The Ekalaka Eagle - Your Community Builder

Dear Editor,

As many have heard, Stompin’ Grounds Coffee House is hosting the Diamonds & Dog Tags Formal Gala on the Saturday prior to Memorial Day. I have rallied my friends and fellow business owners to help with this large undertaking.

Veterans and active service members have touched my life in so many ways—they’re my childhood and family friends, teachers, and patients from my days at Dahl Memorial. Of my long list, there are a couple that were very influential in raising my awareness toward what is happening to the men and women who sacrifice everything for us.

After doing a little research, I found that in the first and second World Wars, for every U.S. soldier killed, an average of 1.7 were wounded. In Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom, this number rose to 7 wounded for every soldier slain. Combined, over 48,000 have been physically injured in recent conflicts. As many as 400,000 are invisibly wounded by war with combat-related stress, major depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder and another 320,000 are believed to have experienced traumatic brain injury while deployed. Around 20 veterans take their own lives daily.

When you learn something like this, you can choose to ignore or you can try to help, but what could I do? I’m just Eva. Well, that was when the idea for Diamonds & Dog Tags emerged. A nice evening in which we can all come together as a community in a formal setting, dine, dance, and pay tribute to those that have made the ultimate sacrifice so that we may have the freedom that we so often take for granted.

These veterans are people’s friends, husbands, wives, mothers, fathers, sons, and daughters. They completely put their lives on hold to fight for the civilians in this great country. They return wounded—both physically and mentally—and need our help. I realize that this benefit in Ekalaka, MT will be a drop in a pond when it comes to the big picture, but if the ripple effect has taught us anything, it is that a single drop can disturb the surface and cause a much bigger reaction.

I chose to send half of the earned donations to the Wounded Warrior Project because it is an amazing organization that aids veterans who are adjusting back to civilian life. They are an organization of hope. I also chose the local VFW chapter to receive the other half because they are our local heroes and we owe them our support.

I hope to see you on May 27th, dressed to the nines, and ready to celebrate and honor our veterans.