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It started in the 1970’s with simple donations earmarked for college
scholarship. Then a scholarship fund was developed. Over the years our Scholarship fund
grew and with more awards. Since 2000, the 173rd Airborne Brigade was
reactivated bringing with it, more opportunities to provide needed
financial support.
Visionaries started looking forward and asking how we can prepare to
meet the challenges that would come.
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Then the world changed and 9-11 was upon
us. The War on Terror was in full swing. The Brigade jumped
into Iraq and we found ourselves playing catch up football when it
came to support. But we learned from each experience, each
deployment. As the Brigade transitioned into the 173rd Airborne
Brigade Combat Team, we transitioned into the 173d Airborne Brigade
Association. Over time our old Scholarship fund of the
1970’s, transformed into the 173d Airborne Brigade Association
Foundation of today, a 501 C3 Tax-Free corporation that now has a bigger mission and broader
scope of support.
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With the coming of
the War on Terror, came the price of Liberty. Our Sky
Soldiers on the front lines in this war are paying the
ultimate sacrifice for our safety and freedom. We have
long promised to be there for them and we are. Once
notified of a soldier killed in action, our Brigade
Liaison notifies local Chapter Presidents
First we appointed a National Gold Star Representative –
173d Gold Star Mother herself. Our Gold Star Rep reaches
out to the family in their hour of need and lets them
know we are here and will be there for them. We attend
the funeral and our Gold Star rep stays in close contact
with the families long after. Many chapters open their
arms and invite the families into their activities, if
and when they are ready.
Later in the year our
national Gold Star Rep sends cards and letters reminding
Gold Star families they are not Forgotten. We also have
developed and give a special 173d Gold Star Pin.
We even have started
a Nation Gold Star Luncheon at reunions for family
members at each reunion and we have a memorial to
remember our fallen. |
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Each year we award
scholarship grants to students that are family members
of Association or 173d Airborne Gold Stars and their
families.
This
scholarship
fund is a living memorial to our comrades who died in
Combat. Unlike us, they were denied the chance to
advance their education. These awards are given in their
honor.
The scholarship
committee seeks to award scholarships to applicants
displaying the potential for a degree in higher
education, whether it is technical, university or
professional.
A scholarship
committee rates each application sent to them without
knowing the names of the applications. Each committee
member passes their decision to the nation Scholarship
Director. The national Scholarship Director working
with the National Treasurer decides the number of
Scholarships and the amounts. This varies from year to
year by the amount donated previously by members. |
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Besides the fact
that chapters adopt units and support them directly down
range, here we support the troops that became wounded or
ill … our hospitalized Sky Soldiers in our Wounded
Warrior Project.
Once a Sky Soldier
is wounded and evacuated out of the Combat Theater, the
unit notifies the Association. We in turn contact the
local chapter hospital representative. They go to the
hospital and visited the wound (Walter Reed, The Burn
Center, etc). We have had a chapters put on baby showers
for families while their soldiers were in the hospital.
We just developed a “Hospital Kit” to be given to each
soldier. It contains goodies donated by various chapters
for the wounded.
We also developed a 173d
Purple Heart coin that is also given and more is
planned. |
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