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TAPS RESOURCE LIBRARY
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Sleeping  
For many of us, sleep patterns are disrupted after the death of a loved one, whether the trouble is lack of sleep or too...  More»
Morrison Family  

Beyond the Sea
By Cindy Hooks Morrison

I have filled the ocean deep with tears and scaled a rugged mountain of grief, yelling and wrestling with my faith the whole way. With an aching heart and a broken soul...  More»

Saturday Morning  
This week's Saturday morning message shares the responses to last week's question -  what to say when someone asks how you are feeling.  Many survivor..  More»
Hill2  
Support. It seems like such a simple word but yet there is so much weight behind it. We all need support, no matter what may be going on in our lives,..  More»

TAPS  
Once upon a time, I had all the answers. Or at least, I thought I did. My life was more predictable than not, and with all the wisdom of my youth, I j..  More»
Jeff and Rachel  
On July 28, 2012, it will be two years since I sent my husband to work for the last time. Two years since I last hugged and kissed him good-bye. Two y..  More»

Alice  
When I least expected it, that beastly, nightmarish animal called anger blindsided me.  July 4th, the trip to the cemetery wit  the requisite flowers ..  More»
Booker  
My husband was more than just SSG Andre Booker, he was Dre, the love of my life. We, like so many others had our ups and our downs, but we made our ma..  More»

Marcum  
Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday, dear brother! Happy Bir… Oh wait. Am I supposed to be celebrating your birthday? Do the ..  More»
Michael Marcum  
Seven years ago, my life was bursting with the hustle and bustle of raising a young family. With a new baby in the house and a new job, my life was ch..  More»

Children walking home with their kites  

Sibling Revelry
By Michele Hiester Marcum

Co-conspirators. Confidants. Comrades. Alternately friend and foe. Two apples from the very same tree. That was us, my brother and me…  More»
Peer Mentor Miracle Photo  

Peer Mentor Miracle
By Meredith McMackin

My grief journey began when my older son Julian was killed in Iraq on May 22, 2007. I knew that I wanted to do something positive in his honor...  More»

Birthday  
Birthdays and anniversaries are days that can be both happy and difficult…especially when you have lost someone you love. For my two boys and I, our p..  More»
Jon Rozier - Receiving the Bronze Star for Valor from General Petraues  
The 16th and 19th of next month will mark the 34th birthday and the 9th anniversary of my brother's death. It's a strange thought that he's now been g..  More»

Hilton Famiy - 300x200  
After Carole Hilton’s Navy husband died suddenly, the widowed mother of three had to make a number of financial decisions immediately, while she was p..  More»
Su Ko  
I truly believe having an amazing support system has helped meet each bout of sadness, and TAPS has offered me comfort in a way that I never thought p..  More»

Shannette Booker  
Military widow Shanette Booker talks about how friends and family try to help, but sometimes don't understand how survivors feel about the death of th..  More»
Headstone Photo  
Carol Lane's Saturday Morning Message shares the perspective of a surviving parent and others coping with a military loss...  More»

Memorial Day  
I remember many years ago, when that sing-song sentiment ushered in Memorial Day Weekend each year. Ahhh… the start of summer!  Late nights splashing ..  More»
Anna  
It is amazing how the meaning of Memorial Day has changed for me through the years. I am somewhat ashamed to admit that before my sons enlisted in the..  More»

Rozier Family  
While our family contracted in size 8 ½ years ago, it continued to grow after that…and growth is a sign of life...  More»
Alice Daniel  
On July 14, 1976, I was blessed with my first born, William Austin Daniel.  This was the beginning of the purest, most unconditional love I would ever..  More»

American Flag  
I am Michele.  And I am a survivor.  My story mirrors that of every other TAPS survivor. Someone I love died, and I'm writing my way through the grief..  More»
Shannette Booker  
On 19 August 2011, I lost the love of my life, my soul mate, best friend,and partner in life via self-inflicted injuries. I do not hold that as the ca..  More»

Su Wan Ko  
At one point in my life I thought a year was a long time,and in some ways I still agree with that, but at the same time, it often feels like I blink a..  More»
Rachael Hill  
The year following my husband’s death was undoubtedly the most difficult year I have ever had to deal with.  Never in a million years did I think I wo..  More»

