February 2012 Newsletter

Anita Dixon's Corner

The last couple of months have been busy for OFM, some highlights are:

• The Kansas Star Casino donated $21,000 to OFM from their controlled opening event.
• Carol Nazar of the Wichita Community Foundation has been instrumental in helping us draft an excellent cover letter and basic grant request template to submit to organizations for grants.

We would like to acknowledge the following individuals/companies for their fund raising efforts/donations for OFM:

· Dan Larson and employees of Bombardier Lear Jet

· The Bullseye Shooting Range and their employees, 1455 N Terrace, Wichita, KS

· The Bomber Burger at 4860 S. Clifton Ave

· Cargill Cares donated $1,000 and the employees of Cargill Meat Solutions raised $2,385 for OFM

· VFW 7253 / American Legion 408 at 101 S. Baltimore, Derby, KS

We are pleased to welcome the addition of Laura Figueroa, Duane Clark and Loren Anthony to the OFM Board of Directors.

OFM Raffle Fundraisers

OFM will be hosting a series of raffles to generate funds for the OFM building fund.

• Our first raffle was for a Taurus 1920151GR17 M92 9mm. The drawing for the Taurus 9mm gun raffle was held @ 6pm on Wednesday Jan 4, 2012 - Winner was Mike R. from the Bullseye Shooting Range.
• Our current raffle for the Kimber .45 Ultra Crimson Carry II is sold out and OFM will draw the winner at 6pm during the Wednesday Burger Burn on Feb 15th at the Derby VFW - 101 S. Baltimore Derby, KS. Home made style ½ Pound Hamburger or Cheeseburger and fries $5.00. Winner need not be present to win. Some consolation prizes will be drawn and awarded to raffle ticket holders who are present.
• In addition to the pistol drawing on Feb 15^th a 32” neon Coors Light sign will be auctioned off.

Nick Williams Marathon Run Fundraiser

Nick Williams is a marathon runner who is donating his efforts towards OFM. Nick ran the Rock and Roll Marathon in Phoenix, AZ on January 15th, 2012. The Rock and Roll Marathon is a 26.2 miles marathon whose course is run on the streets of Phoenix, Scottsdale, and Tempe, Arizona.

Nick did a fantastic job running his race and finishing 86th out of 3,863 participants with a time of 03:02:13. For those of you without a distance/mph calculator that is an average speed of 8.63 mph for the 26.2 mile marathon!

Peter Omae Ayieni, a Kenyan who plans to relocate his U.S. training base to Phoenix, won his third marathon in four tries over seven weeks with a winning time for the race of 2:24:47 and the last runners time was 7:12:25.

In addition to Nick's efforts in his fundraising marathon he personally donated $1,800 to OFM!

http://www.ofm-ks.com/Files/williams.aspx

Bronze Statue of Kneeling Soldier and Battlefield Cross

Sherry Hoffman the sculptor commissioned for the OFM bronze kneeling soldier and battlefield cross is making progress. She is finalizing the wax sculpture to send to the foundry to make the life sized bronze statue.

The bronze sculpture is expected to be completed by June of 2012 and will be put on public display until construction of the memorial.

OFM will be searching for a good venue to display the bronze statue, if anyone can help find a good place for it, contact John Wilson of OFM. We are looking for a covered high pedestrian traffic area to place it in the Wichita, KS area and are hoping for a venue like the Intrust Arena.

More images and status reports can be found at http://www.ofm-ks.com/Files/sculpture.aspx.

Memorial Veteran Pavers

The Operation Freedom Memorial has been designed to include over 600 granite paving stones in the central walkway surrounding the Battlefield Cross and Kneeling Soldier. These solid granite pavers are larger than a normal sized paving stone at 6 inches tall by 10 inches wide, 2 inches thick and are cut from gray granite.

Honor any of your relatives or friends, living or deceased, from any state, who have served our country or are currently serving, by acquiring a solid granite paver for them to be placed in the Operation Freedom Memorial central walkway. These granite pavers can be engraved with personalized information to honor a veteran for generations to come. Reserve your paver today for only $100. Click here for more info.

Memorial Veteran Organization Pavers

In addition to the individual Veteran Pavers, OFM is also offering a larger paver that will be set in the sidewalk leading into the memorial. These pavers are available to any legally chartered veterans’ organizations such as an American Legion or VFW post, business or corporation and cities - townships. Click here for more info.

