Harvard brings the American Veterans Traveling Tribute to Milky Way Park

Never forget …

The City of Harvard, Illinois Chamber of Commerce and Industry offered Harvard’s Milky Way Park to host the American Veterans Traveling Tribute from September 8 through September 11.

I’ve photographed several traveling Vietnam Wall displays for various organizations. I’m always powerfully moved by the Vietnam veterans who visit the names etched in stone, families who visit loved ones, and those experiencing the magnitude of sacrifice for the first time. Harvard brought that to their hometown – and so much more.

This display is different. Retired US Army Lt. Col. and Vietnam veteran Don Allen, owner of the AVTT, told me that one night he had come up with a way to honor all veterans in a tangible way.

“This tribute includes the Wall,” he explained, “but it is so much more. It brings the younger generation out because we honor Dessert Storm, Afghanistan, Iraq, Grenada, Korea – all of it. It honors those who died on September 11th. …It is about every sacrifice.”

So, I went with my dear Vietnam Veteran friend, and I was particularly touched by the peaceful field in front of the all-too-familiar Vietnam Wall.

I had the great privilege to meet Retired US Army Lt. Col. Ryan Yantis, Pentagon Survivor, last year. His book caused me to think about September 11 in a different way. Wandering the field, I re-read the timelines, walked from A-frame to A-frame, and spent time taking the names of those who had perished.  

I meandered to the more recent losses, looking for the names of friends’ children who had paid the ultimate sacrifice. I looked through the older wars and thought about how different these experiences have been, yet, they are unified in both grief and in loss.

This grief is not limited to those whose lives were cut short. No, this grief is also the loss of innocence, the loss of who they once were, the loss of relationships that once were strong but now have waned. It is the loss of a feeling of belonging. It is the knowledge that they have experienced things that almost no one has – except for their military brothers and sisters. 

So this Wall, combined with the large field of remembrance, provides space. So many Vietnam veterans, Vietnam-Era veterans, and families of these veterans have found solace touching the names etched in the towering wall, maintaining a connection, knowing they are not alone, allowing grief to pour over them as they embrace the enormity of the loss. Here is their place to heal. 

With the American Veterans Traveling Tribute, all veterans and veteran families can touch the names that are often held in the silence of their hearts. This tribute is for them. They have suffered losses that many cannot comprehend. They know they will never be the person they were before they embarked on that journey. They, too, carry the weight of combat on their shoulders. While they wander the field, they are given the same opportunity to visit with those lost and to share the stories that are so important alive. Here is their place to heal.

On the cusp of yet another anniversary of the September 11 Attacks, I am grateful for the opportunity this tribute provides. What I learned from Lt. Col. Yantis was that the impact of those planes reverberated across the nation and beyond, and the overpowering waves of emotion continues today to wash into the lives of those who witnessed it, lived it, and responded to it. Here is their place to heal.

Healing comes in many forms. We never forget the trauma nor the loss, but we find hope in those who touch a shoulder while we weep, who offer a prayer of peace, who stand in silence to support us, and who wait patiently as we decide if we want to share our story.

But there we stand. United in hope just as much as we are in grief.

Allen’s tribute is made in the United States of black anodized marine-grade aluminum in his shop. The A-frames are updated as new information comes his way. Harvard is the only location in Illinois that the AVTT will be this season, and the Traveling Tribute will be there through Sunday.

The Cost of Freedom is Immense

It is hard to talk about those who have paid the ultimate price of war. It is hard to remember those who sacrificed so much for our country and who answered the call when asked to serve.

I’ve met several Gold Star families over the years ~ and I’ll never forget those initial interactions. Sometimes you hear in passing, sometimes you interview them, sometimes you watch them give a talk. There are tears, there are smiles, and, often, there is a passionate commitment to the military. While Memorial Day is a day to remember those who have gone, those who stand in the wake of their death should also never be forgotten.

Those who stood beside them when they took their last breath, those who count them as brother or sister, bonded together by service, those who loved them … they live with loss and grief and pain. This year I interviewed a man who lost 16 men in his unit in Iraq … and he’s lost almost that many to suicide in the years that have followed. The cost of war is immense. May we never forget that.