Jon and Liz Graduation  
Writing has always been my passion. It stirs my emotions and allows me to express myself more adequately than any other way. ..  More»
Book Cover - Missing Max  
Missing Max: Finding Hope After My Marine Son’s Death - Had I any previous vision of that title...  More»

Specialist Douglas Desjardins  

How Do We Go On Without Him?
By Cindy Surprenant

It was a cold, dreary, wet November morning in Oregon. I’d just grabbed a pair of wool socks to ward off the cold when I heard the doorbell ring. I fe..  More»
Small Steps in Speech Photo  
It all started years back at a Philadelphia Eagles game. My brother-in-law invited me down to ...  More»

Corporal Matthew Bolar  
One of the things that someone said to me shortly after Matthew died in 2007 was...  More»
Sergeant Paul Dumont, Jr.  
A picture is worth a thousand words. That’s all I need to say when someone views...  More»

Caroline and Tommy Horton  
The year was 2004. For the first time, TAPS expanded the Run and Remember Team to include our TAPS children running...  More»
Klinger Book Cover  

Klinger, A Story of Honor and Hope
Reviewed by Madeline LaMorie

The story of Klinger is a journey of loss, grief, and hope, which many of us kids can identify with...  More»

Christi and Cole Larsen  
Gardening can be such a personal journey; it’s not just about planting a seed and ...  More»
Dying Easter Eggs  

Hard Boiled
By Michele Hiester Marcum

I was in search of vinegar when it happened. I had just checked on my infant son and was on my way to the cabinet...  More»

Winter Driving  
Grief feels a lot like winter. Winter is cloudy, overcast, and cold. The heavy, gray skies make you want to withdraw.   More»
Angela Brinneman  

Uncharted Territory
By Angelia Brinneman

With the coming of the holiday season, do widows and widowers feel more alone? I know I always do. Parties, get-togethers, and holiday celebrations se..  More»

Hrvatin, Stacey and Michael Medders  

Finding the Path
By Stacey Hrvatin

Now that I am a year and a half beyond the death of my fiancé, I am able to hold my footing a bit longer these days and look back. I look back at this..  More»
Gott, Priscilla and Lawrence - Wedding Photo  

Lessons of Love
By Priscilla Gott

I am a 25 year old 7th grade Language Arts teacher and a wife whose husband died by suicide...  More»

Wilkerson, Adam - Photo Journals  

Photo Journaling
By Felicia Young-Wilkinson

There is a heart-shaped wooden plaque that hangs on the wall in my kitchen. It says "Home is where our story begins..."  More»
John Hudson and son Will  

Mother and Son, A Life and Legacy Together
By Lisa and Will Hudson and Ellen Andrews

In October 1983, Navy Lieutenant John Hudson was packing to return from a deployment...  More»

Private First Class Cody Grater - Hands of Victory  

What Cody Taught Me
By Michael Lewis

Every day, when I get to work and flip the switch on my computer, I come face to face with the image of Private First Class Cody Grater...  More»
West, Michelle - Getting Ready to Sky Dive  
Ever since March 11, 2008, I have been teetering on the edge. On that day I received the heartbreaking news...  More»

Marie Campbell and Lori Hunter  
I could not comprehend when three Air Force officials knocked on my door to tell me that my husband...  More»
Dandelions  
I thought my life was over when my husband, Marine Corp Major John Ruocco took his own life. The thought of going on and raising...  More»

Bare Tree  

My Death Wish
By Michele Neff Hernandez

It is an odd and frightening sensation to wish you were dead. After my husband died I fervently wished I could die, too  More»
Boxes  

Boxes in the Attic
By Betsy Beard

Many of us have been faced with multiple shipments of personal effects from various corners of the world. Others of us are denied...  More»

Front Door  
Not many people can understand the full impact of opening the front door to find military casualty officers...  More»
Folded Flag - Rose  

Out of Tragedy
By Bonnie Carroll

Almost 2000 service members make the ultimate sacrifice each year. The military survivor must face...  More»

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