Retired Marine Stands At Attention For 24 Hours On Memorial Day, Holds Salute To Draw Attention To Veteran Suicide
Now THIS is a Memorial Day event!
Every Memorial Day, San Diego resident, Marine Staff Sgt. Tim Chambers makes a trek to Washington to stand on the median at the intersection of Constitution Avenue and 23rd Street during Rolling Thunder, (now called Rolling to Remember,) a motorcycle demonstration to advocate for issues facing veterans and demand justice for the thousands of men and women Missing In Action. He became known as The Saluting Marine.
Staff Sgt. Chambers wears his dress blues and salutes the motorcyclists as they ride by him. He hasn’t missed a Memorial Day since he began in 2002.
In past years, Staff Sgt. Chambers would hold a salute for 3 to 5 hours as the bikers rode by him. This year, he decided to do things a little differently.
To highlight the prevalence of veteran suicide, Chambers settled on a 24-hour demonstration. At the beginning of the first hour, he held a salute for 22 minutes to symbolize the 22 American veterans who take their life every day, on average. The salute drops by one minute each hour, ultimately working its way down to zero.
Source: WJLA 7
Staff Sgt. Chambers is forgoing food, water, and even bathroom breaks during his 24-hour vigil. He is doing this to raise money for a charity that he started, The Saluting Marine Cares, which pays for medical bills for veterans that are not covered by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
This is SSGT Tim Chambers The Saluting Marine standing at attention for 24 hours for the 19th time at this intersection in Washington DC on Memorial Day to bring awareness to veterans suicide and to honor those who gave all…. pic.twitter.com/1kK28SjSWH
— Mike Rudd (@photog_mrudd) May 25, 2020
That’s amazing.
ClashDaily salutes, you, Staff Sgt. Chambers!
Stay rowdy!
