Thank you so much, I pray for your safety. I also pray you recieve the love and help you deserve. - From a youth at Echo Glen to Veterans

To the youthful warriors at Echo Glen Children’s Center and the community that supports them,

Veteran Rites had the honor of receiving the beautiful survivor bracelets and Veterans Day cards made from the resilient hands and hearts of the young souls at Echo Glen for Veterans Day. As requested, those bracelets and well-wishes have reached the sisters, brothers, siblings, and Gold Star Families (families who’s kin paid the ultimate sacrifice) that we call family.

You all, who are currently in the deep and painful threshold of your own rite of passage took the time to plan, craft, create, and carry your messages of inspiration to a group of people that know all too well what it means to dig deep into the places that hurt, face the demons in ourselves, lose the people we love, get knocked down, and struggle to find the will to keep going some days. Like you, we fall sometimes. Like you, we knock off the dust and get back up.

Because of what we’ve been through, many of our people become casualties of war through suicide on American soil. Once we put down the uniform we are thrust back into a society that does not understand us, is afraid of us, and is rarely, if ever, bears witness to the story and truth inside of us screaming to be heard. There are some days where an hour feels like an eternity and that we will never get back home.

We ask ourselves Who Am I? What is my Purpose? Where do I belong? It’s a scary place to be, but one that makes us more resilient in the end.

Many of us come from the kinds of homes and neighborhoods like many of you are from, duct tape on our sneakers, single mothers, paycheck to paycheck, gangs, doing what we need to do in order to survive. We didn’t always have the chance to be kids, and many of us have spent some time within cold brick walls of confinement before we found a better way.

So we signed up to find some structure, training, a wild pack to run with, a better life, and the ultimate purpose in serving our country. In a melting pot of all perfect shades of humanity, ethnicities, and genders that is America, we found our faith, the best in each other, and a mission in serving others. We knew no matter what, we would not come back the same.

So when we receive a handwritten note, art, and bracelet that says “Welcome Home” in some way it punches us right in the heart. It makes us tear up. It’s a very big deal. Because the secret you see is we are innocent, playful teddy bears on the inside (But please don’t tell anybody).

We handed these bracelets out at the Auburn Veterans Day parade, the Veterans Day Seattle Kraken game, and sent them to veterans from Oregon to all the way in North Carolina, to New Orleans, and even Hawaii. To women and men who served in the conflicts of Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan, Panama and to the warriors that stood the watch to secure our freedom in peacetime, always at the ready to cross the line. We handed them to Gold Star Mothers and marched with them down Auburn’s Main Street proudly carrying the images of those that never landed home.

Army Veteran Lindsey Daniels and Navy Veteran Crystal Dandridge

Thank you for sharing your bracelets with our Gold Star Mother’s who helped to carry the Fallen Hero Banners at the Auburn Day Veterans Parade. Here are posters of our US Fallen Heroes that have served in the Armed Forces and made the ultimate sacrifice. These Portraits are drawn by Marine Vietnam veteran Michael Reagan. Again, thank you.

Respectfully,
Myra

(On Right) Army Veteran Jesus Carbajal and son Andrew

Vietnam Army Veteran Howard Harrison and wife Barbara

YOU INSPIRE US

At Veteran Rites, we provide the opportunity for our veterans to give meaning to their suffering so they can lay down the story that no longer serves and step into the new story that has always been waiting. Like magicians, we transform pain into progress, tears into tools, prayers into purpose. It is an epic tale of the heroine’s and hero’s journey. It is a long, challenging trial with many dark nights of the soul, and every one of them is the greatest story ever told.

YOURS IS NO DIFFERENT

We know…

There is a light in you that can never go out whatever the circumstance

There is a story of resilience in you that we all need to learn from

There is power in you bigger than you could ever imagine

There is a tenderness in you that needs to be felt

There is wisdom in your story that the world is waiting to hear

There is an artist, a comedian, an entrepreneur, a teacher, coach, and change-maker

There is a mother, father, aunt, uncle, and leader that will nurture tomorrow’s youth

There is an adventurer, scientist, athlete, poet, and dancer ready to take life’s stage

There is a wounded healer that accepts their humanity and gets better day by day

There is a gritty, humble warrior who battles for peace with fierce softness

There is forgiveness and redemption in you that is deep medicine for all

There is a hope in you through our witness to your unfolding story

We honor your whole story in truth

We know who you are in truth

You do not need to be fixed

You are whole just as you are

Just keep polishing what doesn’t rise to all that shines in you

One foot in front of the other, day by day, you will march on

And we will be waiting

Quitting is not an option

It is not our way and it is not your way

Just love as much as you can from wherever you are

We need you

We see you

We love you

To the staff and social service angels at Echo Glen, we SEE YOU too. We deeply honor all of your sacrifice to bring healing, support, and inspiration to youth. You remind us of the society we signed up to protect.

Thank You all for YOUR SERVICE,

Veterans

About Echo Glen Children's Center

Echo Glen Children’s Center in Snoqualmie is a medium/maximum security facility that is not fenced, but bordered by natural wetlands. It provides treatment services for younger male offenders and is the only institution for female offenders. Echo Glen provides educational services for a wide range of youth with varying needs. For more info, volunteer or mentorship opportunities.

Thank you Susan at Friends of Echo Glen and Dan Medoff of Veteran Rites for coordinating the hope exchange.