The Sudburian who's the Honorary Colonel of the Irish Regiment of Canada has launched a new initiative to commemorate the service and sacrifice of members of the United States Armed Forces.
Kevin McCormick — also president of Huntington University — has taken on the project in partnership with Lieutenant Colonel Mike Motyl, a colleague from the Canadian Armed Forces Military Police.
The Service and Sacrifice Initiative was developed in 2016 as a formal mechanism by which to locate historic U.S. military pieces and repatriate them with family members, military museums, educational platforms and/or communities.
Both McCormick and Motyl have donated their personal time and funds to support the project and have amassed, through auctions, private sales and other markets, hundreds of pieces of historic items representing all branches of the U.S. military and geographic regions across the nation.
Further, the initiative represents the lives of U.S. service men and women, and their families, from all major conflicts and wars.
The two men, accompanied by Nickel Belt MP Marc Serré, attended a Sept. 26 event
at the U.S. Embassy in Ottawa and delivered a collection of military memorabilia into the care of U.S. Defense Attaché Colonel William J. Rowell as part of their Service and Sacrifice Initiative.
“The Service and Sacrifice Initiative allows us to honour the personal and professional sacrifices of our military Allies in the United States while also raising awareness of the exceptionally strong bond between our two nations,” McCormick said.
“The selfless dedication and exemplary professionalism of the men and women of the U.S. military over the centuries is a powerful testament to their nation’s unwavering commitment to freedom and justice.”
“I am honoured to be part of this important project and play a role in returning military pieces, which have been professionally preserved for future generations, back to their country of origin,” said Motyl.
“It’s truly amazing how a personal letter or artifact can bring a person’s story to life and highlight their tremendous courage and sacrifice in service to their country.”
“It was a great honour for me, as a Member of the Canadian NATO Parliamentary Association, to attend this presentation at the U.S. Embassy in Ottawa,” said Serré.
“The Service and Sacrifice Initiative is an altruistic endeavour on behalf of Honorary Colonel McCormick and Lieutenant Colonel Motyl of the Canadian Armed Forces.
“They have personally funded this mission and have already made numerous donations and presentations to museums across the U.S. in an ongoing effort to commemorate the shared military history of our two nations, its service men and women, as well as important dates in military history.”
