B-K Lighting President Nathan Sloan presented this year’s Keynote.

Telling the star spangled story of a flag that refused to fall during the historic British bombing of Baltimore’s Fort McHenry in 1814, Sloan said, “This resiliency was not born out of tragedy. No, it’s been intertwined in the fabric of America since our founding fathers wrote the Declaration of Independence.” He talked about the unbreakable bond held by American Colony freedom fighters during the bombardment.

He continued, “I ask myself often how someone is able give of themselves in such a way and I believe the closest I’ll get to understanding that frame of mind is family. And it’s this family bond that outwardly connects members of the military and uniformed personnel together.”

Sloan also took the opportunity to honor all veterans who have served and continue to serve this great country, and those present were traditionally presented with B-K Lighting’s own Challenge Coin.

We also had the opportunity to look into the lives of some of the fallen heroes of 9/11 in a video. We encourage you to take the time to watch the video towards the bottom of this page.

This year’s special guest speaker was United States Navy Veteran John Cook. Mr. Cook is a Board Member for Our Heroes’ Dreams.

Enlisting in the Navy after the 9/11 attacks, Cook served eight years as an Aviation Structural Mechanic at NAS Lemoore, and overseas in Guam. Cook also spent time deployed in the Middle East during Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom, and Operation Smile.

Following his return home, he was back at NAS Lemoore to continue his military aviation work on F/A-18 fighter jets at Strike Fighter Squadron 146 (VFA-146).

When a MERSA infection lead to an amputated left leg combined with a diagnosis of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder left Cook mission-less and on the couch, he was introduced to Our Heroes’ Dreams, a non-profit organization whose mission is to “improve the lives of our warriors and their families, by helping them to accomplish their dreams, that they otherwise wouldn’t be able to accomplish because of their disabilities.”

There he discovered Assistance Service Dog Educational Center, led by Gerald Whittaker who has been training service dogs in Woodlake, California for more than 15 years.

Upon taking the microphone and podium, Cook spoke of the gratitude he had for all service dogs as well as his own, Ivy. Cook spoke of fellow veterans’ struggles, and how their lives have been revitalized by service dogs.

As the ceremony closed, Sloan presented checks of $5,000.00 each to Mr. Cook for Our Heroes’ Dreams, and to the Pleitez Family who run Doc’s Dogs for Vets in their son’s honor in Raymond, California.

We encourage you to watch our 9/11 Ceremony, and to honor those lost on 9/11, our veterans and active service members and first responders in any way you can. Whether it be financial, through volunteering, or with simple gratitude to our friends, family and countrymen in uniform. 

#wewillneverforget