Three Big Days Honoring Our Heroes!!
Veterans Day Events 11-11-14 with On Purpose Journey Inc.
On 11-11-14, people around the country and world celebrated the people who are responsible for our freedom—our veterans.
At 6:30am, a white truck, now referred to as Campbell, arrived at Soerens Ford in Brookfield. The Brookfield Fire Department brought a ladder truck, extended the ladder, and draped a huge flag, suspended from the top of the ladder, right over Campbell. By 6:45am, veterans, a Gold Star mom, Laura Langemo from Fox 6 News, and students from Wisconsin Hills Middle School arrived. The 7th grade students all carried a book called THE LITTLE WHITE TRUCK WITH THE BIG MISSION.
The children’s book THE LITTLE WHITE TRUCK WITH THE BIG MISSION (based on the true story of the Vietnam Veteran, Joe Campbell, and a retired Battalion Chief from the Milwaukee Fire Department, Mark Fox, who transported the 9/11 Steel from New York to Milwaukee in 2011) is being used as a tool to:
-Honor those who served and currently serve by creating opportunities to share the stories of heroes in the community and schools to NEVER FORGET
-Unite military, veterans, Gold Star families, firefighters, police, Patriot Guard Riders, Axemen, schools, organizations, and companies through CommUNITY Events
In the words of Wisconsin Hills Middle School, “On November 11th, fourteen Beta students were fortunate enough to start and end their day with the dynamic trio! Soerens Ford, where the Little White Truck was purchased, hosted our students and the authors at 6:45am to bring this journey to life, and remind all about the meaning of Veterans Day. Students and adults alike were touched by the genuine spirit of Joe and Mark as they retold their story. They captured the spirit of Freedom, service, and the power of never forgetting those that have fought for our Country. They honored the many active military personnel, the fire and rescue personnel, and our police forces around the country in conjunction with the many brave Veterans who have served our country. It was a day the kids will likely remember and tell their own children about!”
Everyone started the morning with the Pledge of Allegiance. The students created signs for our veterans. Words such as brave, courageous, and daring filled the red, white, and blue papers. Soerens Ford and the Elmbrook Education Foundation donated 25 of THE LITTLE WHITE TRUCK WITH THE BIG MISSION books to the Elmbrook School District. The unity of the community was evident as Joe Campbell (Vietnam Veteran), Mark Fox (Retired Battalion Chief from the Milwaukee Fire Department), Brian Gerner (Deputy Chief from the Brookfield Fire Department), Wisconsin Hills students, and Kay Castner (Gold Star mom of Stephen Castner KIA in Iraq in 2006) were interviewed and spoke about what Veterans Day means to them. The Brookfield Fire Department kept the flag flying until everyone left the event.
Joe Campbell, Mark Fox, and Mollie Manhattan were invited to speak at Wisconsin Hills Middle School at 12:15pm, to around 100 students, some of who were at Soerens earlier in the day. The students had created a huge banner stating, “Thank You For Bringing The 9/11 Steel To Wisconsin.” As thankful as Wisconsin Hills Middle School was for “the dynamic trio” of Joe, Mark, and Mollie speaking at the school, Robyn and Mark and the students made Veterans Day a success by creating a unique experience for their students—honoring and sharing the stories of heroes. The leadership of the school has a saying to “Make today the best day of your life…until tomorrow.” This is a great message for all of us as we join in Never Forgetting where our freedom comes from, and Always Remembering those who served and serve our country and in our communities.
On Purpose Journey Inc.’s CommUNITY Team has a hope that on Sept 11th, every year, schools whose students have read THE LITTLE WHITE TRUCK WITH THE BIG MISSION book will host a veteran, firefighter, police officer, and military member for 30 minutes to talk about the importance of the day—freedom, remembering, honoring, and unity.
Fox 6: 4 3-minute Videos of the Event: http://fox6now.com/2014/11/11/preview-of-some-of-the-veterans-day-celebrations-in-brookfield/
Photos from the Event: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.719100314840561.1073741834.226589877424943&type=3
Wisconsin Hills Middle School’s article on the event: http://www.elmbrookschools.org/wisconsin-hills-middle-school/item/index.aspx?LinkId=8686&ModuleId=40
Many thanks to Soerens Ford, Brookfield Fire Department, Elmbrook School Foundation, Wisconsin Hills Middle School, Joe, Mark, George, Kay, Brian, Robyn, Mark, Steve, Mollie, Fox 6, Laura, and the students for celebrating our Veterans and sharing the story of our heroes through THE LITTLE WHITE TRUCK WITH THE BIG MISSION children’s book!!
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Thanksgiving Event:
Thanks to YOU, our awesome donors, gifts for veterans were delivered in time for Thanksgiving!! We filled a back seat and trunk with gift bags including 64 handmade scarves!! Thank you to all the donors who make it possible for our CommUNITY Team to let our vets know that we are all thankful for THOSE WHO SERVE!!
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