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A Platoon Leader Continues Mission After Tragedy

August 15, 2018
By Kristle Helmuth, Platoon Leader

This year marks the 6th year that I have been part of The Mission Continues in one capacity or another. From the fellowship, to being a platoon leader, to now with my new role as an external affairs intern. The journey hasn’t been an easy one, but what’s a journey without a little adventure, right?

I first found the organization years after I got out of the Army. I had spent several years caring for my husband who was wounded in Iraq, and I felt like I had lost myself in that. I was looking for something, anything I could grab onto that would be mine, something I did.

I felt like I had not accomplished anything since I got out, and I felt useless.

My Mission Continues Fellowship gave that pride back to me, along with a rekindled love for service, something that would become a part of the new me in ways I couldn’t anticipate. It also gave me some new skills and the confidence to make things happen. Continue reading “A Platoon Leader Continues Mission After Tragedy”

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Celebrating the 6th Annual Sully Memorial

August 3, 2018
By Amy Sullivan, Supporter

August 11, 2018 will be the 6th Annual Sully Memorial, an annual golf tournament at Tapawingo National Golf Course, held in memory of Chief Petty Officer Sean Patrick Sullivan. The tournament gives its proceeds to veterans.

(We have player spots available and welcome donations anytime!)

I first heard about The Mission Continues through my work, as I participated in our United Way annual campaigns and attended a sponsored Veteran’s Day breakfast. I was so excited to learn that there was a local support program for my then active-duty husband, Sean.

He had always been passionate about supporting each community in which we lived. And, often coordinated volunteer events himself with his military peers. There was also the appealing prospect of staying connected with the military community post-retirement – which was just a few short years away for him.

Sean Patrick Sullivan

Unfortunately, my husband never got the chance to participate with The Mission Continues and passed away while on active-duty.

We – myself, friends and family – were eager to do something to honor his memory. We decided to host an annual golf tournament with the proceeds given to veteran support. Knowing how Sean felt about community and connection, The Mission Continues was the ideal organization with which to partner.

This year we will host our 6th Annual Sully Memorial. Friends and family have traveled to St. Louis from all over the country, and sometimes overseas, to participate in the golf tournament. We are so grateful for all of the volunteers and local sponsors and donations from the community that make the event possible.

The Annual Sully Memorial golf tournament

It is a time to remember, reflect and celebrate. There are somber moments, but there is much more laughter. Sean always said, “Live every day like it’s your last.” And we take this event to do just that. Creating memories together. Just the way he would have wanted.

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How a Veteran and His Family Transitioned Together

January 3, 2018
By Derek Auguste, Platoon Leader

Derek Auguste's wife and son volunteering at a service project with The Mission Continues

I feel this is a topic that doesn’t get enough attention.

After you transition out of the military and into civilian life, you might be coming back to a family that’s been living without you for a while. It’s not just you that’s “transitioning” — it’s your family too. That transition is tough. It was for me. It was for my wife and kids.

 

Feeling Like an Outsider

I taught my children that celebrating birthdays and holidays were not as important as the time we had together overall. This philosophy was meant to protect them from being disappointed if I was unable to be home for such special occasions. I thought I was protecting them. But really, I was protecting myself from feeling guilty. Continue reading “How a Veteran and His Family Transitioned Together”

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The Unexpected Revelations of an Army Spouse

November 17, 2017
By Emily Ferstle Angus, City Impact Manager

Though my tenure as City Impact Manager at The Mission Continues began prior to marrying my husband, an Army reservist, you may be able to imagine that since working here, I’ve dragged him into the mix and he’s become very involved.

Truly, volunteering is the type of work he would do on his own anyway, even if his wife wasn’t asking him to help out her volunteers on a regular basis. He really seems to enjoy the physical nature of the mission and learning about different neighborhoods and their challenges around the city.

He’s one of those guys who is reluctant to volunteer the information that he is a veteran. For someone who identifies his greatest abilities and talents with his job in the Army, this always has been a quandary to me. He is proud to serve, and proud of his reasons why, but he is conservative with that information, reserving it only for his inner circle.

At the Detroit 2nd Platoon Veterans Day project this past weekend, we had a lot of fun and got a lot of work accomplished, but what I will share with you now is the revelation I had as an Army spouse, not as a staff member. Continue reading “The Unexpected Revelations of an Army Spouse”