Military friends, if I see you in your dress blues today, or I see your cap and I thank you for your service, please know that I know that today is about your fallen brothers and sisters, but I also know that the impact of this day on you is great. And I am thinking about you as you remember those who have gone before you.

Yesterday, my family and I went on a little walk around the cemeteries. We were hoping to locate all four of our local military men who were Killed In Action in Vietnam. We found three, but, watching my girls stop at various headstones and think about the many men and women who have served was powerful. I am so thankful to those men and women who have crossed my path over these many years – they have shared their stories, they have shared the stories of their loved ones, they have allowed deep wounds to surface. Because of you, my children are more respectful citizens, and more appreciative of our military. Because of you, my children know the cost of war. Because of you, my children are growing up in a land of freedom. Because of you … my children went to the cemetery and spent a couple of hours looking for gravesites without any idea where they may be. Because of you, we paused to remember three, but many more as we continued our journey.

Midwest Women Riders ~ Get Your Groove On 2022 @ Woodstock Harley Davidson

I spent yesterday surrounded by some enthusiastic, energetic, and exhilarating women at Woodstock Harley-Davidson.

I met Ellie Rains and Stacie Balmes last year for the Midwest Women Riders event, Get Your Groove On 2021. Six hundred women came to Woodstock, and the group made their presence known – making noise, making friends, and making a difference in the lives of local veterans thanks to their charitable donations.

This year, these ladies, once again, came to Woodstock for MWR GYGO 2022.

While I, myself, am not a motorcycle rider, I do enjoy photographing and writing about bikes and riders. There is something about their ability to bond with one another and to make friends just about anywhere that always impresses me. (Also, they are so much cooler than I ever will be!)

These women, confident and full of joy, were line dancing when I got there prior to the group photo and the onlookers were dancing themselves – on their own, in groups, with friends. They had spent Friday attending workshops that educated women bikers about how to deal with trauma situations, packing hacks, and travel tips – topics they all seemed to say were incredibly helpful.

The ride seemed to be a favorite among the women who had come from 17 states. The group rode in the open-air throughout the beautiful countryside with a police escort. As the gentle roar descended upon farm country, the ladies hoped to raise awareness of a journey that is unique to everyone. 

Motivational speaker, author, motorcyclist, and crash-survivor Momma D. Diamond spoke to the women about being their best self – both in and out of the saddle. She brought her exceptional energy to the group, making each woman feel like the most important woman in the room when she spoke with them. Though I wasn’t able to stay for her talk, she granted me a small interview that turned into a friendly conversation – and, this woman was kind of amazing. I want to read her book – 50 States of Consciousness. (She’s ridden in all 50 states – twice!)

The event raised money for Turning Point – an organization that confront domestic abuse in McHenry County and LifeSpring in Aurora.  These groups were chosen because they help women become empowered and support them through difficult times.

All ride participants were gifted a handmade and unique pendant which represented the distinctive journey each of these women have taken – whether in health, in careers, in motorcycling, or in life. No one’s journey is the same.

As I think about the people who brought me to this event – Ellie and Stacey – I think about how many lives their own journeys impact. Ellie loved riding so much, and felt that women needed to have more people in their corner, that she single-handedly envisioned and created the not-for-profit group that is Midwest Women Riders. Her journey is shared with many in a public way. Stacey’s journey is more private, and, I’ve watched her share bits and pieces of that as I’ve come to know her, quietly leaving her mark on my own journey and gently guiding me in ways she may never know. Both women inspire me and encourage me – their strength, courage, power, and gentle kindness make me proud to know them. 

Thank you, Ellie and Stacey, and all the wonderful women who invited me into their conversations, allowed me take their photos, and embraced me as one of their own (even though I don’t really belong in the bike community). Thank you to Woodstock Harley-Davidson, Doug, and all the amazing people at WHD who welcome rides like these ~ and reporters like me.

Happy Mother’s Day to all the women out there who are mothers to their children, but, also, to all those women who mother to so many through their kindness, support, and encouragement, and by being a role model.

