October 14-18, 2009 - American Veterans Traveling Tribute

The American Veterans Traveling Tribute will be in Van Nuys from October 14-18 in support of Operation Gratitude. The AVTT Exhibit includes a replica of the Vietnam Memorial Wall (80% scale), a Cost of Freedom display of Gold Dog Tags for every service member killed since Vietnam, a 9-11 tribute, and an art display of paintings and photos from World War II and the Korean War.

The Exhibit will be set up on the large lot adjacent to the Van Nuys National Guard Armory. Operation Gratitude will host Prep days in the Armory during that time, as we start our Assembly process the following weekend. So - this is an absolutely perfect kick-off to our Holiday Drive!

The entire event will be free to the public. Our mission is to provide our community an opportunity to pay respect to our heroes, both by visiting the Memorial and by participating in Operation Gratitude activities.

We are reaching out to schools, churches, temples, and youth, civic, fraternal and community groups, in an effort to invite as many people as possible to view The Wall and then walk over to the Armory to help with sorting Operation Gratitude product for the Packing days the next weekend.

The AVTT event daily schedule is as follows:

• Wednesday October 14: Motorcade Escort of The Traveling Wall
  
  • 4:00 pm - Muster at Location to be announced
    
  • 5:30 pm - Greetings
    
  • 6:00 pm - Depart
    
  • 7:00 pm - Arrive at Site
    



• Thursday October 15:
  
  • 9 am to Noon - Set up Exhibit
    
  • Noon to 5 pm - Quiet viewing
    
  • 5 pm - Opening Ceremony with candle lighting, laying of wreaths
    



• Friday October 16: Open 8 am to 8 pm
  
  • 9 am to 3 pm - School Visits
    
  • 3 pm to 8 pm - Quiet Viewing
    



• Saturday October 17: Family Day
  
  • 8 am to 8 pm - School / Church / Synagogue / Youth Group Performances, Sports Figures / Celebrity / Politician appearances
    
  • 1 pm - Formal Greeting
    



• Sunday October 18: Open 8 am to 8 pm
  
  • 11 am - Memorial Service with Condor Flyover
    
  • Noon - Parade of Honor Past Wall
    
  • 6 pm to 8 pm - Breakdown
    

Letter writing materials, scarf-making lessons, information and snacks will be offered at the Operation Gratitude tables at The Exhibit site. All ages are invited to attend The Exhibit. Visitors 12 years and older are welcome to volunteer in the Armory to help prep products for our package assembly the following weekend.

Visitors are encouraged to bring donations for the care packages.
Suggested items are:

• Beanie Babies
• Bags of Candy
• Beef Jerky - Individual Packages
  

For more information about the Operation Gratitude / AVTT Event, please contact opgrat@gmail.com or ptmarty@aol.com