March 25 is officially National Medal of Honor Day, set up to recognize the first date the medals were presented in 1863 to a group of six men for valiant acts performed during the Civil War.

Each year, Medal of Honor recipients lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns in honor of all those who have made the ultimate sacrifice in service to their country. They also present Citizen Service Before Self Honors to three Americans who have demonstrated courage and selfless in their civilian lives similar to what the recipients did in combat.

Fly your flag proudly today and spend a few minutes online visiting the Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation and the Congressional Medal of Honor Society to learn more about what these brave men have done for their country.

A nation reveals itself not only by the men it produces, but also by the men it honors, the men it remembers. – President John F. Kennedy

How will you be honoring and thanking members of our Military, Law Enforcement, Firefighters and their families for their sacrifices this Memorial Day? We’d like to invite you to join our team this Memorial Day in Dallas, TX for Carry The Load.

Carry The Load is a life-changing journey for people as they walk or run as long or as little as they can in the 20-hour period. Like the service members they honor, they carry more than they have to, longer than they think they can.

Carry The Load

We’ve organized a team to participate in the event and are calling on you to show up and help us Carry The Load. As mentioned, there’s no commitment to the whole 20 hours that we’ll be there. To register for free on our team we’ve dubbed the ITS Tactical Joint Task Force, click here. Even if you can’t make it out, you can help us reach our goal of raising  $2,500 for the event’s charities. To donate to our team, please click here.

We attended Carry The Load last year in Dallas and it was a huge success, both personally and as a team. We had a great group of people show up, including the crew from Madcat Aviator Operator. I had a runkeeper going during last year’s event and during the 20 hours and 12 minutes we walked, which showed the ground covered was 33.81 miles.

While I was hurting afterwards, carrying a weighted pack and an American Flag and Navy Flag, it was the least I could do to remember my friends that have fallen. Please don’t feel that you have to participate in the whole event, or even carry a weighted pack, we’d love to have you on our team for just an hour if possible. We’ll provide an update as we get closer to the event with a place to meet up so we can all start together.

Carry The Load – Dallas starts on Sunday, May 26, 2013 at 3:30 p.m. and goes through Monday, May 27 at 12:13 p.m. It’s being held at Reverchon Park in Dallas, TX. If you’d like to participate and join our team, sign up here.

Bryan, Kelly and Rob are at the Dallas Cowboys Stadium today for the memorial service of Chris Kyle. You can show your support by attending the memorial service or donating to a trust for the families of Chris Kyle and Chad Littlefield on the Craft International web page. These trusts will provide for the general welfare of the families as well as the education of their young children. One hundred percent (100%) of the donations will go to the respective families.

Thousands of supporters are expected to attend the memorial service today. If you are unable to attend but wish to show your support for this American hero, The Dallas News has information on the memorial service:

• The service will be held at Cowboys Stadium on Monday, Feb. 11 at 1 p.m.
• Arrive early. Doors will open at 11:30 a.m.
• Parking is free. Use Lots 1, 2 and 10, which are closest to Randol Mill and N. Collins.
• Enter through Gates A and K on the north side of the stadium.
• No cameras, bags, purses or substantial handheld items will be allowed in the stadium.
• No photos. Kyle’s family has asked the public to give the memorial service the reverence it deserves and refrain from taking pictures.

The Dallas CBS affiliate should have a live stream of the service available online.

Fair Winds and Following Seas Chief, your loss impacts us all and you’ll never be forgotten for what you’ve done for our country and its Veterans.

Many of you are already aware, but it’s with a heavy heart that I share the news here of John Noveske’s passing on Friday. He was involved in a fatal vehicle accident and will be greatly missed. A true pioneer of this industry and a tremendous innovator. Fair winds and following seas, John.

John is survived by his wife and three children. Rob Curtis of Gear Scout spearheaded an online memorial and we encourage you to donate so that his family will continue to be provided for and taken care of.

