NEWPORT, N.H. — Sturm, RUGER & Co., Inc. in Newport is hosting The Honor Bear Project “Flags for Forgotten Heroes,” which is a suicide awareness flag display installation. The event is Saturday, May 3, starting at noon.
Over 650 American flags will be installed to represent the number of veterans lost to suicide every month. A single large American flag represents 40-plus active duty, National Guard and reservists, while five American flags represent the 120-plus first responders lost to suicide every month.
22 a day is 22 too many
Twenty-two veterans are lost a day to suicide, along with five first responders and one active service member. It’s the hope that displaying these flags will help decrease those statistics.
Large banners are placed within the displays explaining what the flags stand for. Each flag represents a person who is no longer with us. The Suicide Crisis Hotline is also on the banner, letting you know that there is always someone available to talk to even if you are not in the military. Dial 988 for help.
About The Honor Bear Project
The Honor Bear was created in 2016 by Kim Hebert to honor and remember the nation’s fallen heroes. Since then, hundreds of heroes’ names have been added to The Honor Bear.
The first four heroes recognized include Marine Corps PFC Eric Currier, Army SPC Justin Rollins, Marine Corps CPL Brandon Garabrant and Army SPC Ryan McDermot.
Many important milestones related to The Honor Bear’s mission have been reached, including expanding programs to now include Fishing with our Heroes, which offers fishing trips for veterans and first responders suffering with PTSD and other mental health issues. To date, more than 400 veterans and first responders have traveled out to sea to fish at zero cost to the service member.
Sturm, RUGER & Co., Inc. is located at 411 Sunapee Street in Newport, New Hampshire. For more information, contact Kim at 978-828-7811 or Jan at 603-359-7946, or visit online at thehonorbearproject.com.