In Honor of Fallen Soldiers Medallions

If you haven’t seen them yet you will definitely want one when you do. The medallion is a somewhat heavy metal concho hung on a V shaped hanger suspended by a Dog Tag chain. The center is a raised battlefield cross on a flag background with the words In Honor of Fallen Soldiers Medallion written in the border. When you see them they make you feel very humbled by the sacrifice made by our military sons and daughters. The medallions came about from a mother searching for a meaning to her son's death. When she came across the concho she knew she had to have one, and that she had to share its healing comfort with everyone she met. She was recently honored to present a medallion to the Iraq veteran who received a new home from the Extreme Makeover Home Edition right after he saw his new home. The very first one she put together was given to a veteran to take to the Vietnam Memorial Wall, so what better way to carry on than to sell them to raise money for our own Memorial wall here in Kansas. There has been a tremendous amount of support from the local veteran community and the general public is now finding out about these small treasures. We may not make a lot of money with them, but it gives everyone a little piece of the memorial, and every time you see one it reminds you of the names on the wall and why we are doing this.

Several people have recently asked about how to obtain an In Honor of Fallen Soldiers Medallion. As of this time you must get them directly from Gold Star Mother Denise Lange. This can be done by sending an email to denise@ofm-ks.com.

How to support Operation Freedom Memorial

You can check our web site and Facebook page and subscribe to our mailing list to keep on top of our development. You can help us raise the money needed to construct the OFM memorial by Memorial Day 2012 by donating, telling your friends and associates about us or by purchasing a granite paving stone for the memorial.

OFM - PO Box 782414 - Wichita, KS 67278

info@ofm-ks.com - www.ofm-ks.com - Calendar - Donations - Memorial Pavers - Join Mailing List

The Operation Freedom Memorial Foundation, Inc., is a non-profit organization (501C-3) established to plan, design, fund and construct the Operation Freedom Memorial in Veterans Memorial Park, Wichita, KS.

The memorial will be "Dedicated in Memory of the Kansas men and women of the United States Armed Forces who sacrificed their lives in the terrorist attack on the Pentagon September 11, 2001 and during Operations Desert Storm, Iraqi Freedom, Enduring Freedom and New Dawn. And in sincere appreciation of all those who have served in the United States Armed Forces during the war on terrorism."

December 2011 Newsletter

Anita Dixon's Corner
Hello to Everyone!

The Holiday of Thanksgiving was good to me and my family was all here to celebrate. Then on Monday 11/28 I went into Wesley for a tonsillectomy, yes I know a little old, but I am sure this will fix my problem that I have been having for 2 years now so I am recouping at home.

OFM will be selling some firearms to raise money for the building fund. More information on this can be found in this newsletter below.

We have updated our flyers and literature to reflect current events, the most notable change is the removal of the verification requirement when purchasing a memorial paver.

We have placed some donation boxes out around town; see OFM Merchant & Retailer Donation Boxes for more information about this topic.

We’ve just heard from Cargill and their Veterans Week fundraiser made $2,385.00 for OFM. There will be a presentation Dec. 19 Monday @ 10:00am @ Cargill (151 North Main Street, Wichita, KS) for those wanting to attend.

I have done some visiting with the Wing Command at McConnell AFB and have talked and sent letters to some large corporations and organizations here in Wichita.

Everyone we need your help raising funds for the memorial. What can we do get the big money coming in? What can you do to help us? Besides money our biggest challenge is publicity, you can help the public become aware of our mission to build the OFM Memorial by spreading the word to your friends, family and business. Download one of our flyers from our website to email or to print and post on bulletin boards.

Happy Christmas Holiday to all, and we will be getting together after the first of the year.

Blessings!

Anita Dixon

Pearl Harbor Ceremony
OFM will be at the 70^th anniversary Pearl Harbor ceremony at Robert Dole Regional Office and Medical Center Auditorium, 5500 East Kellogg, Wichita, Kansas, Wednesday, December 7, 20ll, 10:55 a.m. start time.

Speakers: Congressman Mike Pompeo, Col. Riclcy Rupp (22ARW Commander, McConnellAFB) and past state VF\f Commander Lewie Cooper. Honor Guards, Air Capital Choral Group and soloist Mr. Don Baker. Informational displays, fellowship, anl lunch. Join us for a day ofAmerican Tribute and Patriotism. Remember Pearl Harbor.'. Keep America Alert!

