Our Commitment to Veterans, Troops, and Peace

"We are proud of what we have accomplished. In less than ten years we were able to provide community awareness through educational presentations, home and abroad troop support through our "OPERATION" outreach programs, and international bridging efforts through our "Imagine World Peace" campaign.The success of our programs has been made possible because of the many patriots who share our core values & appreciation for the freedom we enjoy each and every day." Charlie Uhrmann

Operation: Helmets to Hardhats

The transition from military life to civilian life can be the real battle for our warriors. As thousands of American employers know, hiring veterans is a smart move. There are more than 7 million veterans in the U.S. labor force, meaning they’re either employed or actively looking for work. If you’re curious about working with veterans, here are three great reasons to hire one:

  • Teamwork
    Military service emphasizes the value of teamwork, organization, and discipline. Military training teaches service members to work as a team by instilling a sense of responsibility to colleagues. What’s more, the size and scope of military operations demand that service members understand how groups of all sizes relate to each other and support the overarching goal. While military duties stress teamwork and group productivity, they also build individuals who are able to perform independently at a very high level.
  • Problem Solving
    Veterans are goal-oriented workers, with plenty of experience in quickly adapting to new situations and solving problems. As service members, they developed the capacity and time-management skills needed to know how to accomplish tasks correctly and on time, in spite of limited resources and pressure.
  • Leadership
    The military trains service members to lead by example as well as through direction, delegation, motivation, and inspiration in some of the toughest situations imaginable. Veterans are not only well schooled in the academic theory of leadership; they also understand and have used practical ways to manage behaviors for results. The All Veterans Memorial Facebook page keeps our readers up-to-date with upcoming job fairs and career opportunities throughout the tri-state area. https://blog.dol.gov/2017/01/31/3-reasons-hire-hero

Operation: Magazines to Magazines

Coming home is challenging for every service member, veteran, and family member. It's estimated that one in three veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan will experience combat stress, also known as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), or a traumatic brain injury (TBI). In fact, it is reported that 22 veterans end their lives by their own hand each day. That's a suicide every 65 minutes.

The "invisible wounds" of these wars are complex, and many of the symptoms are the same. The AVM, through their partnerships with various New York and New Jersey-based corporate flight departments, provides reading material to those who are either hospitalized or being evaluated for possible PTSD. Hundreds of magazines are delivered each month to hospitals and clinics free of charge.

Event flyer for helping homeless veterans and pets.

Operation: 3H - Helping Homeless Heroes

Our nation’s homeless veterans are predominantly single males that live in urban areas; they suffer from mental illness and alcohol and/or substance abuse. America’s homeless veterans have served in World War II, the Korean War, the Cold War, the Vietnam War, Grenada, Panama, Lebanon, the Persian Gulf War, Afghanistan, and Iraq. Nearly half of homeless veterans served during the Vietnam era.

A large number of displaced and at-risk veterans live with lingering effects of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and substance abuse, which are compounded by a lack of family and social support networks. The AVM is a proud supporter of documented homeless and hospitalized veterans. Our services include monthly deliveries of hygiene products and other needed or requested items to our homeless heroes.

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Operation: On Behalf of a Grateful Nation.

The GWOT Purple Heart Memorial Bridge pays tribute to all New Jersey heroes who lost their lives while fighting the Global War on Terror. Each 6" x 6" medallion paver is privately funded by patriots who believe that every fallen hero should be forever remembered and honored for their selfless service. During the first and second waves, sponsorships also included a limited edition AVM Inaugural Flag that was presented by the NJ Patriot Guard and then delivered to the family of the fallen hero.

We believe that private support and sponsorship convey a silent declaration to the survivors and that "We the People" are forever grateful for such sacrifice. The GWOT Memorial Bridge provides not only a reverent but also a more accessible place for the family members whose loved ones are buried in Arlington Cemetery to visit their loved ones.

Charlie Uhrmann (R) delivers the remaining flags to the Veteran's Administration Building in Trenton to be forwarded to the families.

Two people talking beside stacked panels.

Operation: Granted

Morris County Cares, an extension of the AVM, fulfilled more than 1,200 requests from servicemen and women while deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan. Requests ranging from new boots to Xbox gaming systems to holiday decorations were fulfilled by private donors with no hesitation. Shipment costs were generously provided by individual Walmart stores across New Jersey. The Walmart Corporation donated upwards of $20,000 of community grant money towards our efforts.

Operation: 24 Below

Afghanistan is known to have wide temperature fluctuations between day and night. In the winter months (November through March), northerly winds flow south from Russia, bringing blizzards, freezing rain, lashing winds, and up to 24" of snow before the sun rises. Nightfall often brings record lows of 24 below zero. After receiving several requests from our troops for blankets, Morris County Cares garnered over 700 blankets and sent them to our troops.

Operation: Code Blue

Since 2003 the Ibn Sina, a 56-bed trauma hospital in the Green Zone of Iraq, has treated thousands of American troops and has been celebrated as a place where the doctors and nurses cared for whomever showed up. Their informal motto: “Keep them breathing and stop the bleeding.” During a period of intense fighting, additional medical supplies were required to keep up with the needs of our wounded. Our generous supporters did not hesitate to respond, sending more than one hundred boxes of supplies they collected from family, friends, and organizations. Walmart’s generous community grants provided the funding needed to send the medical supplies to Iraq.

