Travis Manion Foundation Honors Fallen Heroes at 47 Cemeteries Nationwide Through the Honor Project Over Memorial Day Weekend

DOYLESTOWN, Pa., May 24, 2024 (Newswire.com) - Travis Manion Foundation (TMF), one of the nation’s leading veteran service organizations, will host The Honor Project, an annual initiative to honor the sacrifices of our country’s military heroes over Memorial Day weekend. This year’s project will be the largest in its history, with 2,000 volunteers visiting the resting places of fallen service members at 47 cemeteries in 24 states. Since the founding of The Honor Project in 2021, TMF volunteers have visited 20,000 heroes’ resting places nationwide. 

The Honor Project allows families of fallen service members and battle buddies to request a personal visit to their fallen heroes. Then, throughout Memorial Day weekend, TMF volunteers across the country will visit and place hand-crafted commemorative tokens at each hero's resting place, paying their respects and pausing to reflect on the sacrifices of those service members. 

“Memorial Day is a time to pause and reflect on the sacrifices of our nation’s service members,” said Ryan Manion, CEO, Travis Manion Foundation. “Expanding The Honor Project to 47 cemeteries nationwide offers more volunteers the opportunity to honor fallen heroes and teach the next generation about the significance of this day of remembrance. It’s our duty and obligation as a nation to honor the sacrifices of our fallen heroes by saying their names, learning their stories and preserving their legacies.” 

With the shared goal of honoring and remembering our nation’s fallen heroes, TMF and the National Cemetery Administration (NCA) are partnering to expand the reach of The Honor Project in 2024. 

The idea for The Honor Project was born on Memorial Day in 2020 from the efforts of Emily Domenech, whose grandfather, a World War II, Korea, and Vietnam veteran, is buried in Arlington National Cemetery. When Emily visited Arlington that Memorial Day, she offered on Twitter to visit the graves of those who couldn’t because of COVID-19 restrictions, and her posts went viral. Emily reached out to TMF to help scale the commitment to engage every American who wants to honor the fallen on Memorial Day. Ryan Manion, whose brother, 1stLt Travis Manion, USMC, is also buried in Arlington National Cemetery, was moved by Emily’s action. Ryan and Emily came together to create The Honor Project in 2021 out of a common purpose to carry on their loved ones’ legacies of service.

About Travis Manion Foundation

Travis Manion Foundation (TMF) is a community—led by veterans and families of the fallen but open to all—that serves together and supports each other. In 2007, 1stLt Travis Manion (USMC) was killed in Iraq while saving his wounded teammates. Today, Travis' legacy lives on in the words he spoke before leaving for his final deployment, "If Not Me, Then Who..." Guided by this mantra, veterans and families of the fallen are empowered to become leaders in their communities, develop strong relationships, and thrive in their post-military lives by serving as character role models to youth. As a result, communities prosper and the character of our nation’s heroes lives on in the next generation. For more information on the Foundation, visit www.travismanion.org

Source: Travis Manion Foundation