Tampa, FL (PRWEB) January 09, 2014
When ‘Lone Survivor,’ starring Mark Wahlberg, hits the movie theaters this weekend, retired Navy Vice Adm. Joe Maguire, President of the Special Operations Warrior Foundation reminds audiences to honor the men who lost their lives by remembering not only their courage but also the families they left behind.
The 19 American special operators who lost their lives in Afghanistan were husbands, brothers, uncles and fathers. This was a real-life mission. Nineteen children learned that fateful day that their father would not be coming home, said Maguire.
Maguire is the president and CEO of the nonprofit Special Operations Warrior Foundation in Tampa, FL. As it has for the past 33 years, the SOWF is supporting the sons and daughters of the special operators lost in the line of duty, with college educations, financial assistance, counseling, and, most importantly, a sense of family.
Of the 19 surviving children from Operation Red Wings, the Special Operations Warrior Foundation has provided college funding for seven of the surviving children, of which three have graduated college. Five of the children are currently in high school and are in the college planning phase, working with the foundations scholarship counselors. The other seven children are in grade school.
Jacob Centeno Healy was 15 years old when his family received the news that his father Senior Chief Dan Healy (SEAL) was killed in the Hindu Kush mountains in Afghanistan. Now 23, and a graduate of the University of San Diego with a degree in architecture, Healy recalls fondly how his Navy SEAL father was not only a warfighter but also a dad.
He was always gone training, in jump school or dive school. But when he returned home, he really gave everything for us. He did all he could to make up for the lost time with his family, said Healy.
Jacobs connection to the Special Operations Warrior Foundation helped him gain footing during a very emotional time.
The SOWF offered to take on a pretty heavy financial burden, explained Healy, who is one of five children the foundation is providing college scholarships. They gave us so many tools. I definitely wouldnt be where I stand today without this support system.
The Special Operations Warrior Foundation (http://www.specialops.org) has over 1,000 children in it program with 234 currently in colleges and universities across the nation. The foundation provides funding for tuition, books, fees, room and board, laptop and printer.
Americas special operators and their families have given so much for this country, said Maguire. It is our humble privilege to honor them by educating their children.
For more information about the Special Operations Warrior Foundation, visit online at http://www.specialops.org
Special Operations Warrior Foundation President and Former Navy SEAL Reminds Audiences ‘Lone Survivor’ Depicts Real Mission, Real Men is a post from: Education Aid
