Welcoming All Soldiers,Marines, Sailors and Airmen

[Spencer Biah]

Today marks the birth of an organization of men and women for whom the words: patriotism, duty and selfless service are not mere words but an embolden part of their everyday lives. This organization is made up of men and women who decided to distinguish themselves by choosing to take a path that is less traveled: the path of being a member of the United States’ Armed Forces. This journey requires an enormous amount of sacrifice especially in this era of global terrorism but we gladly accepted the challenge.

The sacrifice of Liberian immigrants who have served and continue to serve in the United States military cannot be overlooked. Do you know that US servicemen and women of Liberian descent have served with distinction in every US military campaign beginning with the Vietnam War? Some have even paid the ultimate price to ensure that the United States continues to be the ‘Land of the Free and Home of the Brave. We too have contributed to the change that will occur on January 20,2009 when Barack Obama is sworn in as President of these great United States of America.

It is in this context that we are proud to formally announce the formation of the Liberian American Veterans Association (LAVA). LAVA, a non-profit and non-political organization headquartered in Millington, Tennessee, is comprised of past and current US servicemen and women of Liberian descent from all branches of the US military. We were founded for the sole purpose of improving the lives of US Veterans of Liberian descent.

Fellow Veterans we have a unique responsiblity to ensure that our sacrifice is not in vain. One way that we can do it is to ensure that we leave a legacy for those who will decide that they too want to follow us on this admirable journey. It is our fervent hope that this forum will be used to connect, share ideas and offer advice that will strengthen one another. Remember that IN UNION STRONG SUCCESS IS SURE!!!