Support U.S. Armed Forces

Happy New Year
Support US Armed Forces had a great 2025.
We participated and recognized Vets and their family members at several Military Appreciation Sports Events, held our REACH Marriage Retreat in May, hosted 4 Purple Heart Recipients with Mellon Creek for our 14th Purple Heart Honor Hunt, closed out the year with our Lights of Gratitude delivering 20 Christmas trees and gifts to deserving Veteran Families. Looking forward to 2026 and serving more Vets and their families. To send your support go to

Support US Armed Forces, Inc “Lights of Gratitude Christmas Tree Extravaganza” is a special event creating a magical Christmas for several NC Military Families! We will be donating these fully decorated artificial Christmas Trees to 20 young deserving military families. These donated trees will be decorated by local commu....

In just a few days SUSAF.org will travel with 4 Combat Wounded Purple Heart recipients. We will spend a few days together at Mellon Creek Outfitters who have been providing first class hunting experiences for the Support US Armed Forces Purple Heart Honor hunt. There is something special about veteran camaraderie and the outdoors. It is a healing environment that I have difficulty expressing in words. Here is a portion of a text I received from one of our hunters last evening He was sharing a new experience taking is 10 year old daughter hunting. "I had to share this with. Since I received so much healing and peace on that trip. I was able to share it with my little one too! And all of my kids. No words can legitimately express how humbling it was and how thankful I am for it. Thank you. My deer hangs under my front doorway. I see it when I leave my bedroom and leave my house. Everyday it's a reminder of the wonderful people like you that exist". Since 2012 we have received messages like this. Personally I can't take any credit for what only God above can do. It is a blessing to participate and see the goodness that the outdoors can deliver. Looking forward to this trip too.

Thank you to all the Airmen serving us through out the world. We appreciate you.

Another American Hero demonstrated through his unselfish service to God and Country. We need men like Desmond and men like Audie Murphy. One carried and weapon and defended other with it relentlessly. The other carried the medical knowledge of saving lives and did so gallantly and by faith. Thank God for men of courage.

Desmond Doss stands as one of the few conscientious objectors to be awarded the Medal of Honor for extraordinary bravery on the battlefield.

Doss's faith shaped his pacifist beliefs. Following Pearl Harbor, he enlisted in the Army -- not to fight, but to serve as a medic. He steadfastly refused to carry a weapon due to his religious convictions. This put him at odds with the military ethos that prized combat readiness, and during basic training, Doss endured relentless scorn, harassment, and even physical abuse from fellow soldiers and superiors who viewed his refusal to bear arms as cowardice or disloyalty.

In the face of it all, Doss never waivered. As a medic in the 77th Infantry Division, Doss first demonstrated his valor in the Pacific Theater. In 1944, during the campaign on Guam, he braved enemy fire to treat and evacuate wounded soldiers, earning his first Bronze Star for valor. Later that year, at the Battle of Leyte in the Philippines, his relentless courage under fire secured him a second Bronze Star.

These early acts of heroism, though remarkable, were mere preludes to the extraordinary feats that would define his legacy. The pinnacle of Doss’s heroism came in May 1945 during the Battle of Okinawa, one of the bloodiest campaigns of World War II, where U.S. forces faced ferocious resistance from entrenched Japanese defenders.

At the heart of this battle was the Maeda Escarpment, a 400-foot cliff with a 35-foot overhang, nicknamed “Hacksaw Ridge” for its treacherous terrain and the savage fighting that unfolded there. The escarpment was a meat grinder, with American troops suffering staggering casualties under relentless enemy barrages of artillery, machine-gun fire, and gr***des.

On May 5, 1945, Doss’s unit was ordered to retreat after a devastating assault left dozens of wounded soldiers stranded atop the ridge, exposed to certain death. While his buddies withdrew, Doss made a fateful decision that would cement his place in history: he stayed behind. Alone, unarmed, and under constant enemy fire, he embarked on a grueling mission to rescue the wounded. One by one, he crawled through mud and blood, dodging bullets and shrapnel, to reach the injured. Using a rope sling he devised, Doss lowered each man down the sheer cliff to safety, a physically and emotionally exhausting task that defied human endurance. Over the course of 12 hours, he single-handedly saved 75 men, a number so staggering that military officials initially doubted its accuracy until survivors corroborated his actions.

Doss himself was gravely wounded during the ordeal, struck by a gr***de blast that shattered his leg and riddled his body with shrapnel. Yet, even in agony, he refused immediate evacuation, insisting that other wounded soldiers be treated first. His selflessness extended to the very end of his mission, as he continued to prioritize the lives of others over his own survival.

On October 12, 1945, President Harry S. Truman presented Doss with the Medal of Honor at a White House ceremony, an event that underscored the magnitude of his contributions. “I’m proud of you,” Truman told him, gripping his hand. “I consider this a greater honor than being President.”

Doss’s story, though celebrated in his time, gained renewed prominence with the release of the 2016 film Hacksaw Ridge. The movie brought his remarkable life to a global audience, though Hollywood downplayed some of his heroics because it seemed too unbelievable!

Desmond Doss passed away in 2006 at the age of 87 with a legacy of being one of the finest soldiers in United States history.

God Bless this true American hero🙏🏼🇺🇲🫡🎖

If you would like to nominate a family, please contact Crystal at [email protected] 🎄

Sharing from another veteran.
To understand a Military Veteran you must know:
We left home as teenagers or in our early twenties for an unknown adventure.
We loved our country enough to defend it and protect it with our own lives.
We said goodbye to friends and family and everything we knew.
We learned the basics and then we scattered in the wind to the far corners of the Earth.
We found new friends and new family.
We became brothers and sisters regardless of color, race or creed.
We had plenty of good times, and plenty of bad times.
We didn’t get enough sleep.
We smoked and drank too much.
We picked up both good and bad habits.
We worked hard and played harder.
We didn’t earn a great wage.
We experienced the happiness of mail call and the sadness of missing important events.
We didn’t know when, or even if, we were ever going to see home again.
We grew up fast, and yet somehow, we never grew up at all.
We fought for our freedom, as well as the freedom of others.
Some of us saw actual combat, and some of us didn’t.
Some of us saw the world, and some of us didn’t.
Some of us dealt with physical warfare, most of us dealt with psychological warfare.
We have seen and experienced and dealt with things that we can’t fully describe or explain, as not all of our sacrifices were physical.
We participated in time honored ceremonies and rituals with each other, strengthening our bonds and camaraderie.
We counted on each other to get our job done and sometimes to survive it at all.
We have dealt with victory and tragedy.
We have celebrated and mourned.
We lost a few along the way.
When our adventure was over, some of us went back home, some of us started somewhere new and some of us never came home at all.
We have told amazing and hilarious stories of our exploits and adventures.
We share an unspoken bond with each other, that most people don’t experience, and few will understand.
We speak highly of our own branch of service, and poke fun at the other branches.
We know however, that, if needed, we will be there for our brothers and sisters and stand together as one, in a heartbeat.
Being a Veteran is something that had to be earned, and it can never be taken away.
It has no monetary value, but at the same time it is a priceless gift.
People see a Veteran and they thank them for their service.
When we see each other, we give that little upwards head nod, or a slight smile, knowing that we have shared and experienced things that most people have not.
So, from myself to the rest of the veterans out there, I commend and thank you for all that you have done and sacrificed for your country.
Try to remember the good times and make peace with the bad times.
Share your stories.
But most importantly, stand tall and proud, for you have earned the right to be called a Veteran.
I’m a VETERAN! I WOULD DO IT ALL OVER AGAIN AND AGAIN!🇺🇸