In the words of Momma D., “Live your best self, baby.” 

Momma D. Diamond

Grit, Courage, Poise, and Presence ... and Olympic Dreams

I watched Nathan Chen’s Olympic medal-winning performance. I think a lot of people did.

Mesmerizing.

I don’t think there are many other words. His free skate was magical and radiated joy – so much so that a smile quickly erased the anxiety I felt for him as he gracefully and carefully executed moves meant to look easy and spontaneous. 

The Olympics is about watching the best athletes have their moment under the watchful eye of the world.

But, as we all know – or should know, it isn’t about that one moment. It is about all the moments and the choices and the sacrifices leading up to that one moment.

Olympic dreams are as much about grit and courage as it is about poise and presence.

Bradie Tennell, 2018 team bronze Olympic medalist, two-time U.S. National Champion, and 2020 Four Continent bronze medalist, puts in the hard work -- every day. She shows up. She gets up. She is a true champion.

There is a lot of pressure on these athletes during the Olympic Games. It is not just their own performance on the line – it is a medal count tallied by onlookers from all continents.

I’ve been blessed in my job to have had the opportunity to speak with and photograph Tony award winners, Medal of Honor recipients, military heroes, television stars, BAFTA award winning screenplay writers, Guinness Record holders, YouTube stars, stunt pilots, and Olympians. Almost always, I walk away with the same feeling – these are humans who are so much more than their accomplishments.

In the same way, my daughters have been able skate with some of the people they look up to – and some they didn’t even know they would!

They’ve shared the ice with Bradie Tennell, Gracie Gold, and Donovan Carillo. My oldest skated on the same ice as Mirai Nagasu and Ashely Wagner during a fundraiser for the Mason Wasz Foundation.  My youngest skated in the same exhibition as Isabelle Martins. We have watched local skaters go on to skate for Disney on Ice or compete regionally -- skaters who started in the same places they have. They have had the opportunity to have been taught by well-known coaches.

Perhaps they’ve known from tagging along with mom on interviews or photoshoots, or perhaps it is just innate to children, that Olympic athletes are people, too. I am always impressed by their level of respect for these well-known skaters that is matched only by their ability to skate alongside them without losing their own focus.

The great gift here is that they know, at least on the surface, that greatness is bigger than the Olympics. Greatness is deeper than medaling. Greatness requires determination. Greatness requires dedication. Those triples and quads come at a cost. Those medals, the titles, the notoriety … it all comes at a cost. 

During these Olympic Games, watching these men and women achieve the dreams of every young skater is incredible. Having skated with them is even better. But my kids knowing the courage and determination that it takes – and knowing that sometimes, the greatests go unrecognized – is a gift I don’t take lightly.

My daughters have been able to watch Olympic skaters performing their fully prepared programs, and they’ve practiced alongside Olympic skaters as they warm up, fall down, and get back up.  They see the exhaustion. They hear the frustration. They watch the determination, and they see the dedication. They see that sometimes Olympians accidentally sleep in. Sometimes they get there before the rink opens. Sometimes, they don’t look polished. Sometimes they are injured, or sick, or tired, and they care for themselves by training differently that day – and that is OK.  … for it is in those moments, when my daughters see these skaters in vulnerable moments, that they know greatness is not in the medal count. It comes from within. 

Sometimes greatness appears in the toughest of moments, in the overcoming of injury, in the continuing despite the challenge, in the making of difficult decisions ... one at a time, while living out the desires of your heart. Bradie Tennell is such an inspiration to my girls!

2014 Team event bronze Olympic Medalist, two-time U.S. National champion Gracie Gold, modeled greatness in, not only her accomplishments, but in her taking time to care for herself and then making a triumphant return to figure skating on the national stage.

Susie Wynne, 1988 Olympian and two-time U.S. Figure Skating Championship gold medalist, announcing at the Skate For Mason event supporting the Mason Wasz Foundation. 

Kyle Shropshire ~ Disney On Ice Performer

2014 team bronze Olympic medalist, 2016 World Silver Medalist, 2012 Four Continents champion, three-time Grand Prix Final medalist, and three-time U.S. National Champion Ashley Wagner.