OFM Raffle Fundraisers
OFM will be hosting a series of raffles to generate funds for the OFM building fund. The first raffle will be for a Taurus 1920151GR17 M92 9mm. The fixed sight Taurus 9mm pistol is based on the most extensively tested, duty proven, and widely used double action auto loading design in history. It has been refined and enhanced by Taurus to surpass the original. Most notable on the Taurus is the innovation of a three position frame mounted ambidextrous safety which allows this gun to be carried in classic double action(cocked and locked) mode, as well as functioning as a double action decocking lever. Other features include accessory rail, loaded chamber indicator for added safety, and the Taurus security system.

Click here for the Operation Freedom Memorial Gun Raffle Flyer

This raffle will be limited to 150 tickets at a suggested donation of $10 per ticket. The drawing for the winner will be held Feb 1, 2012 or whenever the 150 tickets have been distributed whichever comes first, hopefully by Christmas 2011. The winner of this raffle need not be present to win. Winner must comply with all state and federal laws and is responsible for any additional costs including but not limited to taxes, shipping and transfer fees. You must make arrangements with dealer to receive the firearm and transfer it to you.

Nick Williams Marathon Run Fundraiser
Nick Williams is a marathon runner who is donating his efforts towards OFM. Nick says: Provided my deployment schedule complies, I’m traveling to the sunny desert of Phoenix, AZ to run the Rock and Roll Marathon on January 15th, 2012. By reading my posts, you will observe days when running feels great and days when running feels difficult. You’ll observe runs on insufficient sleep and runs where everything inside me clicks and I feel on top of the world. As a part of my team, I ask you to simply donate per mile I run.

Memorial Veteran Pavers
The Operation Freedom Memorial has been designed to include over 600 granite paving stones in the central walkway surrounding the Battlefield Cross and Kneeling Soldier. These solid granite pavers are larger than a normal sized paving stone at 6 inches tall by 10 inches wide, 2 inches thick and are cut from gray granite.

Honor any of your relatives or friends, living or deceased, from any state, who have served our country by acquiring a solid granite paver for them to be placed in the Operation Freedom Memorial central walkway. These granite pavers can be engraved with personalized information to honor a veteran for generations to come. Reserve your paver today for only $100. Click here for more info.

Memorial Veteran Organization Pavers
In addition to the individual Veteran Pavers, OFM is also offering a larger paver that will be set in the sidewalk leading into the memorial. These pavers are available to any legally chartered veterans’ organizations such as an American Legion or VFW post, business or corporation and cities - townships. Click here for more info.

In Honor of Fallen Soldiers Medallions
If you haven’t seen them yet you will definitely want one when you do. The medallion is a somewhat heavy metal concho hung on a V shaped hanger suspended by a Dog Tag chain. The center is a raised battlefield cross on a flag background with the words In Honor of Fallen Soldiers Medallion written in the border. When you see them they make you feel very humbled by the sacrifice made by our military sons and daughters. The medallions came about from a mother searching for a meaning to her son's death. When she came across the concho she knew she had to have one, and that she had to share its healing comfort with everyone she met. She was recently honored to present a medallion to the Iraq veteran who received a new home from the Extreme Makeover Home Edition right after he saw his new home. The very first one she put together was given to a veteran to take to the Vietnam Memorial Wall, so what better way to carry on than to sell them to raise money for our own Memorial wall here in Kansas. There has been a tremendous amount of support from the local veteran community and the general public is now finding out about these small treasures. We may not make a lot of money with them, but it gives everyone a little piece of the memorial, and every time you see one it reminds you of the names on the wall and why we are doing this.

Several people have recently asked about how to obtain an In Honor of Fallen Soldiers Medallion. As of this time you must get them directly from Gold Star Mother Denise Lange. This can be done by sending an email to denise@ofm-ks.com.

How to support Operation Freedom Memorial
You can check our web site and Facebook page and subscribe to our mailing list to keep on top of our development. You can help us raise the money needed to construct the OFM memorial by Memorial Day 2012 by donating, telling your friends and associates about us or by purchasing a granite paving stone for the memorial.

OFM - PO Box 782414 - Wichita, KS 67278

info@ofm-ks.com - www.ofm-ks.com - Calendar - Donations - Memorial Pavers - Join Mailing List

The Operation Freedom Memorial Foundation, Inc., is a non-profit organization (501C-3) established to plan, design, fund and construct the Operation Freedom Memorial in Veterans Memorial Park, Wichita, KS.

