Tangible Remembrance

Posted on 18 November 2009 by Elaina Davis | Comments

I’m sure none of us has forgotten the fallen crewmembers of CG-1705. I, for one, have been wondering if I could do something to honor and remember them every day. So often, we think about them for a short while, after a tragedy like this occurs, but after some time we start to remember them less…Veteran’s Day, Memorial Day, the anniversary of the accident. LT Ryan White, and some other folks at USCG Headquarters, went one step further than wondering and took some initiative and action. He made an initial order of 100 orange “LiveStrong” style rubber bracelets, and a follow-on order of 250 more that should arrive the week before Thanksgiving.

On side of the bracelet says “Crew of CG-1705″ and the other side says “Lost But Not Forgotten”. The bracelets are for sale, for $2 each. While larger donations are welcome, this is a small price to pay to remember and honor our fallen shipmates, our brethren.

For more information, or to place an order, send a request to CG1705Bracelets@gmail.com. Make sure to include the following information: Name, Number of Bracelets desired, Donation Amount, Form of Payment (cash or check), and your shipping address. This information will be forwarded to the Coast Guard Foundation for all donations beyond bracelet purchases. Once orders have been received at that email, LT Ryan T. White will reply with more information.

I’m not going to kid myself; I know that many of us will order a bracelet or three and wear it for a while, but eventually it will be taken off and left by the bathroom sink or in a drawer. Thing is, it will still be there, and you’ll find it again and probably put it back on for that Memorial Day picnic or 4ht of July celebration or on a Saturday because you bought it for a reason and it will always have a certain special meaning for each of us. So, I know that I am going to order one for myself, one for my husband and a few extras to give to my mom and dad, and other family/friends. Because aside from honoring and remembering our fallen brethren, we’ll be supporting the CG-1705 family disaster relief, CG-1705 scholarship fund or CG-1705 memorial service fund. We all spend up to $5 for a cup of morning (or afternoon) coffee, at least once a day. Can’t we all find $2 for this?