Dedication

For every not-for-profit organization that is born, there is usually a very personal reason behind its inception. Ours is no different. I was only in elementary school when our brave men and women went to war in Desert Storm, my family and entire school supported them by writing letters, baking cookies, and sending pictures of home. That was my first real experience with the true meaning of patriotism.

My patriotism grew in a very personal way when my Godmother, Pat Rogers, gave me her Vietnam War MIA bracelet with the promise that I would never stop searching for Major George Thompson, the hero whose name was engraved on the bracelet but was still missing in action.

As I talked with various people during my search, my patriotic awareness greatly increased. I knew that if for no other reason than to honor Major Thompson, I needed to become more involved. As the years went by, I joined several military support organizations: fundraising, recruiting, and eventually becoming a "Platoon Mom."

An exciting thing happened in September 2000: I entered an online essay contest sponsored by the Department of Defense and Yahoo. I won the contest and was afforded the chance to spend a week with the Army and experience life as a soldier.  I was given the opportunity to do everything from flying in AH-64 Apache helicopter to freefalling with the Army's elite parachute team, the Golden Knights.

There were two very important things I took away from that experience: the human and personal side shared by the individual soldiers and knowledge that Major George Thompson's fate had recently been discovered.  He would finally be laid to rest. After coming home, I continued my search for Major Thompson's family, only to discover that his brother lived 30 minutes from my home. Major Thompson's brother generously invited me into his home to share the life of the young man who had traded his tour stateside for a new father-to-be's tour in Vietnam. I knew then that it was my duty to honor Major Thompson and every other courageous service member that has so selflessly sacrificed their life for our freedom.

I then decided to form Operation Stars & Stripes, Inc. My mother, Rosalyn W. Smith and our friend, Elisabeth Romanik, were just as passionate about the idea as I was. The three of us set out on a mission to let our military and their families know that we care - a mission to let them know that America remembers and is thankful for their sacrifices. We soon found many others who share our passion and volunteer in many ways to ensure that the sacrifices our troops make on a daily basis to preserve our freedoms do not go unappreciated and are not forgotten.

Rosalyn-Sue Smith

President, Operation Stars & Stripes, Inc.