Our Mission & Manner
21 WORD SALUTE is designed to be a permanent online publication of individual remembrances for fallen U.S. heroes.
It is published for the country and world to see.
21 WORD SALUTE is a strictly formatted eBook of Honor befitting both the dignity of the sacrifice and
well as the regulated salutary tradition of 21 Gun Salutes* (See footnote) which
are reserved only for the president, heads of state, and certain dignitaries. Only Memorial Day is a 21 Gun Salute
rendered for all fallen heroes, as a group, at military bases and ships at sea which have the capability of rendering such
a salute,
It is our opinion that every fallen troop, regardless of rank, deserves the honor of "21," the maximum number
rendered to the most important people.
21 WORD SALUTE is meant to individually keep present the honor and remembrance of a
fallen hero through 21 selected words that form an epitaph. As a 21 Word Salute can be rendered
by any number of people for a given hero, it is possible through multiple salutes to form a composite
epitaph that provides an understanding of his/her impact on and loss to the survivors.
In short...
21 WORD SALUTE puts into action through permanent words
the well meaning, but often forgotten expression,
"We Will Never Forget."
21 WORD SALUTE is a collaboration of artists who have come together to produce this concept, song, and online memorial.
21 WORD SALUTE is not a public charity in the IRS 501C3 designation which requires that we need to acquire
30% of our funding from public donations.
Having both formed and solicitied donations for 501C3 charities, here is why we have chosen not to follow this path...
First, we delivery a charitable service without charge to immediate families of fallen heroes. To
do so requires time and therefore money. Instead of spending the enormous effort to solicit public donations
to cover this benefit, we hopefully will generate voluntary donations by offering the exact same subscription
to extended families, friends and comrades-in-arms of the fallen hero.
Second, we neither solicit funds with off-message items such as return address labels, greeting cards,
calendars, etc., nor do we rely on a third party service which customarily obtains the bulk of the donation. Our
goal is to create in cyberspace a permanent memorial of remembrances of not only the heroes but their families and friends who
must sacrifice a lifetime without them. The best way to accomplish this is to have the "voluntary donors" (the
extended families, friends and comrade-in-arms) add their 21 Word Salutes. In this way, they a) not only defray the
expense of the gratis salutes, b) they add to the composite epitaph of a hero through their salutes, and indeed
c) also become a permanent part of it by "signing" their salute.
Third, the regulated format of 21 Word Salutes can be augmented through the online publication of "Here Lies My
Heart," itself modestly priced which can help us offset the gratis salutes. While there is no obligation to obtain this
additional service, if it is purchased, cross-links will connect the the 21 Word Salute to "Here Lies My Heart."
Fourth, were we a charity and were we to even charge $9.95, for the 21 Word Salute to other than
immediate family members, at a 30% tax bracket this equates to a $3.00 deduction. Admittedly $3.00 is $3.00; but
it is an insignificant deduction. HOWEVER... if one lists his/her name/s after a Salute, we
can all but guarantee that Google will eventually find your name and report it out in an Alert with a link to your comment.
Google would never do this for you, if we sold return address labels to you. Further any potential deduction
is less than a latte'... and Google would not report on your purchase of that, either. So, our program honor
heroes, as we designed, and rewards contributors as we desire.
Fifth, one of us has formed or been closely involved with a veterans' charity. Additionally, all collaborators
have been involved with other charities, fundraising, and the manner in which funds can be legitimately be reported yet provide
a false impression. Trust us, what one sees is not what one always gets with non-profits.** (SEE FOOTNOTE)
Our benefit is wide open: If one has lost a direct family member, we want to honor this
person without charge to the family, without a tie-in or contingency to one's buying more of our remembrance services,
without an annual fee... and forever, so long as the Internet remains as it exists, today. If this fallen hero was an
extended family member, friend, or comrade-in-arms, we want you have the same benefit of expressing your feelings while
at the same time helping us -- IF YOU CAN -- deliver the benefit to the immediate family with whom you most likely know. There
is no obligation or tie-in to our other remembrance services. We want your 21 WORD SALUTE more than your money.
21 WORD SALUTE's mission and manner is just this forthright!
* A GUN SALUTE (a "gun" = a cannon or howitzer) is different from the
rifle salute which is a part of a military funeral. The rifle salute is thought by military historians to have evolved
from a different path of traditions. Historically, gun salutes arose out of the practice of emptying navel war cannons upon
entering a port to signify no hostile intent. In short, it was an act of submission. Over time, perhaps due to
the customary return volley from the shore battery acknowledging the entering vessel, the gun salute became an salutary greeting.
The number of guns has varied over the years and by countries. However, today, a 21Gun Salute is the protocol of
most nations reserved as its highest salutary honor rendered to dignitaries. Lesser dignitaries are rendered
a lower number of guns.
** CHARITY RATING is performed by several independent organization. Charity Navigator
provides and excellent, service without charge. www.charitynavigator.com
