Students from across West Michigan are joining area business leaders to celebrate local members of the Armed Forces – past, present and future – during the 2nd Annual West Michigan Armed Forces Thanksgiving Appreciation Luncheon at the JW Marriott in Downtown Grand Rapids on Friday, May 5th. Military members will be in attendance for this event aimed at strengthening awareness and dialogue on the contributions our military personnel have made and continue to make on behalf of their families, their friends and their country.
Special guest, Noah Galloway, who joined the military in 2001 following 9/11, will provide the keynote address during the event. Sergeant Noah Galloway was assigned to the 1st of the 502nd Infantry of the 101st Airborne Division during Operation Iraqi Freedom. On December 19, 2005, three months into his second tour of duty, he was gravely injured in an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) attack. Noah lost his left arm above the elbow and his left leg above the knee. His book, Living with No Excuses, published last August, details how he lost more than limbs, but never gave up. It is a story of success and failure, courage and weakness, tears and triumphs.
The luncheon is also looking for about 10-15 more high school juniors to volunteer their time to the event. It's a fantastic opportunity to meet and talk with military members that are only a few years older.
Click here to get more details and sign up to attend.