Mirai Nagasu, 2018 team bronze Olympic medalist, three-time Four Continents medalist, two-time World Junior medalist and seven-time U.S. National medalist.

Mirai Nagasu, 2018 team bronze Olympic medalist, three-time Four Continents medalist, two-time World Junior medalist and seven-time U.S. National medalist.

Mirai Nagasu, 2018 team bronze Olympic medalist, three-time Four Continents medalist, two-time World Junior medalist and seven-time U.S. National medalist.

2014 team bronze Olympic medalist, 2016 World Silver Medalist, 2012 Four Continents champion, three-time Grand Prix Final medalist, and three-time U.S. National Champion Ashley Wagner.

2014 team bronze Olympic medalist, 2016 World Silver Medalist, 2012 Four Continents champion, three-time Grand Prix Final medalist, and three-time U.S. National Champion Ashley Wagner.

 

The Night Before Christmas

The night before Christmas is the point at which so many emotions gather. Sometimes they meld easily like candle wax, dripping as one, and sometimes they are less compatible, but, for me, the one emotion that holds us all this night is hope.

Our family embraces the season of Advent during the four weeks prior to Christmas. We prepare our hearts for the birth of baby Jesus.  We put our faith in hope.

Each week as we light a new candle on our Advent wreath, our anticipation increases as we inch forward toward Christmas Day. Around the dinner table, we read one of the books in the series by Arnold Ytreeide as they follow the nativity story through the differing perspectives of four children who end up with a front-row seat to the infant Jesus. This year, we read _Tabitha’s Travels_. It is full of hope.

Tonight is the night where Heaven and Earth collide.

St. Nicholas, more commonly known as Santa Claus, has been visible these past four weeks (or more) around every corner.  As children whisper their dreams with anticipation, their wide-eyed excitement propels us as we navigate these dark winter days with: hope.

As my family drove around looking at Christmas lights last night, I stood outside our town’s empty Santa Hut, peering through a front window. Santa had closed the door on this season just an hour before, but the tree lights still were on, shining brightly.

A thought occurred to be me as I stood there for a moment. 

Santa brings weeks of excitement – of waiting, of wondering, of hope.

But today, as Santa heads to the North Pole as millions await the joy of Christmas Day, Santa all but vanishes until next year. However, there is one gift under our tree that never vanishes.

Baby Jesus + Hope

My children have taken turns putting Jesus in our stable each year on Christmas Eve after Mass. It is a tradition I look forward to as I see their joy fulfilled after four weeks of waiting. It is a moment they wait for after they place the donkeys, the shepherds, the angles, and Mary and Joseph there the day after Thanksgiving. It is the moment where anticipatory hope ends and eternal hope begins.

It is a long wait, but the star above the nativity and the candles in our Advent wreath guide them on this journey.  And just like the star that shines a light in the empty Santa Hut … we are guided by that Light.

For my family, it means that Christ’s light shines all year long – not just at Christmastime. And light will always outshine the darkness. Even when are struggling, and feeling like life can be overwhelming … His Light will outshine the darkness. Even when we feel the effects of a lasting pandemic and challenging times … His Light will outshine the darkness.

How many times this year have I had to lean into His Light – desperately searching for it when I’ve felt alone, overwhelmed, struggling with anxiety and fear?  I can’t count the times I’ve cried, surrendering it all to God. Each time, he has picked me up. He has placed people in my life who have walked beside me and who have pulled me up. He has turned my fears to abundant joy.

As you embark on your traditions over the next few days, smile, bring joy, and remember that there is always light and there is always hope.

The Mustangs: America's Wild Horses ... A well-deserved movie premiere for Operation Wild Horse

Once in a great while, you get to be a part of something kind of spectacular – from the ground up. 

For a great many years, I’ve written about the bond between horses and military. What began as a local story, turned into a Leatherneck Magazine article and then a VFW Magazine article. That one assignment developed in me a lifelong passion of supporting veterans and working with numerous veteran organizations. It changed me just as much as it impacted those I’ve written about.

