Reclaiming Our Heritage to Welcome Home Iraq, Afghanistan Veterans and Families
On June 2 and 3, Reclaiming Our Heritage (ROH)
will becelebrating 11 years of honoring veterans, providing veteran benefit information, highlighting the architectural and cultural treasures of the National Soldiers Home Historic District*, and bringing history to life. Over the past ten years, the annual event has attracted thousands of veterans, volunteers and community members to the beautiful grounds of the Soldiers Home District.
ROH is a free, family-friendly opportunity to explore the beautiful Soldiers Home grounds and is a great way to honor our veterans and learn about the brave men and women who have served and continue to serve our country.
New this year, ROH is offering a special welcome area for veterans of Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation New Dawn. Veterans of these conflicts can visit their specific welcome area for:
Information on VA benefits;
A special gathering area for Iraq/Afghanistan vets and their families;
Displays, including a glimpse of life in a Patrol Base, including uniforms, equipment and housing;
A unique “Battle-Body Relaxation Station,” staffed by the VA; and
A private concert by Iraq Veteran Jason Moon.
The Iraq/Afghanistan center is this year’s special welcome center. Past special welcome centers have included those specific to Vietnam veterans, medics and women veterans. The response to these centers has been overwhelming. Veterans who have visited ROH’s special welcome centers have found it to be a place of great healing.
Though there will be a special area for Iraq and Afghanistan veterans, ROH honors all veterans. Free coffee and doughnuts will be served for all veterans at the event’s Veteran Welcome Tent. Another area will feature representatives from the VA, including VA benefit representatives. Additionally, the event will feature entertainment, education and the extremely popular Cemetery-by-Lantern Tours.
*ROH is funded by Friends of Reclaiming Our Heritage (FOROH), a non-governmental 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. FOROH does not raise funds for preservation efforts at the Zablocki VA Medical Center’s historic district or any other site.
This article appeared in our April 2012 newsletter. To see other articles from our April newsletter, please click here.
