Contributions for 2026

At the TAPS Honor Guard Gala, we remember the love of our fallen heroes, celebrate their lives and share the stories of the journey we have with our TAPS family.

TAPS promises to be there for the families of America’s fallen heroes, from the moment they lose their loved one and for the rest of their lives.

On a recent trip to the Smoky Mountains, my wife and I found ourselves, once again, at one of our favorite artisan spots — Alewine Pottery, quietly nestled among the pines and whispering winds of Gatlinburg, Tennessee.

In my life, one person stands out above all others, and that person is my mother. No matter what life threw her way, she always found a way to keep going, remaining steady, hopeful, and strong.

Birds singing, flowers blooming, spring is here. It is the perfect time for fresh starts, and your finances can be one of them. If you’re ready to begin, take these seven steps to do a little financial spring cleaning.

“All you need is love,” famously sang the Beatles. I couldn’t agree more. We come into the world yearning to give and receive love.

Everyone at TAPS carries a story — one of love, and of loss — that lives on each time we share it, each time we say their names. In the ongoing Stars4TAPS story, 2025 will forever be a stand-out chapter, one that came together during a heartfelt TAPS cameo on the NCIS holiday episode, “Heaven and Nature,” which aired on Dec. 16, 2025.

In Alaska, fireweed is a familiar sight in summertime. With highways and roads lined with a never-ending green of vegetation, its bursts of beautiful hues of pink, magenta, purple, and the occasional rare white blossoms are a welcome contrast.

When my son, SSG Adam J. Henrickson, died by suicide in 2020, he left behind dozens of beautiful, well-crafted photographs that he took in Europe — majestic Norwegian fjords, quiet German countrysides, scenic shots of tourists traveling the Venice canals, and perfectly framed photos of autos built in every country. His first love was cars, after all, they say you photograph what you love.

In part two of the Grief Rumination Spiral series, Helpful vs. Harmful Thoughts, we explored the kinds of thoughts that help grief move and the kinds that tend to keep us stuck. If you’ve begun to notice your own patterns, you’re already doing the most important part: bringing awareness to what’s happening inside you. Now, let’s talk about what to do with that awareness.

Time was irrelevant, but dates packed their punches — his birthday, his first wedding anniversary, which he didn’t live to celebrate, and the day he died…the day he died.

My son took me fishing the other day…

While tending to our own grief, our children's emotional needs may go unmet simply because we don't have the energy, resources, or understanding to help them.

Volume 32, Issue 1

Grief is a common, dare I say, universal life experience. We grieve the death of pets, the end of meaningful relationships, moving from a longtime home, and the death of loved ones.

On that first day at TAPS, I was 8 years old, and I was sad. I didn’t really want to be there; I didn’t want to talk to anybody. I felt like the odd one out.