Operation: Toys for Tots

Toys for Tots is a program run by the Marine Corps Reserve that distributes toys to children whose parents cannot afford them during the holiday season. The program was founded in 1947 by reservist Major Bill Hendricks when his wife Diane tried to donate a homemade Raggedy Ann doll to a needy child but could find no organization to do so. At her suggestion, he gathered a group of local Marine reservists and collected some 5,000 toys for local children that year.

When Tim Kelly, EdD, a community leader and educator at Mt. Olive High School, was looking for a community service project for his Distributive Education Clubs of America (DECA) students, they graciously offered to host a Toys for Tots Breakfast with Santa fundraiser, collecting more than 200 toys for the U.S. Marine Corps Toys for Tots program.

Imagine World Peace: School Supplies

As U.S. forces in Iraq focused on educating Iraqis as they move toward returning Iraq to national sovereignty, they were proud to take part in the rebuilding of two schools that underwent major reconstruction after being virtually destroyed during insurgent-led attacks. Many saw this as an opportunity to build trust between two different cultures by using kindness as its foundation. Upon the reopening of these schools, the call for school supplies made its way to our doors. It took Morris

County Care’s “Imagine World Peace” community has less than two weeks to garner enough school supplies to get one school well on its way and Walmart for funding the shipping.

Imagine World Peace: Cash for Candy

In an effort to help build trust and relations between our soldiers and the Iraqi people, a California dentist began a twofold grassroots effort to buy back the Halloween candy their patients received while trick-or-treating and send the candy to our troops to distribute to the Iraqi children. The “Cash for Candy” campaign took no time to catch the enthusiasm of dentists across the nation. 

However, once the dentists acquired the candy, they had nowhere to send it. Morris County Cares accepted the candy, removing dangerous and/or inappropriate pieces from each box, and sent the boxes to Iraq. Walmart provided the funding to ship more than 1,200 lbs of candy to our troops.

Imagine World Peace: Bless The Children

As the United States reorganized, trained, and equipped Iraq’s military to defend their country against insurgents, our troops felt the need to embrace the Iraqi soldier’s family members as well. Basic articles such as clothing, toys, and hygiene products were requested by our troops on behalf of the children. As part of Morris County Cares' “Imagine World Peace” campaign, our volunteers fulfilled the dreams of upwards to 100 Iraqi children.

Troop Relationships Facilitated Through Grass Roots Campaign

As the holidays approach, our military men and women will be celebrating in Iraq and Afghanistan. These recently deployed members of the National Guard will be spending their holiday season more than 6,000 miles away from their homes and loved ones. For many, this is their third, and even fourth tour of duty in the Middle East. Here at home, Americans want to show their support for all the brave men and women overseas. To achieve that goal, Charlie Uhrmann of Mt. Olive, is spearheading a grassroots campaign.

As the holidays approach, military men and women will be celebrating in Iraq and Afghanistan. These brave members of the National Guard will be spending their holiday season more than 6,000 miles away from their homes and loved ones. For many, this is their third and even fourth tour of duty in the Middle East.

Here at home, Americans want to show their support for all the brave men and women overseas. To achieve that goal, one resident, Charlie Uhrmann of Mount Olive, is spearheading a grassroots campaign. The goal is threefold. First, the campaign will provide continuing military awareness and support throughout the community. Secondly, a drive will be held to collect letters of support and requested items for the troops. Finally, funds will need to be raised to cover the costs of overseas shipping.

Organizations around Morris County have been invited to participate in this initiative by adopting their own troop and by starting their own “Morris County Cares Campaign." The MCCC will provide a contact name, a list of requested items, a photo of the sponsored troop, preprinted postcards for supporters to send personalized messages, pens, two posters, and a short video. Participants are encouraged to use the postcard as a fundraising tool to offset the high cost of shipping overseas.

The donations and letters that are collected will be shipped to the troops in time for the holidays. The final collection date is set for November 20.

“When I learned the U.S. was going to increase the number of service members overseas, I decided to create a mission where we would provide those deployed with what they need,” Uhrmann said.

Morris County Cares is important to Uhrmann. She is passionate about what can be accomplished on a local and state level and sees it as a way to build a bridge between our citizens at home and those serving their country overseas.

She views herself only as a facilitator. MCC is approaching things somewhat differently from other organizations. “We are making direct contact with deployed service members and providing them with only the items they are requesting,” Uhrmann said. “We first receive a specific need or request from an individual or unit, then recruit a sponsor who is willing to fulfill those needs. In most cases, sponsors receive a copy of the request, photographs if available, and many times information surrounding their living conditions.”

Once the items are collected, the boxes are sent directly to the individual or unit. We add pens, paper, envelopes, and the contact information of the sponsor in each package so that the recipients can communicate directly to their sponsor, if that is their desire.”

Uhrmann points out that Morris County Cares is careful about their collection. “I carefully review the lists of items being requested, confirm that we are the only organization that has been contacted, and forward that request to a sponsor. We also get a list of items they don’t want to receive.” She also points out that the soldiers are in very cramped quarters, so they send only what is requested.

“We take into consideration that many do not have refrigerators and storage facilities. We remain mindful of our donors. We certainly do not want to ask someone for a donation, only to see it thrown out or go to waste. That sets a bad precedent all the way around. People work hard for their money.”

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