Every week we receive many e-mails at HomeOfHeroes.com from school teachers and youth leaders looking for ideas and resources to help young Americans understand the meaning of PATRIOTISM, DUTY, HONOR, COUNTRY.   OPERATION PASS THE TORCH is our effort to involve veterans, historians, public servants, and others with a story to share, in opportunities to help shape the attitudes of the youth on whom our future depends.  We will accomplish this by providing these teachers and youth leaders with a comprehensive list of veterans (and others) in their area that have volunteered their time to speak in schools and other youth programs.

You don't have to be heroic to be a hero to a young person.  Three decades of relative peace has made it difficult for our Nation's youth to fully understand the service and sacrifice that has built and preserved our great Nation.  In the decades since the end of World War II the members of the Congressional Medal of Honor Society have devoted thousands of hours to speaking in schools, riding in parades, and using their unique role as American heroes to inspire patriotism in others...and especially in our young.  Today, there is fewer than ONE living Medal of Honor Recipient for every TWO MILLION Americans.  At the same time, there is nearly one living military veteran for every TEN Americans.  Those who have faced the responsibility of serving our Nation in uniform in years past are now faced with a new challenge, sharing from their experiences to help shape and mould the attitudes in our youth that will enable them to carry the torch of freedom into the future.

Though our primary focus in this project is to get veterans involved in schools, we have chosen not to limit our listings to only those who have served in uniform.  There are many others, historians, teachers, writers, public servants, politicians, and ordinary citizens who feel a passion for patriotism and also have much to share.  Family members of veterans can often communicate the meaning of sacrifice in equally powerful personal testimony.  It is true that "They also serve who watch and wait."  For this reason, we welcome all who wish to join in this project to realize:

We invite you to fill out our brief form below to join our ranks. 

Your Home Town:    State:   Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming District of Columbia Your Name: E-Mail Address:   Contact Phone:*   Show Phone Number in listing?  Yes   No The following check boxes determine which icons will be displayed with your speaker listing.  Please check ALL that apply to you. PROFESSIONAL SPEAKERS:  These are individuals who make a living or supplement income as professional speakers.  They offer their services FREE OF CHARGE to schools and youth organizations, but are also available for paid speaking engagements. WILL TRAVEL:  Volunteer speakers who will accomodate schools and organizations outside their home town but within driving distance (usually less than 200 miles). WILL TRAVEL ANYWHERE:  Volunteer speakers who will accomodate schools and organizations anywhere for the cost of travel and accomodations only. PUBLIC SERVANTS/POLITICIANS:  Individuals who can speak from personal experience about service in the political and civic process.  PLEASE DESCRIBE: VETERANS OF MILITARY SERVICE:  Men and women who have served in uniform and can speak about patriotic service in our Nations military forces. COMBAT VETERANS:  Men and women who have served in uniform during time of war or conflict, and who can speak personally about service and sacrifice. ACTIVE DUTY MILITARY:  Men and women who are currently serving in uniform (including National Guard and Reserves). MILITARY RECRUITERS:  These are active duty military personnel who are on recruiting duty.  (These can often be one of your best sources for speakers. MEDAL OF HONOR RECIPIENTS FAMILY MEMBER OF A MEDAL OF HONOR RECIPIENT:  From a historical perspective, the sons, daughters, and other relatives of a TRUE hero can have much to say and share. RELATED TO WHAT RECIPIENT:   NATURE OF RELATIONSHI::           ADDITIONAL SPEAKER PROFILE INFORMATION AVAILABLE:   These are speakers who have provided us additional information in the form of a resume page.  Whenever you see this icon, you can click on it to open that speaker's biography in a separate window. CHECK THIS BOX IF YOU WISH TO HAVE US CONTACT YOU ABOUT CREATING A PROFILE PAGE PERSONAL WEB SITE AVAILABLE:  Speakers who have additional information in a personal web site.  When you see this icon, click on it to view that speakers personal web site in a separate window. URL:  . Please use the text box below to write a two or three line biography to include in your speaker listing.  If you have requested a PROFILE PAGE, we will contact you for additional information for that page.   Questions and/or comments: