Gold Star Program

Never Forget Our Fallen Heroes

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Creating Awareness for the Price of Freedom

Nearly 8,000 brave men and women in our nation’s uniform paid the ultimate sacrifice after volunteering to preserve our freedoms since the terrorist attack on September 11, 2001.

Operation Never Forgotten (ONF) recognizes our “Heroes” who have received a Purple Heart for having been killed in action by enemies of the United States while serving in Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Iraqi Freedom and/or Operation New Dawn.  ONF creates awareness messages stating these fallen heroes are someone’s dad, mom, husband, wife, child, brother, sister, grandparent, battle-buddy, cousin, niece, nephew or friend.

May they always be honored and remembered…. and remind us that freedom is not free!  Death leaves a heartache no one can heal… love leaves a memory no one can steal.

 

GoldenSm3Free Billboards To Remember and Honor Loved Ones

Memories are created in a “big” way for gold star families and friends through personalized outdoor billboards. These enormous back-lit digital billboards run as public service announcements (PSAs) closest to the requesting family’s hometown.  Outdoor advertising companies GoldenSm5with digital billboard capability contribute the available PSA space.  Families can requests additional media attention during the time of their billboard running. ONF will provide press releases and coordinate interviews. All ONF services are donated 100% .

See ONF’s FALLEN HERO BILLBOARDS and MEMORIAL DAY VIDEO.

 

Request Your Fallen Hero Billboard

The number of words are very limited on outdoor billboards, so the ONF campaign theme is preferred. For example: “My Husband… Your Fallen Hero,” or “My Son… Your Fallen Hero,” etc.

400x840ArrechagaProudFatherA family member or friend needs to be in the photo with your fallen loved one. He/she need not be in military attire. Your photos can be from before serving. You can submit more than one photo. However, only the best for the purpose of billboard production will be selected by ONF. Families will receive layouts for approval before the billboard company receives the art.

Specific dates and locations to run boards can be requested;RequestButton however, it will depend on space availability. Families may have a billboard running in more than one location. A map will be provided as to where your billboard will run.

ONF never solicits to gold star families, so you need to fill out your private request from the button at the right and sign a photo release from the link below.

 

Photo Release and Requirements

GoldenSm4Please sign a PHOTO RELEASE for the rights to use your photos for billboards and this website.

Highway and inner city digital billboards rotate among other advertisers and people see them only when driving past them. The photos must be clear and headlines quickly read. Photo quality with good clarity is important! Blurry photos or images too small cannot be used.

Photos must be JPEGs from digital cameras and not scanned from prints. Your digital photos are best no smaller than 200 k or no larger than 5 Megs.  If you are not sure about the size of your photo, you can right clicking on it to get the properties, or choose details when viewing files.  The request button above will take you to the form where you can download up to 4 photos.

Non-digital traditional printed outdoor billboards can be requested, although families will need to find a sponsor to pay for the printing; and the photos will need to be of a much higher resolution.

For general questions or technical assistance contact Linda:
Linda@operationnf.org
406-581-8358.

 

Never Forgotten

After billboards are created to honor Post-9/11 fallen heroes and then posted in the hometowns of gold star families on a KIA date, there are future opportunities to run these digital billboards again years later, at any time, throughout the country… to never be forgotten.

OUTFRONT Media ran an ONF Fallen Heroes outdoor billboard campaign in 2017 on the Memorial Day weekend for loved ones that were originally posted in 2011 and 2012. First time billboards for families were also included.

Here are only a few of the many digital boards that went up in major cities, on highways, in subways, and at bus stations throughout the country!

To honor and remember these and more fallen heroes please share the ONF Fallen Heroes Billboard Gallery.

 

 

 

SLIDESHOW: Photos by Gold Star Mother Gwen Olsen, Gold Star Mother Tracy Jopek and the Romero Family.
Images, videos and audios are created by and for ONF only and are neither for sale nor allowed to be copied without contacting ONF for terms and agreement.