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Join Operation Stand Down RI for our 2nd Annual Gold Star Gala. The Gala, to be held at Twin River Casino on Friday, May 18, 2018 is a night to honor Rhode Island’s Gold Star Families post 9/11. The term “Gold Star” refers to a family member who had a loved one killed in action during a war time in a foreign country while serving their nation. On this night, we honor the families left behind, remember those who paid the ultimate sacrifice, and to raise money for the Boots on The Ground for Heroes Memorial.
This year the Gala is honored to announce our keynote speaker: Lt. Colonel Justin Constantine, USMC, Retired. Our speaker, Justin Constantine joined the U.S. Marine Corps while in law school at the University of Denver School of Law and served as a JAG officer for six years. As a reservist, Justin deployed to Iraq in 2006, serving as a Civil Affairs Team Leader while attached to an infantry battalion. During a combat patrol, Justin was shot in the head by a sniper. For his service in Iraq, Justin earned the Purple Heart Combat Action Ribbon and Navy-Marine Corps Commendation Medal. Justin retired from the Marine Corps at the rank of Lt. Colonel. He is now an inspirational speaker and veteran advocate.
The Gold Star Gala will be the official kick off to OSDRI’s presentation of the Boots on the Ground for Heroes Memorial at Roger Williams Park, Memorial Day Weekend. In 2016, OSDRI launched the Boots on the Ground for Heroes Memorial with the widely acclaimed and dramatic display of nearly 7,000 military boots adorned with name placards and flags representing each American service member killed in the Global War on Terror. The first of its kind, the display garnered local and national news coverage for the past two years and continues to grow
If you are a federal employee, postal worker or member of the U.S. military, please consider donating to us through your Combined Federal Campaign.
Courage after Fire for Parents of Service Members is the book discussed at this year’s Annual Convention. The book provides a compassionate and accessible guide for the parents or guardians of returning troops. This groundbreaking book acknowledges the significant contribution and sacrifice parents have made for their military children, provides strategies and resources that will assist them in understanding and supporting their son or daughter, and will validate their own personal experiences. Recommendations for helping them care for their returning service member are woven throughout the book, as well as education about the importance of taking care of themselves to help prevent caregiver burnout. Even in the best of circumstances, parents play an instrumental role in helping their sons and daughters successfully reintegrate after deployment. This book is a valuable resource for any parent who is seeking to better understand and support a returning military child while caring for themselves.