PHOENIX — Community members rallied outside of the National Memorial Cemetery of Arizona on Monday to say "thank you" to the heroes who lost their lives fighting for our country.
Five hundred American flags lined the streets outside of the cemetery near Cave Creek and Pinnacle Peak roads.
The group RidersUSA held the event. Each flag had the name of a fallen veteran. The group also greeted family members as they visited their loved ones at the cemetery.
Connie Galeener came to honor two of her family members, her father and father-in-law. She says both served in World War II and her father-in-law also served in Korea.
"You can see things in movies, you can learn about history, but the reality of it all, I don't think quite strikes us with such intensity as it has during the time our loved ones have served," she said. "So the least we can do is have a reminder of what they've given up."
If you would like to sponsor a flag for next year, click here.
Are you looking for help? The Survivors of War crisis hotline is available 24/7 and their phone number is 480-442-6273.
REHABILITATION CENTER FOCUSES ON PTSD THERAPY
Also grieving the loss of service members are those who survived war.
On Monday, there was a grand opening of a rehabilitation center in Mesa to help veterans with PTSD, many of whom have lost other soldiers in war.
Survivors of War, a non-profit, is working to help veterans by providing alternative rehabilitative therapies like golf, scuba diving, hunting-fishing-camping, Jiu-jitsu, and one on one counseling.
“There’s a war that's still happening each and every day,” said Shane Dunagan, the Founder and CEO of Survivors of War. That war he’s talking about is veteran suicide.
“Veteran suicide takes 660 veterans per month, 7,900 yearly or more than all the lives lost in the war against terrorism (2001-present),” said an SOW press release.
The Mesa location sits at 456. N Vineyard, where Dunagan said they are there to help as many veterans in need.
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