RH HQ Press Release (Sept.10, 2013) – Remember Heroes, a startup company that enables loved ones to honor and virtually visit the gravesites of deceased American veterans, has launched a campaign to honor 2,000 veterans in the Dallas/Fort Worth National Cemetery. Remember Heroes was founded by recent Oklahoma State University graduates, who forwent jobs and moved to Ft. Worth to start a company devoted to giving back to veterans and their families.
Mike Merit, the President and a cofounder of Remember Heroes, is a disabled Marine who served three tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan. Throughout his service, Mike worked as a loadmaster on KC-130 aircraft. In 2002, Mike lost 7 crewmembers, when their plane went down in the hills of Pakistan. In their name, Mike resolved to start an organization that honors veteran heroes, employs veterans and gives back to the military community.
Mike shared his idea with Flint Holbrook and Nick Cain in May 2012. Both quickly joined Mike’s cause and began planning the business. The OSU entrepreneurship program played an important role as they planned and began executing the business. Their efforts culminated in March 2013 when they presented the plan at the TCU Values and Ventures competition, an invitation only business plan competition for businesses with social missions. After the competition the National Rifle Association immediately signed on as flagship sponsor.
The result, Remember Heroes, places fresh flowers on veteran’s graves and returns a virtual tour of the site to the family of the deceased. The virtual tour can be shared with loved ones and they can upload their own content to create an online memorial wall. If they don’t have a relative to honor, customers can choose to honor a random hero’s grave.
Remember Heroes will begin taking orders for immediate fulfillment in October, but currently accepts preorders through their Indiegogo page. Preorder prices start at $150. If Remember Heroes reaches its $100,000 goal then 2,000 bouquets will blanket an entire section of DFW National Cemetery.
Remember Heroes is able to initially serve the families and friends of more than 1.7 million deceased veterans in National Cemeteries located in Dallas/Fort Worth, TX; Riverside, CA; Honolulu, HI; Denver, CO; Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN; St. Louis, MO; Long Island, NY; Arlington, VA/Washington, D.C.; Bushnell, FL and San Antonio, TX.
(Photo by TCU Values and Ventures)