Veterans and First Responders Honored at Pre-9/11 ‘Day of Service and Remembrance’

 

Scores of Pasadena residents, students and first responders gathered Saturday at the American Legion Hall in Pasadena for a Pre-9/11 “Day of Service and Remembrance” to honor those who lost their lives in 9/11 almost fifteen years ago.

The afternoon featured clean-ups, assembling gift bags for the men and women that have dedicated their lives to keeping our country and communities safe: members of the military and the nation’s first responders. Thank you cards were written to send to troops, and participants shared stories of the morning of 9/11.

The event also featured attendance from local fire, sheriff and police departments and their furry service dog counterparts.

“A great way to say ‘thanks’ and come together,” said Founder and Executive Director of The Mindful Warrior Project Gail Soffer.

The Mindful Warrior Project teaches practices to veterans in need through a regular ten week-long series of classes geared towards enhancing the overall quality of life. The methods address sleep issues, emotional regulation and other issues that affect the military and veteran population who have served in combat.

“Mindfulness is all about being in the present and appreciating and enjoying everything around you,” explained Soffer. “We try to empower people.”

According to the project website, “mindfulness” is an evidence-based therapy that has been proven in hundreds of research studies to have a positive impact in such quality of life issues as depression, stress, anxiety, performance, sleep, addiction, Post-traumatic stress disorder, and suicide, areas that are of significant importance in the veteran community.

“Mindfulness as we teach it is about being aware and being present and in the moment,” said Soffer, “Our passion for bringing mindfulness to the veteran community is based on much more than research. With a veteran completing suicide every hour in the U.S. – more taking their own lives than those being killed in combat – we feel compelled to help end the suffering. This comes not only from a deep conviction that this is a genuine answer, but also from the experiences of our founder and team members whose lives have been deeply impacted by and perhaps saved by developing and becoming dedicated to mindfulness practices.”

As Soffer explained, she and her team want to create an environment that hopefully provides insight for the youth to put faces to an event that played a significant role in history and to meet real live veterans that are often stereotyped for the worse.

“Giving a veteran a handmade card goes a long way. It’s a labor of love,” said Soffer. “We are literally saving lives by giving out care packages,” which include necessities such as deodorants, toothbrushes and other daily necessities.

It’s the little things.