TEMPLE, Texas — Grief and sudden loss impact millions of Americans every day. The affects can be long-lasting and never go away, especially for a Gold Star Family.
Dan Morgan, a U.S. Army veteran and former ranger infantry officer, is working to expand support to military families in Texas. Morgan has cared for nearly five dozen Gold Star families.
"Inside of Texas, I want to be able to connect Fort Hood, down through Camp Mabry, down through the Capitol of Austin, and down into San Antonio," Morgan said. "I want to make sure that everybody understands that Tuesday's Children is here to help our families of the military that have lost their Soldier, Airmen, their Marine, Coast Guardsman, it doesn't matter."
Tuesday's Children provides personalized support and a safe landing place to traumatized, grief-stricken children and families, as well as communities left reeling from terrorism, military conflict or mass violence.
"I still struggle with the losses that I've seen and the decisions that I've made and question myself," Morgan admitted told 6 News. "Tuesday's Children is a way for me to continue to heal, in some ways for myself, but it also gives me a sense of purpose."
Just last year, Tuesday's Children launched a Memorial Day 5k called “Rise Up and Remember," a chance to raise money to help families changed forever because of 9/11.
According to the Foundation, 42,000 people have been directly impacted by terrorism, military conflict or mass violence. Morgan said he still struggles to this day, but being a part of this program helps him heal.
"I think the ability to understand people's dilemmas affected by this type of violence, whether it's military deployments and terrorism or other types of violence throughout communities and across the globe, there needs to be people, there needs to be people who can support them and bring them into the future," he said.
Morgan, who has seen firsthand families changed forever, said Tuesday's Children promises to help find a path to long-term healing amid grief that will never go away.
"The military will continue to move forward, it has a mission to do and it will continue to move forward, that's what the taxpayers pay for," he said. "We are here for you. You have an ear, you have empathy and to give you those things that you need to bring your children and your family to a better future and to be able to provide for themselves and each other."