The Blue Angels Foundation - Ace of spades apparel

About

Growing up in a military family as a child meant two things to me: everybody followed rules and more importantly, everyone went to save the world. Little ole me tried to break every household rule there was, and certainly was not on track to save the world. As I grew older, I learned more and more about my family’s background: how both my parents served in the Navy, how my mom talked about how parachuting out of airplanes was FUN (she is w.i.l.d.), how my dad talked about becoming a Blue Angel, how he relates his career of national service to mine, and how my granddad was a marine in the Vietnam War and still to this day tells the most vivid and detailed stories. Growing up under my brother’s largely casted shadow was no small feat. It is because of him; I still hold the trophy for “Most Devilish Child.” Cheers Jack! Ever since we were young, I knew Jack had the passion to serve our country in some way. He found his calling in the United States Coast Guard becoming an MH-65D Dolphin helicopter pilot. He has always possessed the traits that I strive to be, passionate, driven, and disciplined. From the moment we were siblings, he has always been my hero and I am very fortunate to call him not only my brother, but my best friend. 

Little does my family know, I have always felt a tad left out because I was born without the “military gene.” I find myself living vicariously through all their strenuous and adventurous stories. As my career has continued on through college, then professional soccer, and playing with the US Women’s National Team, I have grown a tremendous appreciation for this country and our freedoms. I could never put into words how proud I am of my family that has served and thankful for my family that is still serving. Most importantly, I am grateful to those who have served this great country. I am very fortunate to be able to have the freedom to go and play soccer with such joy and passion because of those who have protected and defended our freedoms as Americans.

In 2018, I was fortunate enough to attend The Blue Angels Foundation Konica Minolta Golf & Tennis Classic in Carlsbad, CA with my family. This three-day event was the most moving and eye-opening event I have ever attended. The purpose of this event is to raise awareness for veteran suicide, discover a path to help service women and men to regain full health after returning from combat, and to listen and learn about their experiences and how we can better their lives moving forward into the civilian world. I was able to speak with many wounded veterans who shared their stories, some confidently and some with insecurities, who deep down showed their true love for service and this great country, regardless of their injuries and losses. This event helped inspire me to give back and more importantly, help make a change. 

Although I have never served, speaking with these veterans really opened my eyes to something we have in common. Some veterans spoke with great joy and some heartbreak about their time overseas, while others spoke with much defeat and sadness. These veterans at some point have all felt the joy and confidence of being “the most powerful card in the deck”, but sometimes they are thrown off with the trauma of service, and it is 0ur job to help them feel as though they are The Ace of Spades again. Regardless of the individuals personal story, you could always hear and feel the passion and dedication towards themselves but more importantly their country. It was their duty to help their fellow soldiers and teammates to stay alive and fulfill a goal. The servicemen and women and I had one thing in common, whether it was shown right on the surface, or buried deep within a story: we have all felt as though we were The Ace of Spades, but we have also felt the feeling of losing that strength to some extent. The stories I have heard are truly remarkable, and the veterans who are the authors are the reason why I want to help them in any way possible. Some have come home and lost hope or happiness after dedicating their lives to protecting us, so now it is only right we reach out to them by showing these veterans they have and always will be the strongest card in the deck: The Ace of Spades.

The Mission

The mission of The Blue Angels Foundation is simple: To save lives. Ace of Spades Apparel is partnering with The Blue Angel Foundation in order to raise awareness around veteran suicide and to raise funds to put wounded warriors through post-traumatic stress protocol by creating a specialized Blue Angels Foundation crew neck. Yesterday, today, and tomorrow, 22 veterans commit suicide. That is 8,000 veterans a year who take their own life because of PTSD. To put these losses in perspective, our nation has lost approximately 7,000 service women and men in combat in Iraq and Afghanistan since 9/11. We are losing more veterans each year to suicide, than we have lost in almost 20 years of combat operations. It takes approximately $5,000 to put a veteran through outpatient post-traumatic stress protocol. Ace of Spades Apparel is teaming up to help save lives. How many lives can we save by working together as a family? Ace of Spades Apparel will donate 50% of the proceeds from The Blue Angels Foundation Crew Neck to The Blue Angles Foundation. 200 sweatshirts will raise $5,000 and help save a life and this is just the beginning. The Blue Angels Foundation has a matching gift program that will increase this donation and allow our Ace of Spades Apparel family to contribute to saving more and more veterans. To donate directly to The Blue Angels Foundation, please click the link: https://www.blueangelsfoundation.org