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Dear Armed Forces Thanksgiving Friends & Supporters:

We are excited to announce our 5th Annual Armed Forces Thanksgiving Luncheon, saluting our local United States military members, past, present and future, will take place at the JW Marriott on Friday, May 15, 2020 during Armed Forces month.  As you know, this is an amazing event that provides local business professionals and high school students from across West Michigan an opportunity to pay tribute to the brave men and women who are serving, or have served, our country.

We were thrilled to have raised over $175,000. While our primary mission is to advocate for our military members, we have been able to make a significant donation to the West Michigan Veterans Coalition so that they can continue their mission of improving the lives of veterans, their families and anyone that served in the Armed Forces by connecting them to all available services and resources in West Michigan. 

This year’s luncheon will be highlighted with a keynote address from Retired Chief Warrant Officer Four Michael J. Durant. His performance during active military duty and in retirement mark him as one of Aviation's best. He is most famous for his harrowing 1993 experience during Operation Gothic Serpent in Somalia - as a member of the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (SOAR) deployed with Task Force Ranger - where he was shot down and held as a prisoner of war by hostile Somali militia for 11 days. Despite his multiple injuries, his performance during captivity - chronicled in news magazines, books, documentaries and a feature film, Black Hawk Down - is heralded as a model of the "Warrior Ethos" for all Soldiers. His personal conduct serves as a benchmark for today's survival, evasion, resistance and escape training for all of members of U.S. military. 

We hope you will save the date and join us in 2020! 

Thank you for your support,

Peter Ruppert                   

Co-Chairman                          

John Irwin

Co-Chairman