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Airport Travelers Pause for National Anthem To Honor Children of Fallen Service Members

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The holidays can be particularly rough for anyone who has lost a loved one. For the children of fallen soldiers, this time of year is especially hard.

Thankfully, there are those who recognize these children and their families. The Gary Sinise Foundation’s Snowball Express program is just one way military families have been shown love and compassion.

“Snowball Express began in 2006, with a letter written by a fallen soldier to his wife, only to be opened should he perish in battle,” a press release from the foundation explained.

“While the letter expressed many things,” the release went on, “one wish was that they visit Disneyland. From that letter, Snowball Express was created to bring together the children and surviving spouses of fallen U.S. military heroes for a healing retreat.”

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It’s been 12 years, but Snowball Express is still going strong. On Dec. 8, 2018, an American Airlines flight full of grieving children made its way from Nashville to Walt Disney World, where a special retreat would be held in their honor.

But takeoff didn’t take place before a heartwarming tribute was made to these children and their parents and guardians.

Thanks to speaker and author Jen Tringale, a viral Facebook video captured a moment that may just leave you saying, “I’m not crying! You’re crying!”

Watch as travelers and soldiers stand and salute during the national anthem. This is truly unlike anything I have ever seen.

“But when they announced them over the loud speaker and they lined up to board the plane the whole airport literally stopped and sang the national anthem with military present in salute. Most every person standing around, myself included was bawling at the sight of these kids and spouses who have paid so great a price for our country,” Tringale wrote on Facebook.

“To see all of this at Christmas time was so humbling. Seeing the general public in an airport stand still to honor these kids was simply beautiful.”

Tringale has since received a flood of requests for interviews. “It’s really all about the honor and respect that is due in recognizing these amazing gold star families and the sacrifice they have made,” she shared in a separate Facebook post.

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“If you’d like to move on your compassion for these families you can,” she wrote. “Give to the supporting foundation, the Gary Sinise Foundation, that sent these 1,722 gold star families to Disney and does so much more all year around.”

You can also learn more about Tringale by listening to her podcast where she talks about connecting with God’s purpose in your life.

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Sarah Carri is an avid reader and social media guru with a passion for truth and life. Her writing has previously been published in print and online by Focus on the Family and other well known media outlets. Her experience in ministry and Disney entertainment gives her a unique perspective on such topics.
Sarah Carri is an avid reader and social media guru with a passion for truth and life. Her writing has previously been published in print and online by Focus on the Family and other well known media outlets. Her experience in ministry and Disney entertainment gives her a unique perspective on such topics.

Sarah's experience as a successful working stay-at-home mom and business owner has given her the chance to write and research often. She stays up to date on the latest in entertainment and offers her views on celebrity stories based on her wide knowledge of the industry. Her success as a former preschool teacher and licensed daycare provider lend to her know-how on topics relating to parenting and childhood education.

Her thoughts on faith and family issues stem from home life and ministry work. Sarah takes time to attend workshops and classes annually that help her to improve and hone her writing craft. She is a graduate of the Institute of Children's Literature program and her writing has been acclaimed by ACFW and ECPA.
Education
Institute of Children's Literature, Art Institute of Phoenix (Advertising), University of California Irvine (Theater), Snow College (Early Childhood Education)
Location
Arizona
Languages Spoken
English
Topics of Expertise
Entertainment, Faith




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