Photo By Staff Sgt. Avery Cunningham | Heather Sheehan throws the Ceremonial First Pitch for the Boston Red Sox game at...... read more read more
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Part of paying homage to service members who have paid the ultimate sacrifice is honoring and helping their surviving family members, also known as Gold Star families. The Vermont National Guard Survivor Outreach Services does just that.
"It's an honor to serve these families," said Tammie Conner, the Survivor Outreach Services Support Coordinator for the Vermont National Guard. "I think it's important that we don’t forget the families that we take care of and that’s why I think this program is so important across the nation, not just in Vermont."
On Independence Day, the Vermont National Guard Family Programs expanded upon this service by organizing the Vermont Fallen Heroes 1st Survivor Event. For this event, Select Design donated t-shirts designed to honor the fallen, the Boston Red Sox donated tickets for a game, and Premiere Coach donated the use of a bus to transport the families down to Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts. The 158th Fighter Wing of the Vermont National Guard also showed their support by performing a fly over at Fenway Park during the National Anthem.
Following their arrival, the Gold Star families were brought onto the field, introduced, and participated during the pre-game ceremony. Following the National Anthem, Gold Star family member Heather Sheehan threw the ceremonial first pitch, and after, the game was started with a resounding "Play ball!" from the children of the fallen Soldiers.
"It's a great opportunity for survivors to connect with one another because we share a similar loss and there's an understanding there," said Sheehan. "It builds community and having that community is priceless."
Constructing that unity and assisting the families is the purpose of the program.
"It's (Vermont) very rural and the National Guard is spread throughout the entire state," said Conner. "They don't often have the ability to get together and talk to other survivors. They have to find a support network in the community, so the program helps them do that."
The program affords the families the opportunity to reconnect.
"I'm really grateful for the experience today," said Sheehan. "It was really nice to connect with some of the other families I haven’t seen in a while."
Great weather and a Red Sox win rounded out a fantastic first event.
"This was a great opportunity for the Vermont National Guard Gold Star families to spend the day outside of work and a formal setting, to have some fun, catch up, have some laughs, share some stories, and spend some family time," said Maj. Gen. Steven A. Cray, the Adjutant General of Vermont.
| Date Taken: | 07.04.2016 |
| Date Posted: | 07.08.2016 15:51 |
| Story ID: | 203454 |
| Location: | BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, US |
| Web Views: | 40 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Gold Star Families Go to Fenway, by SSG Avery Cunningham, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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