User:Vetfriends

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[edit] VetFriends - An Online Community of Heroes

VetFriends.com is a Web site reuniting and supporting U.S. veterans, military, family and friends with over 866,000 members - offering the information, tools and resources needed to help support and bring veterans together.

VetFriends.com salutes and thanks all of our veteran brothers and sisters, active and reserve military of the U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines and Coast Guard - All heroes of our nation. With the powerful notion of reuniting in mind, VetFriends.com has created an online community for veterans, active military, along with friends and family.

Visitors can search military veterans and personnel to make contact with old service buddies, set up reunions, chat online with other veterans, post military photos and share military jokes, obtain information on how to receive medals and military records, browse the veterans business directory, find VA benefit information, participate in message boards, forums and much more.

After locating 52 men with the assistance of VetFriends.com, veteran R. Soden writes, “If it hadn’t been for VetFriends.com I would have only kept track of one man in Iowa. Thank you VetFriends for getting me started! We love our vets. God bless you.”

[edit] Founded by a U.S. Veteran in Support of Veterans

The idea of an easy-to-use, online veteran registry came to its founder, Marine Corps veteran of Desert Storm Dale F. Sutcliffe, during a conversation with his father-in-law, who had served during the Korean War. When asked whether he would attend a hypothetical reunion with his old Army unit, his father-in-law responded, "I'd be on the next plane to Korea to see those guys." Reflecting on the depth of this reply, Sutcliffe realized those special bonds often withstand the test of time precisely because of the unique and often difficult circumstances under which they were formed in the military. Now, those bonds can be reestablished through modern technology.

[edit] The Military Pride Photo Collection

The VetFriends.com photo collection at www.vetfriends.com/militarypics is made up of thousands of pictures in honor of U.S. military personnel. Visitors can search for images by specific military branch, year, war, state and country. Each picture contains background information along with a brief message or description. To promote reuniting, an “e-mail reply option” is available with each photo, where users can send thank you comments, questions and information requests to the person who submitted the photo.

After reuniting with a Vietnam service buddy through VetFriends.com, veteran K. David Herbert writes to VetFriends.com:

"A couple of months after posting my photo, I received an e-mail from VetFriends saying someone was trying to get in touch with me. It turned out to be the photographer of my picture and a friend…We have since been exchanging e-mails and he has even added a few pictures of his own to VetFriends too…It was fantastic to hear from him. Thank you VetFriends!"

Honor a Loved One Who Served -- Post Their Photo in the VetFriends Collection. All photos, both color and black and white can be uploaded free at www.vetfriends.com/militarypics/image_upload.cfm where they are then edited, resized, approved for content and posted live for the world to see.

So many things are possible today because of the heroes who have protected and served our nation. VetFriends.com carries this spirit and tradition through all that we do, thankful for our veterans and military. Spending time with family and loved ones, enjoying a film, sports event or show, walking through the park or beach, festivities on the holidays...whenever we take part in any of these wonderful things, our U.S. soldiers, both past and present hold a special place at our table, our gatherings, in our huddle on the field, in our recollections and more.

Founded in 2000 by a U.S. veteran of Desert Storm, thousands of people have been reconnected through VetFriends.com, spanning from World War II through to Operation Desert Storm and the present. VetFriends.com has a current member count of over 866,000 people with 150,000 visitors per month to the site. Support, honor and celebrate U.S. veterans and military personnel at VetFriends.com.

Please visit www.VetFriends.com for more information.