The Grateful Nation Project - Hero Cards

06/10/2026

A proud Hawaiian, Nick Guard dedicated his life to protecting his country. Serving in the U.S. Marine Corps, he was deployed to Iraq in 2008.

He transferred to the U.S. Army in 2014, became an elite Special Forces Green Beret, and earned his Ranger Tab. He deployed to Afghanistan in 2018.

[biography link in comments]

Global War on Terrorism Memorial Foundation, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, America250, U.S. Department of Education, Pete Hegseth, Green Beret Foundation, Association of the United States Army - AUSA National, The Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation

06/06/2026

06/06/2026

06/06/2026

On June 6, 1944, ordinary Americans became the guardians of freedom. They crossed an ocean, stormed the beaches of Normandy, and changed the course of history through courage, sacrifice, and love of country. Eighty-two years later, Freedom 250 remembers the heroes who gave everything so freedom could endure. 🇺🇸

06/02/2026

As a boy growing up on a farm in Durand, Illinois, Shirl Best rode to his schoolhouse in a buggy drawn by a pet pony.

As a young man, he served as a navigator on a B-17G “Flying Fortress” heavy bomber. He was lost on a mission to destroy an oil facility that was crucial to the N**i war effort.

[story link in comments]

Durand Illinois Unfiltered, America250, Freedom 250, U.S. Department of Education, School Boards For Academic Excellence, Hillsdale College K-12 Education, Bradley Impact Fund, The Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation, Chesterton Schools Network, Association of the United States Army - AUSA National, Air & Space Forces Association

05/27/2026

PFC Jack DeLellis, from Waukesha, WI, was part of the first wave of Marines in the Pacific Theater’s crucial Battle of Tarawa.

During the amphibious landing, U.S. Marines encountered lower-than-expected tides, forcing them to leave their landing craft on the reef and wade the hundreds of yards to the beach under intense enemy fire.

[story link in comments]

America250, Freedom 250, School Boards For Academic Excellence, Marine Corps Association, Defense POW / MIA Accounting Agency, Hillsdale College K-12 Education, Success Academy Charter Schools, Bradley Impact Fund, The Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation, The National WWII Museum

05/25/2026

Meet the people who gave everything for your freedom.

Their stories: www.gratefulnation.us

America250, Freedom 250, American Legion Auxiliary National Headquarters, American Battle Monuments Commission, U.S. Department of Education, School Boards For Academic Excellence, Hillsdale College K-12 Education, National School Boards Coalition, , Military Influencer

05/19/2026

Ready for Memorial Day weekend? Hit that mattress sale! Light up that grill! Start your summer!

All good things.

But this year, consider meeting the people who sacrificed everything to secure your freedom. Start your collection of TRUE Heroes who gave “the last full measure of devotion” for our liberty. Stories from 250 years of service and sacrifice, captured in collector cards and online biographies.

Whether for yourself, for a Veteran you know, for a history buff, for your children or grandchildren…make this Memorial Day weekend different. Recapture the meaning of the day: honoring our fallen Heroes.

Visit The Grateful Nation Project.

[links in comments]

, America250, Freedom 250, U.S. Department of Education, The American Legion National Headquarters, Veterans of Foreign Wars VFW, Vietnam Veterans of America, Young America's Foundation, Association of the United States Army - AUSA National, Marine Corps Association, Air & Space Forces Association

05/13/2026

Have you ever heard of the Army’s “Greybeard Regiment”?

PVT William K. Tyler was born a southerner, opposed to slavery, and was too old for combat.

A former teacher and boot-maker, Tyler joined the Union Army’s “Greybeard Regiment” to serve his country.

He was assigned to the Alton Military Prison in Illinois, guarding captured Confederate soldiers, “bushwhackers,” and “guerrillas.”

[story link in comments]

America250, Freedom 250, America 250 Civics Education Coalition, U.S. Department of Education, School Boards For Academic Excellence, National School Boards Coalition, National Memorial Day Concert (PBS), Association of the United States Army - AUSA National, Bradley Impact Fund, The National Civil War Museum, Hillsdale College K-12 Education

05/06/2026

“He was James Dean and Marlon Brando all in one package.”

Jack Rittichier was an all-star college athlete whose 90-yard touchdown run cinched Kent State University’s first-ever bowl bid.

He served in both the U.S. Coast Guard and the United States Air Force, volunteering to deploy to Vietnam as a HH-3E helicopter rescue & recovery pilot.

[story link in comments]

America250, America 250 Civics Education Coalition, Freedom 250, Hillsdale College K-12 Education, U.S. Department of Education, Vietnam Veterans of America, National Memorial Day Concert (PBS), National Coast Guard Museum Association, Kent State University