2Nd Annual Chicago Dinner for the Gravely Wounded, Honoring Marine and Navy Corpsmen Who Have Been Severely Wounded in Combat
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Nonprofit Org. U.S. Postage Marine Corps 909 N. Washington St., Ste. 400 Scholarship Foundation Alexandria, VA 22314 PAID Honoring Marines by Educating Their ChildrenTM St. Louis, MO Permit No. 1018 Mr. and Mrs. John Q. Sample Gabriel Group 3190 Rider Trail South Earth City, MO 63045-1518 To Families of Gravely Wounded Marines Wounded Gravely of Families To Commitments Lasting Makes Foundation Scholarship Corps Marine W G D C A 2 OUNDED VELY A R THE FOR INNER GO ca HI L A NNU ND ON POINT Letter from the President IN THE TWELVE YEARS since the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan began, thousands of Marine and Navy Corpsman families have sacrificed comfort, stability, and safety to answer our Nation’s call. Many of these Marines return home bearing the scars of war, from amputations to post-traumatic stress to traumatic brain injuries. Some of them don’t come home at all. These sacrifices have a profound and lasting effect on the families they leave behind. Of the 1,494 Marines and Navy Corpsmen that have been killed in action since the wars began, 329 were parents. They left 566 children behind. Thousands more Marines with children have been gravely wounded. No matter how old their children are today, the Marine Corps Scholarship Margaret B. Davis Foundation has committed to help these families. With our Heroes Tribute President and CEO Program for Children of the Fallen and Heroes Tribute Program for Children of the Wounded, we have made commitments to each of these families to help fund their children’s educations when the time comes for them to attend college. Nothing illustrates this commitment better than our annual Chicago Dinner for the Gravely Wounded. This year’s dinner brought wounded Marines and their families together with Scholarship Foundation leadership and donors, raising critical scholarship funds for the children of gravely wounded Marines and Navy Corpsmen. Our enduring commitment to these families would not be possible without the loyal and generous support of our volunteers, directors, and donors across the country. With your support, we awarded a record $6,000,000 in scholarship money to 1,909 children of Marines and Navy Corpsmen in 2012. Together, we look forward to another year of Honoring Marines by Educating Their Children. In the spirit of Semper Fidelis, Margaret B. Davis President and CEO Corporal Donny Daughenbaugh USMC (Ret.) with his wife, Sarah, and their two children. Cpl. Daughenbaugh was severely wounded during a 2004 deployment to Iraq, where he was shot in the face and required subsequent extensive surgeries. Today, Donny works to connect other wounded Marines with the Scholarship Foundation. His children, Kollin and Gabby, will receive funding for their higher education goals when the time comes. 2 Student Profile Asriel Barker Both my parents served in the military, and from them, I learned about the value of our freedom and the value of education. My mother served in the Marine Corps for four years, and my father served as a Navy Corpsman for twenty-one years. Because of my family’s service and devotion to Asriel Barker graduated high school last spring their country, I grew up appreciative as her class’ valedictorian. This year, she is a freshman at Washington University in of all that our men and women St. Louis studying mathematics with a minor in Chinese. in arms do for our country. I have one older sister, who is currently a sophomore in college, studying nursing. From an early age, I wished to become either a lawyer or a teacher when I grew up, and thanks to your generous gift, I will be able to pursue my dreams. Thank you very much for your generosity, and the scholarship that you have helped finance. I will treasure this funding greatly. Sincerely, Asriel T. Barker 3 Chicago Dinner for the Gravely Wounded ON OCTOBER 23, 2012, a team of dedicated volunteers hosted the 2nd Annual Chicago Dinner for the Gravely Wounded, honoring Marine and Navy Corpsmen who have been severely wounded in combat. Thanks to American Airlines’ Miles for Kids in Need program, thirty gravely wounded Marines from around the country were able to travel to the event with their families to attend the dinner and receive scholarship awards. A COMMITMENT TO THE SEVERELY WOUNDED — AND THEIR FAMILIES Since 2001, nearly 13,000 Marines have been wounded in action while serving in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Petty Officer III Brian Safford USN (Ret.), who was severely wounded by an IED explosion Operation Enduring Freedom; 400 have experienced major during a 2004 deployment to Iraq. limb amputations. With support from donors to the Chicago Dinner for the Gravely Wounded and other volunteers around the country, the Scholarship Foundation has committed to award every eligible child of a gravely wounded Marine up to $40,000 