The memorial will be "Dedicated in Memory of the Kansas men and women of the United States Armed Forces who sacrificed their lives in the terrorist attack on the Pentagon September 11, 2001 and during Operations Desert Storm, Iraqi Freedom, Enduring Freedom and New Dawn. And in sincere appreciation of all those who have served in the United States Armed Forces during the war on terrorism."

OFM Merchant & Retailer Donation Boxes

If you are a merchant or retailer you can help build the Operation Freedom Memorial in downtown Wichita, KS by helping us collect donations for the memorial.

OFM has two programs you can choose from to help us collect donations:

• High customer volume - OFM will provide you with a small steel donation lock box (below) to collect donations. Optional sample granite paver (right, 6"x10"x2") for display with OFM flyers.
• Smaller merchants can choose to download printable OFM Donation labels to paste on pickle jars or some other object to make your own donation jars.

Your participation in this program will allow you to:

• Help us honor and remember the 82 Kansas fallen who have lost their lives in the war on terrorism.
• Contribute to the development of Veterans Memorial Park in Wichita, KS.
• Have your business placed on our Sponsor web page.
• Receive a tax donation for the cash donations you collect for OFM.

For more information contact one of the following OFM officers:

• Anita Dixon - 316-648-6481 - anita@ofm-ks.com
• King Dixon - 316-516-0237 - king@ofm-ks.com
• John Wilson - 817-840-3291 - john@ofm-ks.com

OFM Donation Lock Boxes

Large - 3 inches high, 9 inches wide, 12 inches long

Small - 3 inches high, 7 inches wide, 9 inches long

Printable Donation Box Labels – Download from OFM website here

Operation Freedom Memorial Foundation, Inc. is a non-profit organization (501C-3) established to plan, design, fund and construct the Operation Freedom Memorial in Veterans Memorial Park, Wichita, KS. All board members are volunteers and 100% of donations go toward building the memorial.

Operation Freedom Memorial founder Anita Dixon commercial

Operation Freedom Memorial founder Anita Dixon commercial

Senator Bob Dole endorses Operation Freedom Memorial Foundation, Inc.

Senator Bob Dole endorses Operation Freedom Memorial Foundation, Inc.

Representative Todd Tiahrt endorses OFM

Representative Todd Tiahrt endorses Operation Freedom Memorial Foundation, Inc.

A Wichita-area soldier, is the latest Kansas casualty in the war on terror

A 21-year-old Army soldier from the Wichita area died this week in Afghanistan.

SPC James Burnett Jr. attended Clearwater High School and joined the Army after graduating in 2009. His mother, Rebecca Metcalf, lives in Wichita with her husband, John Rogers.

Note: SPC James Burnett Jr. is the 82nd Kansas casualty in the war against terrorism, for a complete list of the Kansas Kia visit our complete database on our home website here Kansas KIA.

The Department of Defense said Burnett and Pfc. Matthew C. Colin, 22, of Navarre, Fla., died Wednesday in Kandahar province, Afghanistan. Burnett’s family said an improvised explosive device struck a Jeep in which he was riding in a convoy.

Burnett and Collins were assigned to the 1st Battalion, 5th Infantry Regiment, 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, Fort Wainwright, Alaska.

James Burnett Sr., the soldier’s father, and his stepmother, Cherie Burnett, live in Brownwood, Mo. They told the Daily Statesman in Dexter, Mo., they’d talked to their son just a few weeks ago.

“I’m in a bad place. Pray for me,” they remembered him saying.

Spc. Burnett was deployed in April with the 1st Battalion, 5th Infantry Regiment from Fort Wainwright, Alaska.

Burnett, who turned 21 in September, had recently gotten engaged to Amy Keeler of Wichita.

“Miss an(d) love everyone so very much ... including you, Amy. Tell my dogs ill be home soon enough,” Burnett posted on his Facebook page Tuesday.

"He always went out of his way for everybody. When anyone needed anything, he was there for them. It didn't matter what they did to him," explains Burnett's mother, Rebecca Metcalf.

She and her husband John say they are incredibly proud of their son and say he died a hero.

"It was always a great sense of pride with what he chose to do with his life," said John.

Burnett first joined the Army Reserves when he graduated high school in 2009. He joined active duty about a year later.

His family says he had been serving in Afghanistan since April.

"That big smile, that's what I think about when I think of James," said Amy Keeler, Burnett's fiance.

"He didn't think with his head, he thought with his heart. He had the biggest heart I've ever seen," adds Kyle Clark, Burnett's friend.