Military Salute Project Launches Minnesota Veterans Literary Initiative

PRLog (Press Release) - Sep 25, 2007 -
Woodbury, MN … The Military Salute Project of Woodbury, MN is sponsoring the 2008 Minnesota Veterans Literary Initiative to encourage Minnesotans who served in the Global War On Terror to record and preserve their stories.  Submissions will be accepted via e-mail from residents of Minnesota who have been awarded the National Defense Service Medal, the GWOT Expeditionary or Service Medals, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal, or the Iraq Campaign Medal for service on or after September 11, 2001.  Submissions will also be accepted from immediate family members (spouse, parents, siblings and children 18 years of age or older), including the immediate family members of Minnesotans who were posthumously awarded one or more of the decorations.

The Military Salute Project will present three awards each in Poetry and Essay categories.  Submissions received by April 1, 2008 are eligible for the Freedom Award ($500 and a certificate), the Liberty Award ($250 and a certificate), and the Independence Award ($100 and a certificate).  Submissions received after March 31, 2008 will be displayed in the Military Salute Project Reference Forum but will not be eligible for awards.  Recipients will be announced on April 14.  Presentations will be made on May 17 during the Salute to Armed Forces Day event sponsored by Tribute To The Troops of Center City, MN.

Jeff Seeber, founder and director of the Military Salute Project said, “We who served throughout the Cold War, and especially during the Vietnam War, owe a debt of gratitude to those who have defended us since America was attacked in 2001.  Their sacrifice enabled many of us to receive the Welcome Home we thought was never coming.  Because of them, we are finally able to share our stories.  However, the passage of time has clouded our memories and much of our history has been forgotten or mistaken.  By launching this initiative, we hope to prevent that from happening to their history.  We learned that writing about what we experienced may be painful, but it is also therapeutic.  We hope that encouraging them to submit their stories will help them cope with their changed lives as well as provide a way for them to tell their families at least some of what they have seen and done.”

Complete information about the 2008 Minnesota Veterans Literary Initiative is available at http://home.att.net/~militarysalute2/index.html

Related information:
Military Salute Project Reference Forum … http://militarysalute.proboards45.com
Tribute To The Troops … http://www.tributetothetroops.org