Author Archives: Jon Luker

Grand Rapids American Legion Post 2 did an excellent job once again. The capstone of their experience was a closing ceremony held on Sunday, 11 August 2024. Not only did they read all of the names on the crosses, but they had active duty representatives from the Army, Marine Corps, Navy and Coast Guard onContinue reading “Moving Again”

We arrived in Grand Rapids on 12 July to setup for the 30-day campaign hosted by American Legion Post 2. We are situated Greenleaf Landscaping Supply’s property located at 231 North Park ST NE, Grand Rapids, MI 49544. That property runs along US 131 near the West Michigan Whitecaps baseball stadium. That location has theContinue reading “Improved Setup”

We went to Albion, Michigan on 5 July to pack up everything and take it back home to prepare for the next location, Grand Rapids. 660 crosses is way too many. While the true number of veterans who commit suicide each day can only be estimated, and estimates go anywhere from 16 a day toContinue reading “Grand Rapids is Next”

We set up the field at the Riverside Cemetery in Albion, MI on 3 June. The next day, WILX TV 10 out of Lansing, MI visited the site, interviewed those present and published a report. You may find it here: https://www.wilx.com/2024/06/04/albion-american-legion-post-raising-awareness-around-veteran-suicide/  It’s been a few days since and things are looking good!

It has been a very busy month for us. We went to Hollywood, Florida to retrieve our trailer after crosses were placed there by Knights of Columbus. By then, the trailer had been on the road for five months, so crosses, lights and other things were in need of repair, replacement or upgrades. The nextContinue reading “Next Stop, Albion”

It’s been a hard working few weeks. We traveled to Rutherfordton North Carolina to see 660 crosses standing tall. It took us most of the day to pack everything back up. After a night in a hotel, we left for St Helen’s Catholic Church in Vero Beach Florida. There, we found a great location onContinue reading “Vero Beach”

Even through some bad weather, Post 74 still gave this project the effort needed to ensure a great result! We are not even halfway done and there are too many crosses. If you have looked around the website and are still not sure how you can help prevent veteran suicide, please give us a callContinue reading “Day 13 and Beyond”

American Legion Post 74 in Rutherfordton, NC has had some unusual challenges but has performed well while overcoming them. First, there was (and is) much bad weather coming through. That not only makes the slope risky for the volunteers but could mess up the overall visual impact as well. Then there was the electrical problemContinue reading “Day 10”

With great help from American Legion Post 172 in Concord NC, we were able to pack up the crosses, lights, flags and equipment in record time: 2 hours. We had an easy drive two hours west to American Legion Post 74 in Rutherfordton NC. Post 74 has the most unusual ground we have ever triedContinue reading “Rutherfordton NC Begins”

We have reached the end of the 30-day Veterans Suicide Awareness Campaign in Concord, NC. These pictures are from the day and night of the 30th day. We wish to thank American Legion Post 172 for their excellent work this past month. We especially are grateful for Brian Bloomfield, Post Commander. Our next stop isContinue reading “Day 30 at Concord”