Several years ago, I was introduced to Operation Wild Horse in Bull Valley, Illinois. I followed them to the Midwest Horse Fair in Madison just to meet them. When I did, I was introduced to an incredible team – Patti Gruber and Jimmy Welch. Welch, a US Marine Corps veteran, and Gruber, a passionate supporter of veterans, were touching lives. Together, they had begun a grassroots program pairing wild horses and veterans in what Gruber describes as a, “structured unstructured program.”

The benefit of this design is that the veterans – mission-oriented men and women – have the ability to design their plan, and Gruber, an experienced horsewoman, helps them achieve it.

I’ve watched what they’ve done for a few years now – photographing them at events and writing about them locally. Three years ago, someone else noticed them, too.

Director Steven Latham – Steven Latham Productions – was filming a documentary about wild horses in peril under the Bureau of Land Management’s herd management program: The Mustangs: America's Wild Horses. At the Mustang Makeover in Fort Worth, he noticed Gruber taking copious notes. Intrigued, he spoke with her, asked if he could film her, and, essentially walked the process with her as she bid on Pearl Harbor (formerly known as Pearl Snap) and, eventually, brought him home.

The film then seems to hinge on the powerful relationship between horse and human – particularly between a horse and a veteran. U.S. Marine Corps veteran Sgt. Ryan Bentele shares his experience with the renowned Mad Ghosts  2nd Battalion, 24th Marines. The Mad Ghosts would lose seven men in the infamous Triangle of Death south of Baghdad, with the entire battalion losing a total of 16 men. 

The loss was great, and, after many years of trying to bury the pain, Ryan found Operation Wild Horse and solace in the comfort of an unlikely companion – a wild mustang named Phoenix. 

To understand that bond, one needs only to watch The Mustangs: America’s Wild Horses. As a seasoned military writer who has often explored the relationship between veterans and horses, I thought I understood. But Latham and his team opened my eyes in a way no one else has.

I knew horses mirrored emotion and helped calm veterans because they could read anxiety and help a human self-regulate. I knew horse people were rescuing mustangs, but why, exactly? Why did they need rescue? Is taking them out of element cruel? What are kill pens? Why can’t the BLM take care of them? And, why, specifically, are mustangs such a perfect match for places like Operation Wild Horse.

The Mustangs: America’s Wild Horses told me.

As I sat in the movie theater with tears rolling out of my eyes … I understood. These majestic creatures – these powerful mission-oriented equines, are suffering. The land they have been given is now unable to sustain the number of wild horses that populate it. These mustangs – the embodiment of American freedom – are starving to death. I saw emaciated, skeletal horses searching for water and nourishment, and my heart ached. They are fighting for survival.

And then, my heart knew. The American veteran knows that fight. They fight for survival in boot camp. They fight for survival in unknown lands. And they fight for survival when they return home and attempt to deal with the visible and invisible wounds of war.  

Trauma does not tread lightly. It burrows deep into the soul, often hiding out for a time, but, it always pierces through, begging to be acknowledged, clamoring to be understood, lashing out in ways one never expects. 

And there, in the darkness of the theater, watching the movie with the very men and women who were featured on the silver screen – who shared their stories without fear, I understood – perhaps more in that hour-and-a-half – why. Veterans like Bentele endured the unimaginable … but so have these mustangs.

They are a refuge for one other – each taking on a new mission, learning to open their hearts to trust again.

Powerful.

Robert Redford, Patti Scialfa Springsteen, and Jessica Springsteen signed on as executive producers, and songs by Bruce Springsteen, Emmylou Harris, and Willie Nelson along with an original song written by Diane Warren and performed by Blanco Brown completes the package. 

Go see it in theaters now – or stream it soon. You won’t regret it. 

And, if you are as moved by the film as I was, you can help Operation Wild Horse by donating here.

Oh, and, you can read Variety Magazine’s article here – and see one of my photos in the article. I’ve been blessed to have been documenting this organization for a while now, and I’m thankful my photos can help tell a story about an organization that Latham has described as a “model for veteran organizations” across the country. How cool is that?

Tears often water the seeds of joy. When you are kind, you attract kindness. 

When you are kind ... you attract kindness.