A sincere thank you to everyone who has generously contributed toward making the Northwood Gratitude and Honor Memorial a permanent tribute to the fallen American heroes of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Adopt a Hero

Join us. One of the most poignant things about this memorial is that it comes from the heart of ordinary citizens. Not politicians or corporations – just people like you and me giving time and money to make it happen.

The people who have put this memorial together year after year are passionate about their effort and honoring the fallen. Partly because when you spend hour after hour here you start getting to know the heroes.

In past years this memorial had pictures and stories about each fallen service member. As you wandered through the temporary memorial you saw faces of real people: fathers and mothers, sons and daughters, loved ones, neighbors and friends, colleagues.

The new memorial will be permanent, with names etched in granite that will last through the ages. But there will be no pictures or stories to grab your heart.

To find or keep these feelings alive for yourself, please consider “adopting” one of the fallen. Jot down their name then go to the web and learn more about them. Or, to find a hero, you can search by name, rank, conflict, service, unit, hometown, state, etc. at www.militarytimes.com/valor/search.php .

Think about having each member of your family adopt a hero. Our children need to know about true heroes and less about pop icons. As you hear about these wars in the future you'll think not only about all of the fallen – but your personal hero, too. You’ll be amazed at how good you feel about that sense of connection. A donation of $40 will cover the cost of engraving a fallen hero’s name in granite. For less than a fast food dinner and movie tickets for two you can keep a hero’s memory alive.

If the link above can't help you find a personal hero, then please send an email to info@NorthwoodMemorial.com and we’ll help you.