Dear Fellow Patriot,
You might remember June 6, 1944, as D-Day.
I remember it as Operation OVERLORD - Phase Albany.
As a member of the 101st Airborne Division, I was one of the first paratroopers to touch down in Normandy… and let me tell you friend, it was chaos.
Seconds after the C-47 aircraft carrying me and my 18-man squadron reached drop zone “D” over Utah Beach, we were hit by a German anti-aircraft artillery.
Somehow, I was able to make it out of the cabin, deploy my parachute, and make it onto the battlefield without taking any significant damage.
But many of my fellow paratroopers were not so lucky.
The lives of 38 percent of the 501 Parachute Infantry Regimine were taken that day.
Thankfully, I survived that harrowing battle and have been blessed with good health that allows me to continue to jump every D-Day in honor of my fellow paratroopers whose lives were taken that day…
Those blessings become more apparent each and every day as only a small handful of us are still alive to pass down our stories and pass the torch to the next generation.
And I’m afraid that once we’re all gone, nobody will remember the sacrifices we made.
Over the past few years, I’ve sadly watched hundreds of my fellow brothers-in-arms pass away from old age.
But what’s even more frightening than that is witnessing their legacy being washed away.
In our schools today, younger generations aren’t taught the important sacrifices those veterans made for our freedom anymore.
In fact, some people are actively trying to erase our history and make guys like me ashamed of my service to this country.
My name is Tom Rice.
I will never apologize for my patriotism, my service, or my love of everything the United States stands for.
That's why I'm so thankful for the American Veterans Center (AVC).
If you’ve ever heard of the American Veterans Center before, then you know that for the past 25 years, they’ve made it their #1 job to stand up for our American history, fight back against the historical revisionists who are trying to erase it, and preserve the legacies of veterans like me.
In May, they host the Annual National Memorial Day Parade where they make guys like me the celebrities in front of millions of people lining the streets and watching on TV.
In November, they host an Annual Veterans Conference where they fly me and my fellow combat veterans from around the country to Washington D.C. to give us the chance to tell our stories to the hundreds of students and future military leaders in attendance.
They even send camera crews to our homes so they can record our war stories exactly how we remember them to preserve our American history for the rest of time.
I cannot begin to tell you how much the American Veterans Center means to me and my fellow WWII vets.
Because of the American Veterans Center, I know that when I eventually pass on, my stories – and the stories of the men who served by my side – will be remembered forever.
But the AVC can’t do that alone.
As a non-profit organization, they rely almost exclusively on the donations of thousands of patriotic Americans across the country who share their passion for our country’s history and our veterans.
- The Annual National Memorial Day Parade costs the AVC around $500,000;
- The Annual AVC Veterans Conference and Youth Summit costs them around $600,000;
- And every Oral History video they produce costs about $2,000.
- Each of these programs is vital to keeping our American history alive.
If the AVC can’t raise the money to keep them going, they’ll have to be shut down.
And when that happens, guys like me will be completely forgotten. And the history of how America became the greatest country in the world will no longer be taught to the next generation.
So, after all the American Veterans Center has done for me and thousands of American veterans from World War II to the War on Terror, I have to ask you this important favor…
To this day – even at 100 years old – I continue to jump on D-Day.
I don’t do it for the attention. I do it to honor my fellow paratroopers who lost their lives in WWII and for all of the brave men whose lives were taken on D-Day by the “Master of the Whip” (a.k.a. the Germans).
But I know that I may not have much time left.
And I’m counting on folks like you to make sure that those legacies live on so the next generation has the chance to learn about the high cost of our freedom and the role we played in saving the world from tyranny.
Thank you in advance for your generous help.
God Bless,
Tom Rice
The mission of the American Veterans Center and the World War II Veterans Committee is to preserve and promote the legacy and experiences of America's veterans and active duty service personnel from World War II through today.
A non-profit educational organization, the AVC and WWIIVC are funded solely through generous contributions from people like you. All contributions are tax-deductible.
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1100 N. Glebe Road Suite 910, Arlington, VA 22201
