages to the  troops, please remember, THERE ARE NO CHANGES TO HERO TO HERO TEAM CANADA'S  PROGRAM!!!! Shirts are still needed & are collected as we did in the beginning of the  stateside program. http://www.herotoheroteamcanada.com/HomePage.html    Thank you to everyone who has & does support the Hero To Hero Troop Morale Campaign,  and for all of you who stepped up for your troops via your Pledges and your shirts …      Like it or not, you are heroes!    lj   P.S ... One person CAN make a difference. Go to our Pledge page & make a difference for a troops morale!   Liz Jackson                                                                                                                                     Director/Founder                                                                                                                                              Hero To Hero Troop Morale Campaign                                                                    www.herotohero.us heroshirts@aol.com    “Troops don’t choose their battles any more than firefighters or police”                                                                                                                                     Hero To Hero Troop Morale Campaign