Just over a year ago, in the quiet little town of West Blocton, Alabama,
Regina Moore devised a plan to initiate a march to Washington DC
on behalf of POW/MIA and veterans.
Her heart seemed in the right place, and donations of cash, wheelchairs, snacks,
juice and other items poured into her bank account and home.
I was a member of the Board of Directors of a respected non-profit agency
that provided early assistance by tapping an extensive list of charitable contributors.
Veterans signed up for the march, out of respect for missing or fallen brothers;
whether it was a hundred miles or a thousand miles, they arrived with expectations
of participating in a large, organized, publicized and well-planned venture.
What they found, however, was quite the opposite.
Reports indicated Regina Moore was actually surprised at the arrival of so many veterans.
Veterans were dismayed, then outraged by what appeared to be a spur-of-the-moment plan
to get a free trip to the nation's Capitol.
The mayor of West Blocton arrived, and left; the sheriff followed suit.
It was painfully obvious to them there would be no march.
THIS IS WHAT VETERANS AND POLITICOS FOUND:
1. One middle-age, chain-smoking overweight woman sitting at her kitchen table.
THIS IS WHAT VETERANS AND POLITICOS DID NOT FIND:
1. Plans for route security;
2. Maps for a route winding through several states;
3. Plans for medical emergencies;
4. Plans for eating arrangements;
5. Plans for sleeping arrangements;
6. Plans for rest stops or bathroom breaks;
7. Contingency plans for disabled participants;
8. FLAGS, banners, and other items identifying the marchers' purpose;
9. Publicity for the marchers via television, radio or newspapers along the route;
10. A babysitter for Regina Moore's children.
They also could not find the items that had already been donated
by various individuals and organizations.
Apparently realizing she was expected to follow through with the march,
Regina Moore decided her children were going to ride with a veteran
that arrived in an RV, a plan the veteran understandably vetoed.
Regina did, to her credit, manage to wobble about three miles
to the edge of town before she dropped out, on the verge of physical collapse.
Marchers disbanded in disbelief and disgust. One of them, a combat vet,
had invested over a thousand dollars in the design and purchase
of Strike Force Freedom Cry merchandise for the marchers,
over and above an expensive cross-country journey.
IT IS IMPORTANT TO REALIZE PARTICIPATION
IN A MARCH TO WASHINGTON DC AND OUR WAR MEMORIALS
IS MORE THAN JUST A TRIBUTE TO FALLEN HEROES;
IT IS AN EMOTIONAL SACRIFICE, A HEALING PROCESS
AND A COPING MECHANISM
FOR THOSE WHO EXPERIENCED THE HORRORS OF WAR.
REGINA MOORE USED THAT KNOWLEDGE FOR PERSONAL GAIN.
Almost immediately, the fight for reimbursement began.
Our federally-registered non-profit organization went to great lengths
to contact Regina Moore, to no avail.
Other veteran groups and contributors attempted to locate Ms. Moore
without success. Regina Moore, her innocent children and the donations
had disappeared into thin air.
Day after day, month after month, contributors have fought to regain their good-faith donations.
THERE HAS BEEN NO REIMBURSEMENT.
SHE HAS REFUSED TO ACCOUNT FOR ANY DONATION.
Now, the so-called strike force is in its second incarnation,
targeting active duty personnel as well as veterans.
I do not believe this to be in the best interests of the veterans community.
I am not alone in my outrage. Veterans are building other websites to alert
our brothers and sisters to this 'organization.' Letters warning about the SFFC
are circulating throughout veterans' mailing lists.
Fraud perpetrated in the name of honorable men and women is not taken lightly.
I am, once again, submitting my concerns to state and national level
veterans organizations, in addition to Alabama's state attorney.
You will find links to these organizations at the bottom of this page.
You may also voice your concerns directly to me,
and I assure you they will be presented to the proper agencies.
I urge you, on behalf of America's veterans, to research this organization thoroughly
before giving your money, name or reputation
to Strike Force Freedom Cry
and any endeavor its founder, Regina Moore, may perpetrate.
Signed,
Bobby Jean Simkins
United States Navy Veteran
ax2usn@yahoo.com
