This September we are celebrating our 5th anniversary as a national nonprofit. In 2011, I took up endurance sports as a means to deal with the anxiety I felt when my young son left for the Marine Corps. My combat boot running quickly took on a life of its own as I raced to honor others. Then on Gold Star Mother’s Day, September 2014, at Ironman Chattanooga, while racing to fulfill the dream of Sgt. Anthony Peterson, Medals of Honor was born.
Medals of Honor originally started as a Facebook page and the name stuck when we became a registered 501c3 in October 2015. The name was a perfect fit since it was symbolic of participants donating their finisher medals as a way to honor the fallen and their families.
Over the past couple of years, our mission has grown in both size and scope. We now honor our fallen not only at endurance events, but at concerts, music awards, and college sporting events. In 2017, we did a country music video featuring photos and home videos of fallen service members.
Since day one, in 2014, our mission comes first; this has never wavered. If anything, the intensity of our resolve has amplified with every passing day and event we produce. We intend to work tirelessly throughout 2019 and beyond to make EVERY DAY Memorial Day.
We believe our new name, Memories of Honor, fully encompasses our evolving mission to create living, breathing memorials so that no sacrifice is forgotten. We hope that you will grow to love the new name as much as we do. Thank you for your continued support, for being with us along this journey, and for helping us to honor the sacrifice.
Amy Cotta
Founder | Executive Director
Mother of SSG Zych, USMC
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