News and Updates
News
Behind the Brick: Warrenton VFW Post 9835
On May 19, 1948, 90 local World War I and II veterans banded together as Charter members of the Fauquier County Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 9835 in Warrenton, Virginia. In April 1974, the Post was re-named in honor of WWII veteran (and past Post Commander)...
Volunteer Spotlight: Judy Shupp Takes the Long Way Home
In our September 2021 newsletter, we featured Paw Patrol volunteer Nick Travis. During the telling of his story, he shared information about his girlfriend whose rescued greyhound offered comfort to Nick when he needed it most. It was the catalyst for Nick looking...
Vietnam Veterans Day 5K registration now open!
Registration is now open for our Vietnam Veterans 5K run/walk. Registration will remain open throughout March,...
Naval Weather Aerographer, Peggy Hembree, Kept her Eyes Fixed on the Water
While all eyes were on the Vietnam theatre in 1971, the Russians hoped to take advantage of the situation and trained their scopes on the eastern United States’ coastline. Aware of Russian interests, Naval Weather Aerographer, Peggy Hembree, stationed in the Icelandic...
Capt. Robert “Bobby” Bager Thrived Doing What He Loved
This year Hero’s Bridge received a generous donation of gift bags to distribute to our veterans for Valentine’s Day. In appreciation of this kind offering, we would like to introduce Bobby’s Valentines to Hero’s Bridge supporters. Bobby Bager wasn’t an athletic child,...
Hero’s Bridge Connects Elderly Veterans With Care
Molly Brooks wasn’t at her father’s side when he died in 2016. It’s a memory that continues to haunt her. A 23-year career military retiree and Vietnam veteran, Raymond Gustin USMC, MSgt, suffered from the effects of Agent Orange exposure. He was 71 when he went to...
“I’m Sorry, But We’ve Lost Charlie”
A small bottle of Evan Williams bourbon and a pumpkin pie sit on the table; a gift waiting to be given to an aging veteran. Our volunteers don't usually bring alcohol to veterans but in Charlie's case it kept him from paying an unscrupulous "friend" $50 to bring him a...
LETTER: Hero’s Bridge trying to build a village for elderly veterans
Prior military service, especially in combat, has been shown to greatly affect the aging process. While some veterans do well, many others experience a recurrence of PTSD, depression and chronic illnesses from Agent Orange and other wartime exposures. The loss of a...
Molly Brooks Honored Fauquier County Citizen of the Year for Cedar Run District
The five members of the Fauquier County Board of Supervisors each named a ‘citizen of the year’ Dec. 9 at the board’s last regular meeting of 2021. Molly Brooks Molly Brooks, founder of the Hero’s Bridge nonprofit, was Cedar Run District Supervisor Rick Gerhardt’s...
Retired Air Force Col. Richard Koehnke recalls Vietnam War exploits
The year was 1967. Rick Koehnke was executing his ninth Air Force mission to take down the Paul Doumer bridge in Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam, which would off a major route for communist troops and supplies. He remembered, “We were sent into the ring around Hanoi....
Taking Things in Stride: The Final Recap from RFH 2021 Challenge
December 5 marked our 12th marathon and the completion of our goal to run one marathon every month in 2021 to raise awareness to our older veterans’ needs. Running for Heroes chose to run a race in Washington D.C. that supported the EOD Warrior Foundation (Explosive...
Thousands of miles to better housing for aging veterans
On Dec. 5, Rick Heppard and Bobby Brooks, better known as Running for Heroes, will run the 2021 EOD Warrior Holiday Dash 7K, Half and Full Marathon on the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal in D.C. It will be their 12th marathon this calendar year. They laced up in 20-degree...
July Newsletter: A Note From Molly
Summer is still in full swing and so are our Village plans. We are excited to continue promoting our brick fundraiser for all of our supporters to leave their mark on the Village. I would like to extend a special thanks to our Running for Hero's partners, Bobby Brooks...
June Newsletter: A Note From Molly
In April, a three-war veteran died at age 96 in the comfort of his historic farm home with his wife by his side. Not every older veteran has sunset years as comfortable as he did. Too many of our aging veterans end their lives living in substandard housing conditions...
May Newsletter: A Note From Molly
As the daughter of a Vietnam Veteran, military recognition days are on my radar. Each year remembrance days from each of our nation's battles has me thinking of the soldiers who lost their lives in wars and skirmishes throughout the years and throughout the world. I...
April Newsletter: A Note from Molly
There is finality in everything we do at Hero's Bridge. We know that we are serving these veterans in their final moments. In some cases, even their twilight years have passed and they are simply waiting to pass away. It isn't easy to accept. In the five years since...
March Newsletter: A Note from Molly
Our team members and volunteers have done their fair share of running around lately...and I mean that both figuratively and literally! Our veterans could always use an extra hand and maybe some help around their house. Many of them live in old homes that show their...
February Newsletter: A Note From Molly
This month was another busy one for our team. We welcomed social work intern, Amber Mullins from Liberty University. She will be working with our Battle Buddy Coordinator and meeting with veterans. We have enjoyed getting to know her and getting her up to speed. The...
December Newsletter: A Note From Molly
Like many people we know, as we head into December, we are keeping our eyes firmly on 2021. We are all experiencing COVID-fatigue and the veterans we serve are too. We know some at-risk veterans who have been at-home since March with little interaction with anyone...
November Newsletter: A Note from Molly
As we embark on the holiday season, at Hero's Bridge we have much to be thankful for. Primarily, we remain thankful for all our veterans and their service and dedication to our nation. We are grateful for our community that supports our efforts to ensure aging...
October Newsletter: A Note from Molly
We are excited to be a beneficiary of Fun Run Racing's Prince William Turkey Trot. Their catch phrase Trot, Eat, Sleep speaks to all of us as we prepare for a different, albeit still busy, holiday season. I hope you will register for the event and select Hero's Bridge...
September Newsletter: A Note From Molly
Although we have made a lot of sacrifices for the past six months as a result of COVID, I have to admit that being forced to slow down has given us a chance to better connect with our veterans. While we continue to serve them with our six distinct programs, we also...
August Newsletter: A Note From Molly
Since March, we have watched our nation's response to the COVID-19 pandemic and while in many cases the lock-down of nursing homes and senior facilities did greatly reduce the risk of exposure for our most at-risk citizens, this is not true for every lock-down. Our...
June Newsletter: A Note from Molly
It has been a challenging month for all of us. Here at Hero's Bridge, we have stayed abreast of the ever changing fallout and safety measures caused by COVID19 and continue to make adjustments as needed when new orders are released by the state Governor. Meanwhile,...