Christopher Coutu, Founder, AmericanWarrior
Over the past two years I’ve witnessed the best from my neighbors in Southeastern CT and Southern RI – and America at large.
Like me, residents of communities in our region have enjoyed dozens of events that honor Veterans and those who continue to serve our country in uniform. And like you, there isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t count my blessings and think of those who have sacrificed so much for the freedoms we enjoy.
Think about it: Where would we be if Hitler and the Axis of Evil achieved their mission of world conquest? Without the honorable service from more than 16 million Americans – including my grandfather and seven great uncles – the last World War might have turned out differently.
That weighed heavy on my mind in 2006 as I stood before the World War II Monument in Washington, DC. I thought of my 89-year-old uncle, Ed, who was the last surviving member of my family to have fought in the conflict that affected so many lives throughout the world.
I knew Ed would love to see this memorial. Wouldn’t so many others?
Full of pride, I returned to CT with a mission: I wanted to fly as many WWII veterans as possible to their memorial. Shortly thereafter, I established AmericanWarrior as a vehicle to make that dream a reality. A byproduct, I believed, would be a renewed sense of patriotism that would see thousands of people in our region take greater pride in their communities and country.
AmericanWarrior has been successful so far, thanks to help from dedicated volunteers and support from businesses and community organizations. As you can imagine, it’s a lot of work. The first trip, in particular.
We needed to raise more than $40,000 and collect 45 wheelchairs. We needed doctors and guardians. And coordinating the logistics of getting 100 national heroes to our nation’s capital, and then back again, would have been impossible without a Herculean effort from the volunteers – my wife included – that I described.
They believed in the importance of this project, too. In just over two years, AmericanWarrior has flown 427 veterans to the WWII monument. We hope to reach 1,000 by the end of next year.
Volunteers will continue to be our backbone. So far, they have provided more than 15,000 hours of their time to support patriotic operations tied to AmericanWarrior. This has been an amazing journey for us all.
God Bless America and our American Warriors.
Sincerely,
Christopher Coutu
Founder
American Warrior
To volunteer and support our mission or to apply visit www.AmericanWarrior.us or call 860.886.1874
