Memories of Honor, nonprofit honoring fallen service members and their families

Host Jeremy C. Park interviews Amy Cotta, Founder and Executive Director of Memories of Honor, a nonprofit organization honoring fallen service members and their families through living memorials and various programs that provide meaningful experiences for the bereaved and opportunities for communities to pay their respects and learn from stories of courage, service, and sacrifice. During the interview, Cotta discusses the organization's 10-year history and its mission to ensure fallen service members and their families are remembered beyond Memorial Day. She highlights programs such as MD365, Music Remembers, Boots of Honor, and collaborations with Vanderbilt University and Gibson Gives. Cotta shares the impact of these initiatives on families and the community, emphasizing the importance of remembering fallen service members. She also outlines upcoming events, including a Salute to Service 5K, an Honor the Fallen 5K, and the Boots of Honor Memorial, inviting community involvement through volunteering and financial contributions.SummaryAmy Cotta discusses the 10th anniversary of the nonprofit organization, Memories of Honor, which is based in Franklin, Tennessee, and has a national reach. She explains their mission to honor, remember, and recognize fallen service members and their families beyond just one day a year. Amy highlights the gap in support for surviving families of fallen service members, noting that while there are organizations providing housing and education, there is a need for ongoing recognition and support beyond immediate post-loss assistance.Amy discusses the organization's mission to support surviving families and connect them with veterans and the community through various programs. She highlights MD365, which stands for Memorial Day 365 days a year, and mentions upcoming events for community engagement. She mentions a collaboration with Charlie Daniels in 2019 for the Music Remembers project, which provided family members with private meet and greets. Recently, Memories of Honor partnered with Gibson Gives to gift families with laser-engraved Epiphone guitars, serving as heirloom items with detailed information about the fallen service members.Amy discusses a program providing guitar lessons and highlights a successful initiative launched in February that pairs combat veterans with surviving families to create songs. She mentions the song "I'm Good," which tells the story of a fallen service member, their father, and the combat veteran, and notes its recent inclusion in an international Veteran Film Festival in Sydney, Australia.Amy discusses the upcoming installation of the Boots of Honor Memorial in Franklin, Tennessee, in May. The memorial, which has been in existence since 2012, will feature 7,470 individual combat boots representing fallen service members, each with a hard card containing the service member's photo and information. The memorial will be accessible to the public in a covered open-air area at Bicentennial Park, allowing for easy access for families, children, and individuals with disabilities.Amy discusses the importance of acknowledging fallen service members and their families. She shares an example of how Vanderbilt University honors fallen service members by wearing their names on jerseys during games. Amy emphasizes how meaningful it is for families to know that their loved one's name is being remembered, as it helps prevent them from feeling forgotten and alone. She shares stories about Gold Star families, who have lost loved ones in military service, highlighting how some soldiers remain unrecognized despite living near military bases. She describes how a woman's husband was finally acknowledged, and mentioned a similar experience from the Vietnam era where a brother broke down in tears at his brother's memorial sign during the Honor the Fallen 5K race.Amy expresses her hope that people who experience "Boots of Honor" will take away a meaningful message, particularly for military families. She emphasizes that freedom comes at a cost and that the pain of war continues for veterans and their families. Amy emphasizes the importance of remembering the families of fallen soldiers beyond Memorial Day and encourages attendees to reflect on the significance of the holiday. She urges people to avoid saying "Happy Memorial Day" and instead focus on gratitude and remembrance.Amy discusses upcoming events to support the community, including a Salute to Service 5K on April 11th with Vanderbilt University, the 11th annual Honor the Fallen 5K on May 2nd at the Grove Club, and the Boots of Honor Memorial project in June. She emphasizes the need for volunteers and financial contributions to make these events successful.Visit https://memoriesofhonor.com to learn more about Memories of Honor.Get Involved