Beyond Borders
Author: TAPS
Bringing together the global community of survivors
TAPS is an organization for all those who are grieving their military loved one. We are part of a family and part of a community, just as our loved ones shared a mission and common goal with like-minded individuals. They served side by side not only with their American battle buddies, but with militaries from around the world all striving to meet shared missions. Today, we have American troops in over 175 countries. We are defending freedom, bringing aid, keeping the peace, and ensuring a future that is safe and secure.
As survivors, we are now part of a global community of military grievers, speaking the universal language of love and loss, hope and healing. TAPS has wonderful partnerships with organizations like the India War Widows Association and the Israeli Defense Forces Widows and Orphans. We have held our bereaved brothers and sisters in Ukraine and Australia as they honored their heroes; we have marched to the Cenotaph in London with the British War Widows as the Queen laid a wreath on Armistice Day, and we have created opportunity for the widows of the Afghan National Security and Defense Forces and the Kurdish Peshmerga.
We transcend religious and cultural differences. We rise above politics. We join together in honor, remembrance, hope and love.
In July 2018, TAPS invited partner organizations from around the world to meet for an International Working Group of organizations for the loved ones of deceased military, and 27 countries participated, including representatives from India, Ukraine, Israel, England, Australia, Burma, Colombia, Turkey, Canada, Iraq, Afghanistan, and Nigeria.
With participation from the White House, Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs, we came together to draft a joint declaration of our shared hope for all who are grieving their loved one.
Declaration of the Global Community of Families of Military Deceased
Be it known by all, we the families of those who have died in the cause of freedom, stand together in the light of justice against all those threatening the peace of our world. We unite with great purpose and with pride in our heroes’ selfless service.
We pledge to continue as their living legacies in honor of their sacrifice to heal our hearts and raise future generations in peace, freedom, and stability.
The families of our deceased military are hereby united as a global community interdependent upon one another. We commit to go beyond our borders, rise above political or religious differences, transcend language barriers and unite with one voice in hope and healing.
We recognize the need for a solid and sustained network of support and to maximize resources offered to all who are grieving the death of a military loved one. We stand together in our acknowledgment of the universality of grief, our respect for all who have served and died, and our dedication to peace.
In honor of our fallen heroes, our military deceased, and our martyrs, we will raise our voices as one global community, representing the families of all those who have given their lives in the cause of freedom.
For the support of this Declaration, we mutually pledge to each other our honor for those who have served and died and our care for their families.
In October, TAPS was once again in Australia at the Invictus Games for an event with surviving families from around the world; in Turkey to meet with the Turkish Veterans and Families Association; in Amman, Jordan for the Transgenerational Trauma Conference; and in London for the TAPS NFL Experience.
If you are interested in learning more or joining TAPS for an upcoming trip, please email global@taps.org!