The sea of American flags now planted in the grass in Boston’s Seaport Common symbolize the sacrifice of all those servicemen and women from Massachusetts who gave their lives for their country over the two decades since the attacks on America on September 11th 2001.
The flags were set in neat rows by volunteers from Massachusetts Fallen Heroes, a local charity organization founded and run by combat veterans to honor their brothers and sisters in arms killed in Afghanistan, Iraq and in training missions around the world.
Standing tall over the flags is a 50-foot glistening obelisk engraved with the names of hundreds of soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines including Mass Fallen Heroes co-founder Eric Emond. Each Memorial Day, Mass Fallen Heroes honors their sacrifice while also providing support and opportunities for Gold Star families and veterans across the Commonwealth.
NWN Carousel is a proud sponsor of this mission. Led by Chief Operating Officer Marc Herdegen and Chief People Officer Andrea Morrison, both military veterans and graduates of the United States Military Academy at West Point, our company is working with Mass Fallen Heroes on several initiatives including InnoVets, a new business incubator for veteran entrepreneurs, as well as the Hire our Heroes program.
“NWN Carousel is committed to ensuring job opportunities for military veterans through strategic partnerships with Massachusetts Fallen Heroes and other veterans organizations,” said Morrison. “We see an opportunity for our company and others to capitalize on the human investment the military has made in people and to take advantage of this as service people enter civilian life.”
In late May, Mass Fallen Heroes rolled out Patriot Week, its annual fundraising and awareness initiative that included a gala at Encore Boston featuring keynote speaker Nick Lavery, an active duty member of the US Army Green Berets, who lost his leg during a 2013 attack in Afghanistan, a Shark Tank like veterans business competition under its InnoVets banner, and the rededication of the Mass Fallen Heroes Memorial, which were all attended and supported by NWN team members. We are also providing technology and network connectivity for the new (Eric) Emond Center for Engagement, which will have its official ribbon-cutting soon.
“Our partnership with Mass Fallen Heroes is important to our overall company mission to give back to worthy organizations while also filling critical needs by bringing skilled military veterans into our company to help us grow for the future,” said Andrew Gilman, Chief Marketing Officer, NWN Carousel. “We look forward to building this relationship while helping servicemen and women transition into the workforce.”