Comfort Crew Military Advsiory Board Member, Lt. Michael E. Thornton, Former Navy Seal is Grand Marshal of the Veterans Day Parade
Austin, Texas — The Comfort Crew for Military Kids, a national non-profit based in Austin, Texas, is proud to march with our veterans in the Travis County and City of Austin Veterans Day Parade honoring our nation’s veterans. The parade will have a special tribute to Vietnam era Veterans.
Congressional Medal of Honor Winner, Vietnam Veteran, Navy SEAL and The Comfort Crew Military Advisory Board’s newest member, Lieutenant Michael E. Thornton will be the Grand Marshal of the parade. Lt. Thornton has a long and distinguished military career including establishing and operating SEAL Team SIX. His most prestigious decoration was bestowed for heroic actions on his last tour of duty in Vietnam which resulted in saving the life of a fellow SEAL. For this action during a reconnaissance and intelligence gathering mission, he received this Nation’s highest award, the Congressional Medal of Honor.
Look for the Comfort Crew for Military Kids Radio Flyer Red Wagons in the parade carrying Cuzzie Bear, the Comfort Crew mascot. The Comfort Crew for Military Kids will also participate in the Wreath Laying Ceremony by laying a special wreath at the foot of a special tribute to the Unknown Soldier on the South Steps of the Texas Capitol after the ceremony of the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month.
“The wreath is especially designed to reflect our vision of supporting military children. On the wreath is our Comfort Crew Ambassador, Coco, who rests in a salute pose, “ said Ronda Englander, Co-Founder of the Comfort Crew. “This mouse is a part of our Grief Comfort Kit that is given to children of Fallen Soldiers. The wreath is adorned with white, yellow, purple, and burgundy colors, which match Coco’s characteristics.”
There are more than 2 million military children in the United States who are dealing with really tough issues and are in great need of support. Of those, approximately 1.2 million are school-aged children and more than 1 million children have experienced one or more parental deployments, with a significant number of these parents having been away from their children for as long as 48 months. The Comfort Crew for Military Kids speaks with thousands of military children each year and has developed Comfort Kits with the USO to help children cope with the stress and hardship of having a parent serving our country.
“We salute all the military men and women who are currently sacrificing to serve our country and we honor those great heroes of the Vietnam War era, including the Comfort Crew’s own Military Advisory Board Member, Lt. Mike Thornton, the Grand Marshal of today’s parade,” said Englander, Co-Founder of the Comfort Crew for Military Kids. “The Comfort Crew for military kids supports the children of those who serve in the military. These children face unique challenges that make it difficult to effectively communicate and connect socially and emotionally with peers and the community around them. Through our programs and resources they learn to build connections with their peers and community, and how to manage their emotions.”
The Veterans Day Parade kicks-off at 9:00 AM from the Congress Avenue Bridge and ends at the Texas State Capitol. Immediately following the parade, a commemoration program will honor the Veterans of Travis County and the City of Austin with a special tribute to Vietnam era Veterans on the south steps of the state capitol.
Also, today KLRU will host a special showing of the Comfort Crew for Military Kids 2012 “With You All The Way” Symposium to help military families and children cope with loss. It will air on KLRU at 1:30 Sunday to salute Veterans Day.
To donate to the Comfort Crew for Military Kids, go to www.comfortcrew.org.
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The Comfort Crew for Military Kids
The Comfort Crew for Military Kids was founded in 2007 to support and comfort children managing the challenges of today’s military life, including deployment, reintegration, moving, visible and invisible injuries, and grief. Since its inception, The Comfort Crew has endeavored to meet this goal by working directly with military children and families, recognizing their unique challenges, providing educational resources, and supporting physical and emotional resiliency.
Trevor Romain and The Comfort Crew, in partnership with the USO, work directly with our military children, visiting them on and off bases around the world. The Comfort Crew has also produced a series of comfort kits that are customized to meet the specific needs of military children, including the With You All the Way! Deployment Kit, the Taking Care of You! Support for Kids of Injured Heroes Kit, the PCS: The Great Moving Adventure Survival Kit, and the Helping Military Children Handle Grief Kit. In addition, The Comfort Crew for Military Kids regularly hosts events designed to promote awareness and the physical and emotional resiliency of military children.
Whether visiting with a military child at school, providing a Care Kit to help with the obstacles of reintegration, or educating our community about ways to support resiliency, our goal is to let these children and their families know they do not have to shoulder the burdens of military life on their own — we are With You All the Way!