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VALOR American men & women have died in wars ... WE REMEMBER! |
VALOR was incorporated as a not-for-profit veterans organization in the State of Illinois in 1991.
The purpose of VALOR is simple:
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To commemorate fittingly the memory of those members of the United States Armed Forces who have given their lives in the defense of freedom.
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To educate and promote public awareness of the fact that over 1 million American men and women have died in wars.
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To maintain the DuPage County “Wall of Fallen Heroes”.
There are several activities that are not covered in VALOR’s bylaws.
We do the very best we can to have a yellow rose, the floral symbol of peace, available for every Gold Star mom and dad we meet. If you have ever been to The Wall on Veterans Day, you will see the American Gold Star Mothers place their wreath at The Wall. You may not have noticed, but each Mom there is carrying a yellow rose. After the official ceremonies each Mom goes to her son or daughter’s name and leaves the rose at the base of the panel.
[Click on image for a larger picture]
The above picture is the DuPage County (Illinois) “Wall of Fallen Heroes”. VALOR members created an eight (8) foot replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial and placed the names of the 105 young men who were killed in Vietnam or died afterwards. All the names are on the Memorial in Washington, DC.
Our tribute is somewhat unique. VALOR members advertised in local newspapers throughout the county seeking pictures of these fallen heroes. Families and friends responded and we went to pickup the photographs, have them copied, and return the originals to the owners. We have pictures reproduced from high school yearbooks, newspapers, and anywhere we can get them. All the pictures are laminated. One year, while forming up for the wreath laying ceremony at The Wall, we met a Gold Star Wife and her daughter from California. We wrote each other and discovered that her husband’s name is on our “Wall of Fallen Heroes”. Can you imagine that?
There is one word on the Medal of Honor – Valor – and it is used to signify courage, honor, and heroes. Our organization took the name VALOR because every man and women who died in Vietnam is a hero to us.
Pages and pages could be filled with personal accounts of meeting with families and friends of our heroes. Suffice it say that the families are in total agreement with what VALOR stands for.
When we meet a gold star family for the first time, we make them a couple of promises:
WE WILL NEVER FORGET YOUR SON (OR DAUGHTER).
WE WILL DO OUR BEST TO MAKE SURE AMERICA NEVER FORGETS YOUR SON (OR DAUGHTER).
WE LOVE YOU.