Why we founded Honoring America’s Warriors.
In July of 2014 a WWII veteran who served in the US Army named Oadis Blakley, died at the age of 94. Mr. Blakley was a Normandy beach veteran, a purple heart recipient. His son Gary Blakley, served with the Army in Vietnam, also a combat veteran. Gary’s son Waco, served in the USMC, and Air National Guard. Waco is an Operation Iraqi Freedom combat veteran. In preparing for Oadis’ interment, the family was extremely pained to learn that an honor guard would be sent to render honors, but there would only be two to fold the flag, no volleys, no live Taps.
A week later Waco Blakley and Scotty Deatherage decided to create Honoring America's Warriors, an organization that would give our veterans who are retired from service or medically retired at a young age, a new purpose to be back in-service dress uniform to render military honors for any family of a veteran with other than a dishonorable discharge. We also understood that we should provide multiple programs to address the needs that veterans and their families experience when returning to civilian life.
Since that time our team has rendered of 500 ceremonies at no cost. They represent all branches of the Armed Forces and are able to fill gaps when a Veteran may not otherwise receive honors at burial. We augment with DOD honor guards when a family requests us to provide 3 volleys, and bugle live Taps. Your support helps fund uniforms, cleaning, travel, ammunition and ongoing training. If you've been to a military funeral and seen a folded flag presented to the next of kin, you now how important our mission is.