 [Click here to donate to the Noveske Memorial Fund]

Those interested in learning more about the history of John Noveske and Noveske Rifleworks, here is an excerpt from their catalog:

My Father, John Noveske Sr., raised my brother and I to honor God, to understand fundamental American principles, and to use and respect firearms. As children, we had access to firearms at all times. Our dad trusted us, and we never let him down. At age 13, I was issued a rack grade M1 Garand with 88 rds per week from the DCM and began shooting High Power Rifle matches. This was my only sport growing up, and a private one. I soon realized I probably was not going to be an Astronaut, and decided the best place for me was in the Army.

After the Army, I thought hard about what to do for a living, and figured making rifles was the best thing for me. A seemingly intangible dream was quickly realized when Chris Dichter, owner of PAC-NOR Barreling in Brookings, Oregon, hired me and I began making rifle barrels. The passion went into overdrive. I had a great time there and learned a lifetime of information. In the spring of 2001, I moved back to Grants Pass, Oregon, started my business in my Dad’s garage, fixed up our 80 year old house, married Lorina at a shotgun wedding, and she had our first baby shortly thereafter.

Our country has come a long way since September 11th, 2001 and the tragic events that occurred that day. In some ways I miss the way we all came together in the days following all the hurt, sorrow and disbelief.

We were united and almost everyone flew American flags for our fallen heroes and all who were lost. It’s this that I reflect on each year when September 11th, now Patriot Day, comes around.

The thing is, I haven’t forgotten, I’ve always flown a flag each and every day at my house and in the last year have finally gotten around to having a proper full-size flag pole installed in my front yard. There’s only one other gentleman in our neighborhood of over 200 homes that has a flag flying daily, also on a flag pole.

Have most forgotten that unity we had in 2001 when we all stood behind the flag? It’s the symbol of the strength and resolve of our country and the banner our heroes have fought for and perished under.

Fly your flag proudly and don’t think you need a holiday to mark in order to do it. Remember our fallen heroes each and every day and all that they’ve given us. Thank those in uniform you run into and be appreciative of their service. My dad always buys a meal for anyone he sees in uniform and it’s something I truly admire in him.

Whether you agree with current politics or not is irrelevant and shouldn’t affect your patriotism. Stand behind our flag and NEVER FORGET…

If you’d like to download and display the graphics that Matt created on your Facebook Timeline, you can download the full-size version you see above here, or the fallen Firefighter version here and the fallen Police Officer version here.

Eric and I recently had the opportunity to visit the National Navy UDT-SEAL Museum when I was in Florida for SOFIC a few months back. It was an awesome experience and one I’ll never forget.

It was my first visit to the museum and it was great seeing the completed memorial to all the fallen UDTs (Underwater Demolition Teams,) NCDUs (Naval Combat Demolition Unit,) Office of Strategic Services Maritime Units, Amphibious Scouts & Raiders and SEALs.

The memorial encompasses all those lost in WWII, Korea, Vietnam, the Cold War, Desert Storm and the current War on Terror. It was also an honor to have one of the museum staff guys volunteer to help me out in creating a rubbing of the guys I knew while I was at BUD/s. I got a bit choked up remembering their heroism and camaraderie.

When ITS was still in its infancy, we donated to help fund the memorial by purchasing a memorial brick that you’ll see pictured below. It’s inscribed with “ITS Tactical, In Memory of Our Fallen.” I also got in a few pull-ups for Marc Lee, Alex Ghane, Ryan Job and Jason Workman while I was there. They had a pull-up bar out back and it was hard not to knock out a few.

Check out the photo collection below from our tour of the museum grounds and interior. The last photo in the set shows our Geocache “In Memory of Our Fallen” that Eric set up at Ft. Pierce where we launched our ITS Travel Bugs from. We made sure to restock it while we were there.

I’d highly recommend a visit to the museum if you’re ever in Fort Pierce; it’s not everyday you get to see the birthplace of Navy Frogmen.

National Navy UDT-SEAL Museum