I spend a lot of time with my trainer, Gabe Rangel. Sure, he keeps me in shape – but the thing I most admire about him is his history of service. See, Gabe served in the U.S. Marines Corps. And there are few roles in the world as noble as that of our military — men and women who put others’ safety and freedom before themselves, every single day.
Knowing how grateful I feel toward our military, Gabe introduced me to an incredible organization: the Travis Manion Foundation. 1st Lt Travis Manion, USMC, died in combat on April 29, 2007, during his second deployment to Iraq. He’d led a counterattack against enemy forces, drawing fire away from his wounded comrades — and allowing every other member of his patrol to survive. For his actions, he was awarded the Silver Star and Bronze Star with Valor.
In the wake of his death, his family started the Travis Manion Foundation — right here in Philadelphia. Their goal was to provide the kind of loving support they had received after losing Travis — and to provide meaningful ways to combat the isolation so many veterans feel, and create a real sense of purpose and belonging for veterans and their families.
The Manions’ connection to the Philly area runs deep — Travis’s dad was a colonel in the Marine Corps who attended Lower Merion High School. His mom went to nearby Conestoga High. The family has had season tickets to Eagles games going back to the Vet! In fact, right before he left for Iraq, Travis came home just to attend an Eagles game. When, that day, someone asked him why he had to go back to Iraq again, he didn’t hesitate with his answer: “If not me, then who?”
“Go out there and make sure that every day you’re doing something for others.” — Ryan Manion
Today, that’s the guiding ethos of the Travis Manion Foundation, which works to support veterans, the families of fallen soldiers, and inspired civilians who want to make a difference. The organization is run by Travis’s dedicated sister, Ryan Manion, who has built TMF into one of the largest veteran service organizations in the country. Ryan thinks of TMF as a community.
“We’re able to go out and showcase that our veterans and our military are perhaps the most important civic assets that our country has to offer,” Ryan says. “Through TMF, once they take off the uniform, they’re able to go out and continue serving and showing up and showing what it means to live a life of service.”
Their programs focus on improving the mental health and well-being of veterans and families of our military, and providing veterans and survivors opportunities to lead — like mentoring local youth. For example, they’ve mentored nearly 1 million young people through their Character Does Matter program.
I have been so moved by TMF’s work, that I volunteer at their events, and have made a point of meeting one-on-one with many Gold Star Families — families of fallen heroes — through Ryan’s introductions, often before away games. Ryan told me that one of the biggest fears of families is that their loved one’s story will be forgotten — so I want to give families time and space to share.
I love hearing the stories about the brave, beloved men and women who’ve served our country. On the one hand, these heroes are larger than life, more courageous than you can imagine. But at the end of the day, they are all also someone’s sister or brother, son or daughter, people with favorite foods and funny quirks, with music they loved and hilarious stories they left behind.
I hope that long after November’s focus on veterans and the military, we all remember to keep the spirit of our fallen soldiers alive, to appreciate the veterans in our midst, and to do what we can to keep our military feeling loved, engaged, and of service. You can donate or volunteer with TMF — and we can all heed Ryan’s advice:
“When I’m talking to kids through our programs, I tell them that every day I challenge myself to have an If not me, then who? moment” she says. “No matter how small that is. Go out there and make sure that every day you’re doing something for others.”
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