STATUE & SCHOLARSHIP FOR MAJOR WINTERS (Updates)

[Mooch]

Linda,
I spoke with Tim. Glad to see he took care of that.
R/
Mooch

[csnow]

I've done my part via Facebook to assist in the efforts of donations toward this project. Sounds like a great opportunity to do something great for a great cause! I look forward to being a part of it.

Chris~

[Fearless Phosgene]

Chris , where is it on Facebook ? Can you provide a link ?

[csnow]

There isn't a Facebook link for the project on Facebook, so I posted the project link from (http://www.timgraymedia.com/index.php/2 ... spokesper/) on my profile page on Facebook. Since I know a lot of people that aren't on this forum, I just thought this would help get the word out there a little further into some crevices of the public that might not otherwise know about this opportunity.

Chris~

[Fearless Phosgene]

Good Job ! Nothing like a grassroots movement to help out !

[Linda]

Linda,
I spoke with Tim. Glad to see he took care of that.
R/
Mooch

Thanks for the help Joe, much appreciated!
Am spreading the word via Facebook too, but all is/will be done in a modest way, as we all know the Winters family would like it that way.

[ambulnick]

Sounds like an incredible project; really does! It certainly has my backing, and a donation.

Oh, plus the trailer for "We Who Are Alive and Remaining" looks amazing too! I therefore look forward to the MDW Leadership documentary too. That will definitely be worth owning; I very much hope that it will make it onto DVD or similar and be available for general sale...

[Ibiasriver]

It is a great proyect, a very happy new

[padraigmc]

and more coverage of this fine idea with the support of our 88 year old birthday boy !

http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index. ... memor.html


i wonder would it be an idea to post a link to this site and the petition in the comments section?

[Linda]

i wonder would it be an idea to post a link to this site and the petition in the comments section?

Can't see no harm in doing that Padraig

On a side note...I made a (humble) donation last Monday. $400,000 sure's a lot to raise

[Fearless Phosgene]

Here is a direct link to the page that contains the Pay Pal donation site for major Winters Statue.

Wouldn't it be a good idea to post this in a banner or something so that it would come up anytime someone opens up the MDW website.

It would make it a lot easier that way than having to go search for it on the Gray Media website,

Here is the link to the page it is on.


http://www.timgraymedia.com/index.php/order-dvds/


Hope this helps.

[LMB]

Mrs. Winters' comments are certainly of interest to all.

We've done what we can on the Medal of Honor issue - it's in the hands of Congress - and we won't neglect the campaign.

To the greatest extent possible, we should do what we can to move the statue/scholarship/101st Medal project forward.
Can this topic be moved to a prominent spot on the Board index?

The newspaper article from Central Pa. indicated HBO has made a contribution!

[Mooch]

HBO has made a donation. We are moving forward, full steam ahead. Really the key to the effort is fundraising. We have to generate enough money to pay for the statue and well as keep the leadership program functioning. We've got several irons in the fire and Tim has really been working exceptionally hard on this.

Here's the latest article on the effort: http://www.ldnews.com/ci_14985276

Thanks to everyone for supporting,
Hang Tough,
Mooch

[Linda]

Latest update on the Project: 11 year old Jordan Brown is trying to raise $100,000 for the project by selling 'Hang Tough' bracelets!

Boy, 11, raising money for Dick Winters statue

By BRAD RHEN
05/17/2010


Jordan Brown admires an autographed statuette of Dick Winters that Bob Hoffman, Lebanon architect and Winters' friend, gave him Friday at South Lebanon Elementary School. (Lebanon Daily News - Brad Rhen

IONA - Jordan Brown has never met Dick Winters.

But the 11-year-old South Lebanon Elementary School student is mounting a campaign to raise $100,000 toward a monument dedicated to the famed World War II veteran and other leaders that is planned to be built in France.

After reading a recent newspaper story about the effort to establish a monument near where Winters parachuted into France on D-Day, Brown decided he wanted to help raise money for it. Brown, who helped organize a fundraiser to send money to earthquake-ravaged Haiti in February, eventually settled on selling bracelets.

"Originally, we were going to try to do 'Band of Brothers,' but it was copyrighted, but we still liked the idea of a band," Brown said.

The bracelets are similar to the yellow Live Strong bracelets developed by Lance Armstrong to raise money for cancer research. At the suggestion of Winters' close friend, Lebanon architect Bob Hoffman, the bracelets are olive green, similar to the color of Army uniforms in World War II, and say "Hang Tough," a phrase Winters would say to his men during the war.

Brown, a fourth-grader at South Lebanon, is hoping to get some of his fellow students involved in the project.

His mother, Yasmin Brown, said she the project is a great idea.

"I just thought it was a wonderful thing to do," she said. "It's something that's child-driven, and I think that there's something very heart-warming about the fact that these men, no doubt, when they went to battle, they were going to battle to fight for their kids' and their grandkids' futures, and here you have these grandchildren now coming back and wanting to say thank you."

Whether or not her son is able to raise all of the $100,000, Yasmin Brown said the project is "a win."

"Hopefully they can raise the $100,000, but regardless, the children that get involved, they're going to raise some amount of money toward the monument and documentary, but they're going to learn about organization, teamwork, giving back to the community and saying thanks," she said.So far the family has had 1,000 bracelets made and have ordered 2,000 more. They are asking for a $1 donation for each bracelet.

On Friday, Hoffman met up with the Browns at Jordan's school. In exchange for a few bracelets, Hoffman gave Brown an autographed picture of Winters and a small autographed statue of Winters.

"I think it's great because it forms a bridge to a younger generation," Hoffman said of the project. "And it will help to make them aware of the continuity of sacrifice in this country, which is something we really don't think about too often."

Hoffman said the statue he gave Brown was a prized possession, but he did not hesitate to give it.

"We're caretakers of physical possessions," he said. "We're just caretakers for a while, and I thought it would be nice to pass that on to somebody else to be the caretaker. Since this whole effort is to get a statue of Dick, I thought it would be nice for Jordan to have one at home that he could use for inspiration."

Documentary filmmaker Tim Gray of Rhode Island is trying to raise $400,000 for the project, which will also include a documentary that will air on a national cable channel.

The statue will be located in Saint Marie-du-Mont, Normandy - the objective of Winters' unit on D-Day. Sculptor Stephen Spears of Alabama will design the statue, and although it will depict Winters, it will also honor all Army officers who led soldiers into combat on D-Day, Gray said.

Gray said he was very impressed when he heard about Brown's project."The first thing my wife said is, 'That's a mini you,'" Gray said. "I think I took that as a compliment. This is an 11-year-old kid who already has a track record for doing things for people. Honestly, it restores your faith in young people."

Gray said he put information about Brown's bracelet campaign on his Facebook page, and he has already received inquiries about the bracelets from several people, including some in Europe.

"They recognize what 'Hang Tough' means on several different levels," Gray said. "I'm very happy to have him as a part of our team."

Winters, a Lancaster native, assumed command of Easy Company, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division, shortly after parachuting into France in the early morning hours of D-Day, June 6, 1944.

Following D-Day, Easy Company fought across Europe, participating in Operation Market Garden, the Battle of the Bulge and eventually capturing Hitler's "Eagle's Nest" in Berchtesgaden, Germany.

Easy Company's story was made famous by the book "Band of Brothers" by Stephen E. Ambrose and the 10-part HBO miniseries of the same name. The series, which was produced by Stephen Spielberg and Tom Hanks, won two Emmy awards in 2002, including best miniseries.

After the war, Winters lived for many years on a farm near Fredericksburg, where he built a house by hand. He now lives in Hershey.

The Browns will march in both the Annville and Lebanon Memorial Day parades and have received permission to set up a table near the ceremonies following each parade where they will be selling the bracelets.

Anyone who is interested in purchasing a bracelet or contributing to the campaign should email [email protected]

http://www.ldnews.com/ci_15096312

[Linda]

Lebanon County boy sells wristbands to raise money for WWII statue

By BARBARA MILLER, The Patriot-News
May 28, 2010


"Hang Tough" wristbands.------CHRIS KNIGHT, The Patriot-News


It’s not every 11-year-old boy who would be thrilled with getting a box full of 1,000 olive drab rubber wristbands to sell. But they’re not Jordan Brown of Lebanon County, who wants to raise $100,000 toward the statue honoring Maj. Dick Winters planned for Normandy
Jordan, a fourth-grader at South Lebanon Elementary School, came up with the idea after his mom showed him an article about filmmaker Tim Gray’s effort to erect a statue in France honoring his hero, Winters, and create a documentary. The family brainstormed over a weekend, with Jordan at first thinking of selling a few hundred snowflakes or paper airplanes for 66 cents, because this is the 66th anniversary of D-Day June 6.

After Jordan decided to up the ante and try to raise a quarter of the needed funds, or $100,000, they had to find a more efficient way to raise the money, said his mom, Yasmin Brown.

“We ended up with the wristbands,” she said, and then had to decide on a color and phrase. Bob Hoffman, a Lebanon architect who is a friend of Maj. Winters, suggested the olive drab color, referencing the Army, and the phrase Maj. Winters said to inspire his soldiers — “Hang Tough.”

Jordan Brown’s “Hang Tough” wristbands can be purchased at http://www.hangtough6644.org. The minimum donation is $1, plus $3 shipping.



Jordan Brown, 11, a fourth grader at South Lebanon Elementary School, wears his "Hang Tough" wristbands, at his home in South Lebanon Township. -----CHRIS KNIGHT, The Patriot-News


http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index. ... wrist.html