Video Story
Watch VideoMilitary widows build community from loss
Story By: Mark Hanrahan
Source: KOAA
From a dining room table in
The ladies are the founders of newly formed non-profit organization. McElroy says, "One New Years day of 2006 five of us got together and decided that this is what we really wanted to do." They've known each other two years of less, but interact like they're life-long friends; laughing and poking fun at each other.
Behind the smiles and laughter, though, there's something very dark. They've all lost a husband who was serving in the U.S. Military. For McElroy, that day came in January of 2006. "Three Air Force personnel showed up at the front door of my parent’s house where I was staying and notified me that my husband had been killed by an IED in
Not all the organizations founders lost their husbands in combat. Others died in training accidents, sudden illness or other, non-combat related injuries.
They're now using their experiences to reach out to others. McElroy says, "We want to unite the survivors and let them know that they're not alone."
Its a job that often requires them to relive painful moments. They help train Casualty Affairs Officers at
Members say Colorado Military Survivors is not just a way to help others, but also a way to honor their fallen spouses. "They stood for something and their deaths stand for something, for us, we want to make sure that we stand for something."
For more information on Colorado Military survivors, below is a link to the organizations web page.
www.coloradomilitarysurvivors.org