toward college or vocational training when the time comes for them to pursue secondary education. Lieutenant General John Kelly USMC, Senior Military Assistant to the Secretary of Defense, and future Commander, U.S.Southern Command, and his wife Karen, a Scholarship Foundation director, attended the Chicago Dinner as guests of honor. “We expect Marines, regardless of rank, to stand their ground and do their duty, becoming wounded or dying in the process, if that is what the mission takes,” said General Kelly. “Given all they sacrifice for us, it is our duty to stand behind them and their families and provide financial and emotional support where we can. Not only does the Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation Staff Sergeant John Jones USMC (Ret.), who lost both of his legs as a result of an anti-tank land mine make college a reality for military children, but it connects blast during an Iraq deployment in 2004, with his wife, families to a support system that can help them cope with Amber, and two of their four children. such adversity.” Chicago Dinner Scholarship recipient Rebecca Moritz, her mother Lynne, Scholarship Foundation director Karen Kelly, and wounded Marine Corporal Donny Daughenbaugh USMC (Ret.) before the dinner. 4 Heroes Tribute—Ronald Baum [MY] FATHER, who was himself a Marine and an excellent one, has had major “impacts on my life. As I grew up, [he] gave me core values: for example, how to never give up and to always provide for your family. These morals and life lessons that my father taught me have always carried me through life and gave me the courage to go to college, so that someday I can provide for my family as he did. However, I would only hear those teachings until the age of ten, when [he] was killed in action during combat operations near Fallujah, Iraq. Through life and through death my father will always be the greatest man I ever knew. He inspires me to be the best man I can ever be and to one day inspire my own children to go on to do great things. Ronald Baum, a sophomore at Pennsylvania State–Altoona, is one of three children.” He credits his schoolteacher mother and his late father, Gunnery Sergeant Ronald E. Baum USMC, for instilling in him the drive to succeed at college. CHICAGO DINNER SCHOLARSHIP BENEFITING THE CHILDREN OF GRAVELY WOUNDED MARINES RECIPIENTS In the current 2012-2013 academic year, four students received Chicago Dinner Scholarships Benefiting the Children of Gravely Wounded Marines: Chase Johnson, Shelby McIntosh, Steven Campbell, and Rebecca Moriz. Chase, Steven, and Rebecca were all able to attend, and Shelby’s parents, Captain and Mrs. Charles McIntosh USMC (Ret.), attended in her stead. The students’ attendance provided a special opportunity for donors, guests, and families of the wounded to interact with current scholarship recipients, learning about their experiences at college and their families. A WEEKEND OF COLLABORATION AND SUPPORT The day after the dinner, the Scholarship Foundation hosted a day of events for the families in attendance. The wounded Marines, their spouses and children, along with President and CEO Margaret Davis and Scholarship Foundation staff, attended a breakfast with Sergeant Major Carlton Kent USMC (Ret.), former Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps. After breakfast, Corporal Oscar Hernandez Velasco USMC, who received the families had the opportunity to get to know each other a Purple Heart for combat injuries sustained in Iraq in 2004, pictured with his wife and 8-year-old twin and exchange stories and resources while enjoying a private daughters, Kadence and Kaitlyn. tour of Chicago’s Shedd Aquarium and a lunch hosted by the Scholarship Foundation. 5 Dakota L. Meyer Scholarship Initiative Sergeant Dakota Meyer USMC, MOH with six of the 12 students who received scholarships as a result of his Initiative this year. 2012-2013 Recipients of Dakota L. Meyer Scholarships Hayley Barber, freshman, Coastal Carolina Community College—Dakota L. Meyer Scholarship in Memory of 1st Lieutenant Michael Johnson USMC Jordan Barber, sophomore, Coastal Carolina ON OCTOBER 3, 2012, Medal of Honor recipient Sergeant Dakota Meyer USMC hosted several of the Community College—Dakota L. Meyer Scholarship in Memory of Staff Sergeant Juan Rodriguez Chavez students who received college scholarships this year USMC thanks to the Dakota L. Meyer Scholarship Initiative at Chicago’s Pritzker Military Library. In partnership Macklin Barr, freshman, Duquesne University — with the Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation, Sgt. Dakota L. Meyer Scholarship in Memory of Gunnery Sergeant Edward Johnson USMC Meyer has raised $1,200,000 in scholarship funds to educate the children of wounded Marines and Navy Frances Benton, freshman, University of Central Corpsmen. Sgt. Meyer has challenged America to Arkansas—Dakota L. Meyer Scholarship in Memory honor Marines for their sacrifices by matching the of Gunnery Sergeant Aaron Kenefick USMC funds he has raised.