Saturday, July 19, 2014

Ric Ryan receives an Honor Bear from Copperopilis VFW Ladies Aux



The Walking Man of Murphys – Ric Ryan – was presented with an Honor Bear from VFW Post 12118 Ladies Auxiliaryat the Angels Camp July 4th celebration held in Angels Camp Utica

Honor Bears are the brain child of auxiliary member Eva Murphy who began the project in 2013 in hopes of reaching out to wounded veterans to give them something that will comfort them without judgment and remind them they are loved. Each bear is lovingly crafted from era and service specific fabric from actual uniforms that have either been donated or purchased with special funds from the auxiliary.

Ric Ryan, who walks to raise funds for Operation Mend, a joint UCLA/Brown Medical Center endeavor to treat the scarring wounds of war specializing in burns and facial reconstruction, has walked a total of 6000 miles and raised over $20,000.00 for the cause.

To date, the VFW Ladies Aux has distributed over 200 Honor Bears to wounded veterans at Operation Mend, veterans’ homes and veteran hospitals. 

 Ric Ryan with his wife Joanne holding the Vietnam Era Marine Crops